ANALYSIS OF OMISSION ERRORS IN THE ACADEMIC WRITING OF LEVEL ONE STUDENTS AT A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study investigates omission errors in the academic writing of level one students at a South African university. Omission errors, characterised by the absence of essential grammatical components such as articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs, and subject-verb agreement markers, can significantly hinder the clarity, coherence, and academic quality of written work. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study analysed a corpus of fifty students’ essays using a dual taxonomy framework (linguistic category and surface structure taxonomies) to identify recurring omission patterns and the grammatical structures most affected. A total of 184 omission errors were identified, with plural marker omissions and subject-verb agreement errors emerging as the most frequent. These errors were largely attributed to first language (L1) interference, limited exposure to formal English, and insufficient grammar instruction. The study further explores the role of targeted pedagogical interventions, such as explicit grammar teaching and structured writing support, in mitigating such errors. The findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the linguistic barriers facing first-year university students in multilingual contexts but also demonstrate the pedagogical value of error-focused instruction, offering evidence-based recommendations to improve academic writing proficiency and support student success.