Technical Accuracy Bootcamp

Technical Accuracy Bootcamp 🎯

There are **16 marks (AO6)** on the writing task for **technical accuracy** alone. A whole grade's worth, and the easiest to train. Ambitious ideas only land if the punctuation and spelling are right. This bootcamp drills the accuracy until it is automatic.

What AO6 rewards 📋

To hit the top band for accuracy you need: • a **wide range of punctuation**, used **accurately** (not just full stops and commas) • **accurate spelling**, including ambitious words • a **variety of sentence forms**: simple, compound and complex. Used correctly.\n\nRange **and** accuracy: a top writer reaches for the semicolon and gets it right.

Apostrophes ✍️

Apostrophes do two jobs: • **Possession**: "the **dog's** lead" (one dog), "the **dogs'** leads" (more than one). • **Contraction**: a missing letter: "do **not** → don't". The classic trap: **its** (belonging to it) vs **it's** (it is). If you can't swap in "it is", use **its** with no apostrophe.

Its or it's?

The dog wagged _____ tail; _____ clear that _____ owners had finally come home.

Find the apostrophe error

An interactive activity.

The comma splice ➰

The most common accuracy error: joining **two complete sentences with only a comma**. ✗ "It was late, I went home." Fix it three ways: a **full stop** ("It was late. I went home."), a **semicolon** ("It was late; I went home."), or a **connective** ("It was late, **so** I went home.").

Find the comma splice

An interactive activity.

Semicolons & colons 🔌

Two marks of an ambitious writer: • A **semicolon** joins two closely-related complete sentences: "The night was cold; the stars were bright." • A **colon** introduces a list or an explanation: "I packed three things: a map, a torch and some food."\n\nGet one right and you show the examiner real range.

Correctly punctuated?

Pick the TWO sentences that are punctuated correctly.

• I packed three things: a map, a torch and some food.
• The night was cold; the stars were bright.
• It was getting late, I decided to go home.
• We ate lunch, however we were still hungry.

Homophones & tricky spellings 🔤

Sound-alikes cost easy marks. Keep these straight: • **their** (belonging) / **there** (place) / **they're** (they are) • **affect** (usually a verb) / **effect** (usually a noun) • and learn the ambitious ones you'll actually use: **definitely**, **separate**, **necessary**, **beautiful**.

Choose the right word

The storm had a huge _____ on the match, so _____ going to play it over _____ next week instead.

Vary your sentence forms 📏

AO6 wants a **variety** of sentence types, used correctly: • **Simple**: one clause: "The door opened." • **Compound**: two clauses joined by and/but/so: "The door opened and the wind rushed in." • **Complex**: a main clause plus a subordinate one: "**As the door opened**, the wind rushed in."\n\nMixing them shows control, and creates effect.

Which is complex?

Which of these is a COMPLEX sentence (a main clause plus a subordinate clause)?

• Although she was exhausted, she kept running.
• She was exhausted.
• She was exhausted and she kept running.
• She kept running. She was exhausted.

In the exam 🎓

Bootcamp complete. Grade-9 habits for AO6: • Use a **wide range** of punctuation **accurately**: apostrophes, semicolons and colons, not just commas, and never a **comma splice**. • Get the **homophones** right (their/there/they're, affect/effect) and spell your ambitious words correctly. • Mix **simple, compound and complex** sentences deliberately. Range plus accuracy is what earns the marks.