KeyStage

Key Stage 3 English · Writing

KS3 writing: essays, stories, letters and talks

In Years 7 to 9, writing grows up. Pupils are expected to write accurately, fluently and at length, for pleasure and for information, in a much wider range of forms: formal essays, stories, scripts, poems, notes and scripts for talks, arguments and letters. The skill underneath all of them is the same: deciding what you want to achieve, who will read or hear it, and choosing the form and tone that fit.

Writing for different purposes, explained

The curriculum names four families of writing. The first is the formal essay, both expository (explaining or informing) and narrative (recounting an experience or event in a structured, reflective way). An essay has an introduction that states the idea, paragraphs that each develop one point with evidence, and a conclusion that pulls it together. Schools use essays across subjects, so writing a clear one in English helps in history, geography and science.

The second family is imaginative writing: stories, scripts, poetry and other creative pieces. Here pupils learn to plan a structure, build a setting and characters, vary sentence length for effect, and show feeling through detail rather than just stating it. The third family is writing for speaking: notes for a talk and fully polished scripts. A script written to be heard needs shorter sentences, repetition, signposts such as “first” and “finally”, and pauses built into the punctuation, because a listener cannot go back and re-read.

The fourth family is a range of other texts, including arguments and personal and formal letters. An argument sets out a point of view, supports it with reasons and evidence, deals with a different view and ends with a firm conclusion. A personal letter can be warm and chatty. A formal letter follows conventions: your address, the date, the recipient’s name and address, the greeting, a clear opening that says why you are writing, short paragraphs, and an ending that matches the greeting. In British letter-writing that is “Yours sincerely” after “Dear Ms Khan”, and “Yours faithfully” after “Dear Sir or Madam”.

The phrase “accurately, fluently, effectively and at length” sums up the aim. Accurately means correct spelling, punctuation and grammar, which pupils are now expected to manage mostly on their own. Fluently means the writing flows and the pupil can write for a sustained period without stopping every line. Effectively means that it does its job for its audience. At length matters because pupils are asked to build resilience and sustain an idea across several paragraphs and pages. This is the groundwork for GCSE English, where they will be asked to write for different purposes under timed conditions.

Words your child will hear

Purpose
What the writing is meant to do: to inform, explain, persuade, entertain or argue.
Audience
The person or people who will read or hear the writing, which decides the tone and vocabulary.
Form
The type of text, such as an essay, letter, speech, story or script.
Register
How formal or informal the language is, from a text message to a letter to a councillor.
Expository writing
Writing that explains or informs, such as an essay about how something works.
Argument
A reasoned case for a point of view, supported with evidence and a considered response to the other side.
Signposting
Words that guide the reader or listener through the structure, such as “firstly”, “however” and “to conclude”.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 3, pupils should be taught to:

  • Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information through writing well-structured formal expository and narrative essays
  • Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length through writing stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative writing
  • Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length through writing notes and polished scripts for talks and presentations
  • Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length through writing a range of other narrative and non-narrative texts, including arguments, and personal and formal letters

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: same news, two readers

The 8.10 school bus has been cut. Write the opening of (a) a message to a friend and (b) a letter to the local council, so that each suits its reader.

  1. Decide the purpose, audience and form for each. With the friend, the purpose is to share news and sort out how to get to school: a casual message. With the council, the purpose is to inform and persuade them to act: a formal letter.
  2. Choose the register. For the friend: contractions, short sentences, everyday words, a relaxed tone. For the council: complete sentences, precise words, no slang, and a polite but firm tone.
  3. Draft the message to the friend. “Did you hear the 8.10 bus has been cut? It’s going to be a nightmare. Want to walk in together tomorrow?”
  4. Draft the formal letter opening. Set out the addresses and the date, then write: “Dear Councillor Hughes, I am writing to object to the withdrawal of the 8.10 bus service from the town centre to the secondary school. Many pupils depend on this service to arrive on time, and I would like to ask the council to reconsider.” End with “Yours sincerely” because the letter names the person.
  5. Check each against its purpose. Does the first sentence say why you are writing? Is the tone right for the reader? Are spelling and punctuation correct? Read the formal letter aloud and cut anything that sounds like a chat.

The same news gives two different texts. The message is short, friendly and informal. The letter states its purpose in the first sentence, uses formal vocabulary and polite language, gives a reason, makes a request and ends “Yours sincerely”.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking formal writing means long words and complicated sentences

Pupils try to sound serious by using impressive vocabulary, which often makes the writing stiff and unclear.

What helps: Formal means precise, polite and impersonal, not showy. Compare a plain, clear sentence with an overloaded one and ask which the council is more likely to understand and act on.

Assuming that writing at length means making it longer

Pupils hear “write at length” and add padding or repeat points to fill the page.

What helps: Length should come from developing ideas, with evidence and explanation. Ask “Can you say more about why?” or “Can you give an example?” instead of “Write another paragraph”.

Treating an essay as a list of facts or a story

Pupils often write everything they know about a topic in order, without making a point.

What helps: Before writing, ask your child to state their main idea in a single sentence. Then every paragraph should help prove it. If a paragraph does not, it can go.

Using the same style for every kind of writing

Most children have a default voice, usually the one they use in chat or in stories, and they carry it everywhere.

What helps: Before writing, ask “Who is going to read this and what do I want them to do?” Rewrite the same message for two readers, as in the worked example, to show how tone changes.

How to help at home

  • Write for a real reader. Encourage your child to write something that will really be read: a thank-you letter to a relative, a note to a neighbour, a short speech for a family event. A real reader makes tone and purpose matter in a way a school exercise cannot.
  • Make a formal request together. Pick a small real issue, such as a faulty item, a club or a local problem, and draft a polite formal letter together. Practise the layout, the opening sentence that says why you are writing, and the correct ending.
  • Say it, then write it. Ask your child to explain an opinion aloud to you for a minute, then write it down. Talking first helps them find their argument. Then read the written version aloud and ask whether it sounds like a talk or an essay.
  • Keep a notebook. A notebook for ideas, descriptions overheard, and half-written stories gives your child regular writing practice with no marks attached. Fluency comes from writing often, in short bursts as well as long pieces.
  • Read your child’s writing as a reader. When they show you something, respond first to what it says. Say what you liked and what confused you before commenting on spelling. This keeps the focus on the effect on a reader.

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