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KS2 · Years 3 to 6

Mark Year 3 to Year 6 writing without carrying the pile home.

Photograph the page. You get a proposed KS2 standard — working towards, expected or greater depth — the “pupil can” statements it is evidenced against, and next steps on structure, cohesion and accuracy. In school marking, you confirm or override it before pupils see it.

Evidence quoted from the pageStructure, cohesion and accuracySame standard across the year group

Or start on your year group:

“I liked how it showed me where I did well and gave a new version of my story.”
Liam — KS2 Pupil

What comes back, on a real Year 6 script

The writing below is STA 2018 exemplification — Leigh, Year 6, working at the expected standard. We use it so you can see the whole loop on a public collection instead of a pupil’s book.

Mark primary writing

Which year group?

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Year 6 Leigh short story script in the upload dropzone
Photo of handwriting — ready to mark

1. Photograph the page

Nothing to type up

Pick the year group and photograph the writing — several pages if the piece runs long. The year sets the National Curriculum expectations and the matching KS2 framework.

KS2 Writing Assessment — Narrative
StandardEXS

KS2 Writing Assessment

Working at the Expected Standard

Narrative

Writes for a purpose with a clear opening and sequence.

Sentence demarcation is consistent enough for this standard.

Speech punctuation is the remaining next step.

2. Confirm the standard

A proposal, with the evidence quoted

Strengths, next steps, and an evidence matrix against the “pupil can” statements. Every claim points at something in the child’s own writing — so you are checking a judgement, not taking one on trust.

ReMarkAble AI

KS2 writing report

EXS

Working at the Expected Standard

Keep a copy for books, parents and the next time you look at this pupil’s writing. Quoted evidence stays with the piece.

3. Keep the record

The trail, not just the last piece

Each marked page stays in the assessment history. Premium PDF for books, parents and internal moderation — so the picture builds across the term rather than being assembled in June.

Targeted lesson

Year 6 · 6 pieces

Maintaining one consistent verb tense within a paragraph.

Across narrative, recount and diary pieces, the remaining gap is keeping one verb tense going inside a paragraph rather than drifting mid-piece.

15–20 minute lesson on the most consistent TAF gap across the collection.

4. Teach the gap

The one that keeps showing up

Across Leigh’s six pieces the remaining gap was punctuating direct speech. That became a 15–20 minute lesson — so the time you save on marking goes back into teaching, not into a generic worksheet.

Primary writing moderation

Year 6 collection (Leigh)

KS2 · 6 pieces

Agreed
EXS

Working at the Expected Standard

Overall standard across the body of work. A teacher agreed the judgement.

5. Moderate the collection

One standard for the body of work

KS2 writing is judged as a collection, not a single strong piece. Propose one overall standard across the pieces; a teacher agrees it. That is the moderation conversation, with the evidence already quoted.

Leigh’s six pieces — the same framework language on every one, so the collection can be moderated as a body of work.

  • Year 6 · NarrativeEXS
  • Year 6 · Non-chronological reportEXS
  • Year 6 · RecountEXS
  • Year 6 · DiaryEXS
  • Year 6 · InstructionsEXS
  • Year 6 · DiaryEXS

Contains material developed by the Standards and Testing Agency for 2018 national curriculum assessments and licenced under Open Government Licence v3.0. View the licence. Source: KS1 Kim and KS2 Leigh on GOV.UK. Live marked packs: Year 2 Kim and Year 6 Leigh.

What it is for

Not a replacement for teacher assessment. A way to mark more extended writing, keep the language the same across a year group, and spend the time you save on teaching.

Get the pile down

Photograph the page and confirm a proposed standard, instead of writing the same paragraph-level comment on thirty books.

One standard across the year group

Every piece is judged against the same KS2 framework language, so two parallel classes are not marked to two different bars.

Built for longer pieces

Organisation, paragraphing, cohesion and subject vocabulary — the things that separate the bands by Year 6, not just spelling.

Next steps they can act on

Two or three specific moves, quoted against the child's own writing. The piece is never rewritten for them.

A trail into the moderation meeting

Every marked piece is kept, so the collection builds across the term instead of being assembled the week before.

You stay the final authority

A proposal with the evidence quoted. In school marking, you confirm it before pupils see it — and if you override it, the original is kept alongside your judgement.

The three standards you already moderate against

Years 3 to 6 are assessed against the KS2 writing framework, so the report, the lesson and the collection judgement all use the language you take into a moderation meeting.

WTS

Working Towards the Expected Standard

EXS

Working at the Expected Standard

GDS

Working at Greater Depth

Where it goes next

The habits that survive the move to Key Stage 3

This marks against KS2 expectations, not GCSE ones. What carries forward is the habit — planning a structure before writing, holding cohesion across paragraphs, and acting on one named next step instead of a page of corrections. When those pupils reach GCSE, the same platform marks that work against the exam board mark scheme.

See GCSE marking

Who this is for

Year 3 to Year 6 teachers
Primary leaders and English leads
Schools working on marking consistency
Teachers preparing pupils for Key Stage 3

Questions KS2 teachers ask

Try it on one piece

Photograph something already in a book. If the proposed standard is not one you would have given, you have lost two minutes — and you will know exactly where it disagreed with you.

Or book a primary demo

No card required. The trial ends on its own. School licences: from £120 per month for up to 120 licensed pupils. See school pricing.