Preparing for the 7+ exams can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to the creative writing component. Schools such as King’s College School and Westminster Under School expect children to produce well-structured, imaginative stories with accurate spelling, punctuation and neat handwriting.

If you’re a parent searching for 7+ creative writing tips, how to improve your child’s creative writing, or how to prepare for 7+ English, this guide provides clear, practical strategies you can start using today at home.

1. Teach a Clear Story Structure (A Must for 7+ Creative Writing Exams)

One of the biggest challenges for children aged 5–7 is writing a story that has a beginning, middle and end. Examiners reward children who can organise their ideas clearly.

How to help your child with story structure:

• Use a simple planning model such as a 'story mountain' or 'Somebody–Wanted–But–So–Then'. This helps children write logical, coherent stories something examiners at highly academic schools admire.

• Encourage oral storytelling first. Many children can say a great story before they can write one.

• Focus on one main event. Overly complicated stories lose marks

2. Build a Strong 7+ Vocabulary (WOW Words for Higher Marks)

A rich vocabulary helps children stand out in competitive 7+ English exams. The goal is not “long words” but precise, powerful vocabulary children can use confidently.

How to improve vocabulary for the 7+ exam:

• Create a Wow Word Wall at home with exciting verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Words like tempestuous, glistening, darted and whispered impress.

• Use bedtime stories as teaching moments. Pause and ask: “What does this word mean? Could we use it in our story?”

• Practise synonyms for common words such as big, said, went and happy.

• Practice verbal reasoning regularly as a way to expand vocabulary.

3. Strengthen Grammar Skills (Essential for Top 7+ Scores)

Grammar is often the hidden reason children lose marks in creative writing tasks.

At-home grammar tips for 7+ preparation:

• Teach children to write a mix of simple and complex sentences.

• Use conjunction cards with words like because, although, when and if.

• Encourage children to vary sentence openers to avoid repetitive writing. Children often start sentences with 'The', 'He' or 'His' but there are so many other options. Use fronted adverbials to vary their sentence starters.

4. Master Punctuation (A Quick Way to Impress 7+ Examiners)

Good punctuation shows accuracy and focus. Two qualities selective schools value highly.

Easy ways to improve punctuation for the 7+ exam:

• Practise the essentials: capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks, exclamation marks and speech marks.

• Turn punctuation practice into a game: let your child “fix” a messy paragraph.

• Teach them to pause after each paragraph and check whether it makes sense.

5. Improve Handwriting for the 7+ Exam (Neatness = Higher Marks)

Neat handwriting doesn’t just “look good” it directly affects marks because examiners must be able to read every word easily given they are marking hundreds of papers.

Handwriting tips for 7+ preparation:

• Make sure your child uses a correct tripod pencil grip.

• Practise handwriting regularly. Neat presentation is a habit

• Use lined paper similar to 7+ exam booklets.

6. Support Your Child’s Spelling (A Key 7+ Assessment Skill)

Many children lose marks for simple spelling mistakes even when their stories are excellent.

Ways to improve spelling for the 7+ exam:

• Focus on common 7+ spelling patterns: –ing, –ed, –ful, –ly, etc.

• Practise high-frequency tricky words: because, friend, enough and more.

• Use the Look–Say–Cover–Write–Check method.

7. Practical At-Home Activities to Boost Creative Writing Ability

Parents often ask us “How can I help my child with creative writing at home?” Here are tried-and-tested ideas:

• 10-minute writing bursts keep children focused without feeling overwhelmed.

• Model writing yourself to show how you plan, draft and edit.

• Use real 7+ creative writing prompts including picture prompts, titles, and opening lines.

• Always give one positive comment before one improvement point. Try using 'even better if' rather than 'but' when giving feedback.

• Practise improving sentences from the very simple to complex. You can find our 7+ creative writing exercises here.

Final Thoughts: Helping Your Child Succeed in the 7+ Creative Writing Exam

Creative writing success at 7+ is built on clear structure, strong vocabulary, accurate spelling and punctuation, and neat handwriting. With steady practice and supportive guidance at home, your child can approach the 7+ English exam with confidence.

If you like more tailored advice based on your child's current writing, we would be happy to help. Contact us using the form on our website.