Mastering Sentences (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A: Exam Skills): Revision Note

What is a sentence?

A sentence is a set of words that expresses a complete thought. To be grammatically correct, most sentences need a verb and a subject (in a command, the subject “you” is understood).

Sentences also must start with a capital letter and end with either a full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark. For example:

In the above sentence, “played” is the verb (the action or state described) and “Sumayah” is the subject because she is the one performing the action (she’s the person who played).

What is a clause?

To become an expert in writing sentences, it is important to understand what a clause is. Simply put, a clause is a part of a sentence. Clauses can be divided into two types:

Main clauses

A main clause can stand on its own as a full sentence. It needs to have a subject and a verb. “Sumayah played football” is a main clause because it makes sense as a full sentence.

Subordinate clauses

A subordinate clause usually has a subject and a verb, but is not grammatically complete. It depends on another part of a sentence (the main clause) to make sense. For example:

This sentence doesn’t make sense on its own, even though it does contain a verb (“was”) and a subject (“she”). However, if we add a main clause to the subordinate clause, it becomes a grammatically correct full sentence:

There are other ways of adding subordinate clauses to our main clause. For example:

Subordinate clauses are great because they add extra detail to your sentences. Make sure you try to include a variety of subordinate clauses in your writing because examiners love to see a range of sentence types.

Different types of sentences

There are three main sentence forms:

The four functions of sentences

There are four main jobs a sentence can perform. Knowing the type of sentences can help you in your reading questions too: it can help you explore why a writer may have used certain sentences.

Declarative sentence

This is a statement: it tells us something. Most of your English Language exam (the reading and your own writing) will be made up of declarative sentences, because both description and facts are usually in this form. These sentences usually end in a full stop. For example:

Exclamatory sentence

This sentence usually starts with “What” or “How” and ends with an exclamation mark. It expresses surprise, excitement or emphasis. Only use this sparingly in your own writing: once is probably enough. For example:

Imperative sentence

This is a command and will contain an imperative verb. It tells someone to do something and can end with either a full stop or an exclamation mark. These can be great to use in your persuasive writing assignments.

Interrogative sentence

This is a sentence in the form of a question, and so ends with a question mark. It can be very effective in both persuasive and creative writing to engage the reader, but use only occasionally.

How to link sentences together

One thing the Edexcel mark scheme rewards is how students link their writing together. Ideally, your own writing will be “cohesive”, which means your sentences fit together well and flow naturally from one to another.

There are a few great tips for cohesive writing in your International GCSE English Language exam:

Vary your sentence lengths and types

Having varied sentence structures, with a mix of lengths and types, makes your writing more interesting (and easier) to read.

Try to include a variety of simple, compound and complex sentences in your writing and even plan this. For example, you could plan on writing a two-word simple sentence at the beginning of a paragraph to signal an abrupt shift in atmosphere.

Use connectives

Especially when it comes to the non-fiction writing tasks in the exam, such as writing to persuade or explain, using what examiners call “discourse markers” can connect up your writing in a logical order. Some great examples of discourse markers include:

• Furthermore

• On the other hand

• Consequently

• For this reason

• In fact

Write paragraphs with purpose

Planning your paragraphs before you start writing means that your ideas will be more logically presented, and has the added benefit of allowing you to plan where to show off your expertise in writing sentencing.

For example, you could include a single-sentence paragraph to finish your creative writing answer, leaving the narrative on a cliffhanger. The mark scheme rewards this. At the top level, students use “a range of sentence structures accurately and selectively to achieve particular effects”.

Top tips for the International GCSE English Language exam

• Check over your work at the end of your exam and correct any mistakes, especially missing capital letters and end punctuation

• Be ambitious with your sentencing: aim to use a deliberately short sentence and a single-line paragraph in your writing

• Vary your sentence lengths

• Vary your sentence types:

  • Use a variety of simple, compound and complex sentences throughout

  • Try to include an interrogative, imperative and exclamatory sentence, especially in your non-fiction writing

Sentence structure in your Edexcel International GCSE English Language exam

Edexcel assesses your sentences through AO5. AO5 asks you to “write clearly, using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, with appropriate paragraphing and accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation”. AO5 is worth 20% of your Edexcel International GCSE English Language grade.

Every student sits Paper 1, plus either Paper 2 or the coursework option. Your sentence structure is marked in every writing task you complete:

• Paper 1, Section B, transactional writing: Question 6 or Question 7 (45 marks, including 18 marks for AO5)

• Paper 2, Section B, imaginative writing: Question 2, 3 or 4 (30 marks, including 12 marks for AO5)

• Coursework Assignment B, imaginative writing: one task (30 marks, including 12 marks for AO5)

There isn’t a set list of sentence types IGCSE examiners want to see. Weaker answers tend to repeat the same sentence structures, while the highest marks go to students who use “a range of sentence structures accurately and selectively to achieve particular effects”. So a mix of sentence types will lift your mark, but only when each sentence has a clear job. Examiners suggest that students at all levels “consider how sentence structures might be varied and crafted for deliberate effect”.