What is Fiction?

In literature, fiction encompasses written works that are defined by narratives or stories that are created, invented, and made up by the writer. Essentially, fictional works feature elements such as plot, characters, setting, and theme. Fictional works primarily take the form of novels, novellas, and short stories. Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in other […]

What to focus on when writing an Essay

In this post, we’ll take a look at the most basic things to focus on when writing an essay. In an academic setting, such as a school or university, an essay is a formal piece of writing that is a response to a question. It takes the form of an extended argument (thesis). The word […]

How to write Argumentative Essay Paragraphs

In this short post, we’ll go through how to structure perfect essay paragraphs – plus give a clear, easy to follow example. Argumentative essays are hard! But unfortunately, you need them for all kinds of subjects; English, History, Politics, Geography, Psychology, Religion, Sociology… the list goes on! All humanities subjects require a strong grasp of […]

AQA Language Paper 2 Writing A* / L9 + Example Answer

Just in time for Halloween, here’s a spooky letter that argues persuasively in defence of keeping the festival going! I wrote this answer with the mark scheme in mind, so it ticks all the boxes that you would expect for a top-level grade – a clear, thorough argument with counter paragraphs, an evaluative conclusion, lots […]

CIE IGCSE Poetry Essay Questions

These questions are all based on the Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Literature questions that you can find in specimen papers and past papers for Paper 1: Poetry and Prose (0475/01). I have adapted the wording to suit a range of themes and focal points. I’d recommend planning as many of them as you can so that […]

How To Structure an Essay Paragraph

Below, you can find an overall explanation of how to structure an essay paragraph. Lots of my students struggle with essay writing – in any essay subject, the process for writing a great middle paragraph is exactly the same. Once you learn it, your grades will massively improve across the board! This advice is for […]

Descriptive and Creative Writing Prompts

In this post, we will looking at how descriptive and creative writing prompts can inspire you to write more, and get readers really engaged and connected to your writing. The most important part of descriptive writing is to add as many important details and characteristics to the person, place, object or experience in your essay. […]

Learn how to write a Perfect Conclusion

“There’s no point bothering to write a conclusion” is something I hear quite a lot from my students. “It’s just repeating what you’ve already said”, “It’s a waste of time” and other such phrases are often uttered in my classes. Of course, these opinions are all wrong! Thanks for reading! If you need more help […]

How to Understand and Analyse a Poem

This is a process I developed myself when I was at university studying poems; I couldn’t understand nor analyse a poem, and it confused the heck out of me. I used to look at poems and feel completely lost like I didn’t even know where to start. So, I developed this system as a way […]

How to Understand the Basics of Poetry

This page takes you through everything you need to know when starting out with understanding the basics of poetry. It’s great for complete beginners, or experienced writers wanting to refresh their knowledge. It’s equally useful for literature students, such as those taking GCSEs, IGCSEs, and A-Levels. If you’re totally stuck on poetry and how to […]