Many parents whose children are preparing for the Kent Test choose to use revision books. Publishers like Bond and Letts have some great resources for Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. Lots of children practise regularly.

But what about the written task?

It’s easy to see why that might be overlooked, after all it doesn’t contribute to the marks, but the written task can be used by the Headteachers’ panel, and being able to write an effective story in a short space of time is a useful skill that will ultimately support GCSE work.

One of the things that makes this task hard, for some children, is the way it differs from their school literacy lessons. In class, story writing usually takes a week: Day 1 planning, Day 2 writing the introduction, Day 3 writing the main body of the story, Day 4 editing and Day 5 writing up. It’s no wonder producing a story in 45 minutes is a challenge!

I use a simple planning sheet with my students. It includes a checklist to help the children edit the story – and yes, even in that short time period editing is crucial. The last 5 minutes should always be used to read through carefully and make improvements.

I’ve attached the planning sheet, together with an annotated sheet and an example of how it should be filled in. Feel free to download all or any for your child’s use.Planning KT story