PNG Grade 12 English common mistakes
PNG Grade 12 English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When asked to identify the writer's main purpose or the central idea, the candidate lifts the first sentence of the passage or the first line of a poem and presents it as the answer, without checking whether it covers the whole text.
Under time pressure, the opening line feels authoritative and is easy to copy. Candidates confuse the topic sentence of one paragraph with the thesis of a multi-paragraph passage, and they have not been trained to summarise the whole text in one sentence before looking at options.
What to do instead
Before answering any main-idea question, write a one-sentence summary of the passage in your own words, covering beginning, middle and end. Then test each option against that summary: the correct answer must account for the whole text, not just the introduction. If an option only fits the first paragraph, reject it.
The candidate answers an inference question with a statement that is literally true in the passage but does not answer what is implied, or invents a conclusion the text does not support.
Candidates do not distinguish between 'stated' and 'suggested'. They either pick a directly quoted fact because it feels safe, or they over-read, bringing in outside knowledge and personal opinion rather than evidence on the page.
What to do instead
For every inference answer, locate the exact phrase or sentence that supports it and mark it in the text. Ask: does the passage state this, or does it only allow me to conclude it? The correct inference must be a small, defensible step from stated evidence, not a leap. If you cannot point to the supporting line, the option is wrong.
When asked about tone, attitude or mood, the candidate selects a strong word such as 'angry', 'sarcastic' or 'delighted' based on one emotive word, rather than judging the overall register of the passage.
Tone vocabulary is often poorly known, and candidates latch onto a single loaded word. They also confuse the speaker's tone with the tone of a character being described, especially in poetry and drama extracts.
What to do instead
Read the whole extract once just for feeling, then build a two-column list: words that suggest emotion on one side, neutral or factual language on the other. Choose a tone word that matches the majority of the language. Learn a short tone vocabulary list (e.g. nostalgic, resigned, ironic, admiring, critical) and practise matching each to a sample sentence.
The candidate retells the plot of a studied novel, play or poem in a literature essay instead of answering the question about theme, character or technique.
In Grade 12 literature, students memorise plot summaries for revision and then reproduce them in the exam because it feels productive and fills pages. They may also misread the question as 'write about the text' rather than 'argue a point about the text'.
What to do instead
Underline the key words of the question (e.g. 'how does the writer present conflict') and write a one-line thesis answering them before you start. Every paragraph must open with a point that advances that thesis, followed by a short quotation and analysis of technique. Limit plot summary to one sentence of context per point.
Quotations from studied texts are paraphrased loosely, misattributed, or dropped in without analysis, so the evidence does not actually support the point being made.
Candidates rely on vague memory of the text and are afraid of getting words wrong, so they paraphrase and call it a quotation. They also treat quotation as decoration rather than as evidence that must be interpreted.
What to do instead
Learn a bank of eight to ten short, exact quotations per studied text, each tied to a theme and a technique. In the essay, introduce the quotation, quote it accurately with quotation marks, then spend two or three sentences explaining the specific words and their effect. If you cannot recall exact wording, describe the moment and analyse it without pretending to quote.
In the grammar section, the candidate chooses the option that 'sounds right' for subject-verb agreement, tense consistency or pronoun reference, without identifying the grammatical subject or the time frame of the sentence.
Everyday speech habits override formal rules, especially where a phrase sits between the subject and the verb (e.g. 'the box of chocolates were'). Candidates also shift tense mid-sentence when narrating.
What to do instead
For agreement items, cross out prepositional phrases and find the true subject before choosing the verb. For tense items, mark the time words (yesterday, since, by the time) and check every verb in the sentence against them. For pronoun items, draw an arrow from each pronoun to its noun and confirm there is only one possible referent.
The candidate misuses punctuation in direct speech and in complex sentences: commas splice two independent clauses, apostrophes are misplaced in plurals and possessives, and speech marks are unclosed or punctuated outside the quotation.
These conventions are learned by ear rather than by rule, and candidates do not proofread for punctuation specifically. Apostrophe rules for plural possessives and the difference between its and it's are common weak points.
What to do instead
Learn three checks and apply them to every written answer: (1) can the two clauses either side of a comma each stand alone? If yes, use a full stop, semicolon or conjunction. (2) Is the apostrophe showing possession or a contraction, never a plural? (3) In direct speech, does the comma or full stop sit inside the closing speech mark? Do a final two-minute punctuation-only read of your writing.
The candidate writes an essay or transactional piece with no clear plan, producing a response that drifts off the prompt, lacks paragraph structure, or has an introduction that never states a position.
Time pressure and the urge to start writing immediately mean planning is skipped. Candidates also misread the prompt, addressing a related topic rather than the exact one set, especially in argumentative and discursive tasks.
What to do instead
Spend three to four minutes planning: restate the prompt in your own words, decide your position, and list three or four topic sentences. Write a thesis statement in the introduction that directly answers the prompt. Give each body paragraph one idea, evidence or example, and a linking sentence. Re-read the prompt before the conclusion to confirm you have answered it.
In transactional writing (letters, reports, speeches, articles), the candidate ignores the required format and audience register, omitting conventions such as addresses, salutations, headings or a clear purpose statement, or using slang in a formal letter.
Candidates treat all writing tasks as the same generic essay and have not memorised the conventions of each text type. They also fail to identify the stated audience and purpose in the prompt.
What to do instead
Before writing, note the text type, audience and purpose from the prompt, and list the required conventions: formal letter needs sender and recipient addresses, date, salutation, sign-off and signature; report needs title, headings and recommendations; speech needs an address to the audience and a call to action. Match register to audience and keep it consistent throughout.
The candidate spends too long on comprehension and short-answer items and then writes a rushed, incomplete composition, or leaves questions blank rather than attempting them.
Candidates do not know the mark allocation across sections and work in the order the paper is printed rather than by value. Fear of being wrong leads to blanks, and unfinished essays lose structural marks as well as content marks.
What to do instead
In the first two minutes, scan the paper and note the marks per section. Allocate time in proportion to marks, keeping a fixed block for the composition, and leave five minutes to proofread. Answer every question, even briefly, since a partial attempt can earn marks. If stuck on an item, mark it, move on, and return only if time allows.