Free · 6 annotated examples
One model answer for each common 11+ writing task: a story, a description, a letter, a diary entry, a persuasive speech and continue-the-story. Every piece has numbered notes showing what earns marks, from the opening line to the ending.
Each piece is an example written by academy11+to show what a strong Year 5 or Year 6 writer can produce in 30 to 40 minutes. They are not real children's work or real exam papers, and they aren't marked against any one school's mark scheme: the notes explain what markers generally look for.
Read the example aloud first, just for the story. Ask what your child liked and which bits stuck in their head.
Go through the numbered notes and find each highlighted phrase. Talk about why it works.
Choose one or two techniques from the notes to try next time, not all of them at once.
Use the "your turn" task at the end of each example, in the suggested time, then compare.
Open an example to read the task, the full piece and the notes. Every page prints cleanly.
Adventure story
A strong 11+ adventure story about a key, a lighthouse and a rising tide, with notes on the opening, similes, tension and the ending.
Write an adventure story in which a character discovers something that has been hidden for a long time.
40 minutesAbout 466 words12 notes
Read the example : Adventure story example: The Lighthouse KeyDescriptive writing
An annotated 11+ descriptive piece about a fairground at night, using all five senses, varied sentences and a clear shape from arrival to closing time.
Describe a busy fairground at night. You do not need to write a story: help the reader see, hear and feel what it is like to be there.
30 minutesAbout 396 words11 notes
Read the example : Descriptive writing example: The Fairground at NightLetter
An annotated 11+ letter in role as a World War Two evacuee writing home to Mum, with notes on layout, audience, feelings and the sign-off.
Imagine you are a child who has been evacuated from London to the countryside at the start of the Second World War. Write a letter home to your family.
35 minutesAbout 460 words11 notes
Read the example : Letter example: A Letter HomeDiary entry
An annotated 11+ diary entry about a school talent show that doesn't go to plan, with notes on the hook, humour, feelings, reflection and the ending.
Write a diary entry about a day when something did not go to plan.
30 minutesAbout 421 words11 notes
Read the example : Diary entry example: The Talent ShowPersuasive writing
An annotated 11+ persuasive speech to stop a library closing, with notes on the hook, rhetorical questions, the counter-argument and a strong final line.
Your local council plans to close the town library to save money. Write a speech to give at a council meeting persuading them to keep it open.
35 minutesAbout 390 words11 notes
Read the example : Persuasive writing example: Save Our LibraryContinue the story
An annotated 11+ continue-the-story answer: a short given opening about a foggy footbridge, then a strong continuation with notes on matching the style, tension and resolution.
Read the opening below, then continue the story. Think about what happens next and how your story ends.
40 minutesAbout 510 words12 notes
Read the example : Continue the story example: The FogEvery school and exam board has its own mark scheme, but these six things come up again and again. The notes on each example are grouped under them.
1
Starting with action, a sound, speech or an intriguing detail, so the reader wants to go on.
2
Precise nouns, strong verbs and fresh similes, chosen carefully rather than piled up.
3
Short sentences for drama, longer ones for description, and different ways of starting them.
4
Full stops and commas first, then a range: speech marks, dashes, brackets, colons, semicolons.
5
Paragraphs, a shape that fits the task (a plot, an argument, a journey through a place) and good links between parts.
6
A finish that ties back to the start or leaves a feeling, not one that just stops when time runs out.
Want to practise one skill at a time? The writing techniques explain each one, and the word banks help with vocabulary.
Reading an example helps, but nothing beats feedback on your child's own writing. On Academy11+ your child writes to 11+ style prompts, typed or as a photo of their handwriting, and gets feedback on what went well and what to improve next. Try it free for 7 days.
Want a writing challenge too? Try the Academy11+ writing competition.
No. Every example here is an original piece written by Academy11+ to show what a strong Year 5 or Year 6 writer can produce in 30 to 40 minutes. None is a real child's work, and none comes from a real exam paper.
It depends on the school or area, but common tasks are a story (often from a title or a picture), a description of a place or scene, a letter, a diary entry, a persuasive piece and continuing a story from a given opening. There's one example of each here.
Schools and exam boards use their own mark schemes, but most look at the same things: a piece that fits the task and its reader, a strong opening, interesting and precise vocabulary, varied sentences, accurate spelling and punctuation, clear paragraphs and structure, and a proper ending.
There's no single right length, as the time allowed varies. These examples are roughly 400 to 500 words, a realistic length for a strong writer in 30 to 40 minutes. Quality, accuracy and finishing properly matter more than length.
It's better not to. Tasks on the day are rarely the same as practice titles, and markers want original writing that answers the task set. Use the examples to learn techniques, then practise them in your child's own ideas.
Yes, every example and its notes can be read and printed for free, with no account needed.