Students’ Errors in Using Present Tense in Writing Descriptive Text (A Study at MTsS Jeumala Amal, Lueng Putu)

Simple present tense is the most basic tense that should be mastered by the second grade students of MTsSJeumalaAmal. Moreover, descriptive text is one of text types which use present tense. Decriptive text is used by the researcher as the text that let the students apply their ability in using present tense. However, most students still face difficulties in using present tense in writing descriptive text. Thus, the researcher conducted the study entitled “Students’ Errors in Using Present Tense in Writing Descriptive Text at MTsSJeumalaAmal. The aims of this research were to identify the most dominant students’ errors and to describe the factors causing students’ errors in using present tense in writing descriptive text at second grade of MTsSJeumalaAmal. The study was used mixed methodology as the research method. The population were the second grade students of MTsSJeumalaAmal. Twenty-seven students were selected from class VIII E as the sample. They were selecting by using random sampling. In collecting the data, the researcher used the students’ writing products in using present tense in writing descriptive text and the questionnaire. The study was showed two points; through the students’ writing products would result the students’ errors and the questionnaire would show the factors causing students’ errors in using present tense in writing descriptive text. Based on the research findings showed that the most dominant students’ errors were omission errors with 56 items (62,92%). Moreover, based on the questionnaire could be concluded that the factors causing the students’ errors in using present tense in writing descriptive text were interlingual transfer and intralingual interference.