diff --git a/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.mjs b/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.mjs
index 25f815d688..5cc95984d0 100644
--- a/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.mjs
+++ b/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.mjs
@@ -139,7 +139,10 @@ export class Accordion extends GOVUKFrontendComponent {
 
     const $sections = this.$module.querySelectorAll(`.${this.sectionClass}`)
     if (!$sections.length) {
-      return this
+      throw new ElementError({
+        componentName: 'Accordion',
+        identifier: `Sections (\`<div class="${this.sectionClass}">\`)`
+      })
     }
 
     this.$sections = $sections
@@ -203,7 +206,10 @@ export class Accordion extends GOVUKFrontendComponent {
     this.$sections.forEach(($section, i) => {
       const $header = $section.querySelector(`.${this.sectionHeaderClass}`)
       if (!$header) {
-        return
+        throw new ElementError({
+          componentName: 'Accordion',
+          identifier: `Section headers (\`<div class="${this.sectionHeaderClass}">\`)`
+        })
       }
 
       // Set header attributes
@@ -231,8 +237,18 @@ export class Accordion extends GOVUKFrontendComponent {
     const $heading = $header.querySelector(`.${this.sectionHeadingClass}`)
     const $summary = $header.querySelector(`.${this.sectionSummaryClass}`)
 
-    if (!$span || !$heading) {
-      return
+    if (!$heading) {
+      throw new ElementError({
+        componentName: 'Accordion',
+        identifier: `Section heading (\`.${this.sectionHeadingClass}\`)`
+      })
+    }
+
+    if (!$span) {
+      throw new ElementError({
+        componentName: 'Accordion',
+        identifier: `Section button placeholder (\`<span class="${this.sectionButtonClass}">\`)`
+      })
     }
 
     // Create a button element that will replace the
@@ -395,7 +411,15 @@ export class Accordion extends GOVUKFrontendComponent {
     const $button = $section.querySelector(`.${this.sectionButtonClass}`)
     const $content = $section.querySelector(`.${this.sectionContentClass}`)
 
-    if (!$showHideIcon || !$showHideText || !$button || !$content) {
+    if (!$content) {
+      throw new ElementError({
+        componentName: 'Accordion',
+        identifier: `Section content (\`<div class="${this.sectionContentClass}">\`)`
+      })
+    }
+
+    if (!$showHideIcon || !$showHideText || !$button) {
+      // Return early for elements we create
       return
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.puppeteer.test.js b/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.puppeteer.test.js
index 1a1eff4ca1..1624365d3b 100644
--- a/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.puppeteer.test.js
+++ b/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/components/accordion/accordion.puppeteer.test.js
@@ -711,59 +711,158 @@ describe('/components/accordion', () => {
             )
           })
         })
+      })
 
-        describe('errors at instantiation', () => {
-          let examples
+      describe('errors at instantiation', () => {
+        let examples
 
-          beforeAll(async () => {
-            examples = await getExamples('accordion')
+        beforeAll(async () => {
+          examples = await getExamples('accordion')
+        })
+
+        it('throws when GOV.UK Frontend is not supported', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation() {
+                document.body.classList.remove('govuk-frontend-supported')
+              }
+            })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'SupportError',
+              message: 'GOV.UK Frontend is not supported in this browser'
+            }
           })
+        })
 
-          it('throws when GOV.UK Frontend is not supported', async () => {
-            await expect(
-              render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
-                beforeInitialisation() {
-                  document.body.classList.remove('govuk-frontend-supported')
-                }
-              })
-            ).rejects.toMatchObject({
-              cause: {
-                name: 'SupportError',
-                message: 'GOV.UK Frontend is not supported in this browser'
+        it('throws when $module is not set', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module) {
+                $module.remove()
               }
             })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message: 'Accordion: Root element (`$module`) not found'
+            }
           })
+        })
 
-          it('throws when $module is not set', async () => {
-            await expect(
-              render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
-                beforeInitialisation($module) {
-                  $module.remove()
-                }
-              })
-            ).rejects.toMatchObject({
-              cause: {
-                name: 'ElementError',
-                message: 'Accordion: Root element (`$module`) not found'
+        it('throws when receiving the wrong type for $module', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module) {
+                // Replace with an `<svg>` element which is not an `HTMLElement` in the DOM (but an `SVGElement`)
+                $module.outerHTML = `<svg data-module="govuk-accordion"></svg>`
               }
             })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Root element (`$module`) is not of type HTMLElement'
+            }
           })
+        })
 
-          it('throws when receiving the wrong type for $module', async () => {
-            await expect(
-              render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
-                beforeInitialisation($module) {
-                  // Replace with an `<svg>` element which is not an `HTMLElement` in the DOM (but an `SVGElement`)
-                  $module.outerHTML = `<svg data-module="govuk-accordion"></svg>`
-                }
-              })
-            ).rejects.toMatchObject({
-              cause: {
-                name: 'ElementError',
-                message:
-                  'Accordion: Root element (`$module`) is not of type HTMLElement'
+        it('throws when the accordion sections are missing', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module, { selector }) {
+                $module
+                  .querySelectorAll(selector)
+                  .forEach((item) => item.remove())
+              },
+              context: {
+                selector: '.govuk-accordion__section'
+              }
+            })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Sections (`<div class="govuk-accordion__section">`) not found'
+            }
+          })
+        })
+
+        it('throws when section header is missing', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module, { selector }) {
+                $module
+                  .querySelectorAll(selector)
+                  .forEach((item) => item.remove())
+              },
+              context: {
+                selector: '.govuk-accordion__section-header'
+              }
+            })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Section headers (`<div class="govuk-accordion__section-header">`) not found'
+            }
+          })
+        })
+
+        it('throws when any section heading is missing', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module, { selector }) {
+                $module.querySelector(selector).remove()
+              },
+              context: {
+                selector: '.govuk-accordion__section-heading'
+              }
+            })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Section heading (`.govuk-accordion__section-heading`) not found'
+            }
+          })
+        })
+
+        it('throws when any section button placeholder span is missing', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module, { selector }) {
+                $module.querySelector(selector).remove()
+              },
+              context: {
+                selector: '.govuk-accordion__section-button'
+              }
+            })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Section button placeholder (`<span class="govuk-accordion__section-button">`) not found'
+            }
+          })
+        })
+
+        it('throws when any section content is missing', async () => {
+          await expect(
+            render(page, 'accordion', examples.default, {
+              beforeInitialisation($module, { selector }) {
+                $module.querySelector(selector).remove()
+              },
+              context: {
+                selector: '.govuk-accordion__section-content'
               }
             })
+          ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            cause: {
+              name: 'ElementError',
+              message:
+                'Accordion: Section content (`<div class="govuk-accordion__section-content">`) not found'
+            }
           })
         })
       })