Part 1
Examinador
Do you keep plants at home?
Candidato
Yes I do, but I'm not good at tending to them. I remember having a plant at home, it was from my mom and it was growing flowers already. However, when I bought it at home and when I tried to grow them even more I failed because I didn't water them properly.
Examinador
What plant did you grow when you were young?
Candidato
When I was young, I remember having a subject at school called Araling Pan Lipunan. We were able to plant vegetables at the backyard of our school. It was a nice experience actually because we were able to grow it from a seed to plant. However.
Examinador
Do you know anything about growing a plant?
Candidato
Not really, but my mom does. My mom is really good at caring for plants, especially vegetables. I remember her growing some tomatoes at our backyard from seed. It's sprouted to a very lovely tomato and we use it for cooking.
Examinador
Do Chinese people send plants as gifts?
Candidato
I don't know, but generally plans are now given as gifts to someone. When the pandemic hit, plants were very popular at homes, so it was a very generic experience for all of us, not only for Chinese people, I guess.
Do you keep plants at home?
Pontuação: 72.0Sugestão: Be more concise and organized: start with a clear topic sentence, then add one or two specific supporting details using linking words. Avoid repetition and minor grammar errors (e.g., ‘grow them even more’ → ‘help it grow’). Use varied vocabulary like ‘care for’ and ‘neglect.’
Exemplo: Yes, I keep a few plants at home, although I’m not very good at caring for them. For example, I once inherited a flowering plant from my mother, but when I tried to help it grow larger I neglected to water it regularly, so it eventually died.
What plant did you grow when you were young?
Pontuação: 68.0Sugestão: Provide a direct topic sentence naming the plant and finish thoughts fully. Use linking words to structure the answer and give a specific detail or result. Avoid unfinished sentences and vague phrasing.
Exemplo: At school, we grew vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes in the school garden. It was a great experience because we planted seeds, cared for the seedlings, and finally harvested the vegetables, which made me appreciate how food is produced.
Do you know anything about growing a plant?
Pontuação: 78.0Sugestão: Answer directly and expand with one or two specific, well-linked details. Correct small phrasing issues (e.g., ‘It's sprouted to a very lovely tomato’ → ‘They grew into lovely tomatoes’). Use varied vocabulary (e.g., ‘sow seeds,’ ‘tend,’ ‘harvest’).
Exemplo: I don’t know much myself, but my mother is skilled at growing vegetables. For instance, she sowed tomato seeds in our backyard, tended them carefully, and we later harvested juicy tomatoes that we used in family meals.
Do Chinese people send plants as gifts?
Pontuação: 66.0Sugestão: Answer the cultural question more directly and avoid vague words like ‘generic.’ Use linking words to compare and give a concise opinion. Check small vocabulary errors (‘plans’ → ‘plants’).
Exemplo: I’m not sure about Chinese customs, but in many places people started giving plants as gifts during the pandemic. In my country, for example, houseplants became popular presents because they brighten homes and are relatively easy to care for.
× Yes I do, but I'm not good at tending to them.
✓ Yes, I do, but I'm not good at tending them.
The verb phrase 'tending to' is acceptable, but when the object is a direct noun phrase like 'them', native usage often omits 'to' after 'tend' when it means 'take care of'. Removing 'to' is more natural: 'tend them'. Also add a comma after 'Yes' for clarity.
× I remember having a plant at home, it was from my mom and it was growing flowers already.
✓ I remember having a plant at home; it was from my mom and it was already flowering.
Run-on sentence: two independent clauses joined by a comma should use a semicolon or be split. 'Growing flowers' is awkward; use 'flowering' or 'in bloom' to describe a plant producing flowers. Also place 'already' before the verb phrase 'flowering' for natural word order.
× However, when I bought it at home and when I tried to grow them even more I failed because I didn't water them properly.
✓ However, when I brought it home and tried to encourage it to grow more, I failed because I didn't water it properly.
'Bought it at home' is incorrect; use 'brought it home' after buying. Pronoun agreement: 'plant' is singular, so use 'it' rather than 'them'. 'Grow them even more' is unclear; 'encourage it to grow more' is clearer. Add commas for clause separation.
× When I was young, I remember having a subject at school called Araling Pan Lipunan.
✓ When I was young, I remember having a subject at school called Araling Panlipunan.
Proper nouns and course names should be presented correctly; 'Araling Panlipunan' is commonly written as one term (capitalization of each word) and avoid an extra space if local convention combines them; ensure consistent capitalization. Sentence structure is otherwise acceptable.
× We were able to plant vegetables at the backyard of our school.
✓ We were able to plant vegetables in the backyard of our school.
'At the backyard' is incorrect preposition use; use 'in the backyard'. The plural 'vegetables' is fine.
× It was a nice experience actually because we were able to grow it from a seed to plant.
✓ It was a nice experience because we were able to grow a plant from a seed.
The phrase 'from a seed to plant' is ungrammatical. Use 'grow a plant from a seed'. Remove filler 'actually' or place it appropriately. Adjust article use: 'a plant' fits here.
× However.
✓ However, it was a rewarding experience.
A single word 'However.' is a sentence fragment without a verb. Provide a complete sentence that connects to the previous thought; here 'However, it was a rewarding experience.' completes the idea.
× Not really, but my mom does.
✓ Not really, but my mom does.
This sentence is grammatically correct. It uses present tense appropriately to contrast the student's knowledge with the mother's. No correction needed.
× My mom is really good at caring for plants, especially vegetables.
✓ My mom is really good at caring for plants, especially vegetable plants.
Original is acceptable, but 'vegetables' is shorthand. For clarity, 'vegetable plants' makes explicit reference to plants. No strict grammatical error; this is a stylistic suggestion.
× I remember her growing some tomatoes at our backyard from seed.
✓ I remember her growing some tomatoes in our backyard from seed.
Preposition: use 'in the backyard' not 'at the backyard'. Word order 'growing some tomatoes from seed' is also acceptable; keep 'from seed' after 'tomatoes' or after 'growing' for clarity.
× It's sprouted to a very lovely tomato and we use it for cooking.
✓ It sprouted into a lovely tomato and we used it for cooking.
Tense consistency: the student is recalling a past event, so past tense 'sprouted' and 'used' are appropriate. 'Sprouted to' is incorrect preposition; use 'sprouted into'. 'A very lovely tomato' is awkward if referring to multiple tomatoes; if singular, keep 'a lovely tomato'.
× I don't know, but generally plans are now given as gifts to someone.
✓ I don't know, but generally plants are now given as gifts.
Typo: 'plans' should be 'plants'. 'Given as gifts to someone' is wordy; 'given as gifts' is sufficient. Also avoid 'now' unless emphasizing a change; keep concise.
× When the pandemic hit, plants were very popular at homes, so it was a very generic experience for all of us, not only for Chinese people, I guess.
✓ When the pandemic hit, plants became very popular in homes, so it was a common experience for all of us, not just Chinese people, I guess.
Use 'became' to describe the change when the pandemic hit (past). 'Popular at homes' should be 'popular in homes'. 'Generic experience' is awkward; 'common experience' is better. Use 'not just' rather than 'not only' for natural spoken English.