Year 1 - Writing Checklist

The Year 1 Writing Checklist serves as a comprehensive guide for young learners to structure various genres of writing. For recount writing, students are encouraged to answer the fundamental questions of who, what, when, where, and why within a few sentences, using past tense and first person narration. They should organise their recount in chronological order, employing time adverbials such as "first", "next", and "after", and use both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to construct their sentences.

When delving into story writing, pupils are advised to start with an opening paragraph that sets the scene by describing characters and the setting. They should introduce a problem or dilemma, and begin to express the character's emotions using simple adjectives and verbs. The use of noun phrases adds detail, while coordinating conjunctions help link main ideas. Exclamatory sentences and inverted commas for direct speech can be used where appropriate. Instruction writing requires a title, easy vocabulary, numbered points, and imperative verbs, ensuring the text is in logical order and punctuated with commas for lists. Non-chronological reports should be factual, written in past tense and third person, and include diagrams or pictures with subheadings and technical vocabulary. Diary entries and informal letters are personal, written in first person and past tense, with a focus on describing feelings and events in chronological order, and adopting a conversational tone with an informal sign-off.