I understand why spelling is not corrected in the creative writing as teachers want to the children to think about what they write rather than not use a word because the child can not spell it. Thus a 6 year old will use a word like aquarium nowadays when in the past the emphasis on correct spelling would have led to avoidance of the word. My children learned by this method and both spell well now. However by the age of 8 they also had spelling words to learn. It takes a lot longer to learn to spell this way but they write very well. They did not spell well until they went to university and that seems to due to the professors demanding the use of spell checkers. Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue S" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2002 7:51 PM Subject: Re: [GEN-FRIENDS] 11 plus exam Hi My daughters spelling is atrocious. The junior school said that if they corrected mistakes it would undermine confidence. B.......! Now at a good secondary school I am informed that because the exam boards only award 3 marks for spelling as long as the meaning is clear any spelling mistakes are ignored in exams & therefore spelling is not given a high priority in class. I note that most errors are still corrected in my daughter's books though. Standards have most definitely slipped over the years. Sue S It is no longer necessary to be reasonably proficient at English composition. From perusing my granddaughter's exercise books it seems that corrections are no longer made. According to teachers this is to ensure that students are not discouraged --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 4/19/02