Pupils who are gifted in English are likely to show some or all of the following characteristics.

• Creative flair

writing or talking in imaginative and coherent ways

elaborating on and organising content to an extent that is exceptional for their age

• Stamina and perseverance

using any suitable opportunities to produce work that is substantial and obviously the product of sustained, well-directed effort

• Communicative skills

involving and keeping the attention of an audience by exploiting the dramatic or humorous potential of ideas or situations in imaginative ways

taking a guiding role in helping a group to achieve its shared goals, while showing sensitivity to the participation of others

writing with a flair for metaphorical or poetic expression

grasping the essence of particular styles and adapting them to their own purposes

expressing ideas succinctly and elegantly, in ways that reflect an appreciation of the knowledge and interests of specific audiences

using ICT to research ideas and create new text

• Ability to take on demanding tasks

researching, comparing and synthesising information from a range of different sources, including ICT

engaging seriously and creatively with moral and social themes expressed in literature

• Arguing and reasoning

creating and sustaining accounts and reasoned arguments at a relatively abstract or hypothetical level, in both spoken and written language

grasping the essence of any content and reorganising it in ways that are logical and offer new syntheses or insights

justifying opinions convincingly, using questions and other forms of enquiry to elicit information and taking up or challenging others' points of view

• Awareness of language

understanding the nature of language and showing a special awareness of features such as rhyme, intonation or accent in spoken language, and the grammatical organisation of written texts

showing an interest and enthusiasm for language study, including an awareness of the relationship between the sounds and words of different languages that are not apparent to most of their peers.

Some pupils who are gifted in English may generally perform at levels of literacy or oral skills that are notably advanced for their age group. For example, the attainments in English of some 7-, 11- and 14-year-olds may be best described by aspects of national curriculum levels 4, 6 and 8 respectively. Other pupils may have unusual abilities in specific areas -- such as poetry, drama, or their understanding of the nature and structure of language -- while being unexceptional in the rest of their English work. In these cases, it may be hard to relate pupils' ability to level descriptions.

It is vital to have a whole-school perspective in order to recognise how exceptional ability in English is revealed through other subjects. At key stages 3 and 4 in particular, when pupils' learning becomes increasingly specialised, it is important to make and review holistic judgements of pupils' attainments across different areas of the curriculum.