6.3 Writing Assessment: Content, Organisation, Language

Cambridge A2 Key KET

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 What Is Cambridge A2 Key (KET)? 1.2 Exam Format: Three Papers 1.3 Who Takes A2 Key and How It Is Delivered 1.4 Study Hours and Preparation Path

2 Scoring, Grades & Results

2.1 The Cambridge English Scale 2.2 Grades A, B, C and Certificates 2.3 How Your Overall Score Is Calculated

3 Reading Parts 1–3: Understanding Texts

3.1 Reading Overview (Parts 1–5) 3.2 Reading Part 1: Short Texts and Main Message 3.3 Reading Part 2: Multiple Matching 3.4 Reading Part 3: Longer Text Detail and Gist

4 Reading Parts 4–5: Vocabulary and Grammar Cloze

4.1 Reading Part 4: Multiple-Choice Cloze 4.2 Collocations and Phrasal Verbs for Part 4 4.3 Reading Part 5: Open Cloze 4.4 Grammar Words for Open Cloze

5 Writing Part 6: Guided Message

5.1 Writing Overview (Parts 6–7) 5.2 Part 6 Guided Writing Task 5.3 Model Emails and Content-Point Checklists

6 Writing Part 7 & Assessment Criteria

6.1 Part 7 Picture Story 6.2 Narrative Language and Connectors 6.3 Writing Assessment: Content, Organisation, Language

7 Listening Parts 1–3

7.1 Listening Paper Overview 7.2 Listening Part 1: Short Dialogues and Pictures 7.3 Listening Part 2: Gap Fill Notes 7.4 Listening Part 3: Conversation Multiple Choice

8 Listening Parts 4–5 & Detail Skills

8.1 Listening Part 4: Gist and Main Message 8.2 Listening Part 5: Matching 8.3 Numbers, Times, Prices and Spelling

9 Speaking Test

9.1 Speaking Test Format 9.2 Speaking Part 1: Interview 9.3 Speaking Part 2: Discussion 9.4 Speaking Assessment Criteria

10 A2 Grammar Essentials

10.1 Present and Past Tenses 10.2 Future Forms, Modals and Obligation 10.3 Comparatives, Superlatives, Adverbs and Word Order 10.4 Questions, Negatives and There Is/Are

11 A2 Vocabulary Topics

11.1 People, Home and Daily Routines 11.2 Free Time, Hobbies, Travel and Transport 11.3 Food, Shopping, Money and Health 11.4 Places in Town, Services and Simple Technology

12 Functional Language for Exam Tasks

12.1 Requests, Offers, Invitations and Suggestions 12.2 Opinions, Agreeing, Disagreeing and Preferences 12.3 Describing People, Places and Events; Simple Narration

13 Exam Day and Test Strategy

13.1 Digital vs Paper-Based and the 2026 Change 13.2 What Happens on Exam Day 13.3 Full Practice Tests and Timing Plans

14 Results and Next Steps

14.1 Interpreting Your Statement of Results 14.2 From A2 Key to B1 Preliminary

6.3 Writing Assessment: Content, Organisation, Language

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Each Writing part (Part 6 and Part 7) is marked on Content, Organisation, and Language at 0–5 each, using whole marks only.

The maximum for Part 6 is 15 marks and the maximum for Part 7 is 15 marks (30 writing marks in total inside Reading & Writing).

Content checks whether all required points or pictures are covered and whether the reader is informed.

Organisation checks cohesion, connectors, and sensible paragraphing or sequencing for the task type.

Language checks range and control of simple A2 grammar and vocabulary; errors that impede understanding lower the score.

Last updated: July 2026

6.3 Writing Assessment: Content, Organisation, Language

Quick Answer: For each of Writing Part 6 and Part 7 , examiners award Content 0–5 , Organisation 0–5 , and Language 0–5 — whole marks only . That is 15 marks maximum per part and 30 writing marks in total. Content asks whether the reader is fully informed; Organisation asks whether the message is cohesive; Language asks whether simple A2 grammar and vocabulary are controlled.

Knowing the task is not enough. You also need to know how marks are given . Candidates often polish rare words while missing a content point, or write accurate grammar that never becomes a real story. This section unpacks the three criteria with Part 7 focus (and Part 6 comparisons), shows what moves a script up or down the 0–5 bands, and gives practical checklists you can use in the last minute of the paper.

