In response to the STA’s drive to ensure pupils are able to write coherent narratives and non-fiction, The Literacy Company have created this ‘Assessing Coherent Narratives and Non-Fiction’ document to support teachers in assessing coherence. This resource contains the guidance for year 1 only.

What is coherence?

Coherence involves word, sentence and text level features. The writing is understandable, and each part connects or follows naturally. The reader should be able to follow a coherent piece of writing easily without anything jarring or throwing you out of the writing.

The document details what coherent writing should look like for pupils working towards the expected standard, working at the expected standard and working at greater depth within the expected standard for each year group. It can be used across the year to identify next steps for pupils or can support judgements for the end of year assessment.