These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Unless a source is credited, every passage was written by Marlbridge for this page. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric to help you check your work; they are not an official scoring guideline. No calculator is needed.
Question 1 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which statement about grammar and mechanics in timed writing is most accurate?
- (A) Any error, however small, lowers the score.
- (B) Conventions matter because they enable clear communication, and errors become a problem when they interfere with meaning.
- (C) Grammar is irrelevant as long as the ideas are good.
- (D) Only spelling errors matter.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Conventions exist so that readers can follow the writer, and the course says that only errors so frequent or serious that they block communication hurt a response.
- (A) overstates: small slips typical of unrevised timed writing do not lower the score.
- (C) overstates in the other direction: errors that obscure meaning do weaken the writing.
- (D) is too narrow: grammar and punctuation errors can also interfere with meaning.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
“He had one ambition—to win.” What does the dash mainly do?
- (A) It marks the end of the sentence.
- (B) It introduces an emphatic addition that the reader is made to wait for.
- (C) It joins two independent clauses.
- (D) It shows that a quotation begins.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The dash creates a pause that sets “to win” apart and gives it emphasis.
- (A) The full stop marks the end.
- (C) What follows the dash is a phrase (“to win”), not an independent clause.
- (D) A quotation would use quotation marks.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
Which sentence uses a colon correctly?
- (A) “The reasons were: cost, time and space.”
- (B) “The reasons were clear: cost, time and space.”
- (C) “Because of: cost, time and space.”
- (D) “We needed: money, patience and a plan.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). A colon follows a complete clause (“The reasons were clear”) and introduces the list.
- (A) places the colon after the verb “were”, so the clause is incomplete.
- (C) places it after a preposition in an incomplete clause.
- (D) places it after a verb before its object, which is the same error as (A).
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
Which of these contains a comma splice?
- (A) “The bell rang; the students left.”
- (B) “The bell rang, and the students left.”
- (C) “The bell rang, the students left.”
- (D) “When the bell rang, the students left.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). Two independent clauses are joined by a comma alone.
- (A) uses a semicolon correctly.
- (B) uses a comma with the coordinating conjunction “and”.
- (D) has a dependent clause followed by a comma, which is correct.
Question 5 (multiple choice · stretch)
Which revision best removes the ambiguity in “The manager told the assistant she had made a mistake”?
- (A) “The manager told the assistant, she had made a mistake.”
- (B) “The manager told the assistant that the assistant had made a mistake.”
- (C) “The manager she told the assistant had made a mistake.”
- (D) “The manager told the assistant; she had made a mistake.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Naming the person removes the unclear pronoun, so the reader knows who made the mistake.
- (A) introduces a comma splice and leaves “she” unclear.
- (C) is ungrammatical.
- (D) leaves “she” unclear and creates a different structure without fixing the reference.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Edit the paragraph below (written by Marlbridge) to remove errors that interfere with meaning, and give a reason for each change. (6 marks)
“The schools new timetable starts in September, many parents have not been told. A letter was sent home it was long and full of jargon. Two groups are affected: the pupils in Year 11 and the families who rely on the early bus, they will need to plan ahead.”
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Edited: “The school’s new timetable starts in September, but many parents have not been told. A letter was sent home; it was long and full of jargon. Two groups are affected: the pupils in Year 11 and the families who rely on the early bus. They will need to plan ahead.”
Reasons: “school’s” needs an apostrophe for possession; “but” corrects the comma splice and makes the contrast explicit; the semicolon corrects the run-on by joining two related clauses; the colon is correct because it follows a complete clause; a full stop after “early bus” corrects the second comma splice.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Apostrophe corrected (school’s) |
| 1 | First comma splice corrected |
| 1 | Run-on corrected |
| 1 | Second comma splice corrected |
| 1 | Colon left correct, or its correctness explained |
| 1 | Gives a reason for at least three changes in terms of clarity |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Write three short sentences about a school event, using a colon, a semicolon and a dash in turn. Each must use its mark for a purpose, and you must say in a few words what each mark is doing. (6 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. “The sports day had one rule: everyone takes part.” (colon: points forward to the rule.) “The relay was close; the crowd could hardly bear it.” (semicolon: links two related independent clauses as equals.) “The winners were announced—and then the rain came.” (dash: an abrupt turn that adds emphasis.)
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Colon used correctly after a complete clause |
| 1 | Explains the colon’s purpose |
| 1 | Semicolon joins two independent clauses correctly |
| 1 | Explains the semicolon’s purpose |
| 1 | Dash used to mark a break or emphasis correctly |
| 1 | Explains the dash’s purpose |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Abraham Lincoln wrote in his Gettysburg Address (1863, public domain): “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.”
Explain how the dashes contribute to the effect of the sentence and to Lincoln’s purpose. (5 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. The dashes break the sentence into short beats, so that the three verbs “dedicate”, “consecrate” and “hallow” are heard one by one. Each verb is more solemn than the last, and the pause after it gives the audience time to register the increase. The final dash delays “this ground”, so the sentence arrives at the place where the audience is standing, which makes the abstract idea concrete. Lincoln’s purpose is to turn the audience’s attention from what the speakers say to what the dead soldiers did, and the slow, ceremonial rhythm created by the dashes suits that solemn purpose.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies the dashes as breaking the sentence into separate beats |
| 1 | Notes the three verbs and their growing solemnity |
| 1 | Explains the effect of delaying “this ground” |
| 1 | Explains the effect on pace or tone (solemn, ceremonial) |
| 1 | Links the effect to Lincoln’s purpose or the occasion |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 5, reread “Errors that interfere with meaning” and the punctuation table. If you lost marks in 6 to 8, check that you said what each mark does in that sentence and why.