Improving
Secondary Writing
Improved!
Secondary Writing
Improved!
- Two free GCSE writing assessments
- Writing age & progress measures
- Writing Hub quizzes and lesson resources
- Custom GCSE English Literature assessments
- AI-powered automated feedback trial
Improving Secondary Writing provides you with nationally standardised KS3 and GCSE writing assessments that use Comparative Judgement. Alongside these judging sessions you can take part in three national automarked MCQ sessions that diagnose grammatical misconceptions. The automark sessions are integrated with an online programme of CPD in teaching writing delivered through the writing hub.
Why are schools using us?
Speed
For a typical department with 8 teachers and 186 pupils, the judging takes one hour per teacher per year group.
Accuracy
Research consistently finds that Comparative Judgement delivers the accuracy of double or triple marking in a similar time or less than single marking.
Validity
The marks derived from judging are consistent with the average marks derived from double or triple marking essays.
Comparative Judgement in 4 easy steps!
1We set the task, so everyone is writing against the same prompt.
2Upload your pupils’ scripts on our specially coded paper.
3Judge writing, comparing two pieces of writing on screen, side-by-side to determine which is best.
4Benchmark attainment and progress across your school, and nationally, with the information and statistics in your school’s individual report.
Here’s a summary of how it works
- There are two KS3 judging windows per academic year, one at the start and one at the end. There are also two GCSE judging windows, one in November and one in March. View the full calendar here.
- You can choose which year groups you want to take part.
- We don't recommend always entering every year group into every assessment. Instead, we suggest that you think about your aims for the project, compare our assessment calendar with your own, and work out the time it will take your teachers to judge.
- Each KS3 judging window involves students writing a non-fiction piece in response to a text prompt that we provide. The two GCSE windows use exam tasks.
- In each window you judge the work of your students as well as the work of students across the country. You never directly compare the results of your students with students from other schools. Rather, every 10th judgement is a moderation judgement where you compare the work of students from other schools.
- Once the national judging is complete, you will get a full PDF report. Each student will get three key pieces of information: a scaled score, a writing age, and an indicative GCSE grade. We will provide you with full analysis of your school's results and the national picture, including breakdowns by gender and pupil premium. If you have chosen to enter more than one year group, you will get separate PDF reports for each year group.
- When you have students who have taken part in more than one assessment, we will provide you with a separate progress report.
- Alongside the judging windows you can take part in three automarked MCQ diagnostic tests that identify grammatical misconceptions. There is a baseline test in September followed by progress tests in January and June.
- The diagnostic tests are accompanied by a full online programme of CPD in teaching writing delivered via the Writing Hub.
- All No More Marking subscribers also have access to our latest automated AI feedback trials.
Your subscription includes
We support you every step of the way, from uploading your data, to checking every single piece of writing you submit to ensure that you get reliable results with the minimum of effort. The company is led by education expert and author Daisy Christodoulou along with Dr Chris Wheadon, visiting lecturer in psychometrics at Oxford University.
Benefits of Improving Secondary Writing
Accuracy
Research consistently finds that Comparative Judgement delivers the accuracy of double or triple marking in a similar time or less than single marking.
Validity
The marks derived from judging are consistent with the average marks derived from double or triple marking essays.
Nationally-standardised results
Over the last five years we've assessed over a million pieces of writing using Comparative Judgement. Our results are nationally standardised using these past assessments.
Built-in moderation
As you are judging, you are also silently and anonymously moderating the judgements of other teachers.
Full technical support
Contact us using our online chatbox for a fast response.
Anonymised assessment
We provide Optical Character Recognition sheets for students to write on. When you upload the sheets the student names magically disappear, but they will still be matched to your data.
Progress over time
Measure the progress of students’ writing achievement throughout secondary school.
Robust data controls
Every judge’s performance is recorded, and decisions made by inaccurate judges are removed from the results.
Exemplar scripts
After each assessment, we provide you with exemplar scripts from students across the country, which can be used in lessons or for CPD.
Assess every script
With traditional moderation, most scripts are never seen by anyone other than the class teacher. With us, every script is seen multiple times by all the teachers participating in the judging within your own school.
Exemplar Scripts
- Level: 1Scaled Score: 458
- Level: 1Scaled Score: 467
- Level: 1Scaled Score: 483
- Level: 9Scaled Score: 651
- Level: 9Scaled Score: 661
- Level: 9Scaled Score: 665