The writing task is the section families most often underestimate — it carries the same 25% weight as maths or reading, yet it’s the one children practise least. Here’s how it actually works.
The format
It’s one task, completed in 30 minutes, typed directly on screen. There’s no handwriting and no extra paper — a child plans, drafts and edits in the on-screen editor, against the clock. That alone is worth rehearsing, because composing and correcting on a keyboard is a different skill from writing by hand.
How it’s marked
The response is assessed in two parts:
- Content & Style — the quality of ideas, how the piece is structured, vocabulary, and the writer’s voice. Markers want to see clear, engaging, well-organised writing that genuinely responds to the prompt.
- Technical Accuracy — spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence control.
A strong piece needs both: dazzling ideas riddled with errors lose marks, and flawless mechanics with nothing to say does too.
Originality matters
The work must be the child’s own original response to the specific prompt. Memorised essays and rigid templates are a trap — they tend to read as off-topic or forced, because they’re answering a question that wasn’t asked. The better habit is learning to plan quickly (a minute or two), then write with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Because the text type isn’t announced in advance, children should be comfortable across narrative, persuasive and informative forms rather than drilling just one. Our writing guide breaks down how to build each.
Practising well
Two things move the needle most: typing under time and specific feedback. Test Academy’s WritingHub gives instant, criterion-by-criterion feedback — pointing to exactly where a piece gains or loses marks on content, style and accuracy — so a child can see their writing improve draft by draft. Build this into regular selective practice tests so the writing task feels routine, not daunting.