Run-ons, comma splices and fragments — the three ways a longer sentence breaks.
How this drill works, and why it is built this way›
Band 5 describes this exactly: candidates “attempt complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences”. The ambition is there. The control is not.
Three faults, and they are the whole drill. Comma splice: two full sentences joined by only a comma. Run-on: two full sentences joined by nothing. Fragment: a piece pretending to be a sentence.
A full sentence needs a subject and a finite verb and must stand alone. Because the bus was late has both and still cannot stand alone — because makes it dependent.
Four legal ways to join two full sentences: a full stop · a semicolon · a comma plus and/but/so/or · a joining word like although or because.
However is not a joining word. It cannot fix a comma splice. This is the single most common punctuation error in IELTS writing.
Worked example
Which is correct?
A The policy was expensive, however it was popular. · B The policy was expensive; it was, however, popular.
Answer: B
A joins two full sentences with only a comma. That is a comma splice, and however cannot repair it — however is an adverb, not a joining word. B lets the semicolon do the joining. The point: check what is doing the joining. A comma alone never can.
Moderate · CEFR B1around band 5 – 5.5change level:
The drill moves you up or down on its own. Two good sets and it gets harder; two hard ones and it steps back.
The band range is what this level practises for — it is a guide, not a score. Only your first answer to each item counts towards the level decision.
Your answers and explanations open after the set is complete, the attempt is saved and your email is verified.
