1. By the end of this session you will have gained an understanding of:
Learning intention Supporting your child with Creative and Personal Writing
Success Criteria
By the end of this session you will have gained an understanding of:
The SQA’s marking criteria for Personal and Creative Writing
Stimuli for Personal and Creative Writing
Features of effective Personal and Creative Writing

2. SQA Marking Criteria (for top grade,15-13 marks) – Higher Personal Writing
Content
Strong attention to purpose and audience.
Ideas/feelings/experiences which are explored with a strong degree of mature reflection/self-awareness/ involvement/ insight/ sensitivity.
Strong sense of the writer’s personality and individuality.
Style
Linguistic features of the chosen genre used skilfully to create strong impact
Confident and varied expression
Effective structure which enhances the purpose/meaning

3. SQA Higher Marking Criteria – Technical Accuracy (both genres)
Consistent technical accuracy is a requirement for the piece to meet the minimum requirements for the 9–7 band.
This means few errors will be present: paragraphs, sentences and punctuation will be mostly accurate and organised so that the writing can be clearly and readily understood; and spelling errors (particularly of high frequency words) will be infrequent.

4. Stimuli for Personal Writing
Read quality examples of autobiography.
Read magazine articles that feature autobiography.
Use family photographs to stimulate memories about family memories and important family members.
Use family objects/ inherited items as a stimulus for conversation.
Think about food as a trigger to memory – food that sums up your family, a person, an important occasion.
Place – what places are important to your family and why? Holiday locations, regular haunts, grandparents’ homes.

5. Features of Effective Personal Writing
Uses the first person voice effectively – the writer ‘talks’ on the page. Use of contractions, slang, informal expressions, humour helps convey personality. Avoid being too formal and stilted.
Is able to describe events in detail, using the five senses, varied vocabulary and imagery yet AVOIDS CLICHÉ (no butterflies in stomach).
Conveys inner thoughts and emotions.
Reflects on what effect events have had on them – how have they changed?

6. Reflection – what do we learn from experiences?
Wiser
More/less cautious
More/less confident
Value what we have
Less selfish
More/less tolerant
More responsible
More/less self-conscious
Friendlier – open to new relationships
More/less trusting
Sadder/happier
More determined
Resilient
Mature

7. Reflective Phrases Looking back…. On reflection… With hindsight…
In retrospect…
Nowadays I feel/think/believe…
If I could do this again…
If this happened now…
I learned…
I realise…
I understand…
I should have…
I could have…
I wish I had…
Because of this I am…
Since this happened I…
When I think back on this…
Thinking about it now I feel…
At the time I… but now I…
If I could change things…
It was a… thing to do because…
I wish this had never happened because…
Now that I’ve been through this…
I grew through this experience because…
This made me think about…
This experience shaped me by…
I’m glad this happened because…

8. SQA Marking Criteria (for top grade,15-13 marks) – Higher Creative Writing
Content
Strong attention to purpose and audience.
Strong creative qualities
Skilful command of the genre
Thematic concerns which are skilfully introduced and developed
Style
Linguistic features of the chosen genre used skilfully to create strong impact
Confident and varied expression
Effective structure which enhances the purpose/meaning

9. Stimuli for Creative Writing
Read quality short stories.
Use images as a stimulus to a story – give voice to the people in the frame. Use images to develop setting.
Use objects to tell a story – who made it, owns it, covets it? If it could speak, what would it say?
Anthropomorphism – give a voice to an animal.
Use newspaper articles to ask the question ‘what if?’
Visit galleries and museums – they are free and full of stories.
Waterstones is a good source of games and support materials.

10. Features of Effective Creative Writing
‘Show, don’t tell’ – implies and suggests through skilful use of language. Trusts the reader to read between the lines. Is subtle.
Uses structure effectively – where does your story begin and end? Plays around with chronological order – starts in the middle, the end....Uses flashback and foreshadowing.
Creates a strongly developed sense of setting – contributes to a sense of atmosphere.
Uses narrative voice effectively – 1st person, 2nd, third. You can use more than one first person voice – dual narration.

11. Features of Effective Creative Writing
Does not compress a novel or a ‘film’ into a short story – knows its limits.
Focuses on a moment before or after an event, not the actual event.
Features dialogue if there is more than one person in the story.
Deals with a moment of ‘epiphany’ – a sudden realisation.
Never ends with waking up from a dream.
Never ends with ellipsis…