Education Endowment Foundation:Using examples to teach grammar to enhance writing in Year 7 – Teacher Choices trial

Using examples to teach grammar to enhance writing in Year 7 – Teacher Choices trial

Project info

Independent Evaluator

NFER logo
NFER

Teacher Choices trial to test using examples and worked examples to teach grammar patterns and the impact on pupils’ writing.

Key Stage: 3 Type of Trial: Teacher Choices
Completed June 2026

Teacher Choices trials explore common questions about classroom practice, such as the everyday decisions teachers make when planning lessons supporting pupils. They aim to test the impact of different pedagogical approaches and generate evidence that can be readily applied by teachers in the classroom.

This trial examined the use of cognitive science approaches in Key Stage 3 English, focusing on different ways of using examples, including worked examples, to teach grammar and assess the impact on pupils’ writing.

Teachers were asked to use one of three 15-minute approaches in English lessons:

  • Systematic Worked Examples: Structured use of worked examples taught twice weekly as a separate​‘starter’. Pupils learned to purposefully construct each grammar pattern using a sequence of steps.
  • Responsive Worked Examples: Responsive use of worked examples, with teachers integrating worked examples within their teaching sequence, tailored to curriculum and pupil needs. Pupils learned to purposefully construct each grammar pattern using a sequence of steps.
  • Non-worked Examples: Structured use of non-worked examples, taught as a separate​‘starter’ twice a week. Pupils learned to analyse examples to identify grammatical patterns and explore their effect on the reader.

EEF summary

Cognitive science is an area with a good theoretical and experimental evidence base, and with potential to have a greater impact on those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. However, there is little research based on day-to-day classroom practice, especially in subjects beyond maths and science.

In Key Stage 3 English, most teachers use examples in some form, but practice varies and there is currently no clear, evidence-based guidance on how to use them effectively. This trial aimed to build knowledge about the impact of worked examples in realistic English classroom contexts.

This evaluation found no evidence of differential impacts between the three different approaches to using examples. Although we haven’t assigned a security rating to this finding, the trial was well-designed and findings are robust, despite some missing data for the final assessment.

Several factors may explain the similar impacts observed across the approaches, including in implementation, the novelty of all three approaches compared to usual practice, and the possible difficulty of transferring gains from grammar teaching to writing assessments.

Teachers and pupils were generally positive about the increased emphasis on explicit grammar teaching at Key Stage 3, which may help support transition into English lessons at secondary school. 

Were the schools in the trial similar to my school?

Project type: Teacher ChoicesKey Stage: Key Stage 3Subject: English
  • 55 schools took part in the trial.
  • The trial involved 222 teachers and 8,901 pupils.
  • It was open to Year 7 teachers in state-funded secondary schools in England. Multiple teachers from the same school could participate, and were randomly assigned to implement one of the three approaches.

Could I implement this in my school?

Delivered by: TeachersParticipant group: Whole ClassIntervention length: 10 week(s)
  • In line with the aims of Teacher Choices trials, which test practices already used in day-to-day-teaching, participating teachers received brief written guidance for their allocated approach. This included an example lesson plan and a bank of examples, which they could use or adapt as they preferred.
  • Contrary to expectations, the teaching approaches represented a substantial change from usual practice, and some teachers felt that they could have benefitted from more guidance.
  • Teachers and pupils were generally receptive to greater use of explicit grammar teaching in Key Stag 3, which may help support transition into English lessons at secondary school.
  • The guidance and examples for all three approaches are available in the Appendices of the report, available at the end of this page.

How much will it cost?

Cost per pupil: 0No. of teachers/TAs: 4Staff training duration: unknown days

There is no cost involved to teachers in choosing to implement this approach.

Downloads