How Does the Writer Create a Strong Mood and Atmosphere?

by melaniewp | May 9, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, English Language Exam, English Literature Exam, GCSE, IGCSE

‘How does the writer create mood and atmosphere?’ is a very common question at Common Entrance and also at GCSE and IGCSE. But what is the question asking you to find?How does the writer create a strong mood and atmosphere?You need to think about: how...

Frankenstein Extract for Common Entrance, 11+ and KS3, The Gothic

by melaniewp | May 7, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, Comprehension, Creative Writing, Frankenstein, KS3, Mary Shelley, The Gothic

This is a short extract from Frankenstein which I use with students for comprehension, how to create character, setting and mood. I’ve explained the difficult words in brackets so it can be used with students age 11 up.It was on a dreary night of November that I...

Creative Writing ‘New York’: Story or Writing to Describe for GCSE Controlled Assessment or IGCSE Coursework: English Language Exam

by melaniewp | May 6, 2013 | Common Entrance, Controlled Assessment, Creative Writing, English Language Exam, GCSE, IGCSE, Writing

This is a lesson I did with a student revising for the Writing Paper on the OCR GCSE English Language Exam, but would work equally well for AQA, WJEC, Edexcel or Cambridge IGCSE English Language Exams.Question SetDescribe a place you’ve beenPlace: New York....

Autobiographical Writing: How Can I Avoid Using ‘I’ All the Time? GCSE, IGCSE English Language Exam

by melaniewp | May 6, 2013 | Autobiography, Common Entrance, Creative Writing, English Language Exam, GCSE, IGCSE, Writing

When you’re writing autobiography, there’s one big problem. How can you avoid writing ‘I’ all the time? It’s easy when you know how. Do what travel writers do:use ‘we’ – as it sounds less self-centred. There are other...

Creative Writing ‘Before the Storm’: Story or Writing to Describe for GCSE Controlled Assessment or IGCSE Coursework: English Language Exam

by melaniewp | May 6, 2013 | Common Entrance, Creative Writing, GCSE, IGCSE, KS3, Model Essays

This is a creative writing / descriptive writing piece to help with the GCSE and IGCSE English Language exam, for non-fiction (autobiographical) writing, and fiction. If you’re super bright, or applying for a scholarship, you may also find this helpful for...

Analysis of the Character of Prospero: Magic, Civilization and Power in the Tempest All Quotations by Act, Scene and Sorted by Theme

by melaniewp | May 5, 2013 | Common Entrance, GCSE, IGCSE, KS3, Model Essays, Prospero, Shakespeare, The Tempest

Typical Cambridge IGCSE questions on Prospero in The Tempest focus on power, control, magic and civilization. You might even be asked the horrible question: Why is Prospero’s character so interesting?Caliban describes Prospero as a controlling, tyrannical man; other...