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One real mistake per part, plus the habit that fixes all three
Three parts, three different jobs — and each one has its own most common mistake. Here they are, plus the one habit that prevents all three.
Part 1 mistake: under-answering
A one-word or one-clause answer, with no reason or example, is the single most common Part 1 mistake — it under-develops a question that wants two to four sentences.
Part 2 mistake: ignoring the bullets
Talking generally about the cue card’s topic instead of working through its 4 bullet points in order leaves gaps an examiner notices — and it’s also the easiest way to run out of things to say.
Part 3 mistake: staying personal
Answering Part 3’s abstract questions with only your own experience — “I think” and nothing more — misses what Part 3 is actually testing: reasoning about people and society in general.
The one habit that fixes all three: always add a reason
Direct answer, extend it with a reason or example — that single habit prevents the Part 1 mistake, keeps you talking in Part 2, and pushes a Part 3 answer from opinion into reasoning.
DEB
4 things to know about the most common mistakes