Practise Exam Question for GCSE AQA Power And Conflict

Here’s a practise exam poetry comparison essay question for the AQA Power and Conflict. It’s taken from the May 2019 paper. Remember, in this exam you should write a comparative essay that compares and contrasts both poems together in every paragraph – focus equally on both and write topic sentences that compare the poems at […]

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 […]

Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning). It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good […]

Descriptive Writing Techniques That Will Help You Write More Vividly

The ability to use descriptive writing techniques is an essential skill for every writer to master, whether you’re a student, a blogger, or a copywriter. Vivid descriptions can transform your paragraphs from vague and boring to engrossing and memorable! Like any other skill, of course, it takes time and practise to master, but there are […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]