As teachers, we’ll often describe a certain unit as producing our ‘best writing outcomes’ – but what do we really mean? Do we mean it looks impressive to outsiders? That it follows our model text perfectly? Or do we mean that it represents a child’s truest, most thoughtful, most authored work?
With growing scrutiny of writing instruction in English schools – particularly the rise of ‘elaborate dictation’ – we must ask: are children genuinely learning to write, or are they being coached to look like they can (Barrs 2019; Cremin et al. 2003; McDonald 2025)?
Superficial competency vs. genuine academic achievement
In some classrooms today, ‘best writing’ has become a euphemism for work that is the result of extensive adult direction. This type of writing is often visually polished but intellectually hollow. Writer-teacher John Warner likens this to producing ‘writing-related simulations, formulaic responses for the purpose of passing standardised assessment’ (Warner 2025 p.5).
To illustrate this, let’s look at two examples:
Child A: The polished illusion
In Child A’s classroom, the teacher has led the class through a model text about rivers. Together, they constructed each paragraph. Students were told which adjectives to use, how to begin each sentence, and even which conjunctions to insert where. Child A has carefully followed the model, and the final piece reads fluently, with a sophisticated tone. It looks excellent in their book.
But here is Child A’s ‘competency scorecard’:
The result is a text that dupes moderators but reflects little genuine writing growth. It may even undermine the child’s belief that they can write without such heavy scaffolding (Ryan et al. 2022; Young 2025).
Child B: The authentic writer
Now consider Child B, who was given instruction and time to choose their own genuine writing topic within the parameters of a whole-class writing project. They’ve chosen to write a letter to their local football club. Because of their teacher’s instruction and feedback, the piece is cohesive and well written. Their writing shows thought, emotional honesty, and a clear sense of audience. The child revised and proof-read independently, and shared their manuscript during class discussions.
Here is Child B’s ‘competency scorecard’:
This is real writing. It is meaningful and human.
Did the child write it – or just fill in the gaps?
These examples remind us that ‘best’ should never simply mean ‘most compliant’ (Lambirth 2016). In the case of Child A, the writing appeared impressive to anyone who hadn’t witnessed the writing process. However, the child wasn’t truly composing or authoring; they were merely re-transcribing a preloaded text.
By contrast, Child B’s writing reflects authentic authorship, while also scoring well in a formal writing assessment. Their text demonstrates real learning, genuine satisfaction, and meaningful communication (Clarkson 2024; McDonald 2025; Young 2025).
Personal competency
Too often, students who’ve been trained in mimicry come to believe that writing is about ‘pleasing the teacher or avoiding punishment’, not expressing ideas (González-Díaz et al. 2024; Lambirth 2016). They may even begin to distrust their own thoughts and ideas, defaulting to teacher input for every phrase (Ryan et al. 2022).
But when students produce something truly their own, they develop a personal sense of competency. This is where identity and confidence as a writer are born (Young 2025). Child B looked at their letter believing they had something to say – and that others wanted to hear it. This is a beautiful thing.
Social competency
Writing is a social act. When children write to be read, they make authorial choices – considering their reader, their tone, and the emotional or intellectual impact of their words (Young 2025).
Child B’s letter held meaning for its readers – so much so that they wrote back to her. In contrast, Child A’s river report didn’t mean a great deal to anyone. After all, there were 30 near-identical copies of it in the classroom.
Reclaiming the meaning of ‘best’
To reclaim ‘best writing outcomes’, we must resist the pressure to ask children to produce writing that flatters to deceive.
If we truly want students to succeed academically and not just ‘play the game of writing’ then ‘best’ must reflect:
🏆 Genuine and independent academic achievement
❤️ Personal pride and satisfaction
🔗Social connection through authentic authorship
This does mean having the highest possible expectations. Writing in school is not just about producing ‘assessment artefacts’ – it’s about children enjoying the process of creating writing and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction and pride in producing something of the utmost quality (Young 2025).
Conclusion
In an age of elaborate dictation and ‘fake’ performative writing outcomes, we must ask: Are we producing writers, or reciters?
When we say best writing outcomes, let’s mean writing that is truly the best of them: their words, their thoughts, their academic achievement.
References and further reading
- Barrs, M. (2019). Teaching bad writing. English in Education, 53(1), 18-31
- Bruyère, J., Pendergrass, E. (2020) Are Your Students Writing or Authoring? Young Author’s Milieux, Early Childhood Education Journal, 48 pp.561-571
- Clarkson, R. (2024). ‘It’s missing the heart of what writing is about’: teachers’ interpretations of writing assessment criteria. British Educational Research Journal, 50(1), 134-161.
- Dyson, A. H. (2020). “This isn’t my real writing”: The fate of children’s agency in too-tight curricula. Theory Into Practice, 59(2), 119-127.
- González-Díaz, V., Parr, E., & Nourie, K. (2024). Conceptualisations of ‘good’ writing in the English primary school context. Language and Education, 1-24
- Grainger (Cremin), T., Goouch, K., Lambirth, A. (2003) Playing the game called writing, English in Education, 37(2), 4–15
- Lambirth, A. (2016). Exploring children’s discourses of writing. English in Education, 50(3), 215-232
- McDonald, R. (2025). Exploring teachers’ positioning of children as writers, English in Education, 1-16
- Myhill, D., & Clarkson, R. (2021). School writing in England. In International Perspectives on Writing Curricula and Development (pp. 147-168). Routledge
- Ryan, M., Khosronejad, M., Barton, G., Myhill, D., & Kervin, L. (2022). Reflexive writing dialogues: Elementary students’ perceptions and performances as writers during classroom experiences. Assessing writing, 51, 100592
- Young, R. (2025) Children’s perspectives on writing competency: Academic, personal and social influences UKLA International Conference – Liverpool – 2025