Start by checking whether the response answers the prompt. Then look at the ideas, organisation and language. Finish with spelling and punctuation, and choose one or two improvements to practise next. You do not need to correct every sentence to give useful feedback.
This guide is for parents supporting Year 5 and Year 6 writing practice, including families preparing for QASMT or Brisbane State High. It is a home-review checklist, not an official admissions marking scheme or a prediction of a selective-entry score.
Before you mark: keep the task beside you
Read the prompt and note the time allowed. A short timed response should be considered in that context, rather than compared with a story polished over several days.
Read the piece once without correcting anything. Ask your child what they were trying to communicate. On your second reading, look for evidence of what worked and what needs attention.
Keep the original response. Feedback is easier to understand when you can point to the actual sentence or paragraph you mean.
1. Check audience and purpose
Does the response address the topic and use the requested form? A creative task needs a piece of imaginative writing; a persuasive task needs a clear position supported by reasons. Follow the actual instructions if the task asks for a different form.
For example, if the prompt asks whether a school should create an outdoor learning space, a description of a favourite playground does not yet answer the question. The student needs to connect their ideas to the proposed change.
Useful feedback might be: “Your opening tells me the topic. Add your position so I know what you want the school to do.”
2. Look for developed ideas
For creative writing, ask what changes during the story. Is there a problem, discovery or decision? Can you understand why the character acts as they do? A story does not need a stated moral, but its events should connect and lead somewhere.
For persuasive writing, separate a reason from an explanation. “It would be better” is an assertion. Explaining who benefits, how they benefit and giving a relevant example develops the argument.
Consider this invented practice example:
A shaded outdoor space would help students learn. They could observe plants during science lessons and record changes each week, rather than only reading about them.
The second sentence makes the first more specific. A useful next comment is: “You have explained one learning benefit. Now explain how the space could be used when the weather is unsuitable.” Only ask for that extra point if it is relevant to the prompt and the time available.
3. Follow the structure
Can you follow the response without guessing how one idea connects to the next?
- Creative writing: the opening establishes enough context, events connect, and the ending responds to what happened.
- Persuasive writing: the position is clear, reasons are grouped sensibly, and the conclusion brings the argument together.
- Paragraphs: each paragraph has a useful job rather than simply starting after a fixed number of sentences.
Avoid prescribing an identical number of paragraphs for every task. Instead, ask your child to describe the purpose of each paragraph. If two paragraphs repeat the same point, they may need combining or developing.
4. Check vocabulary and style
Look for precise words that suit the meaning. An unusual word is not automatically a better choice than a familiar one.
In creative writing, “Mia gripped the door handle and listened” can convey tension more clearly than “Mia was very, very scared.” That does not mean every emotion must be implied; it gives your child another way to make a moment specific.
In persuasive writing, clear explanation usually helps more than repeatedly calling an idea “amazing” or “terrible”. Ask which word or detail would make the meaning more exact.
Praise a successful choice before suggesting a change: “‘Gripped’ helps me picture her nervousness. Can you make the next action equally clear?”
5. Review grammar, spelling and punctuation
Now check whether sentences communicate clearly. Look for repeated patterns, such as missing full stops, changes in tense or an error with a word used several times.
Choose a manageable focus. If the piece has several run-on sentences, working on sentence boundaries is more useful than covering the page with unrelated corrections.
Keep individual slips in perspective, but do not ignore errors that make the meaning difficult to follow. Ask your child to read a sentence aloud and identify where one complete thought ends and the next begins.
How much should your child write?
Follow any length instruction in the task. Otherwise, use word count as context, not an automatic pass or fail. This checklist does not set a universal 250-word minimum or promise a particular score for a particular length.
Ask whether there is enough development to communicate the idea. A very brief response may need an explanation, example or fuller ending. A longer response may need repetition removed. The useful target is a relevant, developed piece completed within the given time.
For the next practice, choose a specific goal such as “explain each reason” or “leave time to finish the ending”, rather than simply “write more”.
A five-area parent checklist
These areas match the criteria used in Practice Tests & Exams’ writing feedback. Our platform scores each area from 0 to 5, for a total out of 25. This is our practice rubric, not an official QASMT or BSHS scoring system.
- Ideas & content: Are the ideas relevant and developed with details or explanations?
- Structure & organisation: Do the paragraphs and overall sequence help the reader follow the piece?
- Vocabulary & style: Are the words precise and appropriate for the task?
- Grammar & conventions: Are sentences, punctuation and spelling clear enough to support meaning?
- Audience & purpose: Does the response fulfil the prompt and suit its intended reader?
At home, you can use “working well”, “developing” and “focus next” instead of inventing a numerical mark. Record one example from the writing beside each judgement. That makes the feedback concrete.
Give feedback your child can use
Finish with one strength, one priority and one action. For example:
Strength: Your position is clear in the opening.
Priority: Your second reason is stated but not explained.
Next action: Add an example showing how that reason affects students.
Discuss the feedback before starting another timed task. Your child should be able to explain the next goal in their own words. Keep your comments with the original response so you can compare the same skill in a later piece.
When human marking can help
A parent checklist helps you discuss writing. Human marking can be useful when you want an external review using consistent criteria, or when you are unsure which improvement to prioritise.
Our free samples include optional writing practice. The prompt is free; human marking is optional and costs AUD $15 per response. Sign in or create an account to save the response, purchase marking and view the returned feedback. Human feedback is normally provided within five business days.
Paid writing tests and writing packs already include one human-marked submission per test. You do not need to buy separate sample marking for those included submissions. Mega writing packs combine the same creative and persuasive tests sold in the matching separate packs.
Compare writing packs and what is included, or browse individual writing tests.
Choose a free sample for your child
Choose the pathway and current year. The writing topic is revealed when the task is opened.
For a wider view of the available practice, see QASMT preparation or Brisbane State High preparation.
Put the checklist into practice
Try a free sample, or compare writing practice with human feedback.
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