Formal folly

21st May 2004, 1:00am

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Formal folly

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/formal-folly
For the second year running, I am totally confused by the thinking behind the choice of tasks for the KS2 English writing test.

I had hoped that the voices of primary education had been heard, and at least one of the tasks would give the children the opportunity to write a story which would reflect their imagination, rather than be restricted to formal, technical writing.

We flood the classroom and library with the latest stimulating fiction, develop our children’s writing to high standards of both imaginative content and technical accuracy, only to find that the Sat asks them to write a piece in which creativity has little part.

Surely, giving children an opportunity to do what they do well, and what we are frequently enjoined to teach them, should be what the tests are all about.

Helen Roe 114 Bolton Road Turton, near Bolton

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