What is the difference between ‘Creativity’ and Creative Writing?
One of the questions we are asked most often by parents of prospective Reading School students is what Reading School means by ‘Creativity’ and how this differs from the Creative Writing children may already have experienced in the past at school or with a tutor. While there is some overlap, Creative Writing usually refers to developing ideas through writing, often in the form of a story, whereas Creativity is broader. It is about how boys respond to the specific material in front of them, develop ideas of their own and communicate them in a way that suits the task.
In the updated Reading School 11+ entrance exam, Creativity is assessed through a written response in the Discovery Paper. Reading School’s guidance describes writing that is clear, accurate and coherent, with ideas that are developed and explained in language suited to the context, purpose and audience. An elaborate story filled with impressive vocabulary will not always be the most appropriate response if it doesn’t fit in closely enough with what the child has actually been asked to do.
In our October 2025 and August 2026 focus groups, discussion repeatedly returned to the importance of responding to the task in front of you. Boys should always begin with the stimulus they are given rather than trying to make a prepared or rehearsed piece fit the question. Exploring an unusual point of view or taking an idea in a direction that another child may not have considered are usually always effective starting points, but ideas still need to grow organically from the particular prompt. Responses tend to be most effective when it is clear that boys have digested the prompt and used their imaginations to develop their own ideas in a well thought-out and structured way.
Staying close to the stimulus doesn’t mean that a response has to be obvious or cautious. There is plenty of room for originality and for the spontaneous ideas that make one child’s writing different from another’s. The right planning techniques help a boy organise his spontaneous ideas and original thoughts into an effective and appropriate structure, without taking away the individuality that makes the ideas stand out in the first place. Our tutors would much rather help boys develop ideas that are genuinely their own, even if they still need some work, than teach them what to write or give them formulas to reproduce.
Creativity isn't an invitation to squeeze in as many literary devices as possible. Similes, metaphors, ambitious vocabulary and other techniques are useful when they add something, but a simple, well observed and natural sounding response that suits the stimulus is much better than language that feels forced. Spelling, punctuation and grammar still matter, as they always have done, because they help the reader follow the ideas, as do handwriting, accuracy, structure and planning. These areas can all be worked on gradually, allowing boys to feel freer to express themselves, and less concerned about getting everything perfect.
An imaginative response also has to be appropriate for its purpose. Stories, persuasive articles, blogs, letters and diary entries all leave room for original ideas, but they call for different choices of register, tone and style. Thinking like an author means considering who will read the piece, why it is being written in the first place and how the reader should or could respond, then making choices that are appropriate. A lively personal voice may work beautifully in a diary entry, for example, yet feel completely out of place in a formal letter.
Children quickly develop a feel for these differences by reading widely and noticing what different writers do. Stories, articles, blogs, poems and letters all use language in their own way, and boys can absorb a great deal from them without every feature becoming the subject of a worksheet. Some boys tell us early on that they do not enjoy reading, but a lot of the time, they simply haven’t found the right material yet, and the right book, series, subject or style can make an enormous difference. This is often overcome by focusing initially on reading around particular interests rather than jumping straight into traditional ‘school-style’ reading material. A boy with a fascination for space is likely to enjoy a diary written by an astronaut, and as long as he is reading, he will be gradually absorbing some of the techniques that will help him later on when confronted with texts that he may be less interested in.
More casual conversations about reading are valuable as well, because they allow children to think aloud without feeling tested. At home or with a tutor, this might mean talking about what a boy read last week and what he enjoyed, whether events unfolded as he expected, or how he might have developed a character or written the ending differently. There doesn’t need to be a correct answer, the value lies in simply being given the space to form a view, explore another possibility and become more confident explaining an idea of his own, while his spelling, punctuation, grammar and sense of structure continue to grow through regular contact with written language.
In terms of direct support that boys receive, one boy may already have a lively imagination but need help organising his thoughts, while another may write accurately yet need encouragement to look more closely at the stimulus and take an idea further. Across our tuition and the full range of our mock papers, we use many different styles of prompt so that boys become comfortable responding in different ways, broadening their experience and helping them bring more of their own imagination to the page, without leading them towards a safe, rehearsed answer.
For more information about our Reading School preparation, see our Reading School 11+ tuition page and Guide to Reading School entry.
