What the exam asks
In AQA 8700, spelling, grammar and Standard English are assessed in the 40-mark writing task on both papers:
- Paper 1 Section B: descriptive or narrative writing
- Paper 2 Section B: viewpoint/transactional writing
You are not given a separate grammar question. Instead, examiners judge whether your writing is:
- accurate and controlled
- consistently in Standard English
- correctly spelled, including more complex vocabulary
- secure in tense, person and subject-verb agreement
- punctuated clearly enough for meaning and effect
Core ideas
Standard English means the grammar is correct for formal writing
Standard English is not “fancy” English. It is the grammatically accepted form used in exams, articles, speeches and essays.
| Non-standard | Standard English |
|---|---|
| we was | we were |
| they was | they were |
| I seen | I saw / I have seen |
| should of | should have |
| could of | could have |
| them people | those people |
| you was | you were |
A deliberate dialect choice may be effective in dialogue or in a tightly controlled narrative voice, but it must sound intentional, not accidental.