Top marks come from using the text with judgement, keeping the right tone and shaping the piece for the reader. This guide shows what separates grade C from A, with an original annotated model and a timing plan.
What the task asks
Directed writing gives you a reading text and a writing task for a named reader. You might write a letter to a headteacher, a speech to classmates or a magazine article.
The text gives you the ideas. You supply the judgement, the voice and the shape.
This guide is for students aiming at grades A and A*. It uses Cambridge’s published grade descriptions for 0500. Check your own paper for marks, word guidance and sections, because layouts differ between syllabus versions.
What the grade descriptions tell us
Cambridge describes typical work at grades F, C and A. The writing rows show the jump from C to A.
| Area | Typical at grade C | Typical at grade A |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing ideas | Clear, straightforward explanation | Complex or subtle ideas expressed precisely |
| Structure | Ideas organised in helpful, straightforward ways, often in text order | Organisation managed carefully for the reader, with contrasts made clear |
| Register | Generally keeps a formal register | Usually controls formal or informal register as appropriate |
| Vocabulary | Mostly straightforward, occasionally precise | A range used appropriately and precisely |
Register means the tone and style that suit your reader. Two lines matter most here. At C, ideas often follow the order of the passage.
At A, the writer chooses a structure that suits the reader. That is the biggest single upgrade.
Cover every part of the task, then go beyond it
Most tasks list points to cover, often as bullets. Treat each bullet as a question you must answer. Then ask what else the reader needs.
Use this four-step check.
- Underline the audience and the form.
- Number each point the task names.
- Find evidence in the passage for each point.
- Add your own judgement: why it matters, or what should be done.
The judgement step is what Cambridge means by weighing ideas to reach a considered view. Students who only report the passage stay near grade C.
Control register
A letter to a headteacher needs respectful, formal language and a clear request. A speech to classmates needs a direct voice and devices such as a question or a short list.
Quick checks:
- Do not use contractions (such as “don’t”) in formal writing.
- Open and close the way the form expects.
- Keep one voice from start to finish.
- Choose precise nouns and verbs instead of piling on adjectives.
Our guide to matching register to audience goes deeper.
An original annotated model
The task below was written by our team. It is not from an exam paper.
Task: You have read a short report saying a school canteen sells mostly fried food. Write a letter to the headteacher giving your views on how the canteen should change. Use ideas from the report, but write in your own words.
Dear Mr Hassan,
I am writing to suggest a change that I believe would help every student in this school: a more balanced canteen menu. [The opening states purpose and opinion at once.]
The report shows that more than half the items on sale are fried. This matters because students who eat heavy food at lunch often struggle to concentrate in the afternoon, when our hardest lessons take place. [The writer takes a fact and explains why it matters, instead of only repeating it.]
I understand that fried food is cheap and quick to serve. But a menu that costs slightly more to prepare could be paid for by selling fewer items of better quality. [A different view is acknowledged, then answered. This is a grade A move.]
I would therefore propose a trial: two fruit or salad choices every day for one term, with student feedback at the end. [A realistic action for the reader.]
Thank you for considering this. I would be glad to meet you to discuss it further.
Yours sincerely, Aisha Rahman
Why it works. It follows the reader’s needs, not the order of the report. It judges the facts instead of repeating them. The register stays formal from greeting to sign-off, and each paragraph has one job.
How it could score less. A letter that listed the report’s figures in order would cover the content but show little structure or judgement.
If this is where marks are going missing, a trial hour with an experienced teacher can work on it one-to-one.
Paragraph by paragraph: a build checklist
Use this list when you plan. It turns the model into steps you can repeat.
- Opening. State your purpose and opinion in the first two sentences.
- Point one. Take one idea from the passage, then say why it matters to this reader.
- Other view. Name an objection the reader might raise, then answer it.
- Proposal. Give a clear action that fits the situation.
- Close. End with a polite, specific line, such as an offer to meet.
If a bullet needs more space, give it its own paragraph. If a bullet is minor, join it to another. The reader should never have to guess which question you are answering.
Wording that upgrades a sentence
Small changes can move a sentence from clear to precise. These pairs are our own.
| Plainer | Sharper |
|---|---|
| The canteen is unhealthy. | The canteen offers few choices that support a full afternoon of study. |
| Many students are unhappy. | Students are increasingly doubtful about the menu. |
| We should change this. | I would urge a short trial of a fresh menu. |
Sharper wording is not longer. It is more exact about who, what and why.
Common mark losses
- Copying whole phrases from the passage.
- Missing one named point.
- Switching between formal and chatty voices.
- Ending with a vague line such as “I hope you agree”.
- Spelling and punctuation slips that spoil a good piece.
Our blog post on answering the whole task in directed writing covers the first two.
A timing plan
Use the time your paper allows. As a guide, split it like this.
| Stage | Share of the time |
|---|---|
| Read the passage and underline evidence | About a quarter |
| Plan paragraphs and choose a structure | About a tenth |
| Write | About half |
| Check accuracy and register | About a tenth |
Do not skip the plan. A five-line outline stops you drifting and helps you remember every point.
When this guide is not enough
If your directed writing marks stay at C, the cause is often reading, not writing. A student who misreads the passage cannot judge it.
Work on choosing and explaining evidence first, then come back here. If your syllabus has no directed writing, this skill still helps with persuasive and discursive tasks.
Where students usually get stuck
Most students cover every bullet but still stay at C. They report the passage in its own order and never add their own view. In 1-to-1 lessons, our teachers mark your child’s directed writing against the grade descriptions above.
Together we find the one paragraph where judgement is missing, and your child rewrites it. The student writes every response.
See our First Language English tuition for how lessons work. Lessons are online and one-to-one, from RM70/hr. When you are ready, book a paid one-hour trial and bring a recent attempt.
To keep practising, compare your work with the annotated model responses. Two related guides are analysing sentence structure for effect and analysing word choice.