How Your Writing Is Marked

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 6 English (Cambridge Primary 0058)

In both Checkpoint papers, Section B is one piece of writing marked out of 25. The examiner does not just give one mark for "good" or "bad". Your writing is marked in five separate categories, and the five marks are added together. When you know exactly what each category rewards, you can plan your writing to collect marks in all five.

This page explains each category in simple words, shows what a weaker and a stronger answer look like, and teaches the two planning techniques used in this course: G.A.A.P. for Paper 1 and G.C.S.P.P. for Paper 2. It ends with a 30-minute timing plan, a planning frame you can copy, and a checking routine.

The five categories at a glance

Look at the numbers. Structure and Grammar and punctuation together are worth 14 marks, more than half. Paragraphs, linking words, varied sentences and correct punctuation are not "extras": they are where most of the marks are. Creation of texts (5 marks) is worth almost as much as Vocabulary and Spelling put together (3 + 3 = 6).

Special rules that limit your mark

These rules come before everything else. They can cost you marks even if your English is excellent.

Sixty words is only about eight lines. A full, strong Year 6 answer is usually much longer: in this course we aim for about 250–350 words in 30 minutes. Do not panic about counting words in the exam. If you have planned four or five paragraphs and written them all, your length will be fine.

1. Creation of texts (Wc) — 5 marks

This category is about your content: did you do what the task asked, in the right text type, and did you develop your ideas? It also checks that you keep your reader in mind all the way through.

Weaker (Band 1–2): "The new park is good. It has swings. You should go."

Stronger (Band 4–5): "Are you looking for a place where the whole family can have fun on a Friday morning? The new Garden Park on the edge of our town is the answer. Little children will love the bright red climbing frame, while older brothers and sisters can race each other on the cycling track. Best of all, entry is completely free."

The second example talks to the reader ("Are you looking…?"), gives specific details, covers different people (little children, older children, families) and sounds like a real piece of persuasive writing.

2. Vocabulary and language (Wv) — 3 marks

This category is about word choice. Correct words are not enough for full marks; the examiner wants words that are chosen on purpose to describe, persuade, inform or create a feeling.

Topic-specific words are words that belong to the subject. For a news report about a school sports day you could use *competitors, relay, spectators, trophy, organisers*. For a story set in a forest: *canopy, undergrowth, rustling, shadows, moss-covered*.

3. Structure of texts (Ws) — 7 marks

This category is about organisation: how your ideas are grouped, ordered and linked across the whole piece.

4. Grammar and punctuation (Wg) — 7 marks

This category is about your sentences: are they correct, and do you use different kinds of sentence on purpose? It also checks your punctuation.

Weaker: "We went to the museum. It was big. We saw dinosaurs. They were big too. Then we went home."

Stronger: "As soon as we stepped into the museum, our mouths fell open. Towering above us was the skeleton of a dinosaur – the largest I had ever seen. We spent an hour exploring the hall; nobody wanted to leave. Then the bell rang."

The stronger version opens with a subordinate clause, moves a phrase to the front for emphasis ("Towering above us was…"), uses a dash for emphasis, a semicolon to join two related main clauses, and a very short sentence for impact.

5. Word structure (spelling) (Ww) — 3 marks

This category is only about spelling, especially harder words.

Paper 1 planning: the G.A.A.P. technique

Before you write a single sentence of a non-fiction answer, spend about 3–4 minutes breaking the task down with G.A.A.P.. Each letter is a question you ask yourself, and each one protects marks.

Worked example. Task (invented for practice): *Write a report for your school newsletter about the class trip to the science museum. Include: where you went and what you saw, the activity you enjoyed most, and whether you would recommend the trip to next year's class.*

Paper 2 planning: the G.C.S.P.P. technique

For a story, make every big decision before you write, with G.C.S.P.P.. Then you will not change your mind halfway through or run out of ideas.

Worked example. Task (invented for practice): *Write a story about a child who finds a locked box on the beach.*

Using your 30 minutes

A planning frame you can copy

Copy this frame into the planning space. It takes 3–4 minutes to fill and gives you your whole piece.

The checking routine (last 3–4 minutes)

1. Task check: Is it the right text type? Have I covered every point in the task?
2. Sentence check: Does every sentence start with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark? Have I joined two sentences with only a comma? (Fix it with a full stop or a conjunction.)
3. Tense check: Have I stayed in the same tense?
4. Spelling check: Read slowly, word by word. Check homophones and the hard words you chose.
5. Speech check (stories): Inverted commas around the spoken words, and a new line for each new speaker.

Common mistakes that cost writing marks

Practice: decode these tasks

For each invented task, write a quick G.A.A.P. or G.C.S.P.P. plan, then open the answer to compare.

1. Task 1: Write a leaflet for visitors to your town's new animal park. Include what visitors can see, the activities for children, and why they should visit soon.

   Show answer

   G: leaflet (title, sub-headings, short sections, maybe bullet points) about the new animal park. A: families and visitors, friendly and persuasive. A: three points: what you can see, activities for children, reasons to visit soon. P: inform and persuade (rhetorical questions, "you", exciting adjectives, a call to action: "Book your tickets today!").

2. Task 2: Write a diary entry about the day you took part in a school competition.

   Show answer

   G: diary entry (date, "Dear Diary", first person, past tense, feelings). A: yourself, so informal and personal. A: before the competition (nerves), what happened, the result, how you feel now. P: recount and reflect.

3. Task 3: Write a balanced argument: should pupils be allowed to bring mobile phones to school?

   Show answer

   G: balanced argument (title, introduction, arguments for, arguments against, conclusion). A: pupils, teachers and parents, formal and fair. A: points for (safety, contacting parents) and against (distraction, losing phones, less outdoor play), with examples. P: argue both sides fairly, then give a short final opinion in the conclusion.

4. Task 4: Write the opening of a story set in a busy market where something unusual happens.

   Show answer

   G: any genre, for example mystery. C: one or two characters, e.g. a girl helping her uncle at his stall. S: the busy market, described with sounds and smells. P: first or third person, kept the same. P: only an opening: introduce the character and setting, then the unusual event, and end on a hook (a question the reader wants answered).

5. Task 5: You have read an extract where two friends get lost on a mountain path in the fog, told by one of the friends. Continue the story.

   Show answer

   G: adventure, the same as the extract. C: the same two friends with the same personalities. S: the mountain in fog. P: first person, because the extract is told by one of the friends. P: continuation: start exactly where the extract stopped, build tension, then solve the problem (they find the path or are rescued).

6. Task 6: Write a review of a book you enjoyed for your school magazine.

   Show answer

   G: review (title with the book's name, short summary without the ending, opinions with reasons, rating and recommendation). A: other pupils reading the school magazine, friendly but clear. A: what the book is about, what you liked (characters, exciting parts), anything you did not like, who would enjoy it. P: inform, give your opinion and recommend.