Writing: SPaG

GCSEAQA

Why is SPaG Important?

SPaG stands for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Using these elements correctly will improve the clarity and coherence of your writing.

You can gain up to 16 marks by demonstrating ‘technical accuracy’ in your answer (AO6).

This means that spelling words correctly, getting your full stops and other punctuation in the right place, and making sure that you know the rules of grammar can make a massive difference to your overall mark.

SPaG is not just useful for the writing questions in your exam; it is also very helpful for your professional work, further education, and in everyday life. Although SPaG is not strictly assessed when you are answering reading questions in your exam, good SPaG will improve the clarity of your response, and can therefore gain you more marks!

Zooming in on the Mark Scheme

Each of these statements is on the writing section of the mark scheme for AQA GCSE English Language papers, but will mostly applicable to all other exam boards too.

As a result, we thought it would be helpful to understand what exactly is meant by each point.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what your examiner will be marking you on in your writing exam.

‘Sentence demarcation is consistently secure and consistently accurate’

This means that you are using full stops and commas accurately to construct sentences.

‘Wide range of punctuation is used with a high level of accuracy’

Punctuation like semi colons, hyphens, commas and speech marks are all used confidently and correctly in your writing

‘Uses a full range of appropriate sentence forms for effect’.

A variation in sentence structure is important, using a range of short, impactful sentences and longer, more complex sentences help to keep your writing interesting and engaging.

Uses Standard English consistently and appropriately with secure control of complex grammatical structures’

Don’t use slang or informal language unless it’s required in the question. Understanding of word order and sentence clause rules is also important.

‘High level of accuracy in spelling, including ambitious vocabulary’

Include complex or specialised language but only if you know you can spell it correctly.

‘Extensive and ambitious use of vocabulary’

Don’t be afraid to show off to the examiner and use a wide range of words to improve your writing!

Think of your answer like a recipe, combining multiple different ingredients like spelling, punctuation and grammar to form a cohesive piece.

How Do We Check For SPaG?

When you have finished writing, it’s important to read through your answer and check for mistakes.

1. Start by checking whether your writing is clear and easy to understand. Are there any sentences that need additional clarification, or are there any missing words or grammatical errors that you need to correct?

2. Next, check your writing for spelling errors.

3. Finally, check your punctuation. Are capital letters and full stops used correctly throughout? Have you missed out any commas or apostrophes? Could you add any complex punctuation, such as colons or parentheses?

Checking your writing this way means that you are less likely to miss the errors that can cause you to lose marks.

If you have time to check through your answer twice, you might be able to fix errors that you missed on your first read-through!

Some things to think about when checking:

Would anyone be able to understand the meaning of your writing?

Are your sentences grammatically correct?

Are there any spelling errors, and have any of these been repeated in your answer?

Have you used a wide range of sophisticated punctuation in your answer?

Examples: Common Spelling Errors

Homophones – these are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

For example:

They’re/Their/There:

- ‘They’re‘ means ‘they are’. For example: ‘They’re preparing to leave the house’, ‘They’re important problems that need to be addressed’.
- ‘Their‘ indicates ownership or belonging. For example: ‘Their house overlooks the lake’, ‘People are entitled to their own beliefs’.
- ‘There‘ indicates the existence of something (there is / there are), or it can refer to a location. For example: ‘There are many factors that need to be considered’, ‘the bowling alley is over there, behind the cinema’.

Your/You’re:

- ‘You’re‘ means ‘you are’. For example: ‘you’re doing really well with your revision’.
- ‘Your’ indicates ownership or belonging. For example, ‘Is that your dog?’, ‘Your generosity is appreciated’.

Incorrect word usage – Here are some examples of words that aren’t quite homophones, but are often used incorrectly.

For example:

Off/Have/Of:

- ‘Should of’ is ungrammatical. Instead, write ‘should have‘ (in formal texts), or ‘should’ve‘ (in informal texts).
- ‘Off‘ is the opposite of ‘on’, whereas ‘of‘ is mainly used as a preposition. For example, ‘The colour of his hair was vibrant’.

Effect/Affect:

- The effect is happening to the subject, so it is the result or consequence of something. For example, ‘The hot sun has a burning effect on skin’.
- The affect means to act on or produce a change. For example, ‘a small change can affect the outcome of the test’.

Examples: Common Punctuation Errors

Missing and incorrect punctuation can change a sentence so that it doesn’t make sense!

For example:

‘How dare you speak to me like that said the smiling father which didn’t seem like him at all and scared his daughter as a result.‘

Without punctuation, the sentence is unclear and difficult to read. It is easy for the reader to lose their place, and they are less likely to be interested in the text.

Adding the correct punctuation can turn our example into a complex sentence that will gain more marks.

For example:

‘“How dare you speak to me like that!” said the smiling father, which didn’t seem like him at all, scaring his daughter as a result.‘

Here the sentence is broken up with punctuation and is easier to read. It’s clear who is talking, and the commas show the reader where to take a breath, linking the different ideas together.