Punctuation, Spelling and Register or Appropriacy
What this domain tests
This domain is marked inside every other answer: punctuation, spelling and register are accuracy marks. Examiners look for sentence boundaries, apostrophes, commas around non-defining clauses, correct capitalisation, and a consistent level of formality.
Punctuation rules
- Comma: lists, introductory phrases (After the meeting, we left), non-defining relative clauses, and direct speech.
- Semicolon: joins two independent clauses that are closely related (The bus was late; we missed the opening).
- Colon: introduces a list or an explanation.
- Apostrophe: possession (the student's book, the students' books, children's) and contractions (it's means it is). Its is possessive and takes no apostrophe.
- Never join two finite clauses with only a comma. Use a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction.
Spelling and register
High-frequency traps: accommodation, definitely, separate, receive, necessary, occurred, beginning, government, environment, committee. Remember i before e except after c. For register, formal writing avoids contractions, slang and phrasal verbs where a single verb exists (purchase rather than pick up); informal writing to a friend may use them.
Worked example
The team, who had trained for months won the final. Reasoning: who had trained for months is a non-defining relative clause, so it needs a comma at both ends: The team, who had trained for months, won the final. Without the second comma the sentence is mispunctuated; without any commas the clause would define which team, changing the meaning.
Traps that cost marks
- Comma splice, the commonest single accuracy error.
- its and it's confused, and apostrophes in ordinary plurals (three book's).
- Mixing formal and informal in one letter (Dear Sir, ... it's great).
- Capitalising seasons and school subjects that are not languages.
- Spelling the same word two different ways in one script.