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Research Report DFE-RR238What is the researchevidence on writing?Education Standards Research Team,Department for Education
What is the research evidence on writing?This evidence note:x Synthesizes statistical and research evidence on writing, includingdomestic and international sources in five areas: pupils’achievement, effective teaching, gender gap, pupils’ attitudes andwriting as an activity outside school.x Identifies key gaps in the evidence base.1
Table of contents1.2.3.Key findings .3Introduction .7What is the profile of pupils’ achievement in writing? .73.1 Pre-school attainment.83.2 Key Stage 1 .83.3 Key Stage 2 .93.4 Key Stage 3 .93.5 Key Stage 4 .103.6 International evidence .103.7 What are the predictors of pupils’ attainment and progress in writing? .114. Teaching of writing .124.1 Approaches for effective, whole-class teaching .124.2 Approaches for struggling writers and pupils with Special Educational Needand Disabilities (SEND) .154.3 Evidence from classroom observations and school inspections.164.4 What do we know about teaching practice and pupils’ views in primaryschools?. 1 75. What do we know about the gender gap in writing? .195.1 What are the reasons for the gender gap in writing?.195.2 Strategies for helping boys with writing .206. Writing as an activity out of school .216.1 The role of new technology in literacy outcomes.216.2 Enjoyment of writing .226.3 Attitudes to writing .236.4 Frequency and types of writing activity .257. What are the evidence gaps? .268. References .279. Annex A: detailed analysis of pupils’ achievement in writing .3110. Annex B: examples of techniques within the four purposes of writing .422
1. Key findingsWhat is the profile of pupils’ performance in writing?x Writing is the subject with the worst performance compared with reading,maths and science at Key Stages 1 and 2.x Results from the Foundation Stage Profile stage indicate that in 2012, 71 percent of children were working securely within the early learning goals of theCommunication, Language and Literacy learning area (DfE, 2012d).x At Key Stage 1, 83 per cent of children achieved the expected level in 2012national teacher assessments in writing (DfE, 2012a).x At Key Stage 2, 81 per cent of pupils achieved the expected level in 2012teacher assessments in writing (DfE, 2012b).x Writing is part of the English assessment at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. In2012, 84 per cent of pupils achieved level 5 at the Key Stage 3 teacherassessments in English. At Key Stage 4, 568,600 pupils attempted a GCSE inEnglish, and 69 per cent of those achieved a grade A*-C (DfE, 2012c).x Overall, the evidence shows that there is a gender gap in pupils’performance in writing with girls outperforming boys throughout Key Stages.What are the predictors of pupils’ attainment and progress in writing in earlyyears?x Evidence found that preschool variables significantly associated with writingcompetence at school entry included mother’s education, family size,parental assessment of the child’s writing ability and a measure of homewriting activities. The latter was still significant at the age of seven(Dunsmuir and Blatchford, 2004).What does effective teaching of writing look like?Research evidence has found that the following approaches are effective in teachingwriting in primary and secondary schools (What Works Clearinghouse, 2012;Gillespie and Graham, 2010; Andrews et al, 2009; Graham et al, 2011; Santangeloand Olinghouse, 2009):xxxxxxTeach pupils the writing process;Teach pupils to write for a variety of purposes;Set specific goals to pupils and foster inquiry skills;Teach pupils to become fluent with handwriting, spelling, sentenceconstruction, typing and word processing;Provide daily time to write;Create an engaged community of writers.Teaching of grammar, spelling and handwritingx The contextualised teaching of grammar has also a significantly positiveeffect on pupils’ writing development. The approach is more effective for themost able writers (Myhill et al, 2011).3
