Common IELTS Mistakes of Algerian Students

Algerian candidates share a language profile: Arabic first, French second, English third. That produces a recognisable set of errors, and each one is fixable once you can see it.

By Ted Khercha · Ted.Talks.DZ · Updated 2026-10-26

Grammar patterns from Arabic

• Missing "to be" in the present: Arabic often omits the verb, leading to "He teacher" or "The education important." Write "He is a teacher."
• Articles: Arabic has a definite article but no indefinite article, so "a/an" is often dropped and "the" overused with general nouns ("The education is important" for education in general).
• Subject repetition and run-on sentences: long chains joined by "and" or commas. Split them or use subordination.

False friends from French

Exam-technique mistakes

• Writing Task 1 without an overview of the main trends.
• Starting Task 2 with "In today's modern world" and then answering only half of the question.
• Spending too long on Reading passage 1 and rushing passage 3.
• Giving one-sentence answers in Speaking Part 1 instead of answer + reason + example.

How to fix them

Keep an error log from every timed practice, group mistakes by type, and re-test the same skill within a few days. Ted.Talks.DZ trains exactly this loop; start with the IELTS preparation guide or a computer-based mock test.