5 Important Literary Devices You Must Know

In this post, we’ll help you get familiar with the 5 most important and commonly used literary devices in prose and poetry. We will give you a clear definition of each of the terms we’re discussing along with some examples of literary elements. Often, literary devices are used in writing for emphasis or clarity. Authors […]

GCSE Narrative Writing: High-Grade Answer + Teacher Feedback

The piece below, GCSE Narrative Writing, was completed by one of my students. It’s not done in timed conditions though, but it is about the length that you would expect for a real GCSE Descriptive Writing or Narrative Writing exam answer. This was written for the AQA English GCSE Exam, but it would suit any […]

AQA GCSE Practise Paper – Macbeth: The Captain’s Speech

Below is an AQA GCSE Practise Paper for Macbeth. The question is from the June 2019 GCSE exam paper for AQA GCSE English Literature. Use it to practise planning and writing, either as a full mock exam in timed conditions – or working through it in your own time and at your own pace. Thanks […]

How to Plan A Perfect Answer in Descriptive Writing

I’ve been writing a lot of descriptive writing fragments recently, so I thought I’d post them to help anyone who’s looking for ideas on how to plan a perfect answer. One thing that my students struggle a lot with is planning – how do you plan to describe something? It seems simple or straightforward, but […]

SIX AMAZING SHORT STORIES – For anyone who wants to improve their reading and thinking skills

Here are Six Amazing Short Stories to help you improve your writing, reading and thinking skills. To write well, you have to be a good reader. Read that again. It’s something that’s so often overlooked by many of my creative writing students – it’s hard to juggle the balance of reading and writing for sure. […]

Descriptive/Narrative or Creative Writing: The Pyramids

This is a sample exam answer for the GCSE / IGCSE Descriptive Writing question on the English Language exam. It will be useful for any student studying Descriptive, Narrative or Creative writing. It’s an answer to the following question: “Describe a time and place, real or imaginary when you felt trapped. Concentrate on your surroundings […]

AQA Language Paper 2, Question 2 Answer + Feedback from an AQA Examiner

This page breaks down the process for answering AQA Language Paper 2 Question 2 – the language analysis question. You are advised to write PEE paragraphs for this question, if you aim for three detailed paragraphs that will be better than writing four or five smaller paragraphs. This was the student’s first time planning and […]

An Inspector Calls: A* / L9 Example Intro + Paragraph

Here are some samples of an essay on An Inspector Calls, on the theme of responsibility. I wrote these myself as a teacher to show students an example of the standard required to get a high level at GCSE. I’ve also broken down the structure below so you can see what to put into each […]

A* Grade Robert Frost Essay: Compare the effects of two poems which Frost sets in wintertime.

This A* grade Robert Frost essay was completed by one of my students – not in timed conditions. She planned and thought thoroughly before writing, and edited the piece before handing it in. According to the mark scheme it received 23/25 (92%), which would translate to an A* grade at A-Level. However, the piece can […]

What is Unseen Poetry?

Lots of students find a section called ‘Unseen Poetry’ cropping up on their English exams. It’s quite a confusing term at first! It basically means that you have to read and react to a poem that you’ve never seen before, and write an essay on it in response to a question or prompt – all […]