O-Level Editing: Ten Minutes a Day on Six Error Types
Section A gives you a passage of continuous prose of not more than 250 words and asks you to identify and correct grammatical errors. Ten marks. The syllabus states that errors in punctuation and spelling are not tested.
That makes it the most predictable section on the paper. Grammar errors come from a short list, and the same list is what the twenty Language marks in Sections B and C are measuring in your own sentences.
The six
- Subject–verb agreement — “The list of names were posted.” The subject is list.
- Tense — a passage settled in the past with one verb in the present.
- Articles — a missing or wrong a, an, the.
- Prepositions — “depend of“, “arrive to“, “different than“.
- Singular and plural — “two piece of evidence”.
- Word form — “he ran quick“.
Three passes
- Read once for meaning. Correct nothing.
- Read again checking every verb against its subject, especially in long sentences.
- Read a third time for the small words — articles and prepositions. They are the easiest to skim past.
The ten-minute drill
Take any paragraph you wrote this week. Read it once for each of the six types — six short passes. Circle what you find. Most candidates find their own pattern within three days: one or two types they repeat. Those are the ones to hunt for in the exam, in the passage and in your own writing.
Do not “correct” a sentence because it sounds odd. If it is grammatical, leave it.
Read next
- O-Level English: Four Weeks Out, Here Is the Plan
- Continuous Writing: Content Is 10 Marks. Language Is 20.
- Cohesion: The One Thing That Moves You Up a Language Band
The Sentence Repair Kit Complete Bundle covers the sentence-level control that decides the Language band — all four editions for $22.90. Free practice sheets download instantly.
Mark allocations and assessment criteria from the SEAB GCE O-Level English Language (1184) syllabus, 2026.
