Mapping Linguistic Errors in English Writing: A Quantitative Study of Ninth-Grade Students

This study presents empirical evidence on linguistic errors among secondary school learners in India, using a validated error-classification framework. The study aimed to determine the frequency and distribution of linguistic errors in English writing, compare errors across school type and gender, and test the reliability of the error-coding rubric. A quantitative descriptive research design was adopted, with data collected from a stratified random sample of 185 students drawn from two secondary schools, one government and one private, in Bhadohi district, Uttar Pradesh. Students completed a standardised dictation task, and their written responses were analysed using a validated rubric classifying errors as orthographic, morphological, syntactic, lexical, and punctuation-related. Inter-rater reliability was estimated using Fleiss’ Kappa (0.534–0.678) and intraclass correlation coefficients (0.756–0.845). The findings reveal a high error density (40.29%), with orthographic errors occurring most frequently, followed by syntactic and morphological errors. A Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant difference in error density by school type (U = 3870.5, p = .449) or gender (U = 4092.50, p = .639), suggesting that writing challenges are more closely linked to instructional factors than to demographic characteristics. The validated coding rubric demonstrated satisfactory reliability for structured linguistic error analysis. These findings provide empirical evidence for English language teaching in the Indian ESL context and underline the need for explicit instruction in spelling, grammar, and sentence construction, alongside diagnostic assessment practices and teacher professional development to strengthen writing proficiency.