'Are' is plural present; 'the number' is a singular noun phrase.
PRIMARY 5 · ENGLISH
Editing
Top 5 mistakes
Ranked by how often they appear across 28 MOE-aligned practice questions in our archive.
'Were' is plural past; the subject is singular and 'this year' indicates a present-perfect-style increase, not simple past.
'Have been' is plural; despite the nearby plural 'students', the head subject 'the number' is singular.
'Have reviewed' is plural present perfect — wrong on number (subject is singular) and wrong on aspect (the review is ongoing, signalled by 'which begins next term').
'Were reviewing' is plural past; the subject is singular and the relative clause 'begins next term' anchors the action in the present.
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