ABSTRACT
A social semiotic perspective contests that all text making is principled. Even so, children do not always ‘get it right’ in their writing and drawing. This raises theoretical and practical questions around how text making might be understood as at the same time principled and ‘incorrect’. Amendment of children’s own texts and response to the advice of others are judgements regarding suitability in the evaluation of aptness in relation to purpose. What are the implications for ‘getting it wrong’ in and beyond the classroom? How are ‘errors’ handled in different social environments?