xxxxSentence combining is an effective strategy to improve the syntacticmaturity of pupils in written English between the ages of 5 and 16 (Andrewset al, 2004a).Therapeutic teaching practices can be more effective than sensorimotorteaching practices in teaching pupils to improve poor handwriting (Denton etal, 2006).Multisensory approaches to teaching handwriting may be more effective forpupils in their second year of school than cognitive approaches (Zwicker andHadwin, 2009).There is some evidence that the use of ICT to teach spelling can be moreeffective than conventional methods, but it is not statistically significant(Torgerson and Elbourne, 2002).For struggling writers and pupils with specific learning difficulties or SpecialEducational Needs (SEND), the approaches below are effective (Mason et al, 2011;Santangelo and Olinghouse, 2009; Brooks, 2007; Humphrey and Squires, 2011):xxxUse explicit, interactive, scaffolded instruction in planning, composing andrevising strategies;Use cognitive strategy instruction;For pupils with SEND, strategies that involve effective use and monitoring ofpupils’ data, which can be accessed by a range of stakeholders and can bereviewed by both teachers and parents, having structured conversationswith parents and a comprehensive range of interventions have beeneffective in raising pupils’ achievement in English.What do we know about the gender gap in writing?Evidence suggests that boys perform less well than girls in writing. Researchevidence has identified a range of factors behind their underperformance (Daly,2003; Estyn, 2008; DfES, 2007). These include:x Factors related to the quality of teaching such as teaching grammarseparately from contextualised writing, inappropriate use of interventions,misuse of writing frames and a lack of connection between oral and writingwork.x School-level factors such as not offering children an active and free-playenvironment which has been associated with more progress in reading andwriting.x Classroom-level factors such as ineffective use of ICT, setting and streaming.x Behavioural and social-level factors.x Factors related to the way lessons are conducted such as too much emphasison story writing, not giving boys ownership of their writing, a discrepancybetween boys’ reading preferences and writing topics, using ‘counting down’time strategies and a dislike by boys of drafting and figurative language.The following strategies for raising boys’ performance have been identified (Daly,2003; Ofsted, 2005b):x School and classroom level approaches such as using active learning tasks;appropriate approaches to discipline; target setting, monitoring and4
xxxxmentoring; using older pupils as male role models; focusing on the learningnature of schools.Effective teaching from teachers who have confidence in their abilities andhave high expectations from boys.A focus on key approaches inherent in the teaching of writing such as explicitteaching of language; topic selection in narrative writing; planning writingusing mnemonics; effective use of drafting and writing frames.Literacy-specific activities such as appropriate use of oral work; poetry; use ofemotionally powerful texts.Effective use of visual media and ICT facilities.What is the role of new technology in pupils’ writing habits?The existing evidence suggests that usage of text abbreviations (textisms) ispositively associated with word reading ability; evidence from the same study foundno evidence of a detrimental effect of textisms exposure on conventional spelling(Plester et al, 2009).International evidence suggests that even though teenagers engage in technologybased writing, they do not think of it as ‘writing’. Some of them admitted usingtechnology-based features such as text shortcuts into their school assignments (PewInternet, 2008).What are pupils’ attitudes toward writing, including enjoyment and confidence?The evidence suggests that overall a large proportion of pupils enjoy writing, andthese findings broadly mirror the ones about reading (Clark and Dugdale, 2009;Clark, 2012). Pupils enjoy writing for family and friends more than for schoolwork (Clarkand Dugdale, 2009). As with reading, the evidence suggests that enjoyment of writing is related toattainment (Clark, 2012).In relation to confidence in writing ability, the evidence suggests that approximatelyhalf of pupils think that they are average writers (Clark, 2012). In addition: Girls and older pupils are more likely to consider themselves as good writersin comparison to boys and younger pupils respectively (Clark, 2012). Blog owners and pupils using a social networking site reported to besignificantly better writers compared to pupils who don’t use blogs or socialnetworking sites (Clark and Dugdale, 2009).Finally, the evidence suggests that overall, pupils have positive attitudes to writing(Clark, 2012). A quarter of pupils thought that writing is cool and three quarters that itimproves with practice (Clark, 2012). Girls are more likely than boys to say that the more they write, the betterthey get (Clark and Douglas, 2011).5
