R19: TRUE or YES? Small slips that cost big marks

On the old paper test, a classic mistake was writing TRUE when the question asked for YES. On the computer test, you usually click your answer for these questions, so that slip is less common. But small slips haven't disappeared. They've just changed shape. This lesson covers the slips that still cost marks on screen.

Why this matters

These mistakes have nothing to do with your English. You knew the answer. You just recorded it wrong. That's the most painful way to lose a mark, and it's 100% avoidable.

Slip 1: Mixing up the answer sets

True/False/Not Given is about facts. Yes/No/Not Given is about the writer's opinion (R12). Students sometimes use the wrong way of thinking because they didn't notice which set the question uses. Before you start a block, read the instruction and say it in your head: "Facts" or "Opinions".

If you practise on paper from Cambridge books, write the exact words the instructions ask for: TRUE or YES. Build the right habit.

Slip 2: Clicking the wrong row

On screen, questions can be close together. It's easy to click an answer for question 7 when you meant question 8. After each block, glance back and check that every answer is next to the right question.

Slip 3: Wrong letter in matching

In matching questions, the options might be A to G, or i to x for headings. Double-check you selected the letter or numeral you meant. iv and vi look very similar when you're tired.

Slip 4: Answering in the wrong box

In completion questions, you type answers into boxes. If you skip a question and forget, the next answer can end up in the wrong box. Always look at the question number before you type.

Slip 5: Leaving a question empty

There's no negative marking. An empty answer is always zero. Before time runs out, use the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen to find any unanswered questions, and guess.

A 60-second final check

Keep one minute at the end of each passage for this:

1. Are all questions answered?
2. Is each answer next to the right number?
3. Did I use the right answer set (facts or opinions)?
4. Do typed answers respect the word limit?

Try it yourself

Find the slip:

1. The instructions say "Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer?" A student thinks: "Is this fact in the passage?"
2. A student typed the answer to question 15 into the box for question 16.
3. A student left question 33 empty because they weren't sure.

Honest note

The exact way answers are entered on the computer test can change. Always do the official familiarisation test before your exam, so you know how each question type looks on screen.

Your task today

Add the 60-second final check to your next practice test. Count how many slips it catches.