Best 11+ Writing Books and Resources
The best resources—and exactly how to use them week by week to build exam-ready writing.
Core Resource Types
Skill Builders
- Sentence variety and paragraphing practice
- Vocabulary and collocations (topic banks)
- SPaG accuracy drills (punctuation/homophones)
Prompt Banks & Model Answers
- Mixed task types (persuasive, descriptive, discursive, letters)
- Exam-timed writing prompts with exemplars and annotations
- Checklists and mini-rubrics per task
Mentor Texts
- Short, high-quality paragraphs to imitate (openings/endings)
- Non-fiction opinion pieces for persuasive/discursive tone
Reference & Tools
- Mini style guides (formal vs informal tone)
- Spaced-repetition vocab decks (tier-2 words)
How to Use Them Weekly
- 2× short skill drills (10–12 min): sentence variety, punctuation, or vocab
- 1× mentor-text study (12–15 min): underline devices; imitate in 6–8 lines
- 1× timed prompt (20–30 min): plan 3–4 min, write, edit 2–4 min
- 5-min review: compare to checklist; one upgrade for next time
Free and Low-Cost Sources
- School websites and exam board specimen prompts
- Newspapers’ opinion sections for tone and structure models
- Public libraries for anthologies and short-story collections
- atoply’s Writing Prompts library for category-based practice
Watch Outs
- Don’t chase “fancy” words—choose precise, natural vocabulary
- Model answers are guides—don’t memorise; learn structures and moves
- Balance drills with real timed writing to build fluency
Practice Plan
Try a 4-week cycle: skills → mentor → timed → reflect. Track one measurable improvement each week.