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I have just been given a whole load of work to asses and one answer that keeps coming up from students has me a bit stumped (possibly from lack of sleep!)
The assignment requires students to provide answers using "To + verb", I have been asked to explain why any answers might be wrong and to show a correct version of the answer. Students L1 is Japanese.

Q. Why do you watch TV?
A. To want to watch TV

So it's obviously wrong but, well given the bounds of the assesment I have to do how would you write a correct version? and how would you explain why to a Japanese JHS student?

Next, any suggestions on how to stop all the ferral cats "singing" outside my window at 3am! o_O

dokodemo-doa wrote:I have just been given a whole load of work to asses and one answer that keeps coming up from students has me a bit stumped (possibly from lack of sleep!)
The assignment requires students to provide answers using "To + verb", I have been asked to explain why any answers might be wrong and to show a correct version of the answer. Students L1 is Japanese.

Q. Why do you watch TV?
A. To want to watch TV

So it's obviously wrong but, well given the bounds of the assesment I have to do how would you write a correct version? and how would you explain why to a Japanese JHS student?

Next, any suggestions on how to stop all the ferral cats "singing" outside my window at 3am! o_O

I don't see how the question has been answered in your example. The answer to "Why", if using to + verb means "in order to" for example:

Why do you watch TV?
To relax.
To study English.
To avoid doing my homework. :p

Anyway, the idea in yours seems to match:
Because I want to.

Indeed. Although the meaning is apparent "Because I want to"
that statement can't be made in this format.

Hmmm.

But techincal reason why eludes me at this early hour.
Strike that, the answer is in your post:
using to + verb means "in order to" student is using infinative verb form.... right?

If you want to know the "real" answers (and I guarantee there would be plural answers) you can post in the Applied Linguistics Forum. As a teacher, I find explaining the "in order to" and "to" helps students.