Guess the age of the child that wrote this

[Cortina]

My niece wrote this at school. What would you gauge her 'writing age' to be from this ( admittedly isolated) example?:

With a good ten minutes to spare I settled myself down in a corner seat on a train to London, and for a time it looked as if my only companion was to be an old lady. Then, almost at the last moment, a man and a girl hurried up the platform. The man pushed the girl into the carriage and threw her case in just after her. "Only just in time!" He said angrily. "And now, don't lose this one!" Besides a flush and tightly pressed lips the girl took no notice, leaving the ticket where he flung it in her lap. The man said a cold goodbye and walked off. The girl didn't look at him as the train drew off from the station.

at innate talent re the other thread.

The reason I said 10 is because my DD could write in a similar way at aged 11/12 and I thought you were boasting so went a little younger. I would wait until end of year tests results them query about the bottom group. I would say she is in the wrong group and hope the teacher can see this.

My Mum's just given me all of my old writing books from school. Shall I copy some out for you? Not to guess the age but to wonder why social services weren't called?

I love it when a child enjoys something like writing and it's brilliant how what they've been reading is reflected in the style of writing. We're reading Narnia to dd atm and she's taken to saying 'dry up' to people.

The girl in question sounds like she enjoys writing and to a pretty good standard for her age. But I don't know much about schools these days and whether ability to write a story, particularly aping a certain style she's used to, is an indicator of other skills within an English classroom framework.

Well I think it's really impressive writing, especially for an 11 year old.

The first thing that struck me was the lack of paragraphs really. There's also a couple commas missing, both are things that dd2's teacher had mentioned as an improvement she could aim for at SATS. (Year 2)
There are certain things that automatically mark you down, and I wonder whether that may be holding her back. Dd2's teacher remarked the previous parents' evening, that although her writing should get her a level 3, if she forgot, as she sometimes did when writing, to do full stops and capital letters it would mark her down to 1a (or something I can't remember what) even if the rest of it was brilliant.
I think the punctuation round the speech is incorrect according to what I remember dd1 doing last term. She's year 5, (mixed ability group) and they spent some weeks doing exercises round speech punctuation.
I'm not trying to pick it apart, just suggesting why it may not score as well as it looks like it should.

Having spent many years teaching in Year 6 and seeing the poor standard of written English that is out there, I would say that the bottom set in Year 7 is not the place for the child who wrote that piece.

Squidgy and Cubria - I agree - and I don't understandy why everyone seems to be trying to put it down. Okay, I have boys not girls, but would be beside myself with joy if my 11 year old wote like this.

11/12

16

the content, punctuation and syntax is very good

I guess in reality much younger

It does however sound rather copied [sorry]

At face value I would have said 13.

I would think 13-14, too, and trying hard at that.
DD is said to be advanced at literacy & would not write like that. She has a 9yo friend (HEdd) who might, though.

I think your niece is very talented. I would have thought about 14. I note a lot of posters say aged 8 or 9, but I find that hard to believe and can't believe they really think that.

She can definitely write - I want to know what happens next!

Jeez you lot are mean! Assuming it is her own work, I think it is very good, especially for a Y7.

Very that your average 9 year old would write like that. I remember in my comp school at 9 most of the class had to be encouraged to 'use more describing words' and not to forget the capital letters.

I think it's great. It seems like she reads a lot!

No way could my 13yo DSDs write anything like that. There is no incentive for them to in school, no challenge, no inspiration.

It is similar in style to how DD2 (8 yr3) writes, but she is classed as highly gifted in literacy. I would have guessed no older than 10/11, mainly through lack of paragraphs.

I showed it to both DDs.
DD1 (13, yr9) who struggles with creative writing, though is in top set English thought it was someone her age or a little younger.

DD2 said she could write better (big head)

Yes, definitely flag it up. If she only writes in this style, then she's got a bit to learn, but if she can write in the range of styles then she's top set, not bottom set material.

DD was writing similar at age 9/10. But she is top in English at a superselective private and her teacher describes her as outstandingly gifted in creative writing.

No way would an average 9yo be writing this. Those posters who said that are being deliberately provocative, I feel.

At an average comp, I would expect her to be in top set in y7 with writing like this. Even if there are issues with other areas of her English, a good teacher should definitely be able to get a DC who can produce work like this up to a top standard in all areas of English.

Punctuation and grammar rules are easily learned, innate creative ability like this isn't.

Aaaaa - but Cortina believes everything is easily learned (there's no such thing as talent) - it's just a matter of how much time you spend on it.......

cortina It sounds very much like a plagarised piece and not an origonal piece at all- sorry I really do not mean to offend. It reads like a lifted piece from an old jolly story.

However her punctuation, syntax and ability to recall and then rewrite something she has read is good. I would still be wondering why she is in the bottom set for sure.

How is her other forms of writing- argeumentaitve, discursive and report?

An avid reader is usually a good writer, so definately worth a chat with the teacher, and also I would want to see her work and how is compares to her peers.

Maybe she was writing 'in the style of.....'

It is very difficult to say-someone who is widely read, I would expect it to be 11yrs or up but it wouldn't surprise me if they were 7 and up.

Probably at the youngr end, if it was set out exactly as you copied it, without a new line for speech.

If it's an exercise book, it could be dictation.

They used to get us to do dictation at my secondary school (not that long ago) to check we were in the right sets - ie in terms of spelling/grammar.

Lack of paragraphs struck me-so probably junior school.

Indigo, I am not sure what I think to be honest, I do believe we are often capable of more than we know and others might dictate. Only today I was reading that a teacher had decided a boy was 'a natural grade D student'. Surely if you can get a D you can get a C? I think it's curious so many believe you are either a high, middle or low ability child and that's pretty much set in stone.

Are you going to tell us now?