PTE – English Language
Topic: Error Spotting
1. What is Error Spotting?
Error spotting is a type of task that tests your ability to detect and correct mistakes in written English. The passage contains one or more errors that can be:
- Spelling mistakes
- Grammatical errors (subject‑verb agreement, tense, articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc.)
- Punctuation errors
- Lexical choice (wrong word, wrong form of a word)
- Syntax/word‑order problems
Your job is to read the paragraph, find the mistakes, and write the corrected version.
2. Key Points & Common Pitfalls
| Category | Typical Error | Quick Check |
|---|---|---|
| Spelling | recomend → recommend |
Use the dictionary or spell‑check |
| Subject‑verb agreement | The team *was* very good. (when “team” is singular) |
Remember collective nouns are singular |
| Tense consistency | She *has* gone to the store yesterday. |
Keep the same tense in a sentence |
| Articles | I saw *an* movie last night. (should be a if movie starts with consonant) |
a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds |
| Pronoun reference | Everyone should bring their book. |
Singular “everyone” → singular pronoun “his or her” or “their” (context‑dependent) |
| Prepositions | He is good *at* tennis. |
good at, interested in |
| Punctuation | She said "hello." (should be She said "Hello.") |
Capitalise after a quotation mark if it starts a sentence |
| Word choice | She *drove* the car to the hospital (should be drank if she used alcohol) |
Use a thesaurus or check context |
| Redundancy | He returned back |
Remove unnecessary word |
3. Worked Example
Original Paragraph (with errors)
The students was excited about the tests. They had not studied for the exam, so they were not ready. In the next class, the teacher will hand out the worksheets and the school will help them. The students was very worried, but they decided to do the best they could.
| Error | Corrected Version | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| students (plural) + was (singular) | students were | Plural subject → plural verb |
| not ready (tense mismatch) | not ready for the exam | Added preposition to match context |
| hand out (verb form) | hand out | Correct infinitive form after “will” |
| students (plural) + was (singular) | students were | Same as first error |
| they decided (past) + do (present) | they decided to do | Infinitive after “decided” |
Corrected Paragraph
The students were excited about the tests. They had not studied for the exam, so they were not ready for the exam. In the next class, the teacher will hand out the worksheets and the school will help them. The students were very worried, but they decided to do their best.
4. Quick Revision Summary
- Read slowly – errors are often hidden in the middle of the sentence.
- Break it down – check subject, verb, object, and punctuation separately.
- Use a checklist – spelling, tense, agreement, articles, prepositions, pronouns, punctuation, word choice, redundancy.
- Correct before you move on – if you spot one error, correct it mentally before looking for the next.
- Practice – use past PTE papers or sample texts; mark errors and then check the official answer key.
- Time management – allocate about 2–3 minutes per paragraph; speed increases with practice.
5. Practice Tip
Take a paragraph from a newspaper or a textbook. Highlight the errors, rewrite the paragraph correctly, and then compare your version with a professional copy. Repeat daily to build accuracy and speed.