Free prompts · Primary students

Writing Prompts for Primary Students

More than 60 free writing prompts for Australian primary students. Use these for regular writing practice, timed sessions, or as starting points for submitting to WriteWise Coach for personalised feedback.

Tip for parents: Set a timer for 20–25 minutes. Encourage your child to plan for 2 minutes before writing. After finishing, ask them to re-read and improve one sentence before they stop.

1. Persuasive writing prompts

These prompts ask students to state and support a position. Ideal for NAPLAN-style writing practice. See our persuasive writing tips.

1.Students should be allowed to choose their own topics for writing assessments. Do you agree or disagree?
2.Schools should reduce the amount of homework given each week. Write to persuade your principal.
3.All Australian schools should have a vegetable garden. Do you agree?
4.Children should be encouraged to read physical books rather than use screens for reading. Do you agree?
5.Keeping pets in apartments should be allowed for all families, regardless of the animal. Do you agree?
6.All primary school students should learn a musical instrument. Write your opinion.
7.Zoos do more harm than good for animals. Do you agree or disagree?
8.Children spend too much time on devices and not enough time outdoors. Do you agree?
9.Schools should start later in the morning so students can sleep more. Write to persuade.
10.Every school should have a dedicated library day each week. Do you agree?
11.Students should not be given grades until Year 7. Write your opinion.
12.Competitive sport in schools is more harmful than helpful. Do you agree?
13.All students should be taught how to cook as part of the school curriculum. Write your opinion.
14.Plastic packaging should be banned in Australian supermarkets. Write to persuade.
15.Schools should allow students to bring their own devices to class. Do you agree?
16.The school day should include a dedicated 30-minute reading time every afternoon. Write to persuade.
17.Children should be paid a small allowance for helping with household chores. Do you agree?
18.Schools should celebrate cultural diversity by holding a regular multicultural food day. Write your opinion.
19.Year 5 and 6 students should be given more responsibility within the school community. Do you agree?
20.Animals should not be used in any form of entertainment, including in films. Do you agree?

2. Narrative writing prompts

These prompts invite students to tell a story. Focus on character, conflict and a clear ending. See our narrative writing tips.

1.Write a story about a time someone discovered something unexpected.
2.Write a story that begins with the sentence: 'The letter had no return address.'
3.Write a story about a journey that did not go as planned.
4.Write a story where the main character has to make a difficult choice.
5.Write a story inspired by the word: door.
6.Write a story about a friendship that was tested.
7.Write a story that takes place entirely in one room.
8.Write a story about something that was lost and then found — but not in the way the character expected.
9.Write a story where a small object turns out to be very important.
10.Write a story about a moment when someone realised they had been wrong.
11.Write a story that begins at the end and works backwards.
12.Write a story where the weather plays an important role.
13.Write a story about two people who are very different but have to work together.
14.Write a story inspired by the sentence: 'No one believed her, but she knew what she had seen.'
15.Write a story about a character who is afraid of something ordinary.
16.Write a story about the last day of something — a school year, a friendship, a house.
17.Write a story that includes a secret that changes everything.
18.Write a story about a competition that someone did not want to win.
19.Write a story inspired by the image of an empty seat.
20.Write a story where a misunderstanding leads to something unexpected.

3. Creative writing prompts

Open-ended prompts that encourage imaginative thinking.

1.Describe a place you have never visited but would love to see. Make the reader feel as though they are there.
2.Write about a day in the life of an object in your school bag.
3.Imagine you could speak to any animal for one hour. Write about the conversation.
4.Write a letter from a tree that has been standing in the same spot for 100 years.
5.Describe what it feels like to be the last person awake in a house at night.
6.Write about a memory — real or imagined — that is connected to a particular smell.
7.Create a short story set in a world where it never rained.
8.Write about what you would do if you woke up one day with the ability to understand any language.

4. Letter writing prompts

1.Write a letter to your future self, to be opened in ten years.
2.Write a letter from a Year 5 student to a student who is nervous about starting high school.
3.Write a letter to a pen pal in another country explaining what is special about where you live.
4.Write a letter to your school principal suggesting one change that would improve school life.

5. Information report prompts

1.Write an information report about an Australian animal of your choice.
2.Write a short report explaining how rainfall affects farming in Australia.
3.Write an information report about the history of the Olympic Games.
4.Write a report explaining how solar panels work and why they are used.

6. OC-style writing prompts

These prompts practice the types of writing tasks that OC-style assessments often include. Use with a 20-minute timer. See our OC writing preparation tips.

1.Write about a time when you had to be brave. What happened and what did you learn?
2.Write a story about a day when everything went wrong, then unexpectedly right.
3.Write about a moment that changed the way you thought about something.
4.Write a story where a character learns an important lesson from someone unexpected.
5.Write about a place that means something special to you. Describe it so the reader can picture it clearly.
6.Write about a time when you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do?
7.Write a story about two people who start as strangers and end as friends.
8.Write about something in your community that you think could be improved, and explain how you would improve it.
9.Write about a dream — real or imagined — that you still remember.
10.Write about the most interesting person you have ever met or heard about. What made them interesting?

7. Selective-style writing prompts

These prompts are more open-ended and reward original thinking, controlled structure and strong vocabulary. See our selective school writing tips.

1.Write a story or a personal reflection inspired by the word: threshold.
2.Write about a moment when silence said more than words.
3.Write a story that begins with: 'She had been waiting for this moment for three years.'
4.Write about something small that turned out to matter a great deal.
5.Describe a place through the senses of someone who is visiting it for the very last time.
6.Write a story where a mistake leads to an unexpected outcome.
7.Write about what it means to truly belong somewhere.
8.Write a response inspired by this idea: 'Not all maps show you where you are going.'
9.Write about a change — in yourself, a relationship, or a place — and what caused it.
10.Write a story where the ending reveals something that changes how the beginning is understood.

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