Write for Low Literacy

There are many reasons why someone might experience low literacy behaviors when reading online. To ensure the widest accessibility and usability, write using these tips for writing for low literacy.

Three Key Tips for Writing for Low Literacy

Write for an 8th-grade audience

To ensure the widest understanding of content, write toward an 8th-grade reading level. This means:

• Using short words, sentences and paragraphs for quick reading
• Avoiding jargon (overly specific or technical language)
• Spelling out acronyms on first appearance on a page

There are many tools available that can help you gauge the reading level of your content. For example, the Hemingway Editor can help you make your text shorter and easier to read.

Write how you speak

Informal writing is easier to read than overly formal writing. It’s very easy to fall into writing in the formal and technical language of documents that is hard for a layman to understand.

An easy way to adjust your writing style is to think of how you would explain a concept to a person if you were talking to them face-to-face. Sometimes, reading your content out loud will help you identify areas of content that are overly formal, as they may feel strange to say aloud.

Write with an active voice

Writing with an active voice means structuring your sentences so that the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. An easy way to do this is to write in first or second person using “I”, “we” and “you.” (As a bonus, this typically makes content shorter.)

For example, a passive sentence may look like:

“Applications to attend Texas A&M University can be submitted by prospective students beginning in August.”

A more active version of this idea may look like:

“You can apply to Texas A&M University beginning in August.”

Readability Goals

Not counting proper nouns, you should aim to keep your content to these reading levels.

Page Type	Purpose	Reading Level
Homepage or Landing Pages	Provides high-level information and summaries of content available on other pages	5th grade
Content Pages	Provides information about a specific topic	8th grade
Supporting Information	Provides detailed information	11th grade