Apostrophes and speech punctuation dominate the SPaG marks. its/it's and the comma-inside-speech-marks rule are tested on virtually every paper, and they are exactly the questions where careful children lose easy marks under time pressure. This page teaches the grammar and punctuation skills a GL 11+ English paper actually rewards, walks through worked examples the way a mark scheme does, and points you to the free graded worksheets and timed mock papers that turn understanding into exam-day reflex.
What 11+ grammar and punctuation questions cover
In most GL Assessment regions, grammar and punctuation appears in two ways: short standalone SPaG sections (typically 8-10 quick questions each on spelling, punctuation and grammar) and, in areas with a written paper such as Essex under CSSE, inside the continuous writing task where accuracy is directly assessed. The standalone questions are multiple choice, answered on a separate OMR sheet, at roughly a minute a question. Our free worksheet library grades every topic across four tiers — Foundation, Developing, Secure and Greater Depth — so a child can enter at their level and climb.
The core skills the exam keeps returning to are these:
- Apostrophes — contractions versus possession, singular versus plural, and the its/it's trap.
- Speech punctuation — inverted commas, the comma before the closing speech mark, and where the full stop belongs.
- Sentence grammar — subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, standard versus non-standard English, and double negatives.
- Word class — identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and determiners.
- Other punctuation — commas in lists and clauses, capital letters, question and exclamation marks, colons, semicolons and brackets.
- Proofreading — the "spot-the-error" format, where a child picks which section of a sentence contains a mistake, or answers "no error".
Apostrophes: the rules the exam actually tests
Most apostrophe marks come from three rules and one trap. Learn them as a set:
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contraction | Apostrophe replaces missing letters | do not → don't; it is → it's |
| Singular possession | Add 's to the owner | the girl's bag (one girl) |
| Plural possession | Plural ending in s takes only an apostrophe | the girls' bags (many girls) |
| Its vs it's | it's = it is / it has; its = belonging to it | It's cold. The dog wagged its tail. |
The exam trap: its never takes an apostrophe when it means "belonging to it" — this mirrors his and hers, which also have no apostrophe. If a child can swap in "it is" and the sentence still makes sense, then it's is correct; otherwise it is its. Plurals that are not possessive (apples for sale) take no apostrophe at all — the so-called "greengrocer's apostrophe" is a classic distractor.
A worked speech-punctuation example
Speech punctuation is where careful pupils gain a reliable mark. Take the sentence a paper asks a child to punctuate correctly:
where are we going asked Priya
Work through it step by step:
- Open the speech with a capital and inverted commas: "Where are we going
- Choose the end mark — this is a question, so a question mark goes inside the closing inverted commas: "Where are we going?"
- Add the reporting clause: "Where are we going?" asked Priya.
When speech is a statement rather than a question, the comma sits inside the speech marks: "We are nearly there," said Dad. The single rule that catches most children is that the punctuation belongs inside the closing inverted commas, not after them. Practise this on the SPaG section of any full mock paper so it becomes automatic.
Word class and sentence grammar
Grammar questions often ask a child to identify the part of speech of one underlined word. A quick spotting guide handles most of them:
| Word class | Example | Spotting tip |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | river, London | a naming word; put "the" in front |
| Verb | ran, is | an action or being word |
| Adjective | bright | describes a noun |
| Adverb | quickly | describes a verb; often ends -ly |
| Pronoun | she, it | stands in for a noun |
| Preposition | under, before | shows position or time |
| Conjunction | and, because | joins clauses |
| Determiner | the, some | comes before a noun |
Sentence-grammar questions test subject-verb agreement ("the group of children was", not "were"), consistent tense, and the removal of non-standard forms such as double negatives ("I didn't see nothing" should be "I didn't see anything"). Read the option aloud — the ear catches most agreement errors the eye misses.
How the skill appears in a real GL paper, and how to progress
Standalone SPaG questions are terse and fast: a single sentence with an underlined word or a gap, four or five lettered options, and no context to read. Because each is worth one mark and there is no partial credit, accuracy beats speed — a child who rushes the its/it's question to save ten seconds usually loses more marks than the time was worth. Remind pupils to watch for the word not in a question stem ("Which sentence is not punctuated correctly?"), a frequent examiner trick.
Build the skill in a sensible order:
- Year 5 starting point: Foundation and Developing sheets — one rule at a time, unaided, marked together with the answer key.
- Year 6 exam polish: Secure and Greater Depth sheets under a timer, then the same topics inside full timed papers from the free papers hub and the mock library.
Common mistakes and exam traps
- Adding an apostrophe to an ordinary plural ("banana's").
- Confusing its and it's — the single most-tested error.
- Putting the comma or full stop outside the closing speech marks.
- Missing the word not in a "which is incorrect" question.
- In the writing task, forgetting that spelling, punctuation and paragraphing all carry marks — accuracy is assessed, not just imagination.
How to use the worksheets
- Diagnose: one Secure-tier sheet, unaided. Score under 70%? Drop a tier. Over 90%? Climb one.
- Little and often: 15-20 minutes daily beats a weekend marathon — retention lives in the gaps between sessions.
- Review errors out loud: the child explains what went wrong; you resist explaining first. Self-diagnosis sticks.
- Fold into mocks: once a topic hits Greater Depth, let full timed mock papers keep it warm rather than more isolated drilling.
Every grammar and punctuation worksheet — with answer keys and OMR sheets — is free in our worksheet library under the English tab. No card, no email wall. For exam-style application, the mock library and free papers hub carry the same topic inside full papers, and the revision hub ties each skill to a printable summary.
Frequently asked questions
Is the grammar and punctuation section multiple choice?
In most GL regions, yes — you choose a lettered answer and mark it on a separate OMR sheet. In written-paper areas such as Essex (CSSE), punctuation and grammar are also assessed inside the continuous writing task.
What is the single most-tested punctuation rule?
Apostrophes, and within them the its/it's distinction, closely followed by placing punctuation inside speech marks. If your child masters those two, they secure marks on almost every paper.
Does grammar count in the creative writing task?
Yes. Where a written task is set, accuracy of punctuation, spelling and paragraphing is marked alongside ideas and vocabulary, so it is worth proofreading for two or three minutes at the end.