Vocabulary and sentences means the exact word doing the work, in sentences that change their shape. Children in Year 7 now sit the exam in Year 8, in June 2027 Expected, and handwrite 2 tasks at the end.
"Precise language" is ACER's phrase, and these examples show one way to read it. Read the "before" and the "after" with your child. Then compare: which words changed, and which were left alone?
Worked explanation 1
Describe a public swimming pool on a hot afternoon.
Describe a public swimming pool on a hot afternoon.
The pool was really crowded. There were lots of people and it was very loud. The water looked nice and it was really hot.
The pool was crowded from edge to edge. Kids cannonballed off the side, a lifeguard's whistle cut through the squealing, and the concrete was hot enough to send everyone hopping back to their towels.
The "before" uses words that tell the reader nothing exact: "really", "lots of", "very", "nice". The "after" swaps them for things the reader can see, hear or feel, with exact verbs such as "cannonballed" and "hopping", and drops the empty "looked nice" sentence. This is one way to show the "precise language" in ACER's description: exact words doing the work.
Worked explanation 2
Write about a storm.
Write about a storm.
The storm came. The wind was strong. The rain was heavy. The trees moved. We stayed inside.
The storm arrived all at once. Wind bent the gum trees almost sideways, and rain drummed so hard on the tin roof that we had to shout to hear each other. We stayed inside, watching from the window.
The "before" uses five short sentences of the same shape, so it sounds like a list. The "after" joins some ideas, varies how sentences begin and uses stronger verbs, such as "bent" and "drummed". Mixing short and longer sentences makes writing flow, and strong verbs remove the need for "strong" and "heavy".
Worked explanation 3
Describe the moment before you perform on stage.
Describe the moment before you perform on stage.
The colossal, magnificent, resplendent auditorium was brimming with an immense multitude of exuberant spectators, and my heart was palpitating tremendously.
The hall was full. Somewhere in the third row, a baby coughed, and three hundred people went quiet at once. My heart was thumping so hard I could feel it in my fingers, wrapped around the flute.
The "before" piles up long words until the reader can't picture anything, and "palpitating tremendously" sounds odd. The "after" uses plain, exact words and one sharp detail, the coughing baby. Precise language means the right word, not the longest one. Strong readers often need to unlearn the habit of showing off vocabulary.
These examples are ours, not ACER's, and ACER publishes no marking criteria.
Replace vague words with exact ones your child already knows, and vary the length of the sentences. That suits this exam because dictionaries aren't allowed in the room, so the right word has to be one your child can use without checking.
These steps are ours, drawn from the examples above.
Swap empty words for exact ones
'Really', 'lots of', 'very' and 'nice' tell the reader nothing. Replace them with something the reader can see, hear or feel.
Let strong verbs do the work
'Rain drummed on the tin roof' needs no 'heavy'. A good verb can take the place of an adjective.
Mix short and longer sentences
Join some ideas, vary how sentences begin, and keep a short sentence for the moment that matters.
Choose the right word, not the longest
Plain, exact words and one sharp detail beat a pile of long words the reader can't picture.
Before you comment on a practice piece, look for words that could describe anywhere and sentences that all start the same way. Each slip below comes from one of the examples, with what fixed it.
Words that could describe anywhere. The pool "was really crowded" and "looked nice". Kids cannonballing off the side shows it.
Sentences of the same shape. "The storm came. The wind was strong. The rain was heavy." reads like a list.
Showing off vocabulary. The "colossal, magnificent, resplendent auditorium" buries the moment. It's tempting for a keen reader to use every new word at once; a plain word and a sharp detail land better.
How can we practise it at home?
The examples show the swap on a few sentences. Practice test 1 shows whether your child still picks exact words when writing both tasks by hand in 40 minutes. It's free; afterwards, circle the vague words in each task and see which task has more.
Small word games can do more than vocabulary lists.
Circle every "really", "very" and "nice" in a practice piece, then replace each one or cut it.
Play verb swap: take "walked" or "said" and find five verbs that each change the picture.
Read a paragraph of a good novel aloud and listen for where the sentences get short.
Give your child two short sentences and ask them to join them three different ways.
