Scoring a short email: content versus accuracy
A school prepares a group of 11-year-olds for A2 Key for Schools Writing Part 6. The practice prompt asks candidates to write an email to a friend, Alex, about a weekend football session. The three notes are: say if you can come, give a reason, suggest another day. Mina writes 31 words: 'Hi Alex, I can’t come Saturday because I go to my grandma. We can play Sunday? I bring ball. See you, Mina.' The teacher team is disagreeing. One teacher wants to give Content 3/5 because of the grammar errors and because the Sunday suggestion is a question, not a statement. Another wants Content 5/5 and Language 5/5 because all three notes are present. The class has 14 learners; 9 made similar tense errors, and the department wants a consistent approach before the next mock test. The coordinator asks you to judge Mina’s response against the three A2 Key Writing criteria and decide what feedback to give next lesson.
1. Give Mina a score out of 5 for Content, Organization and Language, and justify each score with evidence from her email.
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Content: 5/5. All three notes are communicated: she says she cannot come on Saturday, gives a reason (visiting her grandma), and suggests Sunday. The fact that the suggestion is phrased as a question ('We can play Sunday?') does not hide the idea; a reader can act on it. Grammar errors belong under Language, not Content, so Content 3/5 would double-penalize her.
Organization: 3/5. The message is easy to follow: greeting, refusal and reason, alternative, closing. She uses one clear connector ('because') and direct sentences. It is not 5/5 because there is little linking between the Sunday suggestion and the closing, but A2 does not require paragraphs.
Language: 3/5. Errors are noticeable: 'I go to my grandma' for 'I’m visiting my grandma', 'I bring ball' for 'I’ll bring the ball', and missing 'on' before Sunday. Meaning stays clear throughout, so 2/5 would be too harsh; 5/5 would ignore frequent A2-level tense and preposition errors. Score: 11/15, with the feedback focus on two patterns, not every slip.
2. One teacher plans to correct every error in red and ask Mina to copy the corrected email three times. Explain why this is a weak next step for A2 Key for Schools, and suggest two better feedback moves.
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Correcting every error in red and copying the email three times is weak because it treats an A2 Key for Schools writing task as a spelling-and-grammar exercise. The exam rewards communication of the notes, simple organization and language that is clear despite errors. A page of red marks can also make an 11-year-old stop taking risks with language.
Better moves: (1) Choose two high-frequency patterns only-present continuous for future arrangements ('I’m visiting my grandma') and a polite suggestion ('Shall we play on Sunday?'). Give Mina three minimal pairs to choose from, then ask her to rewrite just those two sentences. (2) Use a 'note check' routine: underline where each of the three notes is answered, then improve one sentence for clarity. Keep one positive comment about the clear content so she knows what to repeat.
3. Rewrite Mina’s email as a secure A2 response of 30-40 words that keeps her ideas and does not go beyond A2.
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One secure A2 version: 'Hi Alex, I can’t come on Saturday because I’m visiting my grandma. Shall we play on Sunday? I can bring the ball. See you, Mina.'
This keeps Mina’s ideas and length (30 words) but makes the future arrangement and the suggestion clearer. 'I’m visiting' is A2 present continuous for a future arrangement; 'Shall we...?' is a standard A2 suggestion. It does not add complex structures or new content. The model is useful on the board only if the class compares it with Mina’s version and names the two changes; otherwise learners copy it without learning the pattern.