Most pupils agree that writing is an essential skill to succeed in life (Clark andDouglas, 2011; Pew Internet, 2008).What writing activities do pupils engage in out of school?Overall, the evidence suggests that most pupils engage in technology-based forms ofwriting such as text messages, social networking messages, emails and instantmessages at least once a month. Pupils engage in non-technology writing too, suchas letters, lyrics, fiction, diaries and poems but to a lesser extent (Clark, 2012). Older pupils (at Key Stage 3 and 4) are more likely than Key Stage 2 pupils toengage in technology-based forms of writing. There are no differences between pupils eligible for Free School Meals andnon-eligible for Free School Meals in relation to technology-based writing.What are the evidence gaps?xThere is no evidence on why pupils perform less well in writing in comparisonto reading and the other core subjects.xThere is little evidence on specific interventions to help pupils with writing,and little evidence on interventions for secondary school pupils.xThere is limited evidence on the predictors of pupils’ achievement in writing.xThere is very little evidence on the effective teaching of spelling.xThere is little evidence on pupils’ performance in writing in studies ofinternational comparisons.6
2. IntroductionThis paper reports on the statistics and research evidence on writing both in and outof school, covering pupils in primary and secondary schools. It includes domestic andinternational evidence, and makes references and comparisons to reading whereappropriate.The research questions are:ooooooWhat is the profile of pupils’ performance in writing?What do we know about pupils’ writing in schools?What does effective teaching of writing look like?What do we know about the gender gap in writing?What is the role of new technology in children’s writing habits?What are pupils’ attitudes toward writing, including enjoyment andconfidence?o In which types of writing activity do pupils engage out of school?The evidence base:There is a general agreement in the literature that there is less evidence aboutwriting than about reading (Myhill and Fisher, 2010). International studies such asthe Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) and the Progress inInternational Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) use indicators from reading as proxymeasures for literacy and don’t include writing in their assessments.Definition of writingWriting is a complex task. It requires the coordination of fine motor skills andcognitive skills, reflects the social and cultural patterns of the writer’s time and isalso linguistically complex (Myhill and Fisher, 2010; Fisher, 2012).Writing genres (types)Writing encompasses a range of genres, divided mainly in fiction and non-fiction. Thelatter can be defined as outputs which inform, explain and describe (such as reports,explanations, manuals, prospectuses, reportage, travel guides and brochures);persuade, argue and advise (essays, reviews, opinion pieces, advertisements); andanalyse, review and comment (commentaries, articles etc). The last two categoriescan be described as ‘argumentational’ writing (Andrews et al, 2009).3. What is the profile of pupils’ achievement in writing?Overall, the evidence indicates that although there has been an improvement inpupils’ achievement in writing, it is the subject where pupils perform less wellcompared to reading, mathematics and science. In addition, there is a gender gapwith girls outperforming boys in all Key Stages. A detailed analysis of pupils’7
achievement in writing is presented in the Annex, so only the key points are includedbelow:3.1 Pre-school attainmentChildren attending Reception Year have been assessed using the Foundation StageProfile (FSP) scales1 until May 2012. From September 2012 a revised, simpler versionof FSP came into force.Analysis of the 2012 data shows that the majority of children (ranging from 71 percent to 92 per cent) continued to work securely within the Early Learning Goals, ineach of the 13 assessment scales (DfE, 2012d). Writing is one of the topics assessedin the Communication, Language and Literacy learning area, and in 2012, 71 per centof children were working securely within the early learning goals. This means theyhad a scale score of 6 points or more, and it was the lowest score in comparison toother learning areas. In addition: Girls performed better than boys in the assessment. Writing had the lowest proportion of children working securely within theearly learning goals (71 per cent of children compared to 79 per cent inreading, 83 per cent in linking sounds and letters and 87 per cent incommunication and thinking). Writing was also the assessment scale with the highest proportion of childrenworking towards the early learning goals (i.e. achieving a total of 1-3 points). There has been a five percentage point increase in the Communication,Language and Literacy learning area since 2009.3.2 Key Stage 1In 2012, 83 per cent of pupils achieved the expected level (level 2) or above