Grammar & accuracy
Grammar that stops lost marks
Clear fixes for the errors that cost marks most often, with quick examples.
Grammar guide
Active and passive voice
What active and passive voice mean in IGCSE English, when to use each one, and why too much passive makes writing weak, with examples.
Grammar guide
Apostrophes
How apostrophes work in IGCSE English: contractions and possession, where to put them, and common mistakes, with examples.
Grammar guide
Articles: a, an and the
How to use a, an and the correctly in IGCSE English, why article mistakes cost ESL marks, and how to fix them, with examples and a short exercise.
Grammar guide
Capital letters
When to use capital letters in IGCSE English, why missing or extra capitals cost accuracy marks, and how to fix them, with examples.
Grammar guide
Colons and semicolons
How to use colons and semicolons correctly in IGCSE English, why misusing them costs marks, and how to use them well, with examples.
Grammar guide
Comma splices
What a comma splice is, why it costs IGCSE English accuracy marks, and four clear ways to fix it, with examples and an error hunt.
Grammar guide
Commonly confused words
The word pairs IGCSE English students often mix up, such as affect and effect, or your and you're, with a quick test for each.
Grammar guide
Conditionals
How conditional (if) sentences work in IGCSE English, the four main patterns, and why mixing them costs marks, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Connectives and cohesion
How connectives help your IGCSE English writing flow, why weak links cost marks, and how to choose the right one, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Dangling modifiers
What dangling and misplaced modifiers are in IGCSE English, why they confuse readers and cost marks, and how to fix them, with examples.
Grammar guide
Double negatives
What double negatives are in IGCSE English, why they cost marks in formal writing, and how to fix them, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Formal vs informal grammar
How to match formal or informal grammar to the task in IGCSE English, why the wrong register costs marks, and how to switch, with examples.
Grammar guide
Its vs it's
How to choose between its and it's in IGCSE English, with a quick test, examples and a short practice quiz.
Grammar guide
Modal verbs
How modal verbs such as can, could, may, must and should work in IGCSE English, and the mistakes that cost marks, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Paragraphing
When to start a new paragraph in IGCSE English, why weak paragraphing costs marks, and how to fix it, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Parallel structure
What parallel structure is in IGCSE English, why broken parallels cost marks, and how to keep lists and pairs balanced, with examples.
Grammar guide
Plurals and possessives
How to form plurals and possessives in IGCSE English, why mixing them up costs accuracy marks, and how to keep them apart, with examples.
Grammar guide
Prepositions
How prepositions work in IGCSE English, why the wrong one costs accuracy marks, and how to learn the tricky pairs, with examples.
Grammar guide
Pronoun agreement
How pronouns must match the nouns they replace in IGCSE English, why mismatches and unclear pronouns cost marks, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Punctuating dialogue
How to punctuate dialogue in IGCSE English narrative writing: speech marks, commas, capitals and new lines, with examples and a quick exercise.
Grammar guide
Question and exclamation marks
How to use question and exclamation marks in IGCSE English, why misusing them costs marks, and how to use them sparingly, with examples.
Grammar guide
Quotation punctuation
How to punctuate quotations in IGCSE English reading answers, and how to embed short evidence smoothly, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Reported speech
How reported speech works in IGCSE English: changing the tense, pronouns and time words, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Run-on sentences
What run-on sentences are, why they cost IGCSE English accuracy marks, and how to break them cleanly, with examples and a quick exercise.
Grammar guide
Sentence fragments
What sentence fragments are, why they cost IGCSE English accuracy marks, and how to complete or attach them, with examples and an exercise.
Grammar guide
Sentence variety
How sentence variety lifts IGCSE English writing, why samey sentences hold marks back, and how to vary length and openings, with examples.
Grammar guide
Spelling strategies
Practical spelling strategies for IGCSE English: rules, patterns and memory tricks that reduce errors and protect accuracy marks.
Grammar guide
Subject–verb agreement
How subject–verb agreement works in IGCSE English, why mistakes cost accuracy marks, and how to fix them, with examples and a quick error hunt.
Grammar guide
Tense consistency
How to keep tenses consistent in IGCSE English writing, why accidental shifts cost marks, and how to hold one time-frame, with examples.
Grammar guide
There, their and they're
How to tell there, their and they're apart in IGCSE English, with three quick tests that help you choose the right word every time.