SPaG Exam Practice

This final lesson brings together everything you have learned in this course. It is designed to help you practise the types of SPaG challenges you will face in the CSSE 11+ English paper. Remember, in the CSSE exam SPaG is not a separate paper — it is woven into the English paper, which means your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are assessed in both the comprehension section and the creative writing section. The CSSE has only two papers (English and Maths), so performing well in English is essential.

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How SPaG Is Tested in the CSSE

Unlike some other 11+ exams, the CSSE does not have a standalone SPaG paper. Instead, your SPaG skills are tested in two ways:

Section	How SPaG is assessed
Comprehension	Accuracy of your written answers — spelling, punctuation, and grammar all count
Creative writing	Quality of your writing — varied sentences, correct punctuation, accurate spelling, and appropriate grammar are all marked

This means that every sentence you write in the CSSE English paper is an opportunity to show your SPaG skills — or to lose marks if you are careless.

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Exam Strategy: Before You Write

Before you start writing, take a moment to plan:

1. Read the question carefully — underline the key words so you know exactly what is being asked.
2. Plan your creative writing — jot down a brief plan (beginning, middle, end) before you start. This helps you organise your paragraphs.
3. Choose a tense and stick to it — decide whether to write in the past or present tense and maintain it throughout.
4. Think about vocabulary — choose words you can spell confidently. There is no point using a fancy word if you spell it wrong.

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Practice Exercise 1: Spot the Errors

Read the following passage and identify all the SPaG errors:

"yesterday me and my freinds went too the park. We was really exited becuase it was sunny and we could of stayed all day. Their was alot of people their. Suddenly sarah shouted look out and we all ducked. A football flew passed our heads its was a close call. Were so lucky said tom"

Corrected Version

"Yesterday, my friends and I went to the park. We were really excited because it was sunny and we could have stayed all day. There were a lot of people there. Suddenly, Sarah shouted, "Look out!" and we all ducked. A football flew past our heads**.** It was a close call. "We're so lucky**,"** said Tom."

Errors Found

Error	Type	Correction
yesterday (lowercase)	Punctuation (capital letter)	Yesterday
me and my freinds	Grammar + Spelling	my friends and I
went too	Homophone	went to
We was	Agreement	We were
exited	Spelling	excited
becuase	Spelling	because
could of	Grammar	could have
Their was alot	Homophone + Spelling	There were a lot
their (second use)	Homophone	there
sarah (lowercase)	Punctuation (proper noun)	Sarah
Missing speech marks	Punctuation	Add speech marks around spoken words
passed	Homophone	past (preposition, not verb)
its was	Spelling/Grammar	It was
Were so lucky said tom	Punctuation + Capitalisation	"We're so lucky," said Tom.

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Practice Exercise 2: Punctuation Challenge

Add the correct punctuation to this passage:

the old man who had lived in the village for fifty years smiled and said i remember when this was all farmland cows sheep and chickens everywhere however times have changed havent they

Correctly Punctuated Version

The old man, who had lived in the village for fifty years, smiled and said, "I remember when this was all farmland: cows, sheep, and chickens everywhere. However, times have changed, haven't they?"

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Practice Exercise 3: Tense and Agreement

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence: