What is a differentiated task?

Two or more versions of the same task, aimed at the same learning objective, that differ in how much support or complexity they carry. The defining feature is the shared objective - if the versions assess different things, it is not differentiation, it is just different work.

How many levels should I make?

Three is the usual answer: working towards, expected standard, and greater depth. Two is often enough, and more than three is rarely worth the preparation time relative to what it changes in the room.

Should pupils know which version they have?

They will work it out, so the aim is to make it unremarkable rather than secret. Identical formatting, numbered rather than named versions, and free movement between them does more than trying to hide it.

Is differentiation the same as an adjustment for SEND?

No, and conflating them causes problems. Differentiation changes the level of challenge. An adjustment - a read-aloud version, controlled vocabulary for a pupil with EAL, the provision named in an EHCP - changes access to the task at whatever level it is pitched. A pupil can need one, the other, or both.

How to differentiate a worksheet for a mixed-ability class

Differentiate by changing the entry point, not the objective: every version of the worksheet should assess the same skill, and only the support around it should vary. That single rule is what keeps a differentiated class doing one lesson instead of three, and it is the difference between differentiating and simply handing out easier work.

Why one worksheet fails a mixed class

A class of 30 spans several years of reading and number sense. Pitch a single worksheet at the expected standard for the year group and roughly a third cannot start, while another third finishes in four minutes and finds something else to do. Pitch it low and the top of the class learns nothing. Pitch it high and most of the room fails in a way that teaches them they are bad at the subject rather than that the task was misjudged.

The instinct is to write three worksheets. The problem is that three separately written worksheets drift: each one re-interprets the topic slightly, and you end up with three sheets that share a title while assessing subtly different things. When that happens the whole-class discussion afterwards stops working, because the class did not actually do the same lesson.

Vary these

Every one of these changes how hard a task is to access without changing what it assesses.

Number size and type: Single-digit before multi-digit, whole numbers before fractions, friendly denominators before awkward ones. The operation stays the same.
The number of steps: A working-towards version asks one step where the greater-depth version asks two or three. Same skill, less to hold in working memory at once.
How much is given: Provide the first step, a worked example, a word bank, or a partly completed table. Scaffolding is information, not easier content.
Reading load: Shorter sentences and familiar vocabulary in a word problem, so you are testing the maths rather than the reading.
Openness of the answer: Multiple choice, then short answer, then explain-your-reasoning. The greater-depth version should demand explanation, not just harder numbers.

Keep these identical

This is the half most differentiation gets wrong. The objective, the vocabulary and the context should be the same across all three versions.

If the working-towards version uses different terminology, those pupils cannot join the discussion afterwards - which is the moment differentiation was supposed to protect. Same words, same context, same thing being learned; only the route in changes.

Handing them out without labelling anyone

Children work out the hierarchy immediately if you let them. A few things that help: make the sheets look identical - same header, same font, no visible level name - and number the versions rather than naming them. Hand out by walking the room, not by calling groups to the front.

Let pupils move between versions. Someone who finishes the scaffolded version should be able to pick up the next one, and a pupil who stalls should be able to step back without asking permission in front of everyone.

Change the groups often. Differentiation should track the skill in front of you this week, not a judgement made in September - and the fastest way to find out who needs which version tomorrow is a two-question exit ticket at the end of today.

Doing it without writing three worksheets

The reason teachers do not differentiate as often as they would like is time, not conviction. Two shortcuts that do not compromise the method: write one worksheet whose sections progress from scaffolded to greater depth, so a single handout self-differentiates; or generate a coordinated set where all three versions are anchored to the same skill from the start.

Teachit Studio's Differentiated Worksheets does the second - three versions from one brief, anchored so they cannot drift apart, and each with its own mark scheme. The point is not that it is faster than writing three; it is that anchoring them is what stops them becoming three unrelated worksheets.

Questions

What is a differentiated task?: Two or more versions of the same task, aimed at the same learning objective, that differ in how much support or complexity they carry. The defining feature is the shared objective - if the versions assess different things, it is not differentiation, it is just different work.
How many levels should I make?: Three is the usual answer: working towards, expected standard, and greater depth. Two is often enough, and more than three is rarely worth the preparation time relative to what it changes in the room.
Should pupils know which version they have?: They will work it out, so the aim is to make it unremarkable rather than secret. Identical formatting, numbered rather than named versions, and free movement between them does more than trying to hide it.
Is differentiation the same as an adjustment for SEND?: No, and conflating them causes problems. Differentiation changes the level of challenge. An adjustment - a read-aloud version, controlled vocabulary for a pupil with EAL, the provision named in an EHCP - changes access to the task at whatever level it is pitched. A pupil can need one, the other, or both.