The document provides guidance for students on developing their writing skills. It outlines the assessment criteria for writing exams, which includes content and organization out of 13 marks, and sentence structure, punctuation and spelling out of 7 marks. Students are given examples of areas of strength to highlight and targets for improvement. A range of potential writing tasks are also provided in various formats like letters, guides, speeches and articles. Starters and desserts are included to help students improve, with suggestions like self-evaluating work or creating alternative versions.

1. You must aim to deliver one
piece of written work to your
teacher every week.
Starters and desserts are
optional.
You will be assessed for your
writing skills, including the
presentation of your work.
Take special care with
handwriting, spelling,
punctuation and layout.
Think about the purpose and
audience for your writing.
You can attempt each task
twice.
Mark scheme
In the writing exam, you will get a mark for
‘content and organisation’ (out of 13) and a
mark for ‘sentence structure, punctuation
and spelling’ (out of 7).
When your work is graded, find comments of
what you think worked well in your work
(www) and pick targets that will improve your
grade for the next assessment (ebi).
I am able to…/I need to be able to…
Content and Organisation
 …Ensure there is a clear purpose to my
writing
 …Follow the conventions of the
appropriate format
 …Show awareness of my Intended
audience
 …Produce relevant content
 …Break ideas down into clear paragraphs
 …Ensure paragraphs are well planned and
consistent
 …Write using the appropriate style
 …Use appropriate vocabulary
 …Experiment with more interesting
vocabulary
Sentence structure, punctuation and spelling
 …Control sentences
 …Use a range of simple, compound and
complex sentences
 …Accurately use punctuation
 …Consistently ensure accurate spelling
Nutritional
information
When an examiner marks your
work, they will look at the following
Assessment Objectives for writing:
1. That you can communicate
clearly, effectively and
imaginatively, using and adapting
forms and selecting vocabulary
appropriate to task and purpose in
ways which engage the reader.
2. Organise information and ideas
into structured and sequenced
sentences, paragraphs and whole
texts, using a variety of linguistic and
structural features to support
cohesion and overall coherence.
3. Use a range of sentence
structures for clarity, purpose and
effect, with accurate punctuation
and spelling.

2. Starters
 Find and read examples of formal letters, leaflets,
guides, articles and speeches either online or in your
home and perhaps make notes on writing styles and
choices in vocabulary.
 Perhaps research topics that you will be exploring as
part of your chosen main task.
 Create a bank of words using a thesaurus that you can
use as part of your written work.
Letters
 Write a letter to a newspaper giving your
views on TV talent shows.*
 Write a letter to a national newspaper giving
your views on the Olympic Games.*
 Write a letter of application for your ideal
future job.
 A supermarket chain is planning to build a
new store on land which is currently used by
local youngsters to play sport. Write a letter to
your local newspaper giving your views on this
plan.*
 You have a friend or relative who is thinking of
taking up boxing as a sport. Write a letter to
your friend or relative explaining whether you
think this is a good idea.*
 A proposal has been made to hold a
motorcycle race on the roads in your area.
Write a letter to the local newspaper giving
your views on this proposal.*
 Write a letter to a newspaper about what, if
anything, you think should be done to protect
the environment.*
 A ban on smoking in public places was
introduced in England and in Wales. Write a
letter to your local newspaper giving your
views on this subject.*
 Write a letter of complaint for poor service
that you have received.
 A local businessman has applied for
permission to hold an outdoor music festival
in your area. Write a letter to your local
newspaper either supporting or opposing this
idea.*
 Imagine you have a friend or relative who has
decided to run in the London Marathon (a
distance of over twenty-six miles). Write a
letter to your friend or relative giving your
opinions.
 A friend or relative has decided to become a
teacher. Write a letter to him/her giving your
opinions about this decision.*
Guides and leaflets
 Write a guide to attract tourists to a city or town in
your area.*
 Write a leaflet aimed at persuading young people
not to smoke cigarettes.*
 Many people think that we should take holidays in
Britain rather than travel abroad. Write a letter to a
newspaper giving your views on this issue.*
 Write a leaflet that gives advice on healthy eating
and fitness.
Speeches
 Write a speech explaining why your choice of
charity is a good one, and giving suggestions about
the fund-raising events that could be held.*
 You have been asked to give a talk to a group of
older people to persuade them to use computers
and the internet. Write what you would say.*
 You have to give a talk to your class with the title
‘Mobile phones: a blessing or a curse?’ Write what
you would say.*
 Your school/college is planning to put on a show at
the end of the year. You have been asked to give a
talk encouraging students to get involved. Write
what you would say.*
Mains*tasks marked with an asterisk are actual WJEC past paper
questions
Articles
 Write a lively article for your school or college
magazine with the title: ‘How To Survive Your
GCSE Year’.*
 Write an article for a teenage magazine about
recent trends in either music, fashion or film.*
 Your school/college is keen to save energy.
Write an article for the school/college
magazine on this issue.*
 Write a lively article for a teenage magazine
about a famous person you either admire or
dislike.*
 You have been asked to write a lively article
for a newspaper with the title “How to cope
with teenagers”. Write your article.*
 Write a lively article with the title ‘The Joys of
Exercise’ for a magazine for people of your
age.*
 Write an article for a teenage audience based
on one of the following topics; education,
technology, media, sport, politics, business,
travel or science.
Desserts- for those with big appetites to achieve high grades
• Write a ‘what worked well’ & ‘even better if…’
comment about your own work (preferably in a
green pen) - you could also write a www/ebi
comment about someone else’s work before their
work is handed in.
• Write a detailed commentary to accompany your
work - maybe annotate your work by sticking it
onto a larger page and writing comments about
your decisions and revisions around it.
• Create alternative versions of your work using
different viewpoints or writing styles.