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Welcome to the first lesson in your SET 11+ Extended Writing course! The Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is a two-stage exam used to select students for five prestigious grammar schools in the London Borough of Sutton: Sutton Grammar School, Wilson's School, Wallington County Grammar School, Nonsuch High School for Girls, and Wallington High School for Girls. If you pass the Stage 1 multiple-choice screening, you will be invited back for Stage 2 — a one-hour extended writing task. This is the single highest-stakes component of the entire SET process, and it all begins with understanding the prompt.
In Stage 2, you will be given a writing prompt and asked to produce a sustained piece of writing in one hour. The prompt may ask you to write a narrative (story), a descriptive piece, or a persuasive piece. Unlike Stage 1, there are no multiple-choice answers here — just you, a pen, and a blank page. The examiners want to see how well you can:
This is your chance to show the grammar schools who you really are as a writer.
Every year, students lose marks not because they are poor writers, but because they misread or ignore the prompt. If the prompt asks you to write about "a time when something unexpected happened" and you write a story where nothing unexpected happens, you will not score well — no matter how beautiful your sentences are.
| Common mistake | What goes wrong | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Ignoring the key words | The story does not match the prompt | Underline every important word in the prompt |
| Writing a prepared story | The examiner can tell it was not written for this prompt | Always write a fresh response that fits the exact wording |
| Rushing past the prompt | You miss important instructions or choices | Spend at least 2 minutes reading and thinking before you plan |
| Choosing the wrong form | You write a story when the prompt asks for a letter | Read the prompt twice and check what type of writing is required |
Read the prompt slowly, then read it again. Do not start writing or even planning until you have read it at least twice.
Look for topic words, form words, and feeling words.
Example prompt: Write a story about a journey that changed someone forever.
Once you have found the key words, ask yourself:
These questions will form the backbone of your plan.
The SET Stage 2 writing task may take several forms. Here are the most common:
| Prompt type | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Title prompt | "The Key" | Write a story or description inspired by the title |
| Opening line prompt | "The letter arrived on a Tuesday..." — Continue this story. | Continue from the given line, matching its tone and style |
| Picture prompt | An image of a deserted fairground | Describe the scene or write a story set in the location |
| Statement prompt | "Everyone deserves a second chance." Do you agree? | Write a persuasive or discursive piece |
| Choice prompt | Choose ONE of the following titles... | Pick the one that gives you the strongest ideas — do not waste time deciding |
Prompt: "The door had not been opened for a hundred years." Continue this story.
Step 1 — Read twice. Done.
Step 2 — Underline key words:
Step 3 — Ask questions:
Now you have a story ready to plan.
Prompt: Write about a time when you felt completely alone.
Weaker response (ignores the prompt):
Tom went to school on Monday. He had lunch with his friends and they played football. Then he went home and watched TV. It was a normal day.
This response ignores the key word "alone." Nothing in the story connects to the prompt.
Stronger response (engages with the prompt):
The playground emptied in seconds. One moment it was full of noise — shouts, laughter, the thud of a football — and the next, silence. Tom stood by the gate, his rucksack hanging from one shoulder, watching the last car pull away. No one had waited. He checked his phone. No messages. The wind pushed an empty crisp packet across the tarmac and he thought: so this is what invisible feels like.
This response is built entirely around the idea of being alone. Every detail — the empty playground, the silence, the crisp packet — supports the prompt.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Prompt | The title, question, image, or opening you are given to write about |
| Narrative | A piece of writing that tells a story |
| Descriptive | A piece of writing that creates vivid pictures using sensory detail |
| Persuasive | A piece of writing that aims to convince the reader of a point of view |
| Form | The type of writing required (story, letter, speech, article, description) |
The SET Stage 2 extended writing task is the most important part of the Sutton grammar school selection process. It all starts with understanding the prompt. Read it twice, underline the key words, ask yourself questions, and make sure every sentence in your writing connects back to what the prompt is asking. A brilliant story that ignores the prompt will always score lower than a good story that answers it perfectly.