Creative writing prompts for Years 4 and 5
Choose a story, description, persuasive task, letter, diary or picture prompt. Plan your own response, then compare three ways to develop it.
Build a learning plan
Create a parent account to organise your child's learning alongside these free writing activities.
Stories
Descriptions
Persuasive writing
Letters
Diaries
Picture prompts
Choose one thing to improve
After a first draft, choose one useful change. You might make a character's choice clearer, connect two paragraphs or replace a vague word. Read the changed passage aloud before deciding whether the edit helps.
Questions parents ask
Are these model responses exam grades?
No. The three responses show ways to develop an idea. The notes use the English national curriculum for teaching guidance, and do not predict an 11+ mark or a school admission outcome.
Should my child copy the model response?
Write a plan and a first draft before reading the models. Afterwards, choose one technique to try in your own writing. Your ideas and voice should remain your own.
What should we check after writing?
Check whether the writing answers the task, whether the reader can follow it, and whether the words and details are useful. Then reread for spelling and punctuation.
Find topics to practise next
The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning. Use it to explore the skills your child could practise alongside writing.