by melaniewp | Jun 19, 2013 | GCSE, IGCSE, Pike, Poetry, Sonnet 116, Tension, Wind
Tension builds. Like a spring or elastic band being stretched tight, writers build energy in a story or poem. Something bad is going to happen…any…minute… now.This is also called ‘suspense’. Writers create a suspenseful atmosphere –...
by melaniewp | Jun 19, 2013 | English Language Exam, GCSE, Grammar, IGCSE, Punctuation, SPAG, Spelling
Ever wondered how do examiners mark spelling, punctuation and grammar in English exams?Imagine this: an examiner, sitting at a screen, marking your script, scoring one essay every few minutes. They’re looking for great writing, and also for accuracy. A few...
by melaniewp | Jun 17, 2013 | AQA, Cambridge, GCSE, IGCSE, Something Interesting, William Blake
William Blake (1757-1827) is an early Romantic poet from the literary heritage.Largely unrecognised in his lifetime, Blake pursued his eccentric work despite massive financial hardship and misfortunes. When he died, his wife had to borrow money to pay for his...
by melaniewp | Jun 13, 2013 | Commonly Misspelled Words, GCSE, IGCSE, Spelling, Teacher Training Spellings
This is a list of common, tricky words. It’s a work in progress so I’ll be adding more words and ways to learn them over the next few weeks. Enjoy!Want something a bit more difficult? Try these: Words Every Brilliant Person Should Know. Get something...
by melaniewp | Jun 8, 2013 | AQA, Flag John Agard, GCSE, IGCSE, Model Essays, Moon on the Tides, Poetry
Flag is tightly regular in its line length, rhyme scheme and in the refrain ‘it’s just a piece of cloth’, which repeats in all but the final stanza. It feels very controlled. This control allows the poet to explore the meaning of the same ‘piece of cloth’, or flag,...
by melaniewp | Jun 7, 2013 | AQA, GCSE, IGCSE, Model Essays, Moon on the Tides, Out of the Blue, Poetry, Simon Armitage
Basic SummaryThis poem is spoken by a trader inside the World Trade Centre (twin towers) on 9/11 moments before the buildings collapse. He seems to be asking us for help, asking whether we can see him. The poem is written as if it’s happening now. The man...
