Example sentences that reflect age-related expectations

Strand 11 – Sentence Structure and Punctuation

The sentences below were originally created using the year group criteria from the National Literacy StrategyIllustrative Target Statements for Writing. They are ambitious and represent the highest expectation for the Year Group.

Foundation Stage

Foundation Stage objectives in bold refer to the Early Learning Goals.
  • Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences sometimes using punctuation

Jack. Giant.
This is Jack.
Jack lived in a cottage in a wood.

Year 1 (1a)

  • Compose and write simple sentences independently to communicate meaning.
  • Use capital letters and full stops when punctuating simple sentences.

He lived with his mother and their cow. The cow was called Daisy.

Year 2 (2b)

  • Write simple and compound sentences and begin to use subordination in relation to time and reason.
  • Compose sentences using tense consistently (present and past).
  • Use question marks, and use commas to separate items in a list.

One morning, Jack’s mother asked him to find the cow and take her to market.
He ran into the field because that was where Daisy lived.
Jack put on his coat, his hat, his boots and led Daisy down the lane.

Where was Jack going?

Year 3 (2a)

  • Show relationships of time, reason and cause through subordination and connectives.
  • Compose sentences using adjectives, verbs and nouns for precision, clarity and impact.
  • Clarify meaning through the use of exclamation marks and speech marks.

The sun shone and the birds sang while Jack and Daisy ambled along.
Jack took off his heavy coat because it was so warm!
After a while, they met a strange looking man.

“Hello, where are you going?” asked the man.

Year 4 (3b)

  • Clarify meaning and point of view by using varied sentence structure (phrases, clauses and adverbials).
  • Use commas to mark clauses, and use the apostrophe for possession.

The sun shone and the birds sang while Jack and Daisy ambledlazilyalong.
Jack took off his heavy coat because it was so warm!
After a while, they met a strange looking man.
“Hello, where are you going?” asked the man.

Year 5 (3a/4c)

  • Adapt sentence construction to different text types, purposes and readers.
  • Punctuate sentences accurately, including using speech marks and apostrophes.

“Now, young man,”whispered the strange man,“how would you like to exchange your old cow for a handful of magic beans?"
Jack, filled with curiosity, asked the stranger about the magic beans.
Meanwhile, Jack’s mother was wondering how long it would be before he returned from market with some much-needed money.

Year 6 (4c+)

  • Express subtle distinctions of meaning, including hypothesis, speculation and supposition, by constructing sentences in varied ways.
  • Use punctuation to clarify meaning in complex sentences.

Eventually, Jack agreed to exchange the cow for the handful of magic beans, andwhistling triumphantly, he wended his way back home.
Now, reader, can you imagine the look on his mother’s face when Jack handed over the handful of beans? Yes, you’re right; she was absolutely furious and sent him straight to bed.
Puzzled and exasperated as to how she had produced such a dunce for a son, Jack’s mother tossed the beans out of the window, little knowing what was about to happen next!

Year 6 progression into Year 7

  • Extend their use and control of complex sentences by deploying subordinate clauses effectively.
  • Use punctuation to convey and clarify meaning and to integrate speech into longer sentences.
  • Use standard English confidently and consistently in formal writing, with awareness of the differences between spoken and written language structures

Waking from a troubled sleep, Jack stretched, rubbed his eyes and yawned sleepily.
“Jack!” yelled his mother, “Get your sleepy head out of your bed and come downstairs.” Jack’s mother could not believe what had happened.
Stumbling down the stairs into the kitchen, Jack gawped at the enormous beanstalk that had entwined its way up into the sky overnight.
This, as you know, dear reader, led to a chain of unexpected and exciting events.