What Examiners Really Look for in 11+ Creative Writing — Insider Tips from a Former Journalist

I’m going to tell you something that most 11+ prep guides won’t: examiners aren’t just marking for correctness. They’re marking for impact.

Before I built 11 Plus Essay, I spent years working as a journalist and editor, reading, critiquing, and commissioning written work. And one thing that experience taught me very clearly is that the gap between writing that’s technically correct and writing that actually grips you is enormous.

Technically correct writing ticks boxes. Writing that grips the reader wins marks.

The good news: this is a teachable skill. The even better news: most children preparing for the 11+ are only being coached on the first kind, which means the ones who learn to do the second kind stand out immediately.

Here’s what examiners are genuinely looking for, from someone who has spent a career caring about exactly this.

1. An Opening That Earns Attention Immediately

Examiners read a lot of papers. A lot. Openings that begin with ‘It was a dark and stormy night’ or ‘One day, a boy named Jack…’ are not just clichéd, they signal to the examiner that what follows will be predictable.

The openings that stand out drop the reader directly into a moment, an image, or a question:

• A specific, vivid detail: “The milk had been on the doorstep for four days.”
• An action already in progress: “She was halfway down the fire escape when she heard the lock click open above her.”
• A statement that creates immediate intrigue: “The last thing my grandmother ever said to me was also the most useful.”

The rule I always come back to: your first sentence should make the reader need to read the second one.

2. A Voice That Feels Like a Real Person, Not a School Essay

This is the quality that’s hardest to define and most unmistakeable when it’s there. Voice is what makes you feel like there’s an actual human being on the other side of the page, someone with a particular way of seeing the world, a particular rhythm to their sentences, a particular relationship with the reader.

Children lose their natural voice when they’re trying to ‘write properly.’ The sentences become stiff, the vocabulary becomes overly formal, and the whole thing sounds like they’re trying to impress rather than communicate.

The trick, and this is something we actively coach, is to write with the intention of making the reader feel something. When a child is focused on that goal, their natural voice comes through. When they’re focused on impressing, it disappears.

3. Show, Don’t Tell. But Actually Understand What That Means

“Show, don’t tell” is probably the most quoted piece of writing advice in existence. It’s also the most frequently misunderstood.

It doesn’t mean never using summary or description. It means using specific, concrete details and actions to create an experience for the reader, rather than just reporting information at them.

Telling: “She was very nervous.”

Showing: “She checked her phone three times in thirty seconds, each time without really seeing what was on the screen.”

The second version creates an experience. The reader feels the nervousness rather than being told about it. That’s what examiners respond to.

4. Structure That Holds. Especially the Ending

Most children who struggle with 11+ creative writing don’t struggle with beginnings. They struggle with endings. They run out of story, or they rush to a conclusion that doesn’t earn the emotional weight they’re reaching for, or they write ‘and then he woke up and it was all a dream’ (please, never this).

A strong ending does one of two things: it resolves the tension in a way that feels satisfying, or it leaves the reader with a deliberately chosen image or thought that resonates beyond the final line. Either of these is excellent. Fizzling out is not.

We work on endings specifically in our coaching, it’s one of the highest-value skills to develop, and it’s rarely addressed in generic 11+ prep.

5. Accurate, Varied Punctuation. Used Purposefully

Punctuation in creative writing isn’t just about correctness. It’s about rhythm and pace. A string of long sentences with nothing but commas and full stops creates a flat, monotonous reading experience. Short sentences create tension. Dashes create a pause, a moment of emphasis. Ellipses create anticipation…

Children who understand how to use punctuation as a tool rather than just a rule write with noticeably more sophistication. And examiners notice it.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Understanding what examiners look for is the first step. The second step, the one that actually moves marks, is structured practice with expert feedback that applies these principles to your child’s actual writing.

That’s what our 11 Plus Essay trial course delivers. Coaching that’s grounded in exactly this kind of editorial thinking, applied directly to the creative writing demands of selective school entry.

Children don’t need more practice. They need better practice, with someone who can see what they’re doing well, what’s holding them back, and exactly how to close the gap.

Try the 11 Plus Essay Trial Course for £27Expert creative writing coaching built specifically for 11+ and selective school entry. See the quality of the teaching before you commit to anything more.Start here: millions.geekschool.co.uk/l/pdp/trial-creative-writing-course

Want to pair this with a full assessment of your child’s 11+ readiness? Book a free assessment with Geek School and get a complete picture.