Writing
Planning the Writing Curriculum
Our Writing Curriculum closely considers Purpose, Audience, Form and Impact to help us embed the knowledge and skills required to be fluent, successful writers.
Purpose | Audience | Form | Impact |
Why am I writing/talking? Is it to: tell a story (narrate), provide information, give an instruction, persuade someone, discuss or record an idea, reflect on feelings or the events of the day? | Who will read my writing? Who will listen to what I have to say? How will I adapt the language and form of writing I choose to meet their needs?
| How should I structure my writing/talk so that people understand what I am writing/saying? The purpose and audience of my writing should lead me to the most appropriate form of writing. Could I change the form of my writing, so I am understood better? | How do I expect my audience to feel or respond? Is my writing (talk) successful? How does my reader/audience feel and does this match the intended impact of my words? |
To help plan the curriculum, we use the 6Rs to help us scaffold and plan in a logical and coherent manner.
Relate Years 1-3: To understand the topic/context of my reading.
Years 4-6: To revise and/or understand background (contextual) knowledge needed to comprehend the text.
| Read Years 1-3: To understand what I am reading.
Years 4-6: To deepen my understanding of the text and its intended impact on me.
| Rip Years 1-3: To identify [insert grammar] and why it has been used.
Years 3-6: To understand how [insert grammar], creates the impression of/creates tensions/describes/express different possibilities/keeps the reader guessing/changes the pace of the plot/moves the plot on/reflects the theme etc.
The way you complete the learning intention above depends on the intended impact of the text.
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Rehearse
All year groups: To practice/use [insert grammar/vocab/structure] to [insert impact]. OR To plan the structure a [form].
This intention applies to oracy lessons too.
| Write All year groups: To apply knowledge of language and the craft of writing to write a _________that makes my reader _________.
For example, to write a letter that makes my reader laugh, a story that helps my reader understand more about bullying, an information leaflet that teaches my reader how to play a game, etc.
| Review Years 1-2: To read my writing aloud and notice how it sounds, making changes if I need to.
Years 3-6: To decide whether my writing has ______ my reader [insert intended impact].
For example, to decide whether my writing has made my reader more aware of my feelings.
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Assuring Independence in Writing
At the end of a unit of work, a pupil will be expected to plan, draft and edit their work to a varying degree of independence. This will vary depending on the age of the pupil and whether they have any specified needs relating to their learning. Ensuring that pupils have a degree of independence is important to help teachers gather evidence towards assessment of pupils. An accurate assessment will be rooted in writing which has been produced by the pupil of their own volition and capabilities. Writing which is heavily scaffolded by direct teacher modelling will not always produce an accurate assessment.
Teachers should keep in mind that the national curriculum states writing can also be produced through discussion with the teacher and peers.
Success Criteria
Teachers must provide Success Criteria to pupils when they are writing to help them judge whether a pupil has met the objectives for a piece of writing and to help pupils understand what they have learnt. This is to be presented as a table with two headings: ‘I Think’ (self-assessment) ‘My Teacher Thinks’ (teacher assessment). Using success criteria does not mean that a pupil’s writing is not independent, providing they are limited to describing the task and the intended overall purpose and effect of the writing, rather than modelling or over-scaffolding the expected outcome. Success Criteria can be differentiated so the focus and assessment of their writing more closely matches their current attainment.
Example Success Criteria for Year 2:
- Letters formed correctly and sit on the line
- Invisible pair left between words
- Adjectives to describe characters
- Verbs to describe actions
Editing Writing
During the Review stage of a unit of work, pupils from late Year 2 onwards should be given time to edit their own writing. Simple edits and corrections can be made using a ruler and pencil whilst lengthier rewrites and additions should be done using ‘editing slips’ by cutting pieces of lined paper stuck as a flap over the previous piece of writing. Peer support, dictionaries and editing stations can be used to support editing. Teaches may want to use an example of writing from another class to help model editing.
Marking Writing
Writing should be marked in accordance with the whole school marking policy. However, teachers will use also use the Success Criteria checklist to help inform their ongoing assessment of Writing. Year 6 teachers should avoid overly directive marking for pieces of writing which are intended to be used for moderation and evidence towards the Teacher Assessment Framework for Writing.
Assessing Writing
The approach to English writing teacher assessment is different from other subjects. This difference reflects the nature of the subject and that a degree of subjectivity is needed to assess it. Teachers are therefore given more flexibility in reaching a rounded judgement about a pupil’s overall attainment in writing (STA, 2024). There are several systems in school to help support teachers to make an appropriate judgement. Judgements should be holistic and should consider the pupil’s performance in writing across a wide range of genre and across the whole curriculum (for example, in History or Science).
Tools and Practises to Support Assessment of Reading | |
Summative | Formative |
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Pupils with a Particular Weakness When a teacher deems that a pupil meets a standard despite a particular weakness, they must have good reason to judge that this is the most accurate standard to describe the pupil’s overall attainment. The reason for this is likely to vary from pupil to pupil but, in all instances, teachers must be confident that the weakness is an exception in terms of the pupil’s overall attainment (STA, 2024). | |