Writing

Year Three

Composition

Makes some attempt to define paragraphs by organising ideas with related points placed next to each other – e.g. one sentence paragraphs or ideas loosely organised.;
In non-narrative material uses simple organisational devices – e.g. headings and sub headings;
Proof reads for spelling and punctuation errors;
Discuss writing similar to that which they are planning to write and understands and learns from its structure, vocabulary and grammar;
Discusses and records ideas;
Composes and rehearses sentences orally (including dialogue) progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structure;
In narrative creates settings, characters and plot, with some attempt to elaborate on basic information or events – e.g. nouns expanded by simple adjectives etc.;
Assesses the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggests improvement;
Proposes changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences;
Reads aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class using appropriate intonation and controls the tone of voice so that the meaning is made clear.

Vocab, Spelling, and Punctuation

Limited use of inverted commas to punctuate direct speech;
Attempts to use paragraphs as a way to group related materials;
Makes some use of the present perfect form of verbs instead of the simple past – e.g. “He has gone out to play”. In contrast with “He went out to play”;
Express time, place and cause using conjunctions. E.g. when, before, after, while, because. KPI;
Uses the forms “a” or “an” according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or vowel. E.g. a rock, an open box;
Shows and awareness of headings and sub headings to aid presentation;
Expresses time, place, and cause using adverbs. E.g. then, next, soon, therefore;
Expresses time, place, and cause using prepositions e.g. during, after, in, because of;
Shows understanding of the formation of nouns, using a range of prefixes e.g. super, anti, auto;
Shows knowledge of word families based on common words, showing how words are related in form and meaning, e.g. solve, solution, solver, dissolve, insoluble.

Transcription/Spelling

Uses prefixes and suffixes to understand how to add them (see Appendix 1);
Spells further homophones;
Identifies commonly misspelt words and attempts to correct them (see Appendix 1) ;
Understands how to place the apostrophe in words with regular plurals e.g. girls’ boys’;
Uses the first two or three letters in a word to check its spelling in a dictionary;
Writes from memory simple sentences, dictated from the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

Transcription – Handwriting

Uses diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understands which letters, when adjacent to one another are best left un-joined;
Increases the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting e.g. by ensuring that the downward letters are parallel and equidistant;
Increases the legibility, consistency, and quality of their handwriting – e.g. by ensuring that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch.

Year Four

Composition

Organises paragraphs around a theme: paragraphs/sections help to organise content;
In narratives creates settings, characters and plot, with some ideas and material developed in detail (e.g. descriptions elaborated by adverbial and expanded noun phrases).;
Proof-reads for errors in spelling and punctuation;
Discusses writing similar to that which they are planning to write and understands and learns from its structure, vocabulary and grammar;
Discusses and records ideas.;
Composes and rehearses sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary, and an increasing range of sentence structures;
Assesses the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggests improvements;
Proposes changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences;
Proof-reads for errors in spelling and punctuation;
Reads aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controls the tone and volume, so that the meaning is clear.

Vocab, Spelling, and Punctuation

Uses inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech (e.g. a comma after the reporting clause; end punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”);
Uses paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme;
Makes appropriate choice of pronoun or noun within and across sentences to aid cohesion and avoid repetition;
Uses fronted adverbials (e.g. 'Later that day, I heard the bad news');
Most of the time uses appropriate standard English forms for verb inflections instead of local spoken forms (e.g. 'we were' instead of 'we was', or 'I did' instead of 'I done');
Uses expanded noun phrases, by adding modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases (e.g. the teacher expanded to: the strict maths teacher with curly hair);
Understands the grammatical difference between plural and possessive –s;
Uses commas after fronted adverbials;
Some correct use of apostrophes to mark plural possession (e.g. the girl’s name, the girls’ names).

Transcription/Spelling

Writes from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far;
Uses further prefixes and suffixes and understands how to add them (see Appendix 1);
Spells further homophones;
Identifies commonly misspelt words and corrects them (see Appendix 1);
Understands how to place the apostrophe in words with regular plurals (e.g. girls’, boys’) and in words with irregular plurals (e.g. children’s);
Use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary.

Transcription – Handwriting

Uses the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understands which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined;
Increases the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting, e.g. by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant;
Increases the legibility, consistency, and quality of their handwriting, e.g. by ensuring that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch.