The mark map at a glance

Part Task type Content Organisation Language Part total
Part 6 Guided message (email/note) 0–5 0–5 0–5 15
Part 7 Picture story 0–5 0–5 0–5 15
Both writing parts — — — — 30
Whole marks only

Scores are integers : 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 on each criterion. There are no half marks such as 3.5. When you self-assess practice work, force yourself to choose a whole number and justify it with evidence from the script.

Why three separate scores matter

A script can be uneven:

Great language, missing picture → high Language, low Content
All pictures covered, list-like captions → higher Content, lower Organisation and Language
Connected story with many blocking errors → mid Content/Organisation, low Language

Improving your weakest criterion often raises the part total faster than polishing your strongest one.

Criterion 1: Content (0–5)

Content answers: Does the writing do the job of the task? Is the target reader informed?

Part 7 Content means picture coverage

For the picture story, Content is mainly about:

Including all three pictures as stages of the story
Keeping them in a logical order matching the visual sequence
Making the main event understandable to a reader who cannot see the pictures
Reaching a length that can actually carry that information ( 35+ words as the published minimum)

If a friendly stranger reads your story aloud, they should be able to sketch roughly the same three stages.

Part 6 Content means bullet coverage

For comparison, Part 6 Content is about covering all notes/content points in the task (for example, answer three questions in an email). Missing one bullet lowers Content even if the English is beautiful. The same philosophy applies to Part 7: missing a picture is like missing a bullet.

What high Content looks like (Part 7)
Picture 1 action clearly present
Picture 2 problem/development clearly present
Picture 3 result clearly present
No major contradiction of what the pictures show
Story feels complete, not cut off mid-event
What low Content looks like

Problem Why Content falls
Only describes Picture 1 Reader not informed about the full task
Writes a different story (unrelated holiday) Task not done
Under-length fragment (12 words) Not enough content to inform the reader
Ends before the final picture result Incomplete message
Misreads a key object (calls a bus a plane with no visual basis) Reader gets the wrong information
Content is not “interestingness”

You do not get extra Content marks for humour, rare plot twists, or advanced themes. You get Content marks for completing the communicative task . A plain, accurate three-stage story can score strongly on Content.

Criterion 2: Organisation (0–5)

Organisation answers: Is the writing put together so the reader can follow it easily?

Examiners look for cohesion (ideas stick together), connectors , and paragraphing where appropriate .

Part 7 Organisation features

At A2 story length, Organisation often means:

Clear beginning → middle → end order
Sequence words or other logical links ( Then, After that, Finally, so, because, but )
Sentences that relate to the same people and event
Not jumping randomly between unrelated ideas

Optional short paragraphs if you naturally separate opening and ending—but one tight paragraph can also be well organised at this length

Part 6 Organisation features

Emails/notes may use a greeting, ordered answers to points, and a simple closing. Linking between points ( Also, and, but ) still matters. Do not force Part 6 email layout onto Part 7 stories.

Connectors as Organisation evidence

Compare:

Weak organisation: Mia at bus. Rain. Friend car. Happy.

Stronger organisation: First, Mia missed the bus. Then it started to rain. Finally, her friend took her home and she was happy.

The second version guides the reader through time. That is Organisation in action.

Paragraphing “where appropriate”

For a 40–60 word story, one paragraph is often fine . If you write two short paragraphs (setup + ending), that can also work. Organisation is not a prize for artificial paragraph breaks; it is a prize for readable order and linking . Giant blocks of unconnected sentences, or three one-word lines, score poorly.

Criterion 3: Language (0–5)

Language answers: What range of simple grammar and vocabulary does the candidate control, and do errors stop understanding?

What A2 Language looks like on a good Part 7 script
Past simple forms mostly correct ( went, saw, bought, helped )
Occasional past continuous used correctly if attempted
Basic word order: subject–verb–object patterns clear
Everyday vocabulary matched to the pictures (bus, rain, bag, smile, park)
Simple sentences and a few compound sentences with and/but/so/because
Spelling good enough that words are recognisable
Errors that impede understanding lower Language (and can hurt Content)

Not every mistake is equal:

Error type Example Effect
Small, non-blocking She help ed her friend (spacing/typo) but meaning clear Minor
Local grammar slip She goed to the shop (meaning still clear) Limited damage if rare
Blocking error Bus no rain friend car happy because Reader cannot follow; Language falls hard
Wrong message They flew to the moon when pictures show a bus stop Language and Content both at risk

Control matters more than stuffing advanced structures. One accurate Suddenly, the bag broke is better than a broken attempt at a complex clause.

Range without risk

“Range” at A2 does not mean sounding like C1. It means you are not stuck on three words only. Show a little variety:

Verbs: waited, missed, started, helped, thanked
Adjectives: wet, happy, surprised, kind
Time/sequence: Yesterday, Then, Finally

That is enough range for a strong elementary story.

How the three criteria work together (Part 7 scenarios)
Scenario A — Balanced strong script (illustrative mid–high band thinking)

Last Saturday, Leo bought apples at the supermarket. Then his bag broke and the apples fell on the street. Finally, a kind woman helped him and he thanked her.

Content: all three stages present
Organisation: Then / Finally , clear order
Language: past forms, simple vocabulary, meaning clear
Scenario B — Pretty language, missing middle

A candidate writes elegant sentences about shopping and a happy ending but never mentions the broken bag shown in Picture 2.

Content: reduced because the reader is not informed about a required stage
Language: may still look strong
Organisation: may look fine locally but the overall task cohesion is weak
Scenario C — All pictures listed, no links

Boy shop. Bag break. Woman help.

Content: partial (ideas present but underdeveloped)
Organisation: very weak
Language: very limited range and control
Scenario D — Full coverage, many blocking errors

The story tries to include all pictures but verbs and word order collapse so the reader cannot follow who did what.

Content: may be pulled down if meaning is unclear
Language: low
Organisation: hard to reward if links are invisible
Self-check checklist (last 60–90 seconds)

Use this after drafting Part 7 (and adapt for Part 6):

Content check

Picture 1 present?

Picture 2 present?

Picture 3 present?

Order matches the pictures?

≥35 words of real sentences?

Organisation check

Can I point to sequence or logical links?

Same characters/event throughout?

Clear ending, not a sudden stop?

Language check

Past endings on regular verbs?

Irregulars I used ( went, saw, bought… ) correct?

Any sentence I cannot understand if I read it slowly? Fix or simplify it.

Spelling of key picture words (because wrong key nouns can confuse Content)?

Marks arithmetic for study targets

Because each criterion is 0–5, small improvements matter:

Criterion scores Part total
3 + 3 + 3 9 / 15
4 + 3 + 3 10 / 15
4 + 4 + 3 11 / 15
5 + 4 + 4 13 / 15
5 + 5 + 5 15 / 15

Moving Content from 2 to 4 by adding the missing picture is often easier than hunting a perfect 5 on Language. Fix task coverage first.

Part 6 and Part 7: same criteria, different evidence

Criterion Part 6 evidence Part 7 evidence
Content All notes answered; purpose of message clear All pictures used; story informs reader of the event

Organisation Greeting/order of points/closing; links between ideas Sequence of stages; connectors; readable narrative order

Language Simple message grammar/vocab for emails and notes Narrative tenses, story vocab, controlled simple sentences

Studying criteria once helps both writing parts. Practise applying the same three questions: Did I cover everything? Is it easy to follow? Is the English clear at A2?

What examiners are not looking for
Native-speaker slang
Perfect punctuation of advanced quotes
Literary metaphors
Exact word count rituals beyond meeting the minimum with full coverage
Copying memorised stories that ignore the actual pictures

Memorised “one-size” stories are a Content risk: if the pictures show rain and a car, a memorised beach holiday will not inform the reader about these pictures.

Turning criteria into weekly practice

Write one Part 7 story under 8–10 minutes .

Score yourself 0–5 × 3 with whole numbers only.

Rewrite once targeting the lowest criterion.

Keep a log: “Missed Picture 2 twice this week” or “Forgot irregular buy → bought .”

Every two weeks, write one Part 6 and one Part 7 in the same sitting to simulate paper pressure.

Final synthesis for Chapter 6 writing goals

Part 7 task: three pictures → one story ≥35 words, beginning–middle–end.

Language tools: past simple core, past continuous as needed, sequence words, time phrases, optional short dialogue.

Assessment: Content + Organisation + Language, each 0–5 whole marks, 15 per part.

If you can explain your own practice script with those three criterion names— I lost a Content mark because Picture 2 was missing; Organisation is a 4 thanks to Then/Finally; Language is a 3 because two irregulars were wrong —you are preparing the way examiners actually mark. That awareness, combined with timed picture practice, is the fastest path to stronger Writing scores on A2 Key.