If your child is preparing for secondary school entrance exams, you may have heard conflicting information about whether there will be a creative writing task. Read on to find out:
what to expect from 11 plus creative writing exams
how to help your child prepare
which schools will require your child to do a creative writing test
What is 11 plus creative writing?
Children applying for 11 plus entry to selective schools may need to complete a creative writing task as part of the exam. The task could be to write an original short story or continue a story from a given text.
The main 11 plus exam boards (GL Assessment, CEM Select, the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB)) and Quest Admissions do not include creative writing tasks in their tests. If a school includes a creative writing element, it has likely been set by the school itself.
Some grammar schools include creative writing as part of their 11 plus exams. We've included a list of these below.
Many independent senior schools include creative writing tests in their English exams. You can find out whether your child's target school includes creative writing in the entrance exam by visiting the 'admissions' page on the school website.
Free mark scheme and prompts
Struggling with creative writing for the 11+ exam? Get a free creative writing mark scheme and ten writing prompts that will guide you and your child through the exam preparation and help develop your child’s writing skills.
Which grammar schools use creative writing exams?
Children applying to Reading School take an 11 plus exam set by Future Stories Community Enterprise. This includes a creative writing task.
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What are common 11 plus creative writing themes?
The content and format of 11 plus creative writing tests can vary depending on the school. Some tests might ask your child to:
continue a short story based a paragraph of narrative text
describe a place or a situation
write a letter or an article to persuade the reader to feel a certain way
write their own short story based on some bullet points for guidance
write their own descriptive or narrative piece based on a picture
Getting used to writing for different audiences and purposes can put your child in good stead for 11 plus creative writing exams.
What are examiners looking for?
Creative writing is subjective. After all, everyone has different interests when it comes to reading for pleasure! However, there are specific things examiners are looking for when marking 11 plus creative writing papers. These include:
Structure – does the piece have a clear beginning, middle and ending?
Creativity – has your child introduced unique ideas and demonstrated a strong imagination?
Spelling, punctuation and grammar – are they all accurate, and have they made use of sentence variety?
Vocabulary – have they used more advanced vocabulary (while making sense in context) than others their age? Have they introduced a wide range of adjectives, nouns and adverbs?
Typical 11+ creative writing mark schemes
Take a look at a typical creative writing mark scheme below. This is used to assess children applying for 11+ entry to a leading independent school.
In this example, children are marked out of 30. Up to 20 points are available for content and style, and up to 10 points are available for spelling and grammar. Children are rewarded for the quality, rather than the quantity, of their writing.
20 or 19 marks:
Focus on the task is excellent.
Writing is enjoyable with flair.
Tone, mood and atmosphere are successfully controlled.
Vocabulary is consistently impressive.
Figurative and sensory language is outstanding.
Characterisation is convincing and sustained.
18, 17 or 16 marks:
Focus on the task is good.
Writing is strong.
Tone, mood and atmosphere are mostly controlled.
Vocabulary is carefully considered.
Figurative and sensory language is sustained.
Characterisation is clear.
15, 14, 13 or 12 marks:
Focus on the task is competent.
Tone, mood and atmosphere are mostly generally varied and convincing.
Vocabulary is competent.
Figurative and sensory language are attempted with some success.
Characterisation has been attempted, but might be unconvincing or (at the bottom of this band) contradictory.
11, 10, 9 or 8 marks:
Focus on the task is variable.
Writing is straightforward.
Tone, mood and atmosphere have been attempted.
Vocabulary is straightforward.
Figurative and sensory language is rarely used.
Characterisation is straightforward.
7, 6, 5, 4 or 3 marks:
Focus on the task is limited.
Tone, mood and atmosphere are limited and uncontrolled.
Vocabulary is basic or repetitive.
There is no effective imagery or sensory language.
Characterisation is limited.
2 or 1 marks:
There is little content that can be rewarded.
How to prepare for 11 plus creative writing tests
Developing creative writing skills can be one of the most challenging parts of preparing for exams. Here are our top tips to help your child become a confident writer!
Vocabulary
Developing a wide and varied vocabulary is key for children to produce an interesting piece of writing. Including lots of adjectives and adverts is one of the best ways to grab a reader's attention.
We recommend that your child keeps a vocabulary log. As they read, they should record any new words with their definition and an example of the word used in a sentence.
Planning
In 11 plus exams, creative writing tasks usually last around 30 minutes (although this can vary from school to school). This isn't very long to produce an extended piece of writing – including planning time!
While it can be tempting to skip planning and start writing immediately, this will result in an unstructured piece of writing. As examiners are looking for evidence of a clear structure, your child may lose important marks.
We always recommend spending at least 5 minutes planning at the beginning of any creative writing exam. Your child should use this time to define what they will include in the beginning, middle and end of their piece.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Creative writing marks are not only awarded for content and creativity, but also for accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. Your child can practise these topics on Atom Home.
Your child's learning plan includes questions and activities in Key Stage 2 English. These adapt to their performance, so they'll see questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated. On your 'Track' page, you can see how your child is progressing and any topics which need improvement.
Reading
One of the most effective ways to improve writing is through reading. Reading is a fantastic way to introduce your child to new vocabulary, as well as accurate grammar and punctuation. Reading a wide variety of content and genres will expose them to new writing styles and ideas that they can incorporate into their work.
If your child enjoys a particular book, ask them why they like it. Is it the vivid character descriptions, use of adjectives, or adventurous plot? This can help your child recognise what to include in their own writing.
You can use prediction and storytelling games to help develop your child's creativity. Once they reach the end of a chapter, get them to write a paragraph on what they think will happen next. If they didn't like the end of a story, they can have a go at writing an alternative ending.
Looking for reading inspiration? Download Atom's free Key Stage 2 recommended reading list.