How to Teach 11+ Writing at Home (Parent Guide)
A calm routine beats cramming. Use short drills, one timed task a week, and kind, specific feedback.
Weekly Routine (30–45 mins total)
- One short skill drill (10–12 min): punctuation or sentence variety
- One mini vocab activity (5–8 min): 6 words in-context, not lists
- One timed task (20–25 min): plan 3–4, write, edit 2–4
- 5-min reflection: 2 things done well + 1 focus next time
Feedback that Works
- Use “2 stars and a wish” (two specific strengths, one target)
- Be specific: “Your topic sentence is clear” > “Good paragraph”
- Target one change per week (e.g., sentence ends, paragraph openers)
- Model a fix on one sentence—child then applies it elsewhere
Keeping Motivation High
- Use tiny goals (e.g., “3 varied sentence starters” this week)
- Alternate task types to keep practice fresh
- Celebrate process: effort, planning, and editing time protected
Parent Toolkit
- Printable mini-rubric (Task, Structure, Language, SPaG)
- Timer + quiet space + lined paper (exam-like conditions)
- Mentor paragraph bank (openings/endings to imitate)