Marking your piece of writing Recounts/articles – what I (and SATs markers) was looking for.

Did you have the following? 1. 2. 3.

4.

A clear headline that grabs the attention and is short? Yes/No A by-line (your name) Yes/No An orientation paragraph telling the reader – Who? What? When? Where? Yes/No Have you used suitable sub headings and quotations? Yes/No

Did you have the following? 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Is any direct speech correctly punctuated? Yes/No Is your writing in the correct tense? Past or present? Yes/No Is the piece of writing in a logical order (in the correct sequence)? Yes/No Did you use time connectives, e.g. first, second, next, then? Yes/No Have you written the article in the third person? (He, she, they) Yes/No

Did you have the following? 10.

Have you written a concluding statement saying what happens next? Yes/No

If you had 8 or more Yes then you achieved a level 5 If you had 7 Yes then it was a 4/5 5 or 6 Yes was a level 4 4 Yes was a level 3/4

So why are you confused you haven’t got the level you think you should have? Avoid the following mistakes to take your writing to the highest level… • No capital letters Poor punctuation •Missing words in your sentences •Poor grammar (sentences that don’t sense make when you read them) •Poor paragraphing