I expect when you decided to do a GCSE in Geography you thought the marks in the exam would be awarded for your knowledge and understanding of geography. If you wanted to be assessed on your spelling, punctuation and grammar you’d do English Language, right?

WRONG! 

SPaG stands for “Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar” and it’s a part of every geography GCSE.

The government has decided that Geography is one of several subjects where your ability to spell, use a comma in the right place and construct a well-crafted sentence should carry 5% of the available marks.

This means that, in addition to demonstrating your knowledge and understanding, you must be careful to spell technical terms correctly, remember to use a comma where it is required, leave a full-stop at the end of every sentence, and write ‘North Atlantic’ rather than ‘north atlantic’.

I know we aren’t all brilliant at spelling, we don’t all agree on when to use a comma, or whether you can start a sentence with a preposition, but why risk losing 5% of your marks when you can easily do something about it?

Learn how to spell those technical terms and place names for your case studies; start every sentence with a capital and end it with the right punctuation; keep your sentences clear and to the point, and keep those extra marks!