What are broad features of assessment in literacy and English?

(This section should be read alongside the advice for literacy.)

Assessment in literacy and English will focus on the responses of children and young people to the language and to the ideas and information that they find in texts, and on the development and application of their skills in listening and talking, reading and writing.

Teachers will see evidence of their progress through children and young people’s growing skills in communicating their thinking and using language appropriately for different purposes and audiences. Much of the evidence will be gathered as part of day-to-day learning. The use of specific assessment tasks is also important to provide evidence of progress, particularly at transitions.

Assessment of progress in literacy and English will focus on judgements about the success of children and young people in developing key literacy and English language skills and applying their skills in their learning and in their daily lives and in preparing for the world of work. For example:

• How well are they communicating with confidence to suit their purpose and audience and showing increasing awareness of others in interactions?
• How does their confidence in listening and talking help their personal development, social skills and ability to solve problems?
• To what extent are they exploring and enjoying fiction and non-fiction texts of increasing depth, complexity and variety and making increasingly sophisticated personal responses?
• How well do they engage with challenging issues raised in texts?

Long-term success in using literacy and English is closely linked to learners’ motivation and capacity to engage with and complete tasks and assignments. For this reason, it is important to observe and discuss their enthusiasm for stories, poetry and prose, their interest in words, their preferences in reading, and their enthusiasm for sharing experiences through talk and writing. Their progress can be seen, for example, in their increasingly creative use of language and their developing appreciation of literature and culture.