Why Your Child May Be a Strong Reader But Still Struggle with Composition Writing

Parents often beam with pride when their child is a voracious reader.

"My son finishes a book a week!"

"My daughter reads under the table during dinner!"

But this pride often turns into confusion — and frustration — when exam results roll around.

Why Does My Child, an Avid Reader, Still Struggle with Composition Writing?

This is one of the most common concerns we hear from parents at Hess Academy. And the answer might surprise you.

Reading vs. Writing: Closely Related, Yet Fundamentally Different

It’s true that reading widely helps children in many ways:

They are exposed to better sentence structures.
They absorb good vocabulary naturally.
They develop a stronger sense of language rhythm and style.

But writing — especially writing for exams like the PSLE — is a different skill altogether.

Writing a great composition doesn’t just happen because a child reads a lot. Reading is about consuming stories; writing is about creating them. And often, students struggle simply because they’ve never been explicitly taught how to craft a composition that meets exam standards.

What Makes a Great PSLE Composition?

Let’s take the PSLE English Composition as an example.

A great PSLE composition needs more than just “nice words” and “good phrases.”

In fact, the best compositions tend to follow a very specific structure:

A Strong Hook or Introduction — to capture the reader’s attention.
A Clear Conflict or Moral Dilemma — where the main character faces a challenging situation.
A Resounding Resolution — where the character solves the problem, learns a lesson, or changes in some way.
A Realistic & Relevant Storyline — that fits the given theme without feeling forced or ridiculous.

Notice something important here?

Vocabulary is only one part of the equation.

The Real Root Issue: Ideation & Structure

Many students read a lot, but still:

Struggle to come up with story ideas (Ideation).
Struggle to create logical, realistic plots (Structure).
Struggle to meet the theme or requirements of the question.

This is why they end up:

Writing safe, boring stories without conflict.
Or writing wild, unbelievable stories (think: aliens, superheroes, winning the lottery).
Or forgetting to include the picture(s) given in the question properly.

Reading Builds Language. Writing Needs Training.

To put it simply:

Reading fills your child’s language bank. Writing teaches them how to spend it well.

This is exactly why good writing needs explicit teaching:

How to brainstorm ideas quickly.
How to plot a clear moral dilemma.
How to create tension in the story.
How to write realistic resolutions.
And most importantly — how to meet marking requirements while still being creative.

So What Can Parents Do?

If your child reads a lot but still struggles with writing, here are 3 things you can help them with:

1. Teach Them Story Frameworks

Introduce your child to simple, repeatable story structures:

Problem → Action → Solution → Lesson
At Hess Academy, we frame it as the "4M Approach": Mystery - Maze - Map - Mirror

2. Practice Ideation, Not Just Writing

Give them themes like:

“A Time I Regretted Something”
“An Unexpected Visitor”
“When I Had To Make A Tough Choice”

And challenge them to come up with 2-3 story ideas for each theme — before writing.

3. Focus On Realism & Relatability

Good PSLE stories are not about crazy plot twists. They’re about everyday stories told well.

Ask:"Is this something that could actually happen?""Would the reader believe this?"

Final Thoughts

Reading and writing are best friends — but they’re not identical twins.

If your child is already a good reader, that’s a fantastic head start.

But to become a confident writer — especially for PSLE compositions — they need tools, structure, and guided practice to turn their ideas into powerful stories.

At Hess Academy, we teach students to write stories that stand out—realistic, structured, and emotionally compelling.

Learn more about our PSLE English programme here.

Learn more about our O level English programme here.