Punctuation
Commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes
Punctuation provides the "breathing room" in your sentences. Poor punctuation alters the meaning of your writing and hurts readability.
🧠 Core Principles
- Always use a comma after introductory linking phrases (e.g., "In conclusion," "Therefore,").
- Use semicolons specifically to link two closely related independent sentences.
- NEVER use contractions (don't, can't, it's) in IELTS Academic Writing. Always expand them (do not, cannot, it is).
🎯 In Practice (IELTS Context)
In conclusion it is clear that its a major problem.
In conclusion, it is clear that it is a major problem.
Why? A comma is mandated after an introductory phrase. Additionally, "its" was contracted informally, which is forbidden in Academic IELTS.