Common Mistakes & Quick Fixes

Using general details that do not paint a clear picture — for example, "I like the library because it has books."

Anchor your response with specific nouns, names, and scenarios. Use the 5 W's in your introduction to establish context immediately.

The food was bad.

The main entrée — a dry and inedible veal cutlet — was extremely disappointing.

The library is good for me.

The branch on Elm Street is where I study for my accounting exams every weekend.

We went there for a special occasion.

My husband, teenage son, and I dined there to celebrate my son's high school graduation.

Directly repeating phrases from the question — for example, using "local public library" three times throughout your response.

Paraphrase using synonyms and more specific language. Raters reward your ability to express ideas in your own words.

local public library

the branch on Elm Street / municipal resource / community learning centre

new building

modern facility / state-of-the-art infrastructure

beachside hotel

the oceanfront property / the coastal accommodation

"At last, my final reason is…"

Implies a long, frustrating wait — like waiting hours for a late pizza. Gives the unintended impression that reaching your final point was an unpleasant process.

Use Finally, Lastly, or One final consideration to introduce your last point.

Using it to introduce a second, different reason — "On the other hand, my second reason is…"

This phrase is only correct when contrasting a positive and a negative point about the same subject — not for adding a new idea.

Use Furthermore, Additionally, or Another key reason to add a second point.

"My own personal opinion"

Wordy and redundant — "own" and "personal" mean the same thing

In my opinion / I believe

"According to me"

Not a natural English expression

I believe / From my perspective

"In my opinion, I prefer Option A"

Your preference is a fact, not an opinion — do not combine "in my opinion" with factual statements

I prefer Option A because… / I firmly believe Option A is the better choice.

"Last but not least"

Too informal and idiomatic for a professional email or formal survey

Finally / Most importantly / One final consideration

"At my opinion"

Incorrect preposition in a fixed expression

In my opinion

Submitting one large block of text with no paragraph breaks makes it extremely difficult for raters to identify your main ideas and follow your logic.

Start a new paragraph for every main idea or bullet point. Use indents or line spaces to make the separation visually clear.

Using rhetorical questions or demanding language — for example, "How are we supposed to enjoy this?" or "You must give me a refund immediately."

Use softening language with modal verbs like "would" and "might." Frame requests politely: "I respectfully request a satisfactory resolution."

Trusting spellcheck to catch all errors. It only flags non-words — it will not catch wrong-word errors where the word is real but used incorrectly.

Always save 3 minutes at the end of each task for a careful manual proofread. Read every sentence for logic, tone, and word accuracy.

recieve → receive

"quite" used instead of "quiet"

writting → writing

"stuffs" used instead of "staff"

seperate → separate

"there" used instead of "their"

accomodation → accommodation

"affect" used instead of "effect"

Vague details

Use the 5 W's and specific nouns

Copying the prompt

Paraphrase with synonyms

"At last" for a final point

Use Finally / Lastly

"On the other hand" for a new reason

Use Furthermore / Additionally

"According to me"

Use I believe / From my perspective

No paragraph breaks

New paragraph for every main idea

Aggressive or sarcastic tone

Soften with "would" and "might"

Relying on spellcheck

Manual 3-minute proofread every time

Word count too short or too long

Check live counter — stay between 150–200 words

Repetitive vocabulary

Replace repeated words with precise synonyms during edit