People read differently on the web than they do on paper. This means the best approach when writing for the Buckinghamshire Council website is different from writing for print.
A 2011 government survey of adult literacy skills found that 14.9% (or 1 in 7) of adults in England have literacy levels at or below the literacy skills expected of a 9 to 11-year-old.
More recently, in 2015, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted its Survey of Adult Skills, known as PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies). This survey found that 16.4% (or 1 in 6) of adults in England have "very poor literacy skills".
This means we need to make sure our content is understood by people with low literacy levels so it can help as many people as possible. GOV.UK guidance recommends that you aim for a reading age of 9.
By the time children are 9 years old, they recognise over 5,000 common words.
Although as an adult your vocabulary may grow, you still read common words like this. You do not need to read every word to understand what is written.
To help people understand what you've written as quickly and easily as possible, you should also aim for a reading age of 9.
This means using:
- common words and simple, direct language
- short sentences
- short paragraphs
Research also shows that when people read online they scan the page for words connected to the task they’re trying to complete. They do this in an F-shaped pattern:
- first reading along horizontally across the top of the page
- then moving down the page reading horizontally across a shorter area
- then scanning the left side of the page
This means that:
- people will not read every word you write
- you should make sure the most important information appears at the top
- you should use headings and sub-headings to help people quickly navigate the page