5 Common Writing Mistakes Kids Make (And How to Fix Them)

After marking thousands of student essays, certain patterns emerge. Here are the five most common writing mistakes kids make — and how to fix each one.

1. Run-On Sentences

The problem: Kids often connect multiple ideas with "and" or "because" without stopping, creating sentences that go on forever. Example: "I went to the park and I played on the swings and then my friend came and we played tag and it was really fun because we love playing outside." The fix: Teach the "one idea per sentence" rule. If a sentence has more than one main idea, split it in two. Better: "I went to the park and played on the swings. When my friend arrived, we played tag together. It was really fun because we love playing outside."

2. Weak Introductions

The problem: Many students start with generic openings like "In this essay I will talk about..." or "This essay is about..." The fix: Teach three strong opening techniques:

• A question: "Have you ever wondered why some schools have banned homework?"
• A bold statement: "Homework on weekends does more harm than good."
• A short story: "Last Sunday, my little brother spent four hours crying over his maths homework."

3. No Paragraphs (or Random Paragraphs)

The problem: Some kids write one massive block of text. Others start a new paragraph every sentence. The fix: Teach the TEEL structure for each body paragraph:

• Topic sentence — What is this paragraph about?
• Explanation — Explain your point
• Evidence — Give an example or quote
• Link — Connect back to your main argument

When the topic changes, start a new paragraph.

4. Repetitive Vocabulary

The problem: Using "good", "bad", "said", and "things" on repeat. The fix: Create a "banned words" list for essays and keep a vocabulary journal. For example:

• Instead of good: excellent, outstanding, impressive, remarkable
• Instead of bad: poor, concerning, problematic, unfortunate
• Instead of said: argued, claimed, suggested, emphasised
• Instead of things: aspects, factors, elements, issues

Even swapping two or three words per essay makes a noticeable difference.

5. Forgetting the Conclusion

The problem: Many essays just... stop. No summary, no final thought, no call to action. The fix: A strong conclusion does three things:

• Restates the main argument (in different words)
• Summarises the key points briefly
• Ends with a thought-provoking statement or call to action

Template: "In conclusion, [restate argument]. As shown by [key point 1] and [key point 2], [broader statement]. [Final thought or question]."

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Fixing these five issues alone can significantly improve any student's essay score. The key is practice — and getting specific, actionable feedback on each piece of writing.