AEAS Writing: format and how to prepare

AEAS Writing is a single 30-minute task, but the word count floor and the range of genres both shift by year band.

Word count

At least 150 words for Years 4-9, at least 200 words for Years 10-12. These are floors, not targets -- writing to the minimum with nothing to spare rarely reads as strong.

The genre changes, not just the topic

Real prompts include personal narratives ("tell us about a mistake you made"), opinion essays (including "discuss both viewpoints, using examples"), informal and formal letters (an apology letter, a letter to a school principal about bullying), and, at Years 10-12, magazine articles. The genre is usually named explicitly in the prompt itself ("Write a letter to...", "Write an article for...") -- so the first thing to check isn't the topic, it's what form the answer needs to take.

Bullet-point scaffolding

Real papers give bullet points to guide the response at every year level, not just for younger students. Each bullet is effectively a mini-requirement the marker is checking for -- missing one costs more than a slightly shorter answer.

What's actually being marked

The named criteria differ in wording slightly by year-band booklet, but cover the same ground either way: the content and organisation of what you wrote, and the accuracy of your language and vocabulary.

How to actually prepare

• Before writing a word, check whether the prompt names a genre (letter, article, narrative) and match its tone and format, not just its topic.
• Treat every bullet point as a requirement to address, not a suggestion -- go back and check each one is covered before time runs out.
• Practise against the real word-count floor for your year band under a 30-minute clock, since running out of time before hitting it is a common, avoidable loss.