Research School Network: Check-mate: supporting students in navigating the complexity of writing For many of our pupils, extended writing — especially in high-mark, high-stakes GCSE questions — can feel overwhelming.
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Check-mate: supporting students in navigating the complexity of writing
For many of our pupils, extended writing — especially in high-mark, high-stakes GCSE questions — can feel overwhelming.
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by Blackpool Research School
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Writing is hard.
For many of our pupils, extended writing — especially in high-mark, high-stakes GCSE questions — can feel overwhelming. This is not surprising: tasks often ask students to recall detailed knowledge, include complex vocabulary, organise ideas logically, and express their thoughts clearly and accurately, all under the pressure of the ticking exam hall clock. As the American literacy expert Ronald Kellogg notes, writing can be as mentally taxing as playing chess, due to the demands it places on working memory. Add in the time restrictions of an exam, and speed chess might feel like a more appropriate analogy.
When students tackle long-answer questions like the ones above, they are juggling multiple processes: generating ideas, planning a structure, recalling subject knowledge, and physically writing it all down. If any one of these tasks becomes too difficult, the whole process can break down.
So what can teachers do to support students through this complexity?
Break It Down
One of the most effective approaches is to break writing into smaller, manageable parts.
At the word level, this might involve pre-teaching subject-specific vocabulary, possibly using a consistent approach such as this one from the EEF. For instance, ensuring students understand what “evaluate” means in a history exam — how it differs from simply “describe” or “explain” — is essential for success. This is especially true given that “evaluate” has a different meaning in other subjects. At the sentence level, sentence starters or scaffolds can help students build confidence. In history, a prompt like “While initially it might appear that…, on closer inspection…” encourages deeper analysis.
At the whole-text level, graphic organisers can be powerful tools. Whether it’s a mind map in science or a PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) chain in English, helping students visualise the structure of their response reduces the burden on working memory and improves clarity.
Model the Process
Modelling is another vital strategy. Teachers should regularly “think aloud” as they plan and write responses in front of students, explaining decisions about structure, vocabulary, and tone. The focus here should be on the “why” as well as the “what”. This not only demystifies the writing process but shows students that expert writing involves multiple drafts, false starts, and revisions.
Once students have seen a model, they should try the strategy themselves, followed by a short reflection: Did this help me write more clearly? Why or why not? Over time, teachers should aim to remove scaffolds gradually, fostering independence.
Boost Confidence and Motivation
Writing success isn’t just about skills — it’s also about mindset. Students who believe they can succeed are more likely to persist with challenging longer questions. Techniques to build confidence include collaborative writing activities, where students co-construct answers either in pairs or as a whole-class activity, and give peer feedback.
Encouraging students to use positive self-talk — “I improved my paragraph structure this time” or “I used more subject vocabulary” — can also build resilience. These strategies are particularly effective when embedded in a wider self-regulated writing approach.
Final Thoughts
Writing well is essential for exam success and life beyond school. By explicitly teaching the processes behind effective writing, breaking tasks down, and gradually building students’ independence and confidence, teachers can ensure that all students — regardless of starting point — have the tools they need to construct high-quality extended responses.
Consider how this is done in your classroom currently. Given the disciplinary nature of writing – for example, writing in science is not necessarily the same as writing in drama – it can be useful to consider how writing is taught at a subject level across your school. This subject discussion template (although developed to support reading) can be useful in framing your conversations.
References
Education Endowment Foundation (2018). Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools
