ACER Written Expression sets two topics of 25 minutes each, so your child must show range, not one polished piece. Here are eight sample topics in four pairs, each with a plan and a model opening.
It's the writing part of ACER's scholarship tests: two topics, each with 25 minutes, set so students can write in different styles. The tests are used across Australia to rank scholarship applicants, and Level 1, for students entering Year 7 or 8, pairs the writing with Humanities and Mathematics.
In our Practice tests, Writing 1 opens the test and Writing 2 closes it, after Humanities and Mathematics. The second piece comes when your child is tired, which is worth practising.
Because the topics are there to draw out different styles, we wrote ours open. Each gives a title, a statement or a described picture, and your child chooses whether to write a story, a reflection, a description or an argument.
Ideas, more than length. ACER says ideas matter more than length; plan for a couple of minutes. It also requires original thought about the prompt, not a pre-prepared piece.
So one clear, thoughtful idea, followed through, counts for more than pages of events. And a memorised essay bent to fit the topic works against your child.
They come in pairs, as in the real test, where each topic has 25 minutes. Read a pair with your child and talk about which form would suit each piece.
Each pair is set out like the writing in our Practice tests: a Writing 1 topic, then a Writing 2 topic that pulls in another direction. They are our own topics, not ACER's.
Each card shows the topic, the ways your child could respond, what a strong response shows, a plan, a model opening and why it works.
Worked explanation 1
Halfway There
Pair 1 · Writing 1 · 25 minutes
Halfway There
Write in response to this title. You may write a story, a reflection or a persuasive piece. Respond in whatever way you think is most appropriate.
Halfway There
Tell the story of someone stopped halfway up, through or along something
Show the moment a character decides whether to keep going
Reflect on a time you were halfway through something hard
25
An original interpretation of the title, held through the whole piece
A focused moment rather than a whole day or a whole life
Thoughts and feelings that change, so the piece has a shape
What does 'halfway' mean here? (a bike ride, a climb, a goal)
Choose form: story about one turning point
Character wants to give up; why?
Turning moment: something small changes their mind
Ending: reach the end, or decide halfway was enough
Title echo in the last line
The sign at the lookout said 4.2 km to the summit and 4.2 km back to the car park, which meant I was exactly halfway, and exactly as far from giving up as I was from finishing.
An open title rewards a child who decides quickly what it means to them: a journey stopped in the middle, a project half-finished, or a moment of choosing whether to go on. A strong response makes 'halfway' matter, so the title feels essential rather than tacked on.
Worked explanation 2
The Questions We Ask
Pair 1 · Writing 2 · 25 minutes
The Questions We Ask
"The questions we ask say more about us than the answers we give."
Write in response to this statement. You may agree, disagree, reflect on it or tell a story that explores it.
The Questions We Ask
Think about what a question like 'Are you okay?' shows about the person asking
Tell a story where someone's question reveals who they really are
Explain when answers might matter more than questions
25
A clear point of view on the statement, even if it is a balanced one
Specific, everyday examples that make an abstract idea concrete
Willingness to admit a limit or exception, which shows mature thinking
Do I agree? Mostly, with one exception
Example 1: a small child's 'why?' shows curiosity
Example 2: 'Are you okay?' shows kindness
But: answers show what we know and have learnt
Conclusion: questions show who we are, answers what we know
My little cousin asks about forty questions a day, and not one of them is about getting the right answer. 'Why is the moon following the car?' tells you far more about her than any answer she could give.
After a story-friendly title, this pair's second topic invites thinking writing: the child can reflect on what a person's questions reveal (curiosity, worry, kindness) or tell a story that shows it. A strong response tests the idea with real examples instead of simply repeating it.
Worked explanation 3
The Kite in the Tree
Pair 2 · Writing 1 · 25 minutes
The Kite in the Tree
The picture shows a bright red kite tangled high in the branches of a tall gum tree. Below, a child holds the loose string and looks up. Beside them, an older person is pointing, not at the kite, but at something further up in the sky that we cannot see.
Write in response to the picture. You may write a story, a description or a reflection. Respond in whatever way you think is most appropriate.
The Kite in the Tree
Decide what the older person has spotted in the sky
Show how the two people get along through what they say and do
Write from the child's point of view as their mood changes
25
Clear use of the picture's details, including the unexplained pointing
A relationship between characters shown through small actions and dialogue
Vivid setting details (the gum tree, the wind, the colour against the sky)
Who are they? Grandparent and grandchild
Problem: the kite is stuck, the child is upset
Mystery: they point at a wedge-tailed eagle circling
Shift: the child forgets the kite and watches
Ending: lesson about looking further than your problem
The kite had been ours for exactly eleven minutes when the wind snatched it and hung it in the top of the gum tree, a red flag on a branch I could never reach.
A described picture gives a starting scene and one mystery: what is the older person pointing at? A strong response uses the details given, answers or plays with that mystery, and builds a story or reflection around the relationship between the two people.
Worked explanation 4
A Little Boredom
Pair 2 · Writing 2 · 25 minutes
A Little Boredom
Being bored now and then is good for children.
Write in response to this statement. You may argue for or against it, reflect on your own experience, or tell a story that explores it.
A Little Boredom
Argue that boredom pushes children to invent their own fun
Describe a rainy day or long trip when boredom led somewhere good
Explain when a little boredom turns into too much
25
A position that is clear from the start and developed, not just stated
A personal example used as evidence, not as a separate story
Recognition of the opposing view and a reasoned reply to it
Position: agree, boredom sparks ideas
Reason 1: it pushes you to invent your own fun
Reason 2: it teaches patience
Other side: too much boredom is wasted time
Personal example: a holiday with nothing planned
Close: a little boredom, not a lot
Some of the best afternoons of my life began with the words 'There's nothing to do.' Being bored now and then is good for children, because boredom is where most of our own ideas begin.
This pairs a picture-based story with a topic that suits argument or reflection. A strong response takes a position, supports it with real experience (a rainy holiday, a long car trip) and deals honestly with the other side.
Worked explanation 5
Beginner or Expert
Pair 3 · Writing 1 · 25 minutes
Beginner or Expert
It is better to be a beginner at many things than an expert at one.
Write in response to this statement. You may argue for or against it, reflect on it, or tell a story that explores it.
Beginner or Expert
Compare trying lots of hobbies with getting really good at one
Use an example from sport, music or school that you know well
Take a middle position: try many things, then choose one
25
A clear stance that engages with both halves of the statement
Examples drawn from real activities a child knows well
Reasoning that explains why, not just what
Position: disagree, depth matters more
Reason 1: expertise lets you help and teach others
Reason 2: sticking with one thing builds persistence
Grant the other side: trying many things is how you find your one
Conclusion: try many, then choose one to master
I have been a beginner at piano, soccer, chess and juggling, and an expert at none of them. That is exactly why I disagree with this statement: being a beginner is fun, but it is not where the best rewards are found.
The child has to weigh two good things against each other, so there is no obvious right side. A strong response picks a side or a careful middle position and supports it with examples from hobbies, sport, music or school.
Worked explanation 6
Following the Footprints
Pair 3 · Writing 2 · 25 minutes
Following the Footprints
Write in response to this title. You may write a story, a description or a reflection. Respond in whatever way you think is most appropriate.
Following the Footprints
Follow a trail of real footprints in sand, mud or frost
Build suspense as the trail leads somewhere unexpected
Reflect on a person whose example you have followed
25
A clear interpretation of the title, literal or figurative
Suspense built through pace: short sentences at key moments
Precise details that let the reader follow the trail too
Real or figurative? Real: prints in frost on the oval
Who made them? Small, bare, leading to the canteen
Build curiosity: they stop suddenly at a wall
Discovery: a lost possum, or a younger student's game
Ending: link to following someone's lead
The frost on the oval was perfect, white and unbroken, except for one line of small footprints that started in the middle of nowhere and headed straight for the canteen.
After an argument, this title invites a story or a reflective piece. The footprints can be real (in sand, mud or frost) or a way of talking about following someone's example, and a strong response makes a clear choice and builds tension or meaning around it.
Worked explanation 7
Putting It Off
Pair 4 · Writing 1 · 25 minutes
Putting It Off
"Nothing feels quite as heavy as the thing you keep putting off."
Write in response to this statement. You may tell a story, reflect on your own experience, or argue for or against it.
Putting It Off
Tell the story of someone avoiding an apology or a hard job
Show how the put-off task feels heavier day by day
Reflect on why people delay the things that matter
25
A clear link between the quotation and the events or ideas
Feelings shown through actions and thoughts, not just named
A build-up that makes the final action feel like a release
Thing put off: returning a borrowed, broken item
Show the weight: thinking about it at dinner, in bed
Excuses: three different reasons to wait
Moment of action: knock on the neighbour's door
Ending: relief, and it was smaller than feared
Mr Delaney's hedge trimmer had been in our garage for nineteen days, and for eighteen of those days it had been broken. Every time I walked past it, it seemed to get heavier.
The quotation suits a story about someone avoiding a task, an apology or a hard conversation, or a reflection on why we delay things. A strong response shows the 'weight' through feelings and small actions, and lets the character finally act.
Worked explanation 8
What They Can See
Pair 4 · Writing 2 · 25 minutes
What They Can See
The picture shows the inside of a crowded city bus. Every passenger, young and old, has turned to look out of the same window with a surprised expression. One person is half-standing to get a better view. We cannot see what is outside.
Write in response to the picture. You may write a story, a description, a persuasive piece or a reflection. Respond in whatever way you think is most appropriate.
What They Can See
Describe the moment from one passenger's point of view
Decide whether to reveal what is outside or keep it a mystery
Reflect on how one surprise can make strangers talk
25
Close use of the picture's details: the crowd, the shared window, the half-standing passenger
A strong point of view that lets the reader experience the moment
Rich, precise description of people's faces and reactions
Choose: describe the moment from one passenger's view
Before: bored passengers, everyone on phones
The moment: faces, sounds, someone stands
Reveal: a hot-air balloon landing in the park
After: strangers talking to each other for once
Until 4:17 that afternoon, the number 44 bus was the quietest place in the city. Then a woman near the back gasped, and thirty heads turned to the left at once, as though someone had pulled a string.
This picture is built around something hidden, so it rewards imagination: the child might tell the story, describe the moment from one passenger's point of view, or reflect on what makes strangers share an experience. A strong response either reveals the surprise in a satisfying way or deliberately keeps it hidden for effect.
By deciding first what the topic means to them. Halfway There could be a bike ride stopped in the middle, a project half done or a choice about whether to go on. The piece is stronger when the title matters to it, not when it is tacked on at the end.
Find the angle
Ask what the topic could mean, literally and in other ways. Pick the meaning your child has the most to say about.
Choose the form
A story, a reflection, a description or an argument. Let the angle decide, and make it different from the other piece.
Use what is given
With a picture, use its details, including anything left unexplained. With a statement, decide how far your child agrees.
Plan the ending
Know where the piece lands before writing. A last line that returns to the title ties it together.
Statements need a point of view, but not a flat yes or no. A position with one honest exception, like the plan for The Questions We Ask, can show more thought.
How should your child use the time?
Plan briefly, then write. ACER suggests a short plan before writing. With 25 minutes per topic there is room to develop an idea, but not to start again, so the plan is what protects the piece.
A workable shape: decide the angle and form, jot the main moments or reasons, write most of the time, and keep a few minutes to reread for sense and slips.
For the second topic, the pull is to repeat whatever worked the first time. Switching on purpose shows the range the topics are there for: if Writing 1 was a story, Writing 2 could be an argument or a reflection.
Not whole pieces. ACER asks for original thought about the prompt, not a pre-prepared piece.
What your child can prepare travels to any topic. Build a store of real experiences: a long trip, a mistake, a time they changed their mind. Add a few techniques, such as a strong first line or a last line that echoes the title, and comfort with each form.
ACER's wider advice is to read widely and think critically. Reading feeds the writing directly: after a story or opinion piece, ask your child what the writer's point was and whether they would argue back.
A pair a week works well: both topics, timed, then a read-through together. Ask about the idea and the ending before spelling. ACER puts ideas first, so home feedback should too.
Our Practice tests include both writing topics, with feedback criterion by criterion, in bands. That feedback is practice feedback written by AI, which can be wrong or incomplete and is not a mark from Edutest, ACER or any school. Use it as a practice guide alongside your own reading.
With a free account you get AI writing feedback on the free practice test's writing task, so you can see the feedback on your child's own writing before paying for anything.
ACER gives more time and two topics. Edutest's writing is one task of 15 minutes, with no separate planning time. If schools on your list use Edutest, see the Edutest Written Expression sample topics.
