http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40339860
Call to boost children's writing for pleasure
By Katherine Sellgren
Children who write for pleasure achieve significantly better results in the subject in the classroom, National Literacy Trust research suggests.
Those who like writing outside class are seven times more likely to write above the expected level for their age.
While the proportion of children writing for fun has risen, the trust warns many are still not keen on it.
It says more attention must be focused on writing for fun, as has already been done on reading for pleasure.
The study, published to mark the first National Writing Day organised by the charity First Story, questioned 39,411 eight to 18-year-olds across the UK.
The survey found almost a quarter (23%) of those who said they enjoyed writing were above their expected level, compared with 3% of those who said they did not like the activity.
While the proportion of young people who do enjoy writing has risen - from 45% in 2015 to 51% in 2016 - the NLT study suggests about half (49%) do not enjoy writing outside of the classroom.