Bike— Part 1 Report

Suggestion: You have not answered the examiner's question directly and appear to have repeated it inaccurately. Start with a clear answer using the past tense, such as “Yes, I did” or “No, I didn’t.” Then add one specific detail about how or when you used your bike. Check the grammar of past-time expressions, for example, use “when I was a child” instead of “when we are, we're a child.”

Example: Yes, I did. I had a small blue bicycle when I was a child, and I often rode it around my neighbourhood after school.

Suggestion: Give a clear topic sentence and avoid repetition such as “bike bicycle.” Use the plural form “bikes are popular” and support your opinion with a specific reason or example. Since you are talking about the past, use “I had” and “used it” instead of “I have” and “using for transportation.”

Example: Yes, I think bikes are quite popular in Malaysia, especially among children and students. When I was young, I had a bicycle and used it to travel to school because it was convenient and inexpensive.

× When we are, we're a child.

✓ I had a bike when I was a child.

The examiner asked about the past, so use the past tense was and had, not the present-tense forms are and have. Also, the answer should use I because the student is talking about personal experience.

× When we are, we're a child.

✓ I had a bike when I was a child.

The pronoun we refers to more than one person, but a child is singular. Use I was a child when referring to one person. In Malaysia, it is common to keep the answer simple and match the subject with the correct singular or plural noun.

× Do you have a bike? When we are, we're a child.

✓ I had a bike when I was a child.

The first sentence repeats the examiner's question instead of answering it, and the second sentence is incomplete and unclear. Combine the ideas into one complete sentence with a subject, verb, and time expression.

× Yes, bike bicycle is popular in my country.

✓ Yes, bicycles are popular in my country.

Bicycles refers to more than one bicycle, so use the plural noun bicycles and the plural verb are. Do not use both bike and bicycle together because they express the same idea.

× Yes, bike bicycle is popular in my country.

✓ Yes, bicycles are popular in my country.

A general statement about bicycles needs a plural noun without an article. The singular form a bicycle would refer to one bicycle, while bicycles refers to bicycles in general.

× When I was young, I have a bicycle using for transportation to go to school.

✓ When I was young, I had a bicycle that I used to go to school.

When I was young refers to a finished period in the past, so use had instead of have. The phrase used to go describes a past habit and fits the question about childhood.

× When I was young, I have a bicycle using for transportation to go to school.

✓ When I was young, I had a bicycle that I used to go to school.

Using is not suitable after bicycle in the original sentence because the bicycle is not performing the action. Use that I used to introduce the person who used the bicycle. A clear alternative is: When I was young, I had a bicycle for going to school.