Many independent schools and some grammar school areas include a writing task in their 11+. It's the one part of the exam where your child's own voice can really shine — and, with the right habits, it can be practised just like everything else. Here are the techniques that make the biggest difference.
1. Plan for five minutes — always
Children who skip planning tend to write stories that wander and never end. A quick plan keeps the story on track. The simplest structure for an 11+ story is five boxes:
- Opening — hook the reader and set the scene.
- Build-up — introduce the character and what they want.
- Problem — something goes wrong.
- Climax / resolution — the most exciting moment, and how it's solved.
- Ending — reflect, resolve, or leave a final twist.
One line per box is enough. Add three ambitious words and one piece of figurative language to use — and the plan is done.
2. Open with a hook
"One day I went to the park" won't impress anyone. Try one of these instead (or see 30 story openings):
- Dialogue: "Don't open that door," Gran whispered.
- Action: I sprinted through the station as the whistle shrieked.
- Description: Fog clung to the harbour like a damp grey blanket.
- A question: Have you ever heard a house breathe?
- A short, dramatic sentence: It was gone.
3. Show, don't tell
Instead of telling the reader how a character feels, show it through what they do, say and notice.
Tell: Sam was nervous.
Show: Sam's hands were clammy. He checked his watch for the third time in a minute and swallowed hard.
4. Choose precise, ambitious vocabulary
Swap tired words for precise ones — not just longer ones. Walked could be trudged, crept, strode or ambled, and each tells the reader something different. Sad could be forlorn, melancholy or wistful. Our describing words list has 200+ more.
A strong vocabulary takes time to build — it's one reason daily 11+ vocabulary practice pays off in writing too. But beware of stuffing in long words that don't fit: one perfectly chosen word beats three forced ones.
5. Vary your sentences
- Length: use short sentences for tension. Longer, flowing sentences for description and atmosphere.
- Openers: don't start every sentence with "I" or "Then". Try an adverb (Silently,), a preposition (Beneath the bridge,), a verb ending in -ing (Gasping for breath,) or a subordinate clause (Although she was exhausted,).
- Punctuation: a well-placed semicolon, colon, dash or ellipsis shows control — as long as it's used correctly.
6. Use the senses and figurative language
Go beyond what things look like — what can the character hear, smell, feel, even taste? Then add a simile, a metaphor or personification: the wind howled through the empty streets. Pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the mood, is a favourite with examiners.
7. Use dialogue — sparingly and correctly
A few lines of speech can reveal character and move the plot on. But pages of chat slow a story down, and every line must be punctuated correctly: new speaker, new line; punctuation inside the inverted commas. See our common SPAG mistakes guide.
8. Write a proper ending
Avoid "and then I woke up — it was all a dream". Strong endings link back to the opening, show how the character has changed, or leave the reader with a final thought or twist. Plan the ending before you start writing, so there's time to reach it.
9. Leave three minutes to check
Read it back looking for missing capital letters and full stops, apostrophes, homophones (their/there/they're) and paragraph breaks. Small fixes can lift a mark band.
Don't forget non-fiction
Some schools set non-fiction tasks: a letter, a diary entry, a newspaper report or a persuasive piece. Each has its own features — a formal letter's greeting and sign-off, a report's headline and five Ws, persuasive writing's rhetorical questions and counter-arguments. Practise each form so none is a surprise — see our guides to letters, diaries and reports and persuasive writing.
How to practise at home
- Write once a week, rotating genres, under gentle time limits.
- Collect great sentences from books your child reads, and imitate them.
- Focus feedback on one or two things at a time — not every mistake at once.
- Rewrite. Improving an old piece teaches as much as writing a new one.
Elevenplus FC's Writing Coach works through newspaper reports, diaries, letters, descriptions, stories and persuasive writing, giving a score, highlighting the best writing and suggesting specific next steps. Children can type or photograph handwritten work. See how the Writing Coach works.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an 11+ story be?
Quality matters more than length. In a typical 25–40 minute task, a well-structured piece of around one to two sides of A4 is common. A complete, polished shorter story beats a long one with no ending.
Should my child memorise a story for the 11+?
Memorising a whole story is risky — it rarely fits the title and examiners notice. It's far better to have a bank of strong openings, descriptions and techniques that can be adapted to any title.
What do 11+ examiners look for in writing?
Generally: a clear structure, engaging content, ambitious and precise vocabulary, varied sentences, accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar, and writing that suits its purpose and audience.