The NSW Selective writing task is typed on a computer. That changes what good preparation looks like. A child can have great ideas and strong vocabulary, but if they type with two fingers while looking at the keys, a lot of those ideas never make it onto the page in 30 minutes.

The good news: typing is one of the easiest skills to improve with short, regular practice. Here is a plan you can run at home.

Step 1: Measure where your child is now

Before you change anything, get two numbers.

  1. Copy-typing speed. Do a free one-minute online typing test. Write down the words per minute (WPM) and the accuracy percentage.
  2. Writing speed. Give your child a prompt and let them write for 10 minutes on the computer. Count the words and divide by 10.

The second number will be much lower than the first, and that is normal. When children write a story they are thinking, choosing words and fixing sentences as they go. But it is the number that matters most on test day, because it tells you how much your child can actually produce.

You can get both numbers from a free practice prompt: the word count and words per minute appear when they finish.

Step 2: Learn to touch type

Touch typing means typing with all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard. It is the single biggest improvement most children can make.

  • Start with the home row: fingers rest on A S D F and J K L ;, with the thumbs on the space bar.
  • Each finger "owns" a set of keys. It feels slow at first, and that is fine.
  • No looking at the keys. If your child keeps peeking, put a light cloth or tea towel over their hands.

There are good free tools that teach touch typing step by step, such as TypingClub, Typing.com and keybr.com. Pick one and stick with it.

Step 3: Little and often beats long sessions

Ten to fifteen minutes, five days a week, works far better than one hour on a Saturday. Typing is a motor skill, and motor skills improve through frequent repetition. Long sessions lead to tired hands and sloppy habits.

Step 4: Accuracy first, then speed

If your child is under about 95% accuracy, slow down. Every mistake costs time to notice and fix, and on test day the mistakes may not be caught at all. Speed comes naturally once the fingers know where to go.

Step 5: Practice on the right keyboard

The test is taken on a computer, so practice on a laptop or Chromebook keyboard. Typing on a tablet's glass screen or a phone builds very different habits. If your child will use a particular device on test day, use the same type of keyboard at home.

Step 6: Move from drills to real writing

Drills build finger skills, but the test asks your child to think and type at the same time. Once they can touch type comfortably, swap some drill sessions for writing sessions: a prompt, a short plan, and 15–20 minutes of writing. This builds the "thinking while typing" speed that the real task needs.

Step 7: Turn off autocorrect and spell-check

At home, autocorrect quietly fixes mistakes, so children never notice them. Practice with spell-check and autocorrect switched off so your child learns to spell correctly as they type. Our practice tool has them switched off already.

Step 8: Track progress every week

Once a week, repeat the two measurements from Step 1 and write them down. Children love seeing the numbers go up, and you will quickly see whether the practice is working.

What is a realistic target?

There is no official word count for the writing task. A useful way to think about it: if your child spends about 5 minutes planning and 3 minutes checking, they have about 22 minutes to write. To write 300 words in 22 minutes they need to sustain roughly 14 words per minute while composing. Use your child's writing speed from Step 1 to see how close they are.

More words is not automatically better, though. A focused, well-structured 300 words beats a rambling 500. Speed simply gives your child room to show what they can do.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Hunting and pecking for months. The longer a child types with two fingers, the harder it is to switch. Start touch typing early.
  • Only playing typing games. Games are fun, but make sure there is also practice with real sentences and full pieces of writing.
  • Chasing speed over accuracy. Fast and wrong is still wrong.
  • Practicing only on a tablet or phone. Use a real keyboard.

Start today

Run a one-minute typing test tonight, then try a free Selective-style writing prompt. In a few weeks of short, regular practice you should see a real difference.