Are you a student in need of help with your English composition? You’re not alone. English composition writing or English Paper 1 is one of the most important parts of any examination in the Singapore syllabus. It is therefore important to know how you can avoid simple mistakes that could end up costing your precious marks in English Paper 1. By recognising these pitfalls, it can help you avoid making these mistakes when you write your own essays.

Here are the 4 most common writing mistakes students make in English composition:

1. Poor Introduction

As an experienced online English tuition teacher in Singapore will tell you, one of the most common mistakes seen in most English compositions is poor and often clichéd introductions. 

It is quite common for students to kickstart their compositions with overused flowery phrases such as “Riiing, riing, the telephone rang” or “Bang! I heard a loud noise”. 

If you want your composition to stand out, avoid cliché openings and try to make your work unique or different from the rest. 

Describe the setting of your composition clearly using the right words to score points from the start. 

2. Telling Instead of Showing

A good composition should be interesting, informative, and engaging. 

You can only achieve this goal by making the exam marker visualise the events and characters of your composition in their minds by painting vivid pictures with words. If you’re aiming for high marks in your composition, you need to learn the skill of showing instead of telling. 

3. Lack of Variation in Sentence Beginnings

Another common mistake seen in most English compositions is the failure to use a variety of sentences. Many students typically begin their sentences with a noun such as the character’s name or a pronoun like he or she. 

The problem comes in when the same noun or pronoun is used in the next consecutive sentences, which makes the prose or story boring or monotonous. 

You can avoid this mistake by using a variety of different sentence openings. For example, if the previous sentence started with a name, begin the next one with the appropriate pronoun. Additionally, avoid using the same adjective too often. Instead, describe with a wide range of adjectives to make your writing more interesting and grab the reader’s attention.  

4. Grammar Punctuation and Spelling Mistakes

This is, by far, the most common mistake that costs many students valuable marks in their English composition exams. 

You can avoid grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes by doing regular writing exercises and familiarising the correct grammar and spelling for the most commonly used words. It is also important for students to proofread their compositions for around 5 minutes and make the appropriate corrections before submitting their papers. 

Starting with help from the best English enrichment courses for primary school in Singapore, your child will get enough exercises to hone his or her English writing skills. Especially for Primary Six students, an online tutor can point areas to improve on in his composition and enable your child to express himself in the best way possible by the time PSLE comes.  

Write with Confidence

There are many more mistakes students typically make when writing their English composition papers but the above four issues discussed are some of the most common problems seen by English teachers. 

It is therefore important for students to make conscious efforts to avoid mistakes by writing more frequently and investing in extra English courses. 

Enrolling in a good online English tuition Singapore class, even at secondary school level, will also be of great help in improving English writing skills. 

If you’re a parent, rest assured your child will get enough time to practice and develop writing skills at their own pace with the extra help from online tuition classes in Singapore like Superstar Teacher. Sign up today for a free 14-day trial or get in touch with us for more information.  

Let us be part of your child’s learning journey today! Do call us at 63415516 or email us at enquiry@superstarteacher.com if you have any questions.

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