Fiducia TogetherSpelling, punctuation and grammar
The technical accuracy marks. A substantial share of every writing task.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
SPaG covers spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure, assessed on writing tasks across several subjects.
Where it applies
English Language, and separately credited in English Literature, RE, history and geography on some specifications.
How it works
On the English Language writing tasks, technical accuracy typically carries around a third to a half of the marks for that question — far more than most candidates assume.
The rewarded features are specific: accurate sentence demarcation, a range of punctuation used correctly, varied sentence forms, and ambitious vocabulary spelled correctly.
How to use it in your work
Punctuate for effect as well as accuracy: a colon, a semicolon and a dash used correctly are each credited.
Vary sentence length deliberately. A short sentence after three long ones does work.
Spell ambitious words or use simpler ones. A misspelled sophisticated word scores less than a correct plain one.
Leave five minutes to proofread. Read for sense, then for full stops specifically.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's mark scheme and its examiners' reports — those say exactly what separates the bands, and they are free.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.