NSW Test Guide
From OC to Selective: A Writing Timeline for NSW Families
The OC test (Year 4) has no writing. The Selective test (Year 6) adds a 30-minute Writing Test worth 25%. That is about two years apart, and writing is the one skill that rewards a longer runway, so it is worth keeping going early rather than cramming. Below is a suggested, low-pressure timeline of when to build writing and what to do at each stage, with one reminder throughout: none of it is for the OC test itself.
If you are still working out how the two tests differ, start with our OC vs Selective comparison. This page is the follow-on question most OC families ask next: if the Selective Writing paper is two years away, when do we actually start, and what do we do in the meantime?
The Writing Timeline at a Glance
This is a suggested, low-pressure timeline, not an official schedule or a requirement for Selective entry. A child who already reads and writes regularly may need nothing extra in the early years; a child starting later can still make real progress closer to the test. Move by the child's current writing, not their school year alone.
General Writing First, Test-Specific Practice Later
The two tests share three section names, Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, so a child who sat OC will recognise those areas (the Selective versions are harder and sat two years older). Writing is the exception: it has no OC equivalent, and it tends to improve through reading and regular practice over time rather than through last-minute template drilling.
So the honest guidance is not "you must run a two-year plan". It is: keep writing a normal, low-pressure habit in the early years, and add test-specific practice as the Year 6 test approaches. A child who already reads and writes regularly may need very little extra early on.
Is Year 6 too late to begin? No. There is no official year a child must start. Beginning closer to the test may not remake every part of a child's writing, but focused work on reading the task, choosing the right form, organising a few ideas, finishing on time, and fixing recurring errors still makes a real difference.
Everything on this page is about the Selective Writing Test, sat in Year 6 for Year 7 entry. The OC test in Year 4 has no writing, and none of this is preparation for it.
What This Can Look Like at Each Stage
Years 3–4 (normal literacy): keep it kitchen-table and fun. For example: a weekly 10-minute "postcard" (one small thing that happened today, written to a real person); after a bedtime book, "steal" one sentence shape to reuse tomorrow; once a month, describe a single object in five sentences. No marks, no timers. If your child is also preparing for OC, that is separate and needs no writing.
Year 5 (broaden and make it regular): widen what they can write. One short piece a week, rotating the form and the reader: a diary entry, an email giving advice, a short opinion piece, a news-style report, a story. Read one back together and pick just one thing to improve. This builds the real skill, reading a task and matching form, purpose and audience across the three genres (narrative, persuasive, informative). See how to improve selective writing at home for a routine.
Late Year 5 into Year 6 (test-specific): now make it look like the test. Use unfamiliar prompts, type on a computer, plan for two minutes first, and occasionally do the full 30 minutes. Then read the feedback and fix one thing, rather than just doing another timed piece. The genre guides (narrative, persuasive, informative) and the marking criteria guide cover this stage.
Not at the scoring stage yet?
If your child is still a year or two from the Selective test, get the occasional writing idea and new guide by email, the low-pressure kind on this page. No fixed schedule, no spam.
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Preparing for OC right now? There is no need to drill Selective essays in Year 4. Wide reading and occasional low-pressure writing is plenty at this stage.
Into the Selective year? Paste a recent piece and get an out-of-25 practice estimate with a six-area diagnostic breakdown, and the exact lines to fix, in about 30 seconds. Free, no signup.
The six-area breakdown is EurekaWrite's practice feedback tool, built on the Selective writing criteria; it is not an official NSW score report.
Score a piece of writing →Frequently Asked Questions
When should a child start writing for the Selective test?
As early as is sustainable. From the Year 4 OC test to the Year 6 Selective Writing paper is about two years, and writing tends to build slowly over reading and regular practice. Light writing in Years 3 and 4 is enough at that stage; timed, task-specific preparation can come closer to the Selective test.
Is Year 4 too early to start writing for Selective?
Not for building the habit. It is too early to drill exam essays, but wide reading and short, low-pressure writing in Years 3 and 4 keep writing alive so there is something to sharpen later. None of this is for the OC test, which has no writing component.
Is Year 6 too late to start writing for Selective?
No. There is no official year a child must start. Beginning closer to the test may not remake every part of their writing, but focused work on reading the task, choosing the right form, organising a few ideas, finishing on time, and fixing recurring errors still makes a real difference. Avoid trying to memorise many templates in a short period.
Does OC preparation build writing?
Not directly. The OC test has no writing section, so it gives no practice at the Selective writing task. Some reading and language skills may support writing more broadly, but writing needs its own, separate practice.
How much writing practice should we do in the OC years?
Keep it light and sustainable: wide reading and occasional short pieces, not intensive exam drilling. The aim in Years 3 to 5 is to keep writing a normal habit, so that Selective-specific preparation in Year 6 starts from something rather than nothing.
Free first analysis. Out-of-25 practice estimate with a six-area breakdown, in about 30 seconds.