SPaG Technical Accuracy
SPaG Technical Accuracy is the consistent, error-free use of spelling, punctuation and grammar across a piece of writing, which GCSE English Language marks separately with dedicated technical accuracy marks in the writing questions. It covers correct tenses, agreement, sentence boundaries, spelling of common and subject-specific words, and a full range of punctuation used accurately.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Check subject-verb agreement in every sentence: singular subjects take singular verbs ('he writes'), plural subjects take plural verbs ('they write').
- Keep tense consistent throughout a paragraph unless there is a clear reason to shift, e.g. from past narrative to a present-tense reflection.
- Check every sentence has correct end punctuation and that no sentence is a fragment (missing a main verb) or a run-on/comma splice.
- Spell high-frequency and topic-specific words correctly, and double-check commonly confused homophones ('their/there/they're', 'its/it's').
- Vary punctuation accurately (commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons) rather than avoiding marks you are unsure of.
- Proofread specifically for accuracy as a final pass, separate from checking content, reading slowly sentence by sentence.
Worked example
Identify and correct the four technical accuracy errors in: 'Every student have handed in they're homework, its due tomorrow.'
- Find the subject-verb agreement error: 'student have' should be 'student has' (singular subject, singular verb).
- Find the homophone error: 'they're' (they are) should be 'their' (possessive), since it refers to the students' homework.
- Find the second homophone error: 'its' (possessive) should be 'it's' (it is), since the sentence means 'it is due tomorrow'.
- Also correct the comma splice joining two main clauses: replace the comma with a semicolon.
- Final answer: 'Every student has handed in their homework; it's due tomorrow.'
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Identify and correct three technical accuracy errors in: 'Their going to loose the match if they dont improve theyre defence.'
Explain why 'The teacher have marked the books' contains a technical accuracy error and give the correction.
Rewrite the following passage, correcting all technical accuracy errors: 'When I arrived at the party everyone were already dancing. I seen my friend Sarah who dont usually come to these thing's. She were wearing a bright dress and it really suit her.'
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the spag technical accuracy worksheet pack - 12 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. No sign-up, no email wall - just the PDF, free for personal and classroom use.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.