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Year 7 · English · Literacy

Editing and proofreading

Reviewing writing for clarity, structure, word choice, spelling and punctuation using a simple checklist.

Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026. How we review

These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.

Learning goals

Learners will

  • Understand the difference between editing (improving meaning and style) and proofreading (fixing errors).
  • Use a simple checklist to review a piece of writing.
  • Correct common errors in spelling, punctuation, capital letters and word choice.

Success looks like

  • I can explain the difference between editing and proofreading.
  • I can use the ARMS and CUPS checklists on my own writing.
  • I can find and fix at least five errors in a short paragraph.

The big idea

Good writers almost never get everything right in their first draft. Reviewing writing happens in two stages: editing and proofreading.

Editing is about making the writing clearer and better. Use ARMS:

  • Add – add missing detail, a stronger opening or a better ending.
  • Remove – cut repeated or unnecessary words and sentences.
  • Move – put sentences or paragraphs in a more logical order.
  • Substitute – swap dull or vague words for precise ones ('nice' → 'delicious', 'went' → 'raced').

Proofreading is about fixing errors. Use CUPS: Capital letters (start of sentences, names, days, months, places), Usage (grammar such as matching verbs and choosing the right homophone), Punctuation (full stops, commas, question marks, apostrophes, speech marks) and Spelling.

Proofreading tips: read your work aloud slowly – your ear catches what your eye misses. Slide a ruler under each line. Check one thing at a time (for example, read once just for capitals). Use a dictionary for any word you are unsure of, and remember spell-checkers miss homophones such as their/there.

Example draft: 'on saturday me and my freinds went to the beach it was really nice. We swam and we swam and then we ate lunch.' After proofreading and editing: 'On Saturday, my friends and I went to the beach. The water was cool and clear, so we swam for hours before eating a picnic lunch.' Notice the capitals, the fixed spelling of 'friends', the split run-on sentence, the removed repetition and the substituted vague word 'nice'.

Worked examples

Proofreading with CUPS

Proofread: 'last week my brother recieved a parcel from aunt rosa'

  1. Capitals: 'Last' starts the sentence; 'Aunt Rosa' is a name.
  2. Usage: the sentence makes sense.
  3. Punctuation: add a full stop at the end.
  4. Spelling: 'recieved' should be 'received' (i before e, except after c).

Answer: 'Last week my brother received a parcel from Aunt Rosa.'

Fixing a run-on sentence

Fix: 'The storm knocked out the power we used candles.'

  1. Find where one complete idea ends: 'The storm knocked out the power'.
  2. Either add a full stop and a capital, or join the ideas with a comma and a joining word.

Answer: 'The storm knocked out the power, so we used candles.' (or 'The storm knocked out the power. We used candles.')

Editing with ARMS

Edit for better word choice and less repetition: 'The dog was big. The dog was nice. The dog ran fast.'

  1. Remove: 'the dog' is repeated three times.
  2. Substitute: 'big' and 'nice' are vague. Choose 'huge' and 'friendly'; 'ran fast' could become 'bounded'.
  3. Combine the ideas into one smoother sentence.

Answer: 'The huge, friendly dog bounded across the yard.'

Practice check

Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.

  1. 1.What is the main difference between editing and proofreading?
  2. 2.Correct the misspelt word: 'We recieved a letter today.'
  3. 3.Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?
  4. 4.Which is the best fix for this run-on sentence? 'I was hungry I made a sandwich.'
  5. 5.What punctuation mark is missing from the end of: 'Where are you going'
  6. 6.Which word is the best substitute for 'nice' in 'We ate a nice meal'?
  7. 7.In the CUPS proofreading checklist, what does the S stand for? (one word)
  8. 8.Which error would a spell-checker most likely miss?
Answer guide for parents

  1. What is the main difference between editing and proofreading?

    Editing improves meaning and style; proofreading fixes errors such as spelling and punctuation. — Editing makes writing clearer and better; proofreading catches mistakes.

  2. Correct the misspelt word: 'We recieved a letter today.'

    received — 'I before e, except after c' – received.

  3. Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

    On Monday we visited Grandma in June. — Capitals are needed for the first word, days, months and names used as names.

  4. Which is the best fix for this run-on sentence? 'I was hungry I made a sandwich.'

    I was hungry, so I made a sandwich. — A comma plus the joining word 'so' correctly joins the two ideas. A comma on its own is not enough.

  5. What punctuation mark is missing from the end of: 'Where are you going'

    ? — It asks a question, so it needs a question mark.

  6. Which word is the best substitute for 'nice' in 'We ate a nice meal'?

    delicious — 'Delicious' is precise and tells the reader exactly how the meal tasted.

  7. In the CUPS proofreading checklist, what does the S stand for? (one word)

    Spelling — CUPS = Capitals, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling.

  8. Which error would a spell-checker most likely miss?

    'there' instead of 'their' — 'There' is a real word, so the spell-checker may not flag it even though it is the wrong homophone.

Watch out for

  • Thinking that once writing is spell-checked, it is finished. Spell-checkers miss homophones and cannot judge clarity.
  • Trying to check everything in one read. Checking one thing at a time catches far more errors.
  • Believing editing means the first draft was 'bad'. All writers edit; it is a normal part of writing.

Tips for parents

  • Have your child read their writing aloud to you. Pause when something sounds odd and let them find the fix.
  • Write the ARMS and CUPS checklists on a card and keep it with their writing book.
  • Resist correcting everything yourself. Put a dot in the margin of a line with an error and let your child find it.

Go further

  • Write a deliberately error-filled paragraph for a family member to proofread, with an answer key.
  • Take a piece of writing from last month, edit it using ARMS, and compare the before and after versions.
  • Proofread a menu, sign or newsletter at home and see if you can find any mistakes.

About 45 minutes

Make a lesson planAssign to my child

You'll need

  • A recent piece of your own writing
  • Coloured pen or pencil for corrections
  • A dictionary (print or online)
  • A ruler to slide under each line as you read

Key words

editing
Improving writing so it is clearer and more interesting – changing words, sentences or the order of ideas.
proofreading
Carefully checking writing for errors in spelling, punctuation, capital letters and grammar.
draft
An early version of a piece of writing that will be improved.
run-on sentence
Two or more sentences joined without the correct punctuation or joining word.
checklist
A list of things to check, ticked off one at a time.
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