ABSTRACT
The term ‘writing’ is ambiguous: in the first place, it can refer either to the process of writing or to the written product. The term is also ambiguous between the composing aspects of writing and the secretarial aspects, such as good handwriting and spelling. An essential aspect of development in the secondary stages is that pupils should increasingly make their own decisions about their writing — what it is about, what form it should take and to whom it is addressed. Much writing in English will be attempted by pupils to record their thoughts on topics of personal or public importance. The best writing is vigorous, committed, honest and interesting. Negative methods of responding in marking are likely to produce sterile, cumulative consequences in a child’s writing: pupils quickly discern what is acceptable to the teacher and merely aim to fulfil those expectations.
