Service Description

Phase 1: It is a 1-to-3 course. The course will focus on some of the key skills required to do well at 13+ level and beyond. It will provide students with examples of actual exam questions and model responses. 1. Imaginative writing. Exam question: 'Imagine you are an object hundreds of years old'. Skill: how to give life to an inanimate object and give it a 'voice'. 2. Letter and autobiographical writing: 'Write a letter to your 8-year-old self, giving advice about the years to come and how to succeed'; 'Write about a time when you tried something new'. Skill: choosing meaningful events from your life and 'bringing them alive'. 3. Picture descriptions and stories: the library (interior); the crashed car (exterior). Skill: using time-shifts and weather to enhance a story or description. 4. Writing a magazine article and persuasive writing on a theme: 'Zoos and animal cruelty'; 'Young people lack a desire for adventure.' Skill: how to build and sequence arguments. 5. Autobiographical and confessional writing: 'Describe a time when you were afraid'; 'Describe your earliest memory'. Skill: selecting memories and planning an effective response. 6. Book reports: 'In order for there to be a hero, there must be a villain'; 'A moment in a story where a character takes a risk'. Skill: how to write about books in an interesting way. 7. Speculative writing: 'The first five things you would tell an alien'. Skill: how to show an awareness of the wider world and explain what an alien would need to know to survive in our world. 8. Story writing: 'Running Late'. Picture prompt. Skill: how to use a three-part structure, characters, and focus on an important event to write an effective story. 9. Writing a speech: 'All children should learn a musical instrument'. Skill: planning and structuring a response; giving an informed point of view with evidence, personal experience and detail. 10. Descriptive writing and story: the difference: 'Describe a deserted house, creating either a story or description'. Skill: describing outsides and insides; focusing on details. Writing a strong conclusion. The difference between a story and pure description, and how to do both.