innational KS1 teacher assessments in writing (DfE, 2012a). In addition: Pupils performed less well in writing in comparison to the other coresubjects.Pupils’ performance in writing has remained more or less stable in the lastthree years.Girls outperform boys by 10 percentage points (88 per cent of girls comparedto 78 per cent of boys).Only 70 per cent of children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) achieved theexpected level compared to 86 per cent of all other pupils.1The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile measured achievements of children agedfive against 13 assessment scales, with 9 points within each scale (‘scale point’). The13 assessment scales are grouped into six areas of learning: personal, social andemotional development; communication, language and literacy; problem solving,reasoning and numeracy; knowledge and understanding of the world; physicaldevelopment; creative development.8
Reading compared to writingAdditional internal analysis explored pupils’ performance in writing in comparison toreading in order to look at the characteristics of the struggling writers in detail, usingdata for 2011. It concluded that: Pupils achieving level A (absent), D (disapplied), IN (inapplicable) and W(working towards the test level) in writing tend to achieve the same inreading. There is a spread of results from level 1 and above in reading levels achievedcompared to writing results. For example, out of the pupils achieving a level2B (the expected level) in reading, only 51 per cent achieve the same level inwriting. Overall, 44 per cent of pupils achieving level 2B in reading areachieving a lower level in writing. The same pattern occurs with pupils achieving level 2A and 3 in reading. Girlsare more likely to perform better than boys, with over half of girls achievinglevel 3 or above in both reading and writing compared to only 38 per cent ofboys.3.3 Key Stage 2In 2012, 81 per cent of pupils achieved the expected level (level 4 or above) inwriting based on teacher assessments, compared to 75 per cent of pupils achievingthe expected level in 2011 based on national test results. Some difference betweentest and teacher assessment results can be expected as the outcomes are measuredin different ways (DfE, 2012b). Other key points include: Pupils perform less well in writing compared to other subjects (i.e. 84 percent achieved the expected level in mathematics and 87 per cent in reading). The gender gap is still evident, with 76 per cent of boys achieving level 4compared to 87 per cent of girls. Additional internal DfE analysis comparing the 2011 Key Stage 2 reading andwriting levels of pupils found a similar pattern to the one in Key Stage 1:there is a spread of results from pupils achieving level 3 and above in readinglevels compared to writing results. For example, out of all pupils achieving alevel 4 in reading, 68 per cent achieve the same level in writing.3.4 Key Stage 3In October 2008, the DfE (then DCSF) announced its decision to discontinue nationaltesting at KS3 in English, mathematics and science for 14 year olds (i.e. externally setand marked tests). Since then pupils have been assessed through on-going teacherassessment, with regular real-time reports to parents. End of Key Stage teacherassessments continue to be published at the national and local authority level.National Curriculum tests were published for last time for the academic year2007/08.Writing at Key Stage 3 is part of the English assessment. Teacher assessment resultsfor 2012 show that (DfE, 2012c): Eighty four per cent of pupils achieved level 5 or above, an increase of fivepercentage points since 2010 and ten percentage points since 2007.9
Ninety per cent of girls achieved level 5 or above to 79 per cent of boys.3.5 Key Stage 4Writing is not assessed separately at Key Stage 4 but it is part of the Englishassessment.At Key Stage 4, the latest data shows that in 2012 (DfE, 2012c): 568,600 pupils attempted a GCSE in English, and 69 per cent of thoseachieved a grade A*-C. The gender gap is still evident with 76 per cent of girls getting a grade A*-Ccompared to 62 per cent of boys. Sixty eight per cent of pupils made the expected level of progress in English in2012 compared to 72 per cent in 2011.What is the role of coursework in gender differentiated achievement?There has been some discussion in the research literature around the role ofcoursework in relation to the gender gap.In 2012, there was a 12 percentage points gap in the proportion of girls and boysachieving the expected level of progress in English between Key Stage 2 and KeyStage 4. The equivalent figures for 2006 were 66 per cent for girls and 53 per cent forboys, which suggest a big improvement in the