Writing is one of the most demanding tasks we ask pupils to do. It requires working memory, motor skills, attention, planning, vocabulary knowledge, handwriting fluency, grammar, sequencing, imagination, and emotional resilience — all at the same time. So when a pupil struggles with writing, it doesn’t mean they’re “behind,” “careless,” or “not trying.” It usually means that one (or more) of these foundations needs support.
The challenge for teachers is to give pupils the help they need without reducing the depth of learning or lowering expectations. Support should open access, not remove challenge. In other words: make the task doable — not smaller.
This guide explores clear, research-informed ways to support struggling writers in both primary and secondary classrooms while keeping standards high. It includes real examples, insights from cognitive science, and links to helpful resources such as Improving Focus in the Classroom and How to Teach Working Memory Strategies.
Why Writing Is So Hard for Some Pupils
A surprising number of pupils can verbally explain ideas brilliantly — but freeze when they have to write. This gap often comes from competing demands. As one Year 6 pupil once said:
“I know what I want to say, but I can’t get my hand to keep up with my brain.”
Writing is not a single skill. It is a chain of many different processes. For some pupils, handwriting is slow and tiring. For others, working memory is easily overloaded: they think of a sentence, then lose it while trying to remember spelling or punctuation. Some pupils struggle with organisation — they don’t know how to start or structure their ideas. Others feel anxious about writing because past experiences have been difficult.
Understanding this complexity helps teachers respond with compassion and precision.
Start by Making the Thinking Visible
When a pupil struggles with writing, the biggest barrier is often invisible: they are trying to plan, organise, phrase, spell, punctuate, and handwrite all at once. A powerful way to help is to separate these steps.
In a Year 4 classroom, a teacher noticed that a boy named Adam produced almost nothing during writing lessons. When she sat beside him and asked him to explain his ideas out loud, he spoke in vivid detail. The issue wasn’t imagination — it was cognitive overload.
She started using quick oral rehearsals before writing. Adam rehearsed his sentence out loud, repeated it once more, then wrote. Within a few weeks, he began producing full paragraphs for the first time all year.
This approach works for secondary too. A Year 9 English teacher had her class “say it before they write it” when tackling analytical writing. Pupils who usually wrote short, vague answers began producing clearer, more confident sentences simply because the planning happened aloud rather than silently in overworked memory.
Use Modelling as a Bridge, Not a Crutch
Modelling is one of the most effective ways to support struggling writers. When pupils watch a teacher construct a sentence, choose vocabulary, or structure a paragraph, they no longer need to juggle all the steps mentally.
The key is to model thinking, not just writing.
A powerful modelling session sounds like:
-
“I want to start with a feeling, but I also want it to connect to the setting…”
-
“This sentence is too long. I’m going to break it into two.”
-
“I like this word, but it doesn’t fit the tone. Let’s choose something more precise.”
This slows down the cognitive process so pupils can actually follow it.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommends modelling as a high-impact, low-cost strategy — especially for writing:
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation
When done well, modelling frees pupils to learn the craft of writing while still tackling challenging content.
Provide Scaffolds, Not Simplifications
Scaffolds help pupils access the full complexity of a task — without removing challenge.
A scaffold might be:
-
a planning frame
-
partial sentences or “sentence stems”
-
an example paragraph to learn from
-
a structure strip beside the writing book
-
highlighted keywords
-
a verbal rehearsal routine
-
a quick checklist for self-review
But the aim of a scaffold is always independence. It’s about supporting the climb, not carrying the pupil to the top.
A Year 8 history teacher found that pupils struggled to write analytical paragraphs. Instead of lowering expectations, she created a structure strip that sat beside their exercise books:
-
Point
-
Evidence
-
Explanation
-
Link
Within a term, pupils were writing clearer, stronger arguments — and many no longer needed the strip at all.
Reduce Working Memory Load Without Dumbing Down the Content
Writing puts huge pressure on working memory. Spelling, handwriting, grammar, vocabulary retrieval, and idea generation often compete with each other.
To help, teachers can reduce pressure on working memory without reducing the complexity of the task.
For example:
-
Let pupils use word banks or topic vocabulary lists.
-
Allow speech-to-text tools for longer tasks.
-
Teach pupils to draft ideas first, refine later.
-
Provide key information visually so they don’t need to remember every detail.
For deeper insight into this area, teachers may find How to Teach Working Memory Strategies
especially helpful.
A Year 10 teacher once let a pupil dictate the first draft of his history essay using speech-to-text. The ideas were rich — richer than he had ever written by hand. Later, he edited the typed text for grammar and structure. The expectations stayed high; only the method changed.
Allow Oral Rehearsal Before Written Output
Oral rehearsal is one of the most underrated writing supports.
When pupils speak a sentence before writing, they mentally organise it, test vocabulary, and solidify meaning. This removes the uncertainty that often leads to hesitation or minimal writing.
In a Year 2 class, pupils used whisper phones — small plastic tubes that amplify their own voice — during writing time. Children who struggled with sentence construction suddenly had clearer, more confident ideas because they could “hear” their sentence before writing it. It was transformative.
In secondary, a teacher might encourage quick partner talk:
“Before you write your analysis, tell your partner your idea in one sentence.”
This single step often doubles the quality of written answers.
Break Writing Into Stages Without Lowering the Bar
Pupils who struggle often feel overwhelmed because they cannot see the path from idea to finished piece. Breaking writing into stages helps them access the full challenge one step at a time.
Instead of asking for a full paragraph at once, teachers might guide pupils through:
-
generating ideas
-
selecting the strongest ones
-
crafting a single sentence
-
combining sentences
-
then building a paragraph
But each stage still aims for the same high-quality end goal.
A secondary teacher described this well:
“I didn’t lower the expectation. I just organised the journey.”
Strengthen Writing Through Reading and Retrieval
Writing is built on stored knowledge. The more pupils read, discuss, and retrieve ideas, the more words, structures, and patterns they can draw upon.
Short retrieval activities at the start of lessons can be powerful:
-
“Tell me one technique the author used yesterday.”
-
“What do we know about the character so far?”
-
“Recall the steps of the writing process.”
When pupils retain knowledge more easily, writing becomes far less cognitively overwhelming.
Create an Emotional Climate Where Pupils Feel Safe to Write
Writing is personal. Pupils often fear making mistakes, producing “bad” work, or being judged. If anxiety rises, writing quality drops immediately — because anxiety drains working memory.
A teacher’s tone matters:
-
“Let’s try the first sentence together.”
-
“You’ve got strong ideas — let’s get them down one step at a time.”
-
“Mistakes mean your brain is learning.”
When pupils feel safe, they write more. When they write more, they improve more.
For broader support with classroom regulation, teachers may find Improving Focus in the Classroom useful.
When Writing Struggles Are a Sign of Something More
Some pupils struggle with writing because of:
-
dyslexia
-
ADHD
-
dyspraxia
-
language processing differences
-
sensory needs
-
trauma or anxiety
-
slow processing speed
In these cases, writing support is essential — not optional. It doesn’t lower standards; it provides access.
For ADHD-specific insight, you may also find Recognising Early Signs of ADHD helpful.
A GP, SENCo, or specialist can help identify whether additional assessment would be beneficial. Early support often leads to significant gains.
Final Thoughts
Supporting pupils who struggle with writing doesn’t mean watering down learning.
It means teaching in a way that respects how the brain works.
When teachers model clearly, use scaffolds, reduce working-memory load, encourage oral rehearsal, and build emotional safety, pupils don’t just “manage” writing — they grow into confident, capable writers who can express their ideas authentically and powerfully.
High expectations and high support can, and should, exist together.
