Error Correction Strategies Flashcards
6 cards from real TKT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Error Correction Strategies flashcards as text
What is the difference between 'accuracy' and 'fluency' activities and when should errors be corrected in each?
Answer: In accuracy activities, immediate correction is appropriate; in fluency activities, correction should be delayed or minimal to avoid interrupting communication
In accuracy-focused tasks, immediate correction helps learners form correct habits; in fluency tasks, interrupting for errors disrupts communication, so correction is better deferred to a feedback stage.
What is 'reformulation' as a correction technique?
Answer: The teacher providing the correct version of a learner's incorrect utterance, without explicitly labelling it as a correction
Reformulation is an implicit correction technique where the teacher restates a learner's erroneous utterance in correct form, modelling the accurate version in the natural flow of conversation.
What is 'delayed correction' and why is it used in communicative activities?
Answer: Collecting errors noted during a communicative activity and addressing them in a feedback stage after the activity is finished
Delayed correction involves noting errors during a fluency activity and addressing them after the activity ends, preserving communicative flow while still addressing accuracy.
What is meant by 'using a correction code' in written error correction?
Answer: Using agreed symbols or abbreviations (e.g., WW = wrong word, Sp = spelling, T = tense) to indicate the type of error in a learner's writing without providing the correct answer
A correction code uses symbols to indicate the category of error (spelling, word order, tense, etc.) in learner writing, prompting learners to identify and correct the error themselves rather than receiving the answer directly.
What is 'self-correction' as an error correction strategy and how does a teacher encourage it?
Answer: The teacher pausing, using a signal or questioning intonation, to give a learner the opportunity to recognise and correct their own error
Self-correction (teacher-prompted) involves the teacher signalling that an error has occurred — using a pause, echo, or gesture — and giving the learner the opportunity to identify and correct the error independently before any further intervention.
Which of the following is an example of 'explicit error correction'?
Answer: The teacher says 'Good try, but we say went not goed — go is an irregular verb'
Explicit correction involves directly telling the learner that an error has occurred and providing the correct form, often with a brief metalinguistic explanation.