Year Five

Composition

Identifies the audience for and purpose of the writing. Selects the appropriate form and uses other similar writing as a model for their own writing;
In narratives, describes settings, characters and atmosphere and integrates dialogue to convey character and advance the action;
Uses further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader (e.g. headings, bullet points, underlining);
Ensures the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing;
Proof-reads for errors in spelling and punctuation;
Makes notes and develops initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary;
When developing characters and settings for a narrative, the pupil considers what has been learned from their experience of reading, listening to, and watching the work of real authors;
Selects appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning. A reasonably wide vocabulary is often chosen for effect;
Attempts to précis longer passages;
Uses a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs;
Assesses the effectiveness of their own, and others’ writing;
Proposes changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning;
Ensures correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing, and choosing the appropriate register.

Vocab, Spelling, and Punctuation

Uses commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity;
Uses a range of devices to build cohesion within a paragraph (e.g. then, after that, this, firstly)
Indicates degrees of possibility using adverbs (e.g. perhaps, surely) or modal verbs (e.g. might, should, will, must);
Understands how to convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using suffixes (e.g. –ate; –ise; –ify);
Uses brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis;
Uses a range of linking ideas across paragraphs: adverbials of time (e.g. later), place (e.g. nearby) and number (e.g. secondly) or tense choices (e.g. he had seen her before);
Uses relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that, or an omitted relative pronoun;
Knowledge of verb prefixes (e.g. dis–, de–, mis–, over– and re–).

Transcription/Spelling

Uses further prefixes and suffixes and understands the guidelines for adding them;
Spells some words with ‘silent’ letters, e.g. knight, psalm, solemn;
Continues to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused;
Uses knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understands that the spellings of some words need to be learnt specifically, as listed in Appendix 1;
Uses dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words;
Uses the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning, or both of these in a dictionary;
Uses a thesaurus.

Transcription – Handwriting

Writes legibly, fluently, and with increasing speed by choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices;
Decides, as part of their personal style, whether or not to join specific letters;
Is clear about what standard of handwriting is appropriate for a particular task (e.g. quick notes or a final handwritten version);
Chooses the writing implement that is best suited for a task (e.g. quick notes, letters).

Year Six

Composition

Identifies the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own;
In narratives, uses imaginative description of settings, convincing characterisation, and a range of stylistic devices to develop atmosphere;
Uses further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader (e.g. headings, bullet points, underlining);
Ensures the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing;
Proof-reads effectively for spelling and punctuation errors;
Makes notes and develops initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary;
When developing characters and settings for a narrative, the pupil considers, and makes use of, what has been learned from their experience of reading, listening to, and watching the work of real authors;
Selects appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning. Uses an ambitious vocabulary, generally appropriate to purpose and audience;
Integrates dialogue to convey character and advance the action;
Can shape and précis longer passages to adapt material appropriately for selected form;
Uses a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs;
Within paragraphs, cohesive devices contribute to emphasis and effect, (e.g. adverbials as sentence starters);
Assesses the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing;
Proposes changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning;
Ensures correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing, and choosing the appropriate register.

Vocab, Spelling, and Punctuation

Uses the colon to introduce a list and uses semi-colons within lists;
Punctuates bullet points when listing information;
Use of layout devices (e.g. headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, or tables, to structure text);
Uses the passive voice to affect the presentation of information in a sentence (e.g. 'I had broken the window in the greenhouse' versus 'The window in the greenhouse had been broken');
Recognise and use the difference between vocabulary typical of informal speech and vocabulary appropriate for formal speech and writing (e.g. find out/discover; ask for/request; go in/enter).;
Uses the colon to introduce a list and uses semi-colons within lists;
Shows knowledge of how hyphens can be used to avoid ambiguity (e.g. 'man eating shark' versus 'man-eating shark', or 'recover' versus 're-cover');
Uses linking ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive devices:
- repetition of a word or phrase;
- grammatical connections (e.g. the use of adverbials such as: 'on the other hand', 'in contrast', or 'as a consequence') and ellipsis.
Use a wide range of clause structures, varying their position within the sentence;
Shows knowledge of how words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms (e.g. big, large, little).

Transcription/Spelling

Uses dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words;
Uses further prefixes and suffixes and understands the guidelines for adding them;
Spells some words with ‘silent’ letters, e.g. knight, psalm, solemn;
Continues to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused;
Uses knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understands that the spellings of some words need to be learnt specifically, as listed in Appendix 1;
Uses the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning, or both of these in a dictionary;
Uses a thesaurus.

Transcription – Handwriting

Writes legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices;
Decides, as part of their personal style, whether or not to join specific letters;
Is clear about what standard of handwriting is appropriate for a particular task (e.g. quick notes or a final handwritten version);
Chooses the writing implement that is best suited for a task (e.g. quick notes, letters).