Overview

This task - writing an essay about a school you would like to attend - is an excellent, curriculum-aligned activity for a 14-year-old (typically Year 9). It develops key English skills required in the Western Australian Curriculum: planning and composing texts for purpose and audience, using appropriate language and structure, researching and evaluating information, and revising for accuracy and effect.

Which parts of the WA Curriculum this covers

• English strands
  • Language: grammar, vocabulary, sentence and paragraph structure, punctuation and spelling.
  • Literature: understanding how choices about character, setting and perspective shape meaning (useful if the essay uses descriptive or narrative elements about the school).
  • Literacy: creating texts for different purposes and audiences, planning, drafting, editing and publishing.
• General capabilities
  • Literacy: selecting and using language and structure to achieve purpose and communicate clearly.
  • Critical and creative thinking: evaluating features of different schools and making reasoned choices.
  • Personal and social capability: reflecting on personal goals, values and aspirations when imagining the ideal school.
  • ICT capability: researching schools online, using digital tools to draft and present the essay.

Specific curriculum-aligned skills the task builds

• Planning and structuring an extended text with an introduction, organised body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Using persuasive/informative features when appropriate: topic sentences, supporting details, examples, and persuasive language if the essay is arguing why the school is desirable.
• Selecting precise vocabulary and sentence types to show tone and register suited to the audience.
• Using cohesive devices to link ideas across paragraphs.
• Researching facts about schools or imagining realistic features and integrating evidence or examples.
• Editing for grammar, punctuation, paragraphing and spelling to meet the standard expected for Year 9.

How to teach this task step-by-step (lesson sequence)

1. Introduce the task and purpose

   Explain whether the essay is informative (describe the school), persuasive (convince readers why this is the right school), or mixed. Identify the audience (teachers, parents, peers, admissions officer).

2. Model planning

   Show a planning template: introduction with thesis, 3 body paragraphs each with a main idea and supporting details, and a conclusion that reinforces purpose.

3. Research and idea development

   Students gather facts about real schools, or develop imagined features: curriculum strengths, extracurriculars, facilities, pastoral care, culture.

4. Drafting

   Write a first draft focusing on structure and ideas rather than perfect sentences.

5. Peer feedback using success criteria

   Use an explicit checklist (purpose, audience, structure, clarity, evidence, sentence variety, grammar).

6. Revision and editing

   Teach targeted mini-lessons on paragraph cohesion, punctuation, paragraph transitions and word choice, then revise.

7. Publish and reflect

   Present essays or submit electronically. Students reflect on what they improved and how the writing met curriculum outcomes.

Success criteria and assessment (aligned to curriculum standards)

Use clear criteria that map to WA expectations for Year 9 English. Example criteria:

• Purpose and audience: The essay clearly addresses the assigned purpose and is appropriate for the identified audience.
• Structure and coherence: Introduction with clear thesis, logically ordered paragraphs, effective topic sentences and conclusion.
• Ideas and evidence: Main ideas are developed with relevant examples, reasons or evidence; ideas are insightful for Year 9 level.
• Language and style: Vocabulary and tone suit the purpose; sentence variety and cohesion are evident.
• Accuracy: Grammar, punctuation and spelling largely accurate with proofreading evident.
• Presentation and referencing: Neat formatting; any research is acknowledged appropriately.

Simple rubric levels (examples)

• Excellent: Controls structure and language to fully achieve purpose; sustained development of ideas; few or no errors.
• Satisfactory: Generally clear structure and development; meaning mostly clear; some errors that do not impede understanding.
• Needs improvement: Weak structure; ideas underdeveloped; frequent errors that affect clarity.

Teaching tips and classroom supports

• Provide sentence starters and paragraph frames (PEEL: Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) for students who need structure.
• Model persuasive devices: rhetorical questions, modal verbs, emotive adjectives and specific examples when task is persuasive.
• Use exemplars from previous students or sample texts and annotate them against the success criteria.
• Differentiate: allow extended research and extra drafting time for advanced students; give structured templates and vocabulary lists for those needing support.
• Include self- and peer-assessment checklists aligned to the curriculum language so students know the learning goals.

Example brief for the student

Write a 400 to 600-word essay titled 'The School I Would Like to Attend'. Decide whether you will inform readers about the school's features or persuade them that it is the best choice. Use at least three reasons with examples, plan your essay with an outline, draft and revise based on peer feedback, and check grammar and punctuation before submission.

How this demonstrates achievement in the WA Curriculum

When students complete this task with the above teaching and assessment, they demonstrate curriculum outcomes in planning, composing and refining texts for a purpose and audience; applying knowledge of language and textual features; and undertaking research and reasoning. It also supports development of the general capabilities such as literacy and critical thinking, which are central to the Western Australian Curriculum.

If you would like, I can:

• Provide a ready-to-print task sheet and rubric mapped to specific Year 9 outcomes.
• Create exemplar paragraphs or a full model essay for students to study.
• Build a peer-feedback form aligned to the success criteria.