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SPaG marks might seem like a small part of the exam, but they can make a real difference to your grade. Across the three Edexcel B papers, up to 12 marks are allocated to the quality of your written communication. These are marks that require no additional geographical knowledge — only careful, accurate writing. This lesson explains exactly how SPaG marks are awarded and provides practical strategies for maximising them.
| Paper | SPaG Marks | Where They Are Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 4 marks | Within the highest-mark extended writing question |
| Paper 2 | 4 marks | Within the highest-mark extended writing question |
| Paper 3 | 4 marks | Within the decision-making question |
| Total | 12 marks |
| Level | Marks | Descriptor |
|---|---|---|
| High | 3–4 | Spelling is consistently accurate, including specialist terminology. Punctuation is used correctly and effectively. Grammar is used correctly with a range of sentence structures. Meaning is always clear. |
| Intermediate | 2 | Spelling is mostly accurate; some errors with specialist terms. Punctuation is mostly correct. Grammar is mostly correct with some variety in sentence structure. Meaning is clear. |
| Threshold | 1 | Spelling, punctuation and grammar have significant errors. Meaning is sometimes unclear. |
| No marks | 0 | SPaG is so poor that meaning is not communicated. |
Exam Tip: SPaG marks are free marks — they test writing quality, not geography. Spending 2 minutes at the end of each extended answer checking your SPaG could earn you up to 12 extra marks across the three papers. That is equivalent to an entire short answer question section.
Using correct specialist vocabulary demonstrates your understanding and earns SPaG marks. Conversely, misspelling key terms suggests weak knowledge and costs marks.
| Correct Spelling | Common Errors | Tip for Remembering |
|---|---|---|
| erosion | errosion, erotion | E-R-O-S-I-O-N (7 letters, one R) |
| attrition | attrittion, attrision | Two T's, then R-I-T-I-O-N |
| abrasion | abrasian, abbrasion | One B, then R-A-S-I-O-N |
| hydraulic | hydralic, hydrolic | H-Y-D-R-A-U-L-I-C (not "hydro") |
| deposition | depostion, deposision | D-E-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N (think "deposit" + "ion") |
| urbanisation | urbanization | British spelling uses S not Z |
| environment | enviroment | E-N-V-I-R-O-N-M-E-N-T (the "N" before "M" is often missed) |
| government | goverment | G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T (the "N" before "M") |
| sustainability | sustainablity | S-U-S-T-A-I-N-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y |
| infrastructure | infastructure | I-N-F-R-A-S-T-R-U-C-T-U-R-E (INFRA not INFA) |
| vegetation | vegitation | V-E-G-E-T-A-T-I-O-N (think "vegetable") |
| correlation | corelation | Two R's: C-O-R-R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N |
| precipitation | preciptation | P-R-E-C-I-P-I-T-A-T-I-O-N |
| development | developement | No E between "develop" and "ment" |
| accommodation | accomodation | Two C's AND two M's |
| Mediterranean | Mediteranean | Two R's: M-E-D-I-T-E-R-R-A-N-E-A-N |
| deforestation | deforistation | D-E-F-O-R-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N (think "forest") |
| desertification | dessertification | One S (desert), not two (dessert) |
| deindustrialisation | de-industralisation | D-E-I-N-D-U-S-T-R-I-A-L-I-S-A-T-I-O-N |
| quaternary | quarternary | Q-U-A-T-E-R-N-A-R-Y (no second R after "quate") |
Using the correct terminology shows command of the subject:
| Instead of... | Use... |
|---|---|
| "The river wears away the rock" | "The river erodes the rock through hydraulic action and abrasion" |
| "Stuff is dropped by the river" | "Sediment is deposited when the river loses energy" |
| "The population is getting older" | "The UK has an ageing population with an increasing dependency ratio" |
| "Poor countries" | "Low-income countries (LICs) or least developed countries (LDCs)" |
| "Rich countries" | "High-income countries (HICs)" |
| "Shanty towns" | "Informal settlements" |
| "The weather is changing" | "There is evidence of anthropogenic climate change" |
Exam Tip: Create flashcards for the 20 most commonly misspelled geography terms. Test yourself repeatedly until you can spell them all correctly without thinking. These terms will appear in almost every extended writing answer you write.
Good paragraph structure is essential for high SPaG marks and for clarity of argument.
Each paragraph should:
Start a new paragraph when you:
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