New on Atom: instantly marked creative writing for ages 7–11

Creative writing is a valuable skill for every child. It helps children organise their thoughts, express big ideas, and bring their imagination to life. Now, they can develop that skill on Atom Home.

Whether your child is preparing for the creative writing section of the 11+ or building skills that support learning across all subjects, Atom’s new creative writing practice tests are here to help.

It’s a first-of-its-kind feature for children aged 7–11, and is only available on Atom.

Read on to see how it works and why it’s such a useful tool for your child’s learning.

Why creative writing matters

Creative writing isn’t just about crafting stories. It builds clear thinking, strong vocabulary, confident communication and the ability to use language with purpose and precision. These are skills that support every subject at school and stay with your child for life.

If they’re applying to selective schools, they may need to complete a creative writing task as part of their entrance exam. You can read more about which grammar schools test creative writing here.

Examiners want to see how well your child can:

• Engage the reader with original ideas
• Organise their writing clearly
• Use strong vocabulary and vivid imagery
• Write clearly, using correct grammar and punctuation

Mastering creative writing plays an important role in your child’s exam success, but the benefits go far beyond the test itself. These are lifelong communication skills that set the foundation for future academic success and help children express themselves with confidence.

Creative writing on Atom: what to expect

Creative writing on Atom is designed to be simple, effective and confidence-boosting. 

Here’s what your child can expect:

Modelled on the top UK exams

Each test includes a creative writing prompt inspired by the types of tasks children may encounter in grammar and independent school entrance exams. 

These include:

• Continuing a short story based on a paragraph of narrative text
• Describing a place or a situation
• Writing a letter or an article to persuade the reader to feel a certain way
• Writing their own short story based on some bullet points for guidance
• Writing their own descriptive or narrative piece based on a picture

They’re also a great way to explore ideas and practise writing independently, whether you’re preparing for the 11+ or looking to strengthen a valuable skill.

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Instantly marked

Once your child submits their writing, Atom gets to work straight away. Results are available instantly, with no marking needed from you.

Every response is assessed using marking criteria developed by teachers and examiners, closely aligned with 11+ and independent school mark schemes. This means your child’s writing is reviewed in the same way it would be in a real exam.

The feedback is built on expert insight into what top schools are looking for, giving your child clear, consistent guidance that reflects their ability and supports real progress.

Detailed feedback

Your child’s answer is scored out of 20 across three key areas:

• Content & structure (8 marks)

Marks are awarded for clear organisation, logical flow, and engaging ideas that suit the task.

• Language & imagery (7 marks)

Focuses on vocabulary choice, description, and imaginative use of language to create effect.

• Sentence control & accuracy (5 marks)

This covers sentence construction, punctuation, spelling, and overall clarity of writing.

They’ll also see a breakdown of time spent, and can review their response with a clear explanation of where marks were awarded and how they can improve next time.

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The creative writing tool families have been waiting for

For many families, creative writing has been the missing piece, a topic that is hard to practise at home, and even harder to mark confidently.

Now, Atom offers a simpler, smarter way to support your child’s writing.

Your child can log in, choose one of the creative writing tests and get started right away. Whether they’re describing a mysterious forest or the moment they turned invisible, they’ll be building essential skills while having fun.

And for you, it’s one less thing to worry about. No planning or marking. Just clear, reliable feedback to support your child’s progress.

Ready to try it out?

You’ll find creative writing tests in the target school section of your child’s Atom account. Whether it’s their first go or they’re preparing for an upcoming assessment, it’s a simple, supportive way to build confidence, creativity and writing skills that last.

Not using Atom yet? Now’s the perfect time to explore how we can support your child’s learning. 

With automatically marked creative writing, adaptive practice across core subjects and expert guidance built in, Atom helps your child feel prepared and empowered every step of the way.

Discover what your child can achieve with the right support behind them.