This paper reports on a study which investigated the relationship between Jamaican children’s texting practice, their knowledge of text messaging writing systems and their ability to write in Standard English. In this study 72 nine- to ten-year-old children from four different schools in the same parish in Jamaica provided information on their texting behaviour by writing an essay, composition, or a few sentences using a chosen text messaging writing system. They were also asked to translate this text message to Standard English.