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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:
| Mistake | Impact | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No paragraphs at all | Difficult to follow; looks rushed | Indent or leave a blank line between paragraphs |
| One massive paragraph | Hard to identify separate points | Each new point = new paragraph |
| Very short paragraphs (one sentence each) | Reads like a list, not an argument | Develop each point with evidence and explanation |
| Paragraphs that do not connect | Answer feels disjointed | Use connectives to link paragraphs |
Connectives (linking words and phrases) help you build chains of reasoning and create flowing, coherent writing.
| Purpose | Connectives |
|---|---|
| Adding information | Furthermore, in addition, moreover, also, as well as this |
| Showing cause | Because, due to, as a result of, this is caused by, since |
| Showing effect | Therefore, consequently, as a result, this leads to, this means that |
| Contrasting | However, on the other hand, in contrast, whereas, conversely, nevertheless |
| Giving examples | For example, for instance, such as, illustrated by |
| Concluding | Overall, in conclusion, to summarise, on balance, taking all factors into account |
| Showing sequence | Firstly, secondly, subsequently, finally, following this |
| Showing extent | To a great extent, to some extent, to a limited extent, largely, partially |
"Tropical cyclones form over warm oceans because the sea surface temperature must exceed 27°C to provide sufficient energy through evaporation. As a result, the warm, moist air rises rapidly, creating low pressure at the surface. Furthermore, the Coriolis effect causes the rising air to rotate, generating the characteristic spinning motion. However, tropical cyclones cannot form within 5° of the equator because the Coriolis effect is too weak at these latitudes to initiate rotation. Consequently, cyclones are most common between 10° and 30° latitude."
| Punctuation | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Full stop (.) | End of every sentence | "The river's discharge increases downstream." |
| Comma (,) | Separating items in a list; after introductory phrases; before connectives like "however" | "In the upper course, the river is narrow, shallow and fast-flowing." |
| Apostrophe (') | Possession (the river's depth) or contraction (it's = it is) | "The UK's population is ageing" |
| Capital letter | Start of sentences; proper nouns (names of places, people, organisations) | "The River Thames flows through London." |
| Colon (:) | Introducing a list or explanation | "There are three types of weathering: physical, chemical and biological." |
| Semi-colon (;) | Connecting two related sentences | "The coast is eroding rapidly; hard engineering has been proposed as a solution." |
| Error | Example | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Missing full stops | "The river floods this causes damage" | "The river floods. This causes damage." |
| Comma splice | "The population is growing, this creates challenges" | "The population is growing. This creates challenges." OR "The population is growing, which creates challenges." |
| Incorrect apostrophe | "The river's are flooding" (plural, not possessive) | "The rivers are flooding" |
| Missing capital for places | "london is the capital" | "London is the capital" |
Before you finish any extended writing question, run through this checklist:
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