What the KS2 STA teacher assessment writing statements really mean and how to achieve them

Working at the expected standard: Write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences, selecting language that shows good awareness of the reader

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see a selection of writing which showcases a child’s ability to write for different purposes and for different audiences. To help with this, we provide children and teachers with the six most common reasons we are moved to write. These are the typical purposes for writing. They include:

(Figures from Young & Ferguson 2020 p.5-7)

Of course, these aren’t static. They can be used in conjunction with one another. Indeed, by combining different writing purposes together, children and teachers can enhance their texts. For example, teaching people in a way that is entertaining can enhance our audience’s reading experience. Alternatively, writing a reflective memoir whilst painting with words can bring an artistry and literary quality to our memories. This is something to look out for when assessing a child’s portfolio.

In terms of audience, a child’s portfolio should show how they’ve written for or to different people. For example, you might see them writing for younger children, writing for their peers and writing to people in positions of power and influence. You might see how they are writing to people they know well or to people they’ve never met. You will notice how they have taken their audiences’ needs and tastes into account when writing.  

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Make sure you have taught a variety of class writing projects [LINK].
• Set a publishing goal for class writing projects [LINK].
• Discuss your audiences and what they might want or need from you [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• From your genre study, establish a list of product goals for the project. This is a list of things you and the class think you will need to do or include to write successfully [LINK].
• Have revision checklist sessions where children can reflect on their use of the product goals and ‘try out’ any that they may have overlooked [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: In narratives, describe settings, characters and atmosphere 

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see children writing flash-fiction and short story pieces. These narratives would showcase their use of setting, character and atmosphere craft moves. To help with this, we provide an apprenticeship and progression across Key Stage Two. In Year Three, children are expected to write fairytales and fables. The focus here is on plot and understanding different emotional story arcs. Next, in Year Four, children learn to write character-driven and setting-focused short stories. Here they learn a host of important narrative craft moves. In Year Five, they build on this knowledge and experience to write developed short stories and graphic novels. This is an opportunity to embed their understanding of setting, character and atmosphere. Finally, in Year Six, children use all that they’ve learnt to write a collection of flash-fiction pieces. This collection will showcase their abilities to attend to settings, characters and atmosphere. 

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Teach narrative craft moves and ensure there is a progression and development of these craft moves across KS1 and KS2 [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Integrate dialogue in narratives to convey character and advance the action

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see children using dialogue as a way of revealing something about a character you wouldn’t have otherwise known. You gain just a little insight into their history, psyche, motivation or morality. How characters talk to each other and what they choose as topics of conversation tells you a lot about them. In addition, it’s an opportunity to move the story forward. 

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Read as writers to see how other writers use dialogue [LINK].
• Teach craft moves about dialogue and invite children to use these moves in their writing that day [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Select vocabulary and grammatical structures that reflect what the writing requires

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see how children have applied certain grammar craft moves taught by their teacher and have used them in the context of their very own writing. In addition, we’d see evidence that children have (re)considered their use of vocabulary, ensuring that their audiences will understand them easily. If they are unsure, they will take time to explain certain terms.

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Discuss your audience(s) and what they might want or need from you [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what grammar craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• From your genre study, establish a list of product goals for the project. This is a list of things you and the class think you will need to do or include to write successfully [LINK].
• Teach grammar craft moves which match the needs of the class writing project [LINK].
• Have revision checklist sessions, where children can reflect on their use of the product goals and ‘try out’ any that they may have overlooked [LINK].
• Plan Use Of Vocabulary sessions at the proof-reading stage [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Use a range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see children using cohesive craft moves to prevent their reader from becoming confused and to keep them on track. For example, within their portfolio of writing, you would expect to see some craft moves like colons, semi-colons, relative clauses, parenthesis, modal verbs, fronted adverbials, synonyms, headings, paragraphs, pilcrows, bullet points, conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs being used. 

In addition, it’s important to remember that a writer’s planning is also a device they use to ensure cohesion so don’t forget to include these in a child’s writing portfolio. 

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Make sure you teach children a variety of planning strategies and include their planning in their writing portfolios [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what grammar craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• From your genre study, establish a list of product goals for the project. This is a list of things you and the class think you will need to do or include to write successfully [LINK].
• Teach grammar craft moves which match the needs of the class writing project [LINK].
• Teach sentence-level craft moves which match the needs of the class writing project [LINK].
• Explicitly teach proof-reading [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Use verb tenses consistently and correctly throughout their writing

To achieve this standard, ensure there is evidence showing how children have attended to their verb tense use to ensure that it remains consistent. For children with English as an additional language, this is often a particular area of focus [LINK].

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what grammar craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• Plan Use Of Vocabulary sessions at the proof-reading stage [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Use the range of punctuation taught at Key Stage Two mostly correctly

To achieve this standard, ensure that, across a portfolio of writing, children have used the range of punctuation taught at Key Stage Two. This includes: capitalisation, end marks (full stops, question marks and exclamation marks), commas for a list, apostrophes for singular and plural possession, direct speech punctuation, brackets, dashes, semi-colons, colons, hyphens, ellipsis and commas.

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices: 

• Teach grammar craft moves [LINK].
• Explicitly teach proof-reading [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Spell correctly most words from the Year 5-6 spelling list and use a dictionary to check the spelling of uncommon or more ambitious vocabulary

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see evidence of children attending to their spellings. This includes ensuring they have spelt any words from the Year 5-6 spelling list correctly. It may be useful for teachers to broaden their definition of what a dictionary actually constitutes. For example, children can check their spellings using Google search, electronic spell checkers, the book they are currently reading, common word lists, smart speakers, iPads and online dictionaries. They of course should be invited to ask their friends how certain words are spelt if they are unsure. 

