Y07W37PA - Speaking for Someone Else

This week you'll write a short story about a character asked to speak for someone else — and who, in that moment, realises they're not sure they agree. Read the sample below, then answer the questions. Notice how the student uses narrative to show both what happens and what shifts inside the character.

Part 1

The Assessor Scorecard for

Narrative – Short story

Markers look for narrative writing that shows character, conflict, and change through chosen events — not by explaining everything. Check each strand below to see what strong work looks like.

Ideas & Content

A clear situation and a real conflict — usually inside the character. A want and something blocking it. A character who learns or changes, not just one events happen to. A dilemma rooted in what the character values.

  • Conflict: internal and real, rooted in what the character believes.

Structure & Cohesion

A clear situation that opens the story quickly. Rising tension built through events or choices. A moment of decision that the story builds toward. Action and dialogue that keep the story moving forward.

  • Momentum: each event moves the story toward the moment of decision.

Audience & Purpose

A reader pulled into the situation early. Stakes the reader can feel — why this moment matters. The world shown through the character's eyes. A reader who cares before the decision arrives.

  • Engagement: pulling the reader into the character's dilemma.

Language Choices

Concrete, specific language across the piece. Action and dialogue doing the work, not explanation. Sensory detail — what the character sees, hears, feels. No telling the reader what to think; let the story show it.

  • Showing: through action and detail, not explaining.

Conventions

Dialogue on a new line for each speaker. A comma before the closing quotation mark when a tag follows. Correct spelling and punctuation throughout. Varied sentence lengths that build pace and tension.

  • Clarity: in dialogue formatting and varied sentence structure.

Part 2

Today’s Marking Targets

Task in one sentence

Write a 342-418 word short story about a character who speaks for someone else and discovers something complicated about their own position.

Let’s Focus

Two strands matter most this week: Structure & Cohesion and Audience & Purpose. You need a shape that moves from agreement, through doubt, to a quiet turning point. You also need a reader who feels the dilemma — not one who is told about it.

Structure & Cohesion

Strong writing this week sets the situation fast, builds tension as the character stands to speak, and turns on the moment they realise they don't believe what they're about to say. The sample student moves cleanly from agreement to doubt to action. The story closes with the choice.

What markers scan for

  • A clear situation set up early.
  • Tension that builds toward a moment of decision.
  • A turning point you can see.
  • A closing that shows the character's choice or realisation.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Events appear but don't build toward a clear moment of tension or decision.

  • Strong

    Situation is clear; tension builds; turning point is visible; events connect through to the close.

  • Excellent

    Setup is immediate; tension builds steadily; turning point reveals character; closure feels earned.

Audience & Purpose

Strong writing this week pulls the reader into the character's mind early. The sample student shows hesitation before the speech, so the reader is invested when the moment comes. The stakes — loyalty against honesty — sit on the page without being explained.

What markers scan for

  • A reader drawn into the character's view early.
  • Stakes that are clear without being spelled out.
  • Emotional truth shown through action, not stated.
  • A reader who feels the dilemma from inside.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Situation is clear, but the reader doesn't feel the dilemma; relies on explanation.

  • Strong

    Reader understands the character's position; stakes are visible; story mostly shows rather than tells.

  • Excellent

    Reader is fully inside the dilemma from the start; stakes feel real; the experience is shown, not explained.

Now read · Student sample

Speaking for Someone Else

Year 7 sample · \~300 words

Student sample for assessment

Written by a Year 7 student in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Mr Harrison had asked me to speak at the school meeting about Jamal's behaviour incident. Jamal and I had been friends since primary school. He had gotten into a fight, and now a decision was being made about what would happen next. Mr Harrison thought Jamal was not totally at fault — that the other student had started it. He asked me to stand up and say I had seen what happened. I said yes. But sitting in the hall before the meeting, I felt uncertain. I had seen the start of the fight, but I had left before it ended. I remembered Jamal pushing the other student first. I had not told Mr Harrison that part. Now I was going to stand in front of the room — in front of parents, teachers, and other students — and say something that was not exactly wrong, but not exactly right either. My best friend was counting on me. When Mr Harrison nodded at me, I stood up. The room went quiet. I opened my mouth to speak. I had practiced what I would say. 'I saw Jamal being provoked,' I would say. It was true — the other student had said something nasty. But it was not the whole truth. Standing there, I realised I did not know how to say only part of the truth and feel okay about it. I could not unsee what I had actually seen. I took a breath. 'I saw the start of the fight,' I heard myself say. 'Jamal pushed first, but the other student had said something that made him really angry.' My hands were shaking. I sat down. Afterwards, Jamal would not look at me. Mr Harrison looked confused. I did not know if I had done the right thing. But I knew I had done the honest thing. And somehow, that mattered more.