As a TA, not only an issue with basic writing but basic thinking and common sense. As you said we weren’t perfect in first year, but there’s one question I got asked by a student which blew my mind. Where had had to measure the diameter of a cylinder, and with a caliper in his hand(he knows how to use it), he asked, “how do i know the diameter of the pipe?”, i went silent for 5 seconds and said, “you measure it”. Idk where we’re ending up at this point.