Year 3 Writing Report Comments — Examples & Templates
Year 3 marks the start of Key Stage 2, and writing expectations take a significant step up. Children are expected to use paragraphs, write in a joined handwriting style, and begin using a wider range of conjunctions and sentence types. Here are example comments and guidance to help you write meaningful, curriculum-aligned reports.
Composition and Effect
Confident: Maisie writes with enthusiasm and creativity. She plans her writing carefully, organising her ideas into paragraphs, and she is developing a strong sense of audience. Her story writing is particularly impressive — she uses descriptive language effectively and creates engaging openings that draw the reader in.
Developing: Jack is beginning to organise his writing into paragraphs, though he sometimes forgets to start a new one when changing topic. He has good ideas and is learning to develop them more fully. Practising planning before writing is helping him structure his work more effectively.
Working towards: Lily finds sustained writing challenging and benefits from scaffolded support such as writing frames and word banks. She is making progress in writing simple sentences independently and we are working on extending these using conjunctions like “because” and “so.”
Grammar and Punctuation
Confident: Aiden uses capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks accurately and consistently. He is beginning to use inverted commas for speech and can identify and use expanded noun phrases to add detail to his writing.
Greater depth: Poppy demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of grammar for her age. She uses a range of conjunctions (when, if, because, although) to create complex sentences, and her use of fronted adverbials adds variety and interest to her writing.
Handwriting and Presentation
Confident: Alfie has developed a neat, joined handwriting style. His letters are consistently formed and sized, and his work is well-presented. He takes pride in the appearance of his writing, which makes it a pleasure to read.
Developing: Zainab is practising joining her handwriting and is making good progress. Some letter joins are becoming more consistent, though she occasionally reverts to printing when writing at speed. Regular handwriting practice will help embed these patterns.
Spelling
Example: Harriet spells most Year 3 common exception words accurately and applies phonics knowledge when attempting unfamiliar words. She is beginning to use prefixes such as “un-,” “dis-” and “re-” correctly and enjoys learning new spelling patterns.
Tips for Year 3 Writing Comments
- Mention the transition to KS2: Parents appreciate knowing how their child is adjusting to higher expectations.
- Be specific about grammar: “Uses expanded noun phrases” is more useful than “good grammar.”
- Address handwriting honestly: Year 3 is when joined writing becomes the expectation. If a child is struggling, say so gently with a clear next step.
- Celebrate creativity: Writing is about ideas as well as technical accuracy. Acknowledge imagination and voice.
See our Year 3 Writing comment bank for more examples. Reportify can generate personalised writing comments for your whole class in minutes.