This week you wrote an informative guide on preparing for a school presentation, drawing on your own experience. Now you'll read another student's guide and decide how strong it is. Looking at someone else's work sharpens what you spot — and gives you moves to use in your own writing.
Ideas & Content
Practical, specific content — real steps, concrete examples, clear explanations.
Information matched to what the reader actually needs.
No vague advice that adds no real value.
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Selection: only the most relevant and useful information earns its place.
Structure & Cohesion
Strong writing this week moves logically from what preparation involves, through common problems, to what makes the difference. Sentences signal what's coming next — not just paragraph breaks. Each transition guides the reader smoothly from one stage to the next.
What markers scan for
- Clear progression across the whole guide.
- Transitions that signal what's coming, not just breaks.
- Each section connects naturally to the next.
- No abrupt topic shifts or out-of-order ideas.
Score Bands
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Basic
Advice is present but unsequenced; reads as a list without clear direction.
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Strong
Sections are logically ordered and connected, with transitions guiding the reader through each stage.
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Excellent
Sections build with care; each transition reinforces the advice at every stage.
Language Choices
Strong writing this week names exactly what to practise and how to check you're ready. Weak writing leans on vague instructions — "go over your notes," "make it good" — that name an action without showing how to do it well.
What markers scan for
- Verbs precise enough to follow without guessing.
- Nouns that name exactly what to act on.
- No repeated vague phrasing across the guide.
- Each instruction makes the action clear.
Score Bands
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Basic
General instruction language throughout — actions named but not made precise.
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Strong
Mostly specific vocabulary, with verbs and nouns that make advice practical.
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Excellent
Precise language across the guide — no step or instruction left vague.
Student sample for assessment
Written by a Year 7 student in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Preparing for a school presentation takes more effort than most students expect. The ones who do well are almost always the ones who approach it in a clear order. There are three main things to think about: getting your content sorted, working on how you will deliver it and handling what can go wrong. The first thing to do is get your content together. Go over your notes and try to get comfortable with what you are going to say. Once that feels okay, you can work on your slides or palm cards and make sure they have the right information on them. After your content is ready, you should shift your focus to practising how you will deliver it. This is where a lot of students fall short — they do not practise enough out loud, and then when they stand in front of the class, things do not go as well as they hoped. Practising is really important. The next thing to think about is what tends to go wrong. Most problems happen because of nerves or not being prepared enough. Going too fast is a common one — it happens when you are nervous and makes it hard for the audience to follow along. Forgetting your points is another, and so is not speaking clearly enough for people at the back of the room. These things are a lot easier to handle if you have done enough preparation beforehand. The last stage is doing a run-through the night before. Go through everything at least a couple of times so you feel ready. If you do this, you will be in a much better position when the day actually comes.
