How can teachers best develop pupils’ argumentative writing?
Many pupils struggle to write well. National test results show that writing consistently lags behind reading, particularly at Key Stage 2. What strategies are successful at helping pupils improve their writing skills? The authors of this study carried out a systematic review of research about teaching non-fiction writing at Key Stages 2 and 3 (ages 7-14 years) to find out. They explored how teachers can help pupils learn to write well, focusing specifically on argumentative writing (writing to persuade, argue and advise as well as writing to analyse, review and comment). The study found that a number of factors create a climate for successful practice. These were general to all forms of writing and included training pupils to plan, draft, edit and revise their writing and involving them in discussions. The study also found a number of successful strategies specific to argumentative writing. These included using heuristics to scaffold the writing (such as think sheets and writing framew
