Topics · Primary English · Spelling & Editing
Editing: finding one mistake in each line
An editing passage has exactly one error per marked line, and it is always spelling or grammar. Knowing there is exactly one — and exactly what kind — is most of the technique.
- 372 exam papers analysed
- appears in 91% of P6 English papers
- ~3 min read
01 One line, one error
The instruction is precise: each marked line contains one error. Not two, not none.
So if you find one, stop looking at that line. And if you find none, look again — it is there, and it is usually the word you read past.
Write the whole corrected word, not just the letter you changed. A correction that is itself misspelt scores nothing.
02 The errors that actually appear
The same handful come round every year, which makes them worth checking for deliberately.
| Kind of error | What to check |
|---|---|
| Spelling | double letters, ie/ei, silent letters, -ing rules |
| Subject–verb agreement | he go → he goes; they was → they were |
| Tense | one tense throughout, unless the passage changes time |
| Plurals | childrens, sheeps, informations |
| Prepositions | listen to, good at, depend on, arrive at |
| Articles | a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound |
03 A method that finds them
Reading for meaning skips over errors, because your brain repairs them silently. Read differently.
- Read one line at a time, not the passage as a story.
- Say it in your head. Agreement and tense errors are heard more easily than seen.
- Check every verb against its subject and against the tense the passage is in.
- Check every plural, then every preposition, then every article.
- If you still see nothing, suspect a spelling you read past because you knew the word.
04 The spelling rules worth knowing
A small set covers most of what appears.
Adding -ing: a short vowel before a single final consonant doubles it — hop → hopping. A silent e is dropped — hope → hoping. That pair is the single most common editing error there is.
Adding -ed: the same doubling rule — stop → stopped, hope → hoped.
Plurals: words ending in a consonant + y change to -ies (baby → babies); words in -f or -fe often take -ves (leaf → leaves).
i before e except after c, when the sound is ee — believe, but receive.
Irregular plurals do not take -s at all: children, men, women, feet, teeth, sheep, mice.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. Capitals mark the syllable you lean on. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- editingsayED-i-ting
Finding and correcting errors in a piece of writing.
- subject–verb agreement
The verb matching its subject: he goes, they go.
- tensemore than onetenses
Whether a verb is past, present or future. A passage normally keeps one.
- prepositionsayprep-uh-ZISH-uhnmore than oneprepositions
A small word showing relation: to, at, on, in, of. Certain verbs demand certain ones.
- articlesayAR-ti-kuhlmore than onearticles
a, an or the. Use an before a vowel sound.
- pluralsayPLOO-ruhlmore than oneplurals
The form meaning more than one. Some are irregular and take no -s.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P2
Spelling common words, and simple plurals.
Practise P2 Spelling & Editing — 10 questions →63% of P2 papers
- P3
Spelling rules for -ing and -ed, and subject–verb agreement.
Practise P3 Spelling & Editing — 16 questions →60% of P3 papers
- P4
Editing short passages, and tense consistency.
Practise P4 Spelling & Editing — 12 questions →29% of P4 papers
- P5
Full editing passages with one error per line, and prepositions.
Practise P5 Spelling & Editing — 12 questions →71% of P5 papers
- P6
Editing under exam conditions, where spelling and grammar errors are mixed in the same passage.
Practise P6 Spelling & Editing — 12 questions →91% of P6 papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“I found two errors in one line, so I corrected both.”
There is exactly one of the marked kind. Correcting an extra can cost you the mark.
“I could not find an error, so I left the line blank.”
There is always one. If nothing is visible, check verbs, plurals and prepositions in turn.
“hoping and hopping are the same word.”
Hope loses its e — hoping. Hop doubles its p — hopping. Different words, and the commonest error in the topic.
“I wrote just the letter that changed.”
Write the whole corrected word, spelt correctly.
“I read the passage through and it sounded fine.”
Reading for meaning hides errors. Read line by line and check verbs against subjects.
Now try it
62 questions across 5 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.