Structure is the order that lets a reader follow the ideas: a clear point, then a paragraph for each step. Children in Year 7 now sit the exam in Year 8, in June 2027 Expected, and Writing comes last.
The ideas barely change between "before" and "after". What changes is the order, and how each sentence leads to the next. Read the "before" and the "after" with your child, and talk about how the new order helps.
Worked explanation 1
Explain how to look after a pet.
Explain how to look after a pet.
You need to feed your pet. Also it needs water. Dogs need walks. You should give it food every day and clean its bowl. Also walk it.
Looking after a pet comes down to three daily jobs. First, feed it at the same time each day and keep its bowl clean. Second, make sure it always has fresh water. Third, give it exercise, such as a walk if it's a dog.
The "before" has the right ideas, but it jumps around and mentions food and walks twice. The "after" opens with a sentence that tells the reader what is coming, then gives each job once, in order, with linking words like "first" and "third". Same ideas, but now the reader can follow them.
Worked explanation 2
Should every school have a uniform?
Should every school have a uniform?
My sister goes to a school with no uniform. In the mornings she takes ages choosing clothes. Uniforms also cost less in the end. Some kids worry about what they wear. So schools should have uniforms.
A uniform makes school mornings easier. My sister's school has no uniform, and she spends twenty minutes every morning choosing what to wear. A uniform removes that choice, so she could use the time for breakfast or a walk to school instead.
The "before" saves its point for the last line, so the reader doesn't know where the paragraph is going, and it squeezes in a cost idea that belongs in another paragraph. The "after" starts with a topic sentence (the sentence that says what the paragraph is about), and every sentence after it supports that one point.
Worked explanation 3
Write a story about a race.
Write a story about a race.
I woke up early on race day and ate breakfast. Then Dad drove me to the park. We parked the car and walked to the start. I warmed up. Then the race started and I ran as fast as I could and I came second.
Two hundred metres to go, and my legs had turned to concrete. Ahead of me, Priya's ponytail swung like a metronome, steady and out of reach. I thought about the cold early mornings on the track and Dad's stopwatch clicking. Then I stopped thinking and ran.
The "before" tells the whole day in order, so the exciting part gets one rushed sentence at the end. The "after" starts close to the important moment and fits the training in as a quick memory. Choosing where to begin is an organisation skill, and when two tasks share 40 minutes it saves time for the part that matters.
These examples are ours. ACER's description of the writing test is one line; it doesn't publish marking criteria.
Start with a short plan: the main point, then the steps in order. It helps because the 2 tasks share 40 minutes, and deciding the order once saves stopping mid-paragraph to rethink it.
These steps are ours, drawn from the examples above.
Plan the main point and a few steps
Jot the point and three or four steps in order. A short plan saves time once the writing starts.
Tell the reader what is coming
An opening sentence like 'Looking after a pet comes down to three daily jobs' lets the reader follow everything after it.
Give each paragraph one job
Start with a topic sentence that says what the paragraph is about, and keep every sentence after it on that point.
Link the steps
Words like 'first', 'however' and 'so' show how one idea connects to the next.
In a story, start near the moment that matters
Skip the breakfast and the car trip. Begin close to the exciting part and fit the background in as a quick memory.
Check where the main point first appears, and whether any idea turns up twice. Those are the slips in the pet and uniform examples, and the race story adds a third: telling everything in time order.
Jumping around and repeating. The pet example has the right ideas, but it mentions food and walks twice and in no order.
Saving the point for the end. The uniform paragraph only says what it is arguing in its last line, and squeezes in a cost idea that belongs somewhere else.
Telling everything in time order. The race story spends its words on waking up and driving to the park, so the race itself gets one rushed sentence.
How can we practise it at home?
The examples fix structure inside a paragraph. Practice test 1 is free and shows whether your child can plan and hold a structure across both tasks against the clock. Afterwards, ask them to name each paragraph's job: a paragraph without one is the place to start.
Structure is easiest to see when your child moves pieces around.
Write each sentence of a short paragraph on a strip of paper, shuffle them and ask your child to put them back in order.
In a newspaper article, find each paragraph's topic sentence together.
Retell a family story, but start at the most exciting moment.
Before a practice piece, give your child a moment to jot the plan, then check that the finished piece followed it.
