WRITING
In Year 1
In Year 1 your child will learn to write simple stories on their own. They will learn to plan their writing by talking, or by drawing pictures. Their writing will be for different purposes that cover several areas of the curriculum. For example, they may write about caring for a pet (science) or a report on a visit to a factory (technology). They will be able to read and talk about what they have written.
After one year of learning writing at school most children will be able to:
- plan what they want to write by talking, drawing or perhaps writing word ideas
- write about their experiences and ideas and give information
- link their story to everyday experiences
- use many words they know from their reading
In Year 2
In Year 2 your child will write simple stories and texts they can use at school and at home. This might include simple instructions, explanations of what happens and the way it happens, simple descriptions of people, or descriptions of things they have done and seen, know about or are have made up. They will learn about punctuation and how to use connecting words (eg “like”, “and”) to join sentences together.
After two years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- write texts with a variety of uses such as stories, instructions, lists
- use punctuation - full stops, question marks and capital letters most of the time
- spell many words correctly, and try writing new words using what they know about other similar words
- write several sentences that have different beginnings
- use connecting words correctly
- make an attempt at using a variety of adjectives, nouns, and verbs.
In Year 3
In Year 3 your child will be learning to write for a range of different purposes across the curriculum. For example they might write a step by step guide to compost (science) or a report on a visit from a nurse (health). They will be learning about using punctuation in their writing and how to use things like titles, headings and captions.
After three years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- think about, record and communicate experiences, ideas and information
- organise their writing using a basic structure, eg writing a text with a beginning, a middle and an end
- write mainly simple (and sometimes complex) sentences that have different beginnings and lengths
- use some words that are specifically about the topic and chosen for the audience
- often correctly spell words they use, and use what they know about sounds in words to try to work out how to spell unknown words
- build on their knowledge of punctuation and use it more often.
In Year 4
In Year 4 your child will be writing a variety of material to support their learning in all areas of the curriculum. They’ll be writing in simple and compound sentences, and learning to write more complex sentences with more than one clause. They will be learning about nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.
After four years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- use their writing to think about, record and communicate experiences, ideas and information
- write by themselves for different purposes
- know that their writing needs to be suited to the people who will read it
- read and change their writing to improve it, most of the time
- notice mistakes and correct them in their writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation), most of the time
- publish their writing in a variety of ways including using computers, cameras, illustrations, and diagrams.
In Year 5
In Year 5 your child will continue to learn to think about, record, and communicate their experiences and ideas in their writing. Ideas for writing may come from talking, listening and reading about topics in all areas of the curriculum.
After five years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- use different ways to think about, plan and organise their writing
- use words and phrases that are suitable for the topic and audience
- choose the best way to express their message or ideas in writing
- use detail to support their main ideas and paragraphs to group their ideas
- improve the clarity and impact of their writing, especially after feedback from others
- check their own writing for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation
- choose the best way to publish their writing, including digitally, print, charts and diagrams.
In Year 6
In Year 6 your child’s writing will continue to describe their own experiences and ideas and to show how they are thinking about these. Ideas for writing may come from talking, listening and reading about topics in all areas of the curriculum.
After six years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- choose the type of writing to suit the audience
- plan what they will write in different ways
- organise their writing logically using paragraphs as well as other features like headings, sub-headings, diagrams, pictures and captions
- choose words carefully to suit the topic or purpose and to make people want to read their writing
- check their writing to make sure it makes sense
- spell most words correctly and use appropriate punctuation.
In Year 7
In Year 7 your child will continue to use their writing to think about, record, and communicate experiences, ideas, and information to meet specific learning purposes across the curriculum.
After seven years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- write for particular audiences and purposes using appropriate, clear and logical structures
- carefully plan their writing projects using a variety of strategies
- use paragraphs that contain clearly related ideas.
- write in grammatically correct sentences using a range of language features and complex punctuation; eg rhetorical questions, metaphors, semicolons
- use correctly-spelt words, using a range of strategies. For example, letter-sound knowledge, spelling rules and conventions, meaning and spelling of word parts and word origins, letter patterns
- show they are revising and editing as well as proof-reading as they write.
In Year 8
In Year 8 your child will continue to use their writing to think about, record, and communicate experiences, ideas, and information to meet specific learning purposes across the curriculum.
After eight years of learning writing at school they'll likely be able to:
- write on their own, choosing language and a clear and logical structure that fits the purpose for writing
- use information they have found through reading, to write in their own words about a topic or theme
- write stories that are clear, short and fit the curriculum task – often including detail and/or comment supporting or explaining the main points
- create paragraphs where the ideas are clearly related and link to other paragraphs
- use complex sentences that are grammatically correct
- use basic punctuation correctly and attempt to use some complex punctuation; eg semicolons, colons, brackets
- use words and phrases that fit the topic, audience, occasion and purpose
- understand that they are writing for a variety of purposes and know how to do this.