proportions of pupils making theexpected progress and a reduction in the gender gap (DfE, 2012c).Research suggests that girls outperform boys in most types of coursework, and theydo relatively better on coursework than on examinations, but only marginally(Elwood, 1995). In addition, coursework tends to have a higher influence over finalgrades for boys than for girls (Elwood, 1995; 1999). No evidence linking courseworkin English and boys’ or girls’ achievement has been identified. Coursework in allGCSEs has been replaced by controlled assessment in the last years.3.6 International evidenceThe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) study in United States iscarried out every five years and in 2011 assessed, among other things, the writingskills of 8th and 12th grade students in a computer-based assessment. It found that(NCES, 2012): In 2011, about one quarter of students at both grades 8th and 12th performedat the ‘proficient’ level, demonstrating the ability to communicate well inwriting. Fifty-four per cent of students at 8th grade, and 52 per cent of students at12th grade performed at the ‘basic’ level in writing. Three per cent of students at 8th grade and 3 per cent of students at 12thgrade performed at the ‘advanced’ level. There were differences in students’ performance by race/ethnicity, genderand school location.10
3.7 What are the predictors of pupils’ attainment and progress in writing?There is a growing body of longitudinal research looking at the factors in children’searly and family life which act as predictors of educational attainment. In the UnitedKingdom, studies such as the Effective Provision of Pre-school, Primary andSecondary Education (EPPSE 3-16), the Avon Longitudinal study (ALSPAC) and theMillennium Cohort Study (MCS) have explored the relationship between early yearsand literacy and numeracy outcomes. In most cases, literacy is measured using theattainment in reading, so the evidence about writing is limited.School-entry ageEvidence from the ALSPAC study found that the following factors have a positiveimpact on school entry assessments2 (in reading, writing and mathematics):xxChildren’s early language development such as their understanding and useof vocabulary and their use of two-three word sentences at 24 months,irrespective of their social background.Children’s communication environment, including early ownership of books,trips to library, attendance at pre-school, parents teaching a range ofactivities and the number of toys and books available to them.The same analysis also found that there was a strong relationship between children’scommunication environment and their ability to use words at the age of two. Theamount of time that TV is on in the home had a negative impact on children’sassessment scores (Roulstone et al, 2011).Key Stage 1A small study3 looking at the predictors of writing competence in children aged 4-7years was conducted in England between 1993 and 1996 and found that (Dunsmuirand Blatchford, 2004):xxxPreschool variables significantly associated with writing competence atschool entry were: mother’s education, family size, parental assessment ofchild’s writing ability and a measure of home writing activities.Child-related variables measured at school entry and significantly associatedwith writing proficiency at the age of seven included season of birth,vocabulary score, pre-reading skills, handwriting and proficiency in writingname.Home writing was the only preschool variable that maintained itssignificance in relation to attainment at the age of seven.Key Stage 2The EPPSE project also explored the factors predicting better progress andattainment at Key Stage 2. In relation to English, the analysis found that prior2The analysis didn’t look at the assessments separately, therefore the findings coverall three areas (reading, writing and mathematics)3Due to the small sample size of the study these findings should be treated withcaution.11
achievement has the largest influence on outcomes, with reading and writing at KeyStage 1 having the strongest influence (Melhuish et al, 2006).Key Stage 3At Key Stage 3, the researchers found that pre-school effectiveness, as measured byschools promoting pre-reading skills, had a continuing effect on English, but this wasweaker than at younger ages (Sammons et al, 2012).4. Teaching of writingThis section looks at the teaching of writing in classrooms, starting with pedagogicalapproaches that have been proved effective in improving pupils’ performance inwriting and finishes with evidence about teaching practice in classrooms of primaryschools.4.1 Approaches for effective, whole-class teachingThe following table lists approaches that have been found to be effective in theteaching of