Mastering Punctuation (AQA GCSE English Language)
Revision Note
Written by: Nick Redgrove
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
In your GCSE English Language exam, you will be assessed on your use of punctuation, so it’s important to know how to use punctuation accurately, and how and when to use it for effect. Find out more about how to score top marks for punctuation in the English Language writing questions.
Using full sentences
The easiest way to lose marks in your GCSE English Language exam is by not writing in full sentences. Examiners like to see capital letters and end punctuation — also known as “sentence demarcation”.
So, always remember to begin your sentences with capital letters, and end them with either full stops, question marks or exclamation marks. A great idea is to vary the end punctuation in your own writing; just make sure that you don’t overuse question marks and exclamation marks. One or two is plenty per exam answer.
Commas and avoiding comma splices
Another important way to increase your marks for SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) is by using commas correctly.
A comma separates words or parts of a sentence; it should not be used to separate whole sentences. Separating two full sentences with a comma is an error called a comma splice, and examiners often report that this error in particular holds GCSE students back.
Here is an example of a comma splice:
“It’s time to save the planet, we can’t wait any longer to take action.”
Both “It’s time to save the planet” and “we can’t wait any longer to take action” could be full sentences, so they cannot be separated by a comma. There are three ways to fix a comma splice. You can replace the comma with a:
Full stop (and new capital letter)
Conjunction (words like “and”, “but”, “so” or “because”)
Semicolon
So, in each case, the corrected sentences are:
Full stop | “It’s time to save the planet. We can’t wait any longer to take action.” |
|---|---|
Conjunction | “It’s time to save the planet so we can’t wait any longer to take action.” |
Semicolon | “It’s time to save the planet; we can’t wait any longer to take action.” |
Not only will fixing any comma-splice errors help your own writing be more accurate, but it will also encourage you to use a range of different punctuation to separate your sentences: exactly what GCSE English Language examiners are looking for.
How do you use semicolons and colons?
Using semicolons to separate sentences and to break up a lists
As you’ve seen above, semicolons can be used to separate two full sentences. However, the two sentences must be closely connected in meaning — a semicolon cannot be used to separate two sentences that don’t have a relationship with one another. For example:
“Natural life on this planet is in danger; human-caused pollution is poisoning Planet Earth.”
The two full sentences above can be separated by a semicolon since natural life on Earth is in danger because pollution is poisoning it.
However, the following sentences cannot be separated by a semicolon:
“Natural life on this planet is in danger; who here owns a mobile phone?”
These two sentences don’t have a relationship with each other, so you can’t use a semicolon here.
The other use of a semicolon is to separate items in a long list. You can replace commas with semicolons if it helps to clarify extra information in your list. For example:
“To create a healthier planet, we need to take action now: improving public transport, to reduce pollution; reducing single-use plastic waste; investing in renewables, such as solar and wind power; eating less meat and more vegetables.”
In the above example, it would be confusing if these items were only separated by commas, because the extra information (“to reduce pollution”; “such as solar and wind power”) would look like extra items in the list.
Using colons to introduce a list and for explanations
You can use a colon to introduce a list (as above, with the recipe for scones) or a quotation.
You can also use a colon to provide an explanation or expand on the sentence that comes before it. For example:
“There is one thing on this planet that is more precious than anything else: life.”
The use of the colon in the above sentence not only provides the explanation for the sentence before (what the most precious thing on Earth is), but it also means the words that come after the colon have added emphasis.
Using apostrophes correctly
Another punctuation error that GCSE English Language examiners mention is apostrophes. There are two main uses of the apostrophe: to indicate possession, and to show a contraction.
Apostrophes for possession
Apostrophes can indicate that something belongs to someone or something else. They can indicate that something belongs to one person or thing (singular), or more than one person or thing (plural):
Singular possession | Plural possession | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Example | Explanation | Example | Explanation |
Macbeth’s ambition | Macbeth is one character, a singular noun, so adding an apostrophe and an “s” shows that the ambition belongs to him | The Birlings’ house | Here, the apostrophe shows that the house belongs to all members of the Birling family. With a plural noun ending in “s”, you only need to add an apostrophe |
Dickens’ language | If the noun ends in “s”, you only need to add the apostrophe to the end to show possession | The Birling children’s attitudes | Children is already a plural noun (it doesn’t need an “s”) so here you need to add an apostrophe and an “s” at the end of the word |
Apostrophes for contraction
Apostrophes can also show that some letters have been omitted (left out) of a word or words. Here, the apostrophe takes the place of the letters that have been omitted. For example:
It + is = it’s
Would + not = wouldn’t
In your GCSE English Language exam, use contractions if you need to create a more informal tone in your writing, but only do this purposefully; in general, writing formally without contractions is a better idea.
What other punctuation marks should you use at GCSE?
Examiners want to see “evidence of conscious punctuation” from students. That means they want to see the deliberate use of punctuation for effect.
When you sit your exam, write all the punctuation marks you plan to use at the top of your exam paper so that you can cross them off, one by one. Make sure you know how to use them, and use them sparingly. Once is plenty.
Punctuation mark | When to use it | Why this is great in the exam |
|---|---|---|
Brackets ( ) | Add two around extra information within a sentence. | If you want to add extra information to a sentence, use brackets |
Dashes — | Add two around extra information within a sentence. | Using a pair of dashes allows you to add extra details about a person or thing in a sentence. Great for descriptive writing tasks |
Ellipsis … | At the end of a sentence. | Using this (especially at the end of a paragraph, or even at the end of your creative writing) can create a sense of suspense |
Quotation marks “ ” | When adding dialogue. | Make sure you don’t overuse quotation marks or dialogue, but one line of speech from a character can be very effective in creative writing |
Common punctuation mistakes to avoid
According to examiners, the most common punctuation errors in GCSE English Language are:
Not writing in full sentences — always use capital letters and end punctuation
Comma splicing
Incorrect use of apostrophes
Punctuating quotations or dialogue incorrectly
Overusing more complex punctuation marks like quotation marks, semicolons or exclamation marks
Top tips for the GCSE English Language exam
Check over your work at the end of your exam and correct any mistakes
Be ambitious with your punctuation: aim to use a few of the more complex punctuation marks throughout your response
Ensure that you are confident with any punctuation marks you use; you can make a couple of mistakes, but it is better to avoid a punctuation mark than misuse it
Never overuse more complex punctuation marks: one example of an ellipsis, for example, is plenty
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