by melaniewp | Apr 29, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, Fragments, GCSE, Grammar, IGCSE, KS3, Punctuation, Technical Terms, Writing
A Fragment – is ‘an incomplete sentence’. In other words, it’s a sentence without a subject or a verb. What is the effect of using a fragment?[1] Sometimes this gives the effect of confusion, ragged thoughts. The incompleteness...
by melaniewp | Apr 28, 2013 | 11+, Colloquial Language, Common Entrance, GCSE, Give, IGCSE, KS3
What is Colloquial Language?This is another word for everyday language – slang or informal expressions. These are often the hardest to translate if English isn’t your native language. Here are some examples:’give me a hand’ = ‘assist...
by melaniewp | Apr 25, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, GCSE, IGCSE, KS3, Poetry, Technical Terms
PersonificationThis is where things (and animals) are given human qualities or emotions. It is a technique used to create mood in a story. Types are listed in order of usefulness!Add your own examples in the comment box below![1] Non-human things perform human...
by melaniewp | Apr 22, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, GCSE, General Essay Points, IGCSE, KS3
When writing about texts, what are teachers looking for? You might have studied PEE (point, evidence, explain) or PQC (point, quote, comment), but what is it that makes the difference between low grades and high scores?This checklist is designed to cover all areas...
by melaniewp | Apr 18, 2013 | 11+, A-Level, Common Entrance, GCSE, How to Write an Essay, IGCSE, KS3
A student explained today that she had a problem. Maybe it’s one that you have too. When writing about a text – novel or poem, or play, she kept repeating the phrase ‘this creates a feel of’, or ‘this suggests’.We figured out there...
by melaniewp | Apr 16, 2013 | 11+, Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Common Entrance, Exam Essays, KS3, Model Essays
If you’ve got an essay to write on The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, want to write a book review, or find out what John Boyne meant, get help here. This is an essay I wrote to help a student revising for Common Entrance.The book of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...
