Loads of more interesting and more effective ways of correcting language errors. If you like anything here and want more, please support TEFLtastic. 

The first alternative error correction technique I was introduced to – an error auction – was also one of the biggest wastes of class time I have ever (repeatedly) forced upon my students. Improvements on that idea and many other which hopefully don’t need as much work to make them work below:

Articles with different ways of doing error correction

The most effective error correction games

Alternatives to spoken error correction

15 ways to correct spoken errors

A well-balanced use of error correction

15 variations on a grammar auction

Worksheets with alternative ways of doing error correction

B2 First Writing Part 2 informal emails error correction pairwork – NEW

Opinions in C2 Proficiency error correction pairwork (in this new e-book)

IELTS Listening gapfill answers pairwork correction (in this new e-book)

Telephone, email and face to face error correction pairwork

IELTS Speaking Part One error correction pairwork (in this very cheap e-book)

IELTS Speaking Part Three error correction pairwork (in this reasonable e-book)

IELTS Speaking Part Two error correction pairwork (in this bargain e-book)

Body of the meeting error correction pairwork (in this low priced e-book)

Business meetings error correction pairwork (in this great value e-book)

Ending meetings error correction pairwork (in this super cheap e-book)

Starting meetings error correction pairwork (in this absolute bargain e-book)

IELTS Writing Task One error correction pairwork (in this cheap e-book)

IELTS Writing Task Two error correction pairwork (in this low priced e-book)

Trends language categories error correction (in this well priced e-book)

Academic emails more and more errors game (in this three-pound e-book)

Email requests and enquiries error correction pairwork (in this penny a page e-book)

Emailing informal or error simplest responses game (in this impressively cheap e-book)

Emailing phrases pairwork error correction game (in this cheap as chips e-book)

Find and correct the typical opening and closing email mistakes (in this so cheap e-book)

Mistakes with email and letter paragraphing (in this cheapest possible e-book)

Searching for mistakes in emails race (in this bargain e-book)

Presentations phrases error correction pairwork (in this value for money e-book)

The Trouble with Mr Bean False friends and typical confusions (get in there before they actually make the errors, then try to make them make them while they watch a video)

Academic emails more and more errors game (getting more and more challenging and revising the errors that they’ve already corrected each time)

Typical IELTS mistakes for Korean pairwork (students work out which version they think is right from Student A and Student B sheets without showing them to each other)

Business communication pairwork error correction (ditto)

Academic writing pairwork error correction (ditto)

Academic writing prepositions and determiners error correction (ditto)

Telephoning errors pairwork speaking (ditto)

Common mistakes in English for Korean speakers pairwork (ditto)

Negotiating phrases error correction pairwork (ditto)

Common mistakes with emailing error correction pairwork speaking game (ditto)

Correct the phone dialogue pairwork speaking (in this so cheap e-book)

Telephoning errors pairwork correction (in this soooo cheap e-book)

Emailing errors team game (one error per entire email to find as quickly as possible)

IELTS Speaking Add error game Version 2 (no errors – students add them to useful phrases to test other groups with)

Film and song titles correct the mistakes (using and improving their cultural knowledge to teach determiners)

Discuss the importance of typical job application mistakes (they already know they are all wrong, so they discuss how and how much)

FCE Use of English Part Two discuss the wrong answers (similar, but just discussing why they are wrong and correcting them)

Worksheets with slightly different ways of doing error correction

Presentations error correction and brainstorming (in this very very cheap e-book)

Opinions language find the mistakes (one grammar mistake and one in the wrong section, so moving as well as correcting)

White Christmas song error correction (using logic as well as grammar to correct, then listen to check)

IELTS process tasks error correction and discussion (analyse the model answer after basic error correction is out of the way)

Second conditional supernatural error correction and discussion (correct discussion questions and then discuss them)

IELTS Listening find the error (using error correction to stop mistakes in listening gapfilling tasks)

Functional language for emailing correction and brainstorming (used to present the language, thinking of more phrases after correcting the mistakes to make some very useful ones)

Correct, simplify and brainstorm sharing experiences phrases (similar, but with some which are fine but can be simplified and so made more natural)

Emailing Informal or error? (half of them are correct, but are so informal that students might not think so)

Making arrangements Okay or one error

Typical errors with cohesive devices (either a grammar mistake or wrong meaning, never both)

Email paired sentences error correction

More traditional error correction worksheets

Correcting starting presentations phrases (in this oh so very cheap e-book)

Common mistakes with email paragraphing

IELTS map task error correction

Correct the emails to academic staff

Short emails error correction (written for BULATS Writing Part One but useable with other classes)

IELTS Speaking Part One typical errors and questions by topic

Teacher training worksheets

Pronunciation peer correction

Classroom language Add errors game

Other blog posts on error correction

Scrap the marking code

Getting away with little error correction

Why we really do what we do Part One – error correction

An even quicker way of marking student writing (attempt at humour)

Updated 25 March 2026