Writing - Transcription (Spelling)

Teach spelling through phoneme segmentation — children say the word, identify each phoneme, and write the corresponding grapheme. Use phoneme frames and say-the-sounds mats. Begin with CVC words and progress to words with digraphs, adjacent consonants and longer structures. Encourage 'have a go' spelling using phonic knowledge rather than asking an adult for every word. Practise regular dictation of words and sentences using GPCs that have been taught.

Children may represent only the most prominent sounds in a word, omitting unstressed vowels or consonants in clusters (e.g., writing 'grl' for 'girl'). They may use letter names rather than phonemes when segmenting. Some children use a plausible but incorrect grapheme for a phoneme (e.g., 'rane' for 'rain') — this shows good phonic application and should be praised before teaching the correct spelling.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach Year 1 and Year 2 exception word spellings through daily practice using look-say-cover-write-check routines. Highlight the 'tricky' part of each word that does not follow phonics rules (e.g., the 'o' in 'one', the 'w' in 'two'). Display exception words prominently and refer to them during writing. Group exception words by common features where possible (e.g., words with 'ould': could, would, should). Assess regularly through dictation and ensure children can spell these words in their independent writing.

Children often spell exception words phonetically (e.g., 'sed' for 'said', 'woz' for 'was') because their phonic knowledge overrides the irregular spelling. They may learn to read exception words but not be able to spell them from memory. Some children assume all frequently used words have tricky spellings, failing to recognise that many common words are fully decodable.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Introduce common suffixes systematically: -s, -es, -ing, -ed, -er, -est, -ly, -ful, -less, -ment, -ness. Teach the spelling rules that apply when adding suffixes (e.g., doubling the final consonant, dropping the final 'e', changing 'y' to 'i'). Use root word + suffix activities where children physically combine word cards. Teach the meaning each suffix adds (e.g., -er means 'more', -est means 'most', -ful means 'full of'). Ensure children practise using suffixed words in their writing.

Children frequently forget to apply spelling rules when adding suffixes (e.g., writing 'hopeing' instead of 'hoping' or 'runing' instead of 'running'). They may not recognise that the root word is preserved within the suffixed form. Some children add suffixes incorrectly to exception words (e.g., 'goed' for 'went').

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Introduce the concept of a prefix as a group of letters added to the front of a word that changes its meaning. At KS1, the most common prefix is 'un-' (undo, unhappy, unfair, unlock). Teach children that the prefix changes the meaning to the opposite. Use matching activities: pair words with their 'un-' form. Show that the spelling of the root word does not change when a prefix is added. This lays the foundation for the wider range of prefixes taught in KS2.

Children may confuse prefixes with the first letters of a word, thinking that any word beginning with 'un' has a prefix (e.g., 'under', 'uncle'). They may struggle to understand that 'un-' reverses meaning without changing the root word's spelling. Some children try to add 'un-' to words where it does not apply.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach root words as the base from which other words are built. Show children that adding suffixes or prefixes to a root word creates new words in the same word family (e.g., help → helps, helped, helping, helpful, unhelpful). Use word-building activities with cards or magnetic letters. When children encounter unfamiliar words in reading, prompt them to look for a root word they recognise. Display word families on classroom walls.

Children sometimes identify a root word incorrectly by removing letters that are actually part of the base word (e.g., thinking 'butter' is 'butt' + 'er'). They may not realise that the root word carries the core meaning. Some children confuse root words with rhyming words or words that share initial letters.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach the rules for forming plurals systematically: add -s to most nouns (cat/cats), add -es to words ending in s, sh, ch, x, z (box/boxes, church/churches), change -y to -ies when 'y' follows a consonant (baby/babies), and some irregular plurals (child/children, mouse/mice). Use sorting activities where children categorise words by their plural rule. Practise both reading and spelling plurals. Connect to grammar work on singular and plural nouns.

Children often apply the default -s rule to all words (e.g., 'boxs', 'churchs'). They may not change 'y' to 'i' before adding -es (e.g., 'babys'). Irregular plurals cause particular difficulty because they cannot be generated by rule (e.g., children may write 'mouses', 'sheeps', 'childs').

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach contractions by showing that the apostrophe represents the missing letter(s). Start with common contractions that children encounter frequently: can't (cannot), don't (do not), I'm (I am), it's (it is), didn't (did not), won't (will not). Use physical demonstrations: write both words, then show which letters are removed and replaced by the apostrophe. Display a contractions chart showing the full form and the shortened form side by side.

Children frequently place the apostrophe in the wrong position because they do not understand it marks where letters have been removed. They may confuse contractions with possessives (e.g., mixing up 'it's' and 'its'). Some children omit apostrophes entirely when writing contractions or insert them randomly into words.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Introduce the possessive apostrophe with singular nouns in Year 2. Teach that the apostrophe + s shows that something belongs to someone or something (e.g., 'the girl's bag' means the bag belonging to the girl). Use physical objects and labels to practise: hold up an item and ask 'Whose is this?' then write the possessive form. Contrast with plural -s to make the distinction clear. Practise in the context of sentence writing.

Children frequently confuse the possessive apostrophe with the plural -s, omitting the apostrophe entirely or adding one to all words ending in -s. They may place the apostrophe after the 's' even for singular nouns. The distinction between 'the dog's bone' (possessive) and 'the dogs run' (plural) is a persistent source of error throughout primary school.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach homophones at KS1 by focusing on common pairs that children encounter in their reading and writing: there/their/they're, to/too/two, here/hear, see/sea, be/bee, no/know, right/write, night/knight, blue/blew. Present each pair with clear definitions, pictures, and example sentences. Use fill-in-the-gap activities where children choose the correct homophone for the sentence. Display homophone pairs on a working wall.

Children commonly confuse 'there', 'their' and 'they're' because they sound identical. They may not understand why English has words that sound the same but are spelt differently. Some children learn one spelling and use it for all meanings. The apostrophe in 'they're' adds an additional complication.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.

Teach spelling patterns and rules explicitly within the phonics programme and beyond. Key KS1 patterns include: the /dʒ/ sound spelt as 'ge' and 'dge' at the end of words, the /s/ sound spelt 'c' before 'e', 'i' and 'y', the /n/ sound spelt 'kn' and 'gn' at the beginning of words, and the /r/ sound spelt 'wr' at the beginning of words. Use word sorting activities to help children identify and apply patterns. Practise through regular dictation and spelling tests.

Children may overgeneralise a newly learned rule, applying it to words where it does not fit (e.g., using 'dge' in every word with a /dʒ/ sound). They may not recognise that some spelling patterns are position-dependent (e.g., 'ck' only appears after a short vowel). Some children learn rules in isolation but fail to apply them in independent writing.

Spelling/transcription concept — rule-based, pattern-based, ideal for spaced repetition and adaptive practice.