Writing development has been a key area of research in applied linguistics for some time but most work has focused on children's writing at particular ages, for example, at the early primary, late primary or secondary stage. Christie and Derewianka draw on extensive research in both primary and secondary years to trace the developmental trajectory from age 5 or 6 through to 18. Using a systemic functional grammar, they outline developmental changes in writing in three major areas of the school curriculum - English, history, and science - as children move from early childhood to late...