Reflection 1: What does ‘integrating context’ actually mean? About this series Every summer, after marking hundreds of GCSE English papers as an AQA examiner, I take some time to reflect on the responses that stay with me long after the marking has finished. These reflections don’t reproduce students’ work. Instead, they explore the ideas, misconceptions […]
What I Learned This Summer as a GCSE English Examiner Read More »
Qualifications and experience You may well be tempted to hire a recent English graduate as a tutor: they obviously know their English texts, have a proven track record of passing all the exams that your teen has to take, and are considerably cheaper than all of the qualified teachers out there. These are valid points,
6 things to look for in an English tutor Read More »
We’ve all been there. A teacher has explained something in detail in class. They’ve asked us questions; we’ve made notes and they’ve set us homework. The trouble is, we can’t do the homework. We just don’t ‘get’ the teacher’s point, or we can’t remember a specific detail. Even at the grand old age of 43,
Top ten English resources to support your teen’s GCSE revision Read More »
In the classroom, there is one activity that is guaranteed to result in a drop in energy and motivation levels: It is known in some schools as green pen work, in others as DIRT tasks. A Directed, Independent, Remedial Task is when the student reads through the teacher’s feedback on an extended piece of writing,
MY MOST SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS ALL HAVE THESE ATTITUDES TOWARDS WRITING Read More »
If you have a teenager studying for their GCSE English assessments, chances are that they will have to compare two texts in writing. If their exam board is AQA, it’s likely that – in the literature paper – they will have to compare two poems. Comparing poems can be overwhelming. Your teenager will have (hopefully)
HOW TO COMPARE TWO POEMS: STORM ON THE ISLAND AND EXTRACT FROM THE PRELUDE Read More »
And how can a pig teach us the principles of effective speech making? The answer to the first question is of course … George Orwell! If you’re reading this and you have a teenager who is studying Orwell’s novel Animal Farm (or indeed, if you studied it yourself at school – I know I did 27 years
WHAT DO A PIG AND A RUSSIAN COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARY HAVE IN COMMON? Read More »
It is common for parents to worry about their teenagers’ handwriting. If the handwriting is messy, parents are concerned that the teacher will award a lower mark for a piece of writing than they might if the student’s handwriting is neat. Concerns around handwriting seem to be particularly intense when it comes to English, even
HANDWRITING MATTERS IF … Read More »
Explaining the key theme of Responsibility If your teen is in year 10 or 11, chances are that they will have studied the play An Inspector Calls, by J.B. Priestley. It is likely too, that they will have to write about a key theme in the play: responsibility. In this vlog, I explain how they might
SPOTLIGHT ON A KEY GCSE ENGLISH TEXT: AN INSPECTOR CALLS Read More »
The grade ceiling Is your teenager consistently achieving a grade 4 or a 5 in their English literature essays? Are they at a loss as to how to boost their grade? If so, it could be that they are taking a too narrow view of the text that they are writing about. The fact is,
HOW YOUR TEENAGER CAN ACHIEVE TOP MARKS IN AN ANALYTICAL ENGLISH ESSAY. Read More »
Imagine the scene: you have spent an hour unpicking the language and structure of two long, dense texts to hurriedly write analytical responses to four questions. The last question – question 4 – which required you to compare the perspectives of both writers, was particularly challenging. You didn’t quite have enough time and you’re feeling
HOW TO USE IMAGERY EFFECTIVELY IN THE PICTURE DESCRIPTION TASK Read More »
