Great writing is not about "big words". It is about making the right choices for your purpose and your audience — then planning, drafting and polishing until every sentence pulls its weight.
Make a guess: why might Ellie's message get nowhere?
Mission 1Why might Ellie's message get nowhere?
Mission 2Would a fancier word make it better?
Mission 3Why ask a question that wants no answer?
Work through each screen, answer the questions as you go (some pick the best sentence, some sort ideas) and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you're ready.
Purpose
Every piece of writing has a job
Before you write a word, ask: what is this for? The National Curriculum expects you to write for a range of purposes. The four you meet most often are:
To inform / explain — give facts clearly (a report, an article).
To persuade / argue — change what someone thinks (a letter, a speech).
To describe — paint a picture in the reader's mind.
To entertain — tell a gripping story or script.
Watch out: a single task can have a main purpose and a smaller one. A charity leaflet mainly persuades, but it also has to inform you of the facts first.
Audience
Who is reading it?
Your audience is who your writing is for. The same idea is written very differently for different readers — you adapt your vocabulary, your tone and even your sentence length.
Same message, two audiences
To a friend: "Guess what — the trip's back on!! 🎉"
To the head teacher: "I am pleased to confirm that the trip will now go ahead."
Neither is "better" — each is right for its reader. The wrong register can make strong ideas sound weaker.
Form
Pick the right form
The form is the type of text — a letter, a story, an essay, a report, a speech, a script. Each form has features readers expect.
Match the form to the job. A news report uses a headline and facts; a script uses character names and stage directions.Match it
Which form fits the job?
Tap the form that best fits each purpose.
Quick check
Reading the audience
?You are writing to persuade the local council to save a youth club. Which opening best fits that audience and purpose?
The writing process
Plan → Draft → Edit → Proofread
Good writing is rarely first-time-perfect. The National Curriculum asks you to plan, draft, edit and proofread — a cycle that turns rough ideas into a polished piece.
The four stages. Weak writers skip planning; strong writers spend time there first.Planning
Planning saves you
A plan is a quick map of your ideas in order. Two minutes here stops you rambling, repeating yourself or running out of things to say.
A quick plan — "Should phones be banned in school?"
Intro: phones are everywhere — the debate matters.
Point 1: distraction in lessons (evidence).
Point 2: but useful for safety & research.
Point 3: a fair rule — off in lessons, on at break.
Ending: restate view, call to action.
Watch out: "I don't need to plan — I'll just start writing" is the biggest trap. Unplanned essays drift; planned ones drive. Spend the first two minutes on a plan.
Quick check
Edit or proofread?
?You reread your story and rewrite a dull paragraph to make it more exciting. Which stage of the process is this?
Mission 1 check
Why might Ellie's message get nowhere?
?Kai wants his head teacher to put a water fountain in the hall. He emails: "u need 2 get a fountain asap!!" His point is fair. Why might the email get nowhere?
Mission 2 of 3
Would a fancier word make it better?
Make a guess: what makes a reader feel Tom's nerves?
Structure
Paragraphs organise ideas
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. Start a new paragraph when you change time, place, topic or speaker (remember TiPToP).
One idea per paragraph: a topic sentence, then detail, explanation, and a link forward.Cohesion
Connectives glue it together
Cohesion means your writing flows — the reader is never lost. Connectives (linking words) signal how your ideas relate:
Adding: furthermore, in addition, moreover
Contrasting: however, on the other hand, whereas
Cause: therefore, consequently, as a result
Sequencing: firstly, then, finally, meanwhile
Weak → Strong (adding cohesion)
Weak: "Phones distract us. They can help in emergencies."
Strong: "Phones distract us in lessons. However, they can also be a lifeline in emergencies."
Quick check
Choose the connective
?"The plan looked simple on paper. _______, it fell apart within an hour." Which connective fits the gap best?
Openings & endings
Hook them, then land it
Your opening earns the reader's attention; your ending leaves an impression. Both matter more than the middle you might obsess over.
Openings that hook
Weak: "In this story I am going to write about a storm."
Strong: "The first thunderclap split the sky before I reached the door."
Tip: for endings, avoid "…and then I woke up and it was all a dream." Circle back to your opening image, or end on a short, punchy line instead.
Word & sentence choice
Choose words and sentences for effect
Precise verbs and varied sentence lengths do the heavy lifting. A short sentence after long ones creates impact.
Weak → Strong (precise verbs, variety)
Weak: "She went across the room and she was very scared and she went to the door."
Strong: "She crept across the room, heart hammering. Then she froze."
Watch out: "big words" you don't understand often go wrong. Choose the precise word, not the longest one — "crept" beats "ambulated".
Quick check
Pick the strongest sentence
?Which sentence describes a nervous character most effectively for a story?
Show, don't tell
Show it — don't just say it
Instead of telling the reader a feeling, show it through actions, senses and details. The reader feels it for themselves.
Telling → Showing
Telling: "The room was messy."
Showing: "Half-eaten toast balanced on a tower of unwashed plates; a sock hung from the lampshade."
Watch out: "show, don't tell" does not mean never state anything plainly. Reports and explanations often need clear telling. Use showing where atmosphere and emotion matter — in stories and description.
Mission 2 check
Would a fancier word make it better?
?A pupil wants to improve "Maya was very cold." Which rewrite makes the reader feel the cold most?
Mission 3 of 3
Why ask a question that wants no answer?
Make a guess: why ask a question that wants no answer?
Tone & register
Formal or informal?
Register is how formal your language is. It sits on a scale — you slide up for official readers, down for friends.
Register is a scale, not a switch. Match your position on it to your audience.Standard English
Standard English for formal writing
Standard English is the shared grammar and vocabulary used in most writing and exams. It can be formal or informal. It avoids non-standard forms such as:
"We were going" — not "we was going".
"I haven't done anything" — not "I ain't done nothing".
"They should have asked" — not "they should of asked".
Watch out: informal writing (a text to a friend) is not "wrong" — but formal tasks (letters, essays, reports) expect Standard English. Match the register to the audience.
Sort it
Formal or informal?
Tap a phrase, then tap the box it belongs in.
🎩 Formal
💬 Informal
Persuasive techniques
Persuade with AFOREST
When your purpose is to persuade, these techniques (remembered as AFOREST) add power — used sparingly, not all at once:
Alliteration — "clean, clear coastlines"
Facts & Figures — "over 8 million tonnes"
Opinions stated confidently
Rhetorical questions — "Can we really ignore this?"
Emotive language — "heartbreaking", "shameful"
Statistics / Triples — "cheaper, safer and greener"
Tip: a rule of three ("cheaper, safer and greener") is one of the easiest ways to make a point stick.
Quick check
Name the technique
?"How much longer can we look the other way?" Which persuasive technique is this?
Summarising
Say more with less
Summarising means capturing the main points in far fewer words — keeping the meaning, dropping the detail. It is a skill in its own right.
Long → Summary
Original (28 words): "Because it rained heavily all day and the pitch was completely waterlogged, the referee had no choice but to call off the match before it could even begin."
Summary (10 words): "Heavy rain waterlogged the pitch, so the match was cancelled."
Quick check
Best summary
?"The museum, which was built in 1890 and recently refurbished at great cost, will now open on Sundays for the first time." Which is the best one-line summary?
Mission 3 check
Why ask a question that wants no answer?
?A speech asking for a longer lunch break begins: "Who can learn on an empty stomach?" Nobody is meant to answer. Why does the writer ask it?