With regards to the use of ambitious vocabulary, there should be evidence that children have (re)considered their vocabulary choices and used synonyms for certain words where they’ve felt it was appropriate. 

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices: 

• Deliver explicit spelling instruction [LINK].
• Plan Spelling sessions at the proof-reading stage [LINK].
• Plan Use Of Vocabulary sessions at the proof-reading stage [LINK].

Working at the expected standard: Maintain legibility in joined handwriting when writing at speed

To achieve this standard, we’d expect a child’s writing portfolio to showcase some examples of legible handwriting. Having a genuine purpose and audience for your writing is a great reason for ensuring others can read your writing. In addition, being given time to publish and focus solely on the legibility of your handwriting is particularly useful for children who otherwise struggle. 

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices: 

• Deliver explicit handwriting instruction [LINK].
• Provide additional instruction and practice for children who need it [LINK].
• Integrate your handwriting instruction and pupil-conferencing into publishing sessions.

Working at greater depth: Write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences, selecting the appropriate form and drawing independently on what they have read as models for their own writing

To achieve this standard, we’d expect to see a selection of writing which showcases a child’s ability to write for different purposes and for different audiences. You can see that they have selected the right genre for what it is they wanted to achieve. In addition, they have used craft moves which are appropriate to the type of writing they have produced. 

In addition, we expect to see children using intertextuality when coming up with their own writing ideas. Intertextuality, also known as creative play(giarism), cross-fertilization, creative reconstruction, remixing, borrowing, or ‘writing under the influence’ (Ferguson & Young 2023), is the idea that we consciously or subconsciously draw on what we read to help us with our own writing. Children will naturally use their own wider reading as mentor texts, so it’s imperative that in school they are given copious amounts of time to read independently and for pleasure, with a library of rich and varied books readily to hand. In addition, children must have time to read as writers and undertake genre study. Finally, children must be taught idea generation strategies which encourage them to engage in intertextuality.

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices: 

• Ensure children have time to pursue their own personal writing projects [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• Ensure children generate their own ideas for writing by teaching them a variety of idea generation strategies, particularly strategies which encourage them to use intertextuality [LINK].
• Ensure children have access to mentor texts throughout a class writing project [LINK].

Working at greater depth: Distinguish between the language of speech and writing and choose the appropriate register

Linguist Michael Halliday (cited in Young & Ferguson 2021) suggests that a piece of writing will be made up of three interrelated ‘metafunctions’. These metafunctions affect the type of language we use when writing in different genres and for different audiences. According to Halliday, the ‘register’ of a piece of writing is composed of field, tenor, and mode.

• Field is about the child choosing an appropriate idea or topic for their audience. It involves children sharing their knowledge, opinion, thoughts, creative artistry, stories, and/or reflections in a way their reader will understand, appreciate and enjoy. Put simply, does the child regularly choose suitable topics to share with their audiences?
• Tenor is about the child considering their role as the writer and how they will talk, relate to, and interact with their readership. Put simply, do they regularly ‘talk’ to their readers in a way that is appropriate?
• Mode is about discussing how best to share their information in terms of structure, visual devices and organisation, and how best to publish or perform their writing. Put simply, is their writing well organised and easily understood?

At times, you’ll meet children who understand the conventions of certain genres so well that they will actually deliberately play around or subvert them for effect. These children should certainly be considered to be achieving this statement too.

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Make sure you have taught a variety of different class writing projects [LINK].
• Set a publishing goal for class writing projects [LINK].
• Discuss your audiences and what they might want or need from you [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• From your genre study, establish a list of product goals for the project. This is a list of things you and the class think you will need to do or include to write successfully [LINK].
• Have revision checklist sessions where children can reflect on their use of the product goals and ‘try out’ any that they may have overlooked [LINK].

Working at greater depth: Exercise an assured and conscious control over levels of formality, particularly through manipulating grammar and vocabulary to achieve this

This statement places particular focus on children’s ability to choose an appropriate ‘tenor’ for their writing. Put simply, has the child considered their role as the writer and how they will talk, relate to, and interact with their readership? Do they regularly address their readers in a way that is appropriate? Do they use vocabulary that their reader will understand? If they are unsure, have they taken time to explain key terms or ideas?

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices:

• Make sure you have taught a variety of different class writing projects [LINK].
• Set a publishing goal for class writing projects [LINK].
• Discuss your audiences and what they might want or need from you [LINK].
• Read as writers and undertake genre study to understand what craft moves may be required for the project [LINK].
• From your genre study, establish a list of product goals for the project. This is a list of things you and the class think you will need to do or include to write successfully [LINK].
• Teach grammar craft moves [LINK].
• Have revision checklist sessions where children can reflect on their use of the product goals and ‘try out’ any that they may have overlooked [LINK].
• Plan Use Of Vocabulary sessions at the proof-reading stage [LINK].

Working at greater depth: Use the range of punctuation taught at Key Stage Two correctly and, when necessary, use such punctuation precisely to enhance meaning and avoid ambiguity

To achieve this standard, ensure that, across a portfolio of writing, children have used the range of punctuation taught at Key Stage Two. This includes: capitalisation, end marks (full stops, question marks and exclamation marks), commas for a list, apostrophes for singular and plural possession, direct speech punctuation, brackets, dashes, semi-colons, colons, hyphens, ellipsis and commas.

To help achieve this statement, consider the following teaching practices: 

• Teach grammar craft moves [LINK].
• Teach sentence-level craft moves [LINK].
• Explicitly teach proof-reading [LINK].