practice / IELTS Writing Task 2 / Grammatical Range & Accuracy
#GR14
Punctuation error
Punctuation is a set of signals — a comma, a semicolon, a colon, an apostrophe — that tell a reader how clauses connect and where one idea ends and the next begins. Getting the wrong one, or none at all, can splice two sentences together or split one apart. Our mainframes flag this as #GR14, and in IELTS Writing Task 2 it counts against Grammatical Range & Accuracy every single time.
Type what belongs in each gap — a punctuation mark (, ; : '), a word with the correct apostrophe (dog's, dogs'), or x if nothing belongs there.
Exam result
Step 1 Read the chunks on either side of the gap — are they both complete sentences, an intro phrase, or a list?
Step 2 Match what you found to a rule: comma after an intro, semicolon between two full sentences, colon before a list.
Step 3 For apostrophes, ask: ownership, a contraction, or just a plural? Only ownership and contractions get one.
In your next essay, read once for commas after intro clauses, once for run-on sentences, and once for apostrophes — three short passes catch almost every punctuation error.