Abstrak
This study aimed to (1) identify the types of simple errors past tense used by grade 8A of SMPN 3 Bunyu Island students in writing Recount Text, (2) identify the most common past tense errors often done by grade 8A students in writing Recount Text, and (3) identify the causes of simple past tense errors that done by 8A grade students in writing Recount Text. The subjects of this study were 30 semester 1 students. The results showed that there were 94 errors found in the writing Students consisting of 15 errors on omission, 12 errors on addition, 39 errors on misformation and 28 error on misordering. The error was caused by the influence of the first language (interlingual), and students equate the rules of writing English with Bahasa Indonesian (intralingual). In conclusion, students tended to experience problems related to simple past tense in recount text and it was influenced by Indonesian in the process of learning English and other factors caused by the way learning students who use the online system so that it was less effective and use cellphones a lot to do assignments so that the understanding of the teacher was lacking.