Example - this is what you get
A sample marked test
Below is a real example of the prompt, a student response, and the full marking against the NSW Selective criteria - score, per-criterion breakdown, tutor feedback, and how to approach the topic. Your own tests are marked exactly like this.
Persuasive · the topic
Homework Should Be Banned
Some people believe homework should be banned in primary schools. Write a persuasive piece arguing for or against this idea, using reasons and examples to convince your reader.
Persuasive · Homework Should Be Banned
Band 5
A mature, well-argued persuasive piece that states its position clearly and defends it with genuinely thoughtful reasons. Structure and control are its real strengths; a little more ambitious vocabulary and one more original idea would push it into Band 6.
Feedback from your tutor
You already argue with real control - the fairness paragraph is excellent. The single fastest way to lift your mark is vocabulary: pick two or three plain words each time (like 'harm' or 'good') and upgrade them to something sharper and more specific. Do that and this is a Band 6 piece.
How to approach a topic like this
For any persuasive prompt, first decide your position in ten seconds and commit - markers reward a clear stance, not a fence-sit. Then jot your two or three strongest reasons and the single best example for each before you write a word. Structure it as: hook + position → your strongest argument → your next argument → one paragraph that admits the other side and knocks it down → a short, memorable conclusion. Spend your last two minutes upgrading weak words and checking punctuation, not adding new ideas.
Set A - Content, Form, Organisation & Style
13/15Strong, thoughtful arguments - the fairness point ('one noisy table with three siblings') is genuinely insightful rather than generic. A little more unexpected detail would lift this to full marks.
Takes a clear position in the opening line and sustains it, using the conventions of persuasive writing (position, arguments, concession, conclusion) accurately.
Excellently organised: signposted arguments ('Firstly', 'Secondly'), a genuine concession-and-rebuttal paragraph, and a conclusion that returns to the thesis without merely repeating it.
Confident, controlled voice with some lovely phrasing ('the kind of curiosity no worksheet has ever managed to spark'). A few more precise, ambitious word choices would push it higher.
Set B - Sentences, Punctuation & Spelling
8/10Good mix of long, complex sentences and shorter punchy ones. Vary your paragraph openings a little more - two begin with 'Secondly'/'Some argue' which is fine, but the very first words are doing a lot of work.
Accurate throughout - dashes and commas are used deliberately and correctly, including in the more complex sentences.
Spelling is secure, including ambitious words like 'frustration' and 'curiosity'. Reach for a few more challenging words to show your full range.
What went well
- Clear, confident thesis stated in the opening line and sustained to the end.
- A real concession-and-rebuttal paragraph - a hallmark of top persuasive writing.
- Memorable closing image that reinforces the argument rather than just restating it.
How to score higher
- Add one more original or unexpected argument to lift Ideas into Band 6.
- Reach for a few more ambitious, precise words to widen your vocabulary range.
- Vary how your paragraphs open so the structure feels a touch less formulaic.
Your writing
208 wordsShould homework be banned in primary schools? I believe it should, because the harm it does quietly outweighs the good everyone assumes it brings. Firstly, homework steals the hours children need to simply be children. After six hours at a desk, a ten-year-old deserves to run, read for pleasure, or help cook dinner - not battle another worksheet while the light fades outside. Secondly, homework is deeply unfair. A child with a quiet room and a parent who can explain fractions will always finish ahead of a child sharing one noisy table with three siblings. School should close that gap, not widen it at home each night. Some argue homework builds discipline and prepares students for high school. There is a grain of truth here, but discipline can be built in the classroom, where a teacher is present to guide it - not alone at a kitchen bench where frustration teaches the opposite lesson. For these reasons, primary homework causes more harm than good. Let teachers set rich, focused work during school hours, and let the evening belong to families, rest, and the kind of curiosity no worksheet has ever managed to spark.
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