EAL/ESL Report Comments: Writing, Primary
Writing moves from copying and labelling to words, captions, framed sentences, paragraphs and longer texts. It covers organising writing for different purposes and subjects, spelling, punctuation and presentation, and planning, checking and improving work using models, word banks and feedback.
Below are 13 sample sentences for Primary (ages 5-11): two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Competent / fluent / Developing competence / Early acquisition / New to English), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 183 writing sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Competent / fluent · Developing competence · Early acquisition · New to English · Writing tips
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Competent / fluent D
Strengths
- When writing a non-fiction report about animals or places, [Name] organises facts under subheadings and uses precise topic vocabulary.
- When checking a draft, [Name] independently finds and corrects slips in verb tenses, articles and word endings.
Next step
- When editing, [Name] could remove repeated words and combine related ideas so that each sentence is concise and clear.
Developing competence C
Strengths
- With the help of the word mat, [Name] labels science diagrams, such as the parts of a plant, and adds short captions.
- [Name] uses capital letters and end punctuation correctly in most sentences and is beginning to use commas in lists.
Next step
- [He/She/They] could try adding a sentence of description after each event in a story, using a word mat of adjectives.
Early acquisition B
Strengths
- [Name] forms most letters correctly and sits them on the line, so [his/her/their] handwriting is becoming easier to read.
- More and more often, [Name] remembers to use capital letters for names and at the start of a sentence.
Next step
- [Name] could rehearse each sentence with a talk partner and count the words on [his/her/their] fingers before writing it down.
New to English A
Strengths
- [Name] copies labels around the classroom, such as "door" and "window", and matches them to the right objects.
- Using a picture dictionary, [Name] finds and copies the English words for objects and ideas in the lesson.
Next step
- After copying a sentence built from word cards, [Name] could compare it with the cards and correct one missing or changed word.
Support at home
- Before your child writes homework in English, talk about the ideas together in your home language so that [he/she/they] can plan what to say.
How to write writing comments for Primary (ages 5-11)
- Describe which support the child uses: copying from a model, a sentence frame, a word mat or writing alone. Families can see progress clearly when the comment notes which support is no longer needed.
- Name the kind of writing, such as a recount of a school trip, instructions for a game or a caption for a picture, rather than writing in general, and quote a sentence the child wrote if possible.
- Keep the next step to one feature, such as capital letters and end punctuation, joining ideas with 'and' or 'because', or using a word bank to spell topic words.
Watch out: Avoid listing every error in a piece of writing. Name what the student can now do, then one pattern to work on, such as verb endings, so the comment stays encouraging and the next step is clear.
Rate each skill separately, since many students understand more than they can say. At stage D, write about precision and range; at C, growing independence with errors still showing; at B, short phrases and visual support; at A, what the student does now and the support that helps. Show the stage through evidence rather than naming it.
What Writing covers
In these comments, writing covers these behaviours:
- moves from copying and labelling to writing sentences and longer texts
- organises writing for different purposes and subjects
- spells, punctuates and presents writing with growing accuracy
- plans, checks and improves writing using models and feedback
More EAL/ESL comments
- Listening, Primary (ages 5-11)
- Speaking, Primary (ages 5-11)
- Reading, Primary (ages 5-11)
- Writing, Secondary (ages 11-18)
- Vocabulary and Grammar, Primary (ages 5-11)
- Language-Learning Behaviours, Primary (ages 5-11)
- Opening and closing sentences
- All EAL/ESL skills and grade bands
- For the same report: Subject Report Comments for Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary, Stages 1-9
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.