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Revising for a reader
Can do: Rereads as a reader rather than the writer, and cuts, reorders and sharpens accordingly.
Why it matters
By Grade 6, first drafts are no longer good enough for the marks available. The gap between draft and final is where the grade lives.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Revision means fixing spelling; the structure and clarity of the draft are treated as fixed.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Hand back their draft. "What are the two biggest changes that would improve this?"
Solid looks like: Two structural or clarity changes, not spelling.
The full activity for this topic · 20 minutes
Read It Cold Tomorrow
- 1Leave the draft overnight. Distance is what makes revision possible.
- 2Read it aloud with a pencil and mark every place you stumble — stumbles are reader problems.
- 3Ask of each paragraph: what is this doing? Cut anything with no answer.
- 4Check the opening: does it earn the second sentence?
- 5Rewrite only the weakest paragraph rather than the whole thing.
If it's too hard
Focus only on the opening and closing sentences.
If it's too easy
Cut the piece by 20% without losing content. It always improves it.
Say this
"You stumbled reading your own sentence. That's not a reading problem — fix the sentence."