writing by research reviews of international evidence (What WorksClearinghouse, 2012; Gillespie and Graham, 2010; Andrews et al, 2009; Santangeloand Olinghouse, 2009).Teaching practiceTeach pupils the writingprocessExamples of how it can be doneo Teach pupils strategies/tools for the variouscomponents of the writing process such as :planning; drafting; sharing; evaluating; revisingand editing; summarising; sentence combiningo Gradually shift responsibility from the teacher tothe pupil so that they become independentwriterso Guide pupils to choose and use suitable writingstrategieso Encourage pupils to be flexible when using thedifferent writing componentso Engage them in pre-writing activities where theycan assess what they already know, research anunfamiliar topic, or arrange their ideas visuallyTeach pupils to write for avariety of purposeso Help pupils understand the different purposes ofwriting e.g. ‘describe’; ‘narrate’; ‘inform’;‘persuade’/’analyse’o Develop pupils’ concept of what is ‘audience’o Teach pupils explicitly how to use the features ofgood writing and provide them with models ofgood writingo Teach pupils techniques for writing effectively fordifferent purposes: for example, for ‘describe’,use the ‘sensory details’ technique: what did yousee? How did it look? What sounds did you hear?12
What did you touch? How did it feel? What couldyou smell? What did you taste? (see Annex B for acomplete list)Teach pupils to becomefluent with handwriting,spelling, sentenceconstruction, typing andword processing(please also see separatesection below)o Teach very young pupils how to hold a pencilcorrectly and form letters fluently and efficientlyo When teaching spelling, connect it with writingo Teach pupils to construct sentences for fluency,meaning and styleo Teach pupils to type fluently and to use a wordprocessor to composeSet specific goals to pupilsand foster inquiry skillso The goals can be created by the teacher or thepupils themselves (and reviewed by the teacher)and can include adding more ideas to a paper orincluding specific features of a writing genreo Encourage self-motivation e.g. by personal targetsettingo Give pupils a writing task which involves the useof inquiry skills e.g. establish a clear goal forwriting or researching/exploring concrete data ona topicProvide daily time to writeo Pupils should be given at least 30 minutes per dayto write in their first year in primary schoolo Teachers can make links with other subjects e.g.ask pupils to write a paragraph explaining amaths graphCreate an engagedcommunity of writerso Teachers could model their writing in front ofpupils, and share real examples with them suchas a letter or emailo Give pupils opportunities to choose the topicsthey write abouto Encourage collaborative writingo Use oral work to inform writing worko Ensure that pupils give and receive constructivefeedback throughout the writing processo Publish pupils’ writing and reach for externalaudiencesIn addition, the evidence indicates that the above strategies should not be used as awriting curriculum per se. Teachers should tailor these practices to meet the needsof their individual pupils as well as the whole class, use them in conjunction andmonitor or adjust them as necessary (Gillespie and Graham, 2010).The teaching of grammar, spelling and handwritingMost of the research to date has focused on the explicit teaching of grammaticalfeatures. A randomised controlled study was conducted in UK and aimed to explore13
the effect of contextualised grammar teaching on pupils’ writing development. Bycontextualised grammar teaching the researchers referred to: (i) introducinggrammatical constructions and terminology at a point which is relevant to the focusof learning; (ii) the emphasis is on effects and constructing meanings, not on thefeature or terminology itself; (iii) the learning objective is to open up a ‘repertoire ofpossibilities’, not to teach about correct ways of writing.Findings from the study were promising, showing a significant positive effect forpupils in the intervention group, taught in lessons using the above principles. Theyscored higher in the writing tests compared with pupils in the comparison group. Aninteresting finding was that the embedded grammar suited most the more ablewriters but the design of the study couldn’t explain why (Myhill et al,
Girls are more likely than boys to say that the more they write, the better they get (Clark and Douglas, 2011). 6 Most pupils agree that writing is an essential skill to succeed in life (Clark and . Pupils engage in non-technology writing too, such as letters, lyrics, fiction, diaries and poems but to a lesser extent (Clark, 2012). Older .
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