Service Description

Phase 1: It is a 1-to-4 course. Each class will give students the opportunity to write answers to entrance exam questions under timed conditions, followed by discussion and detailed feedback. Then, for each question and paper, I will show students my own written examples of answers, so students can see what a 'perfect' answer would be. My written examples will demonstrate the point, evidence, explain method (PEE), and give examples of how to comment on writers' imagery, syntax, and style. 1 St Mary's, Cambridge: the smashed jar. Skills explored: a) Reading between the lines. b) Writing point, evidence, explain paragraphs. c) Using 'your own words'. d) Writing the thoughts of a character in a passage. 2 Kent College: Stealing a book (The Never-ending Story). Skills explored: a) Finding 'detailed evidence' to support your points. b) How to write a creative extension of a passage, 'copying the writer's style'. 3 Dracula passage. 19th century fiction. Skills explored: a) Analysing language techniques, structure, and sentence types in Victorian fiction. b) Writing point, evidence, analyse, develop paragraphs. c) Giving accurate definitions of key words in a passage. 4 Epsom School: Carrie's War: (context of Word War 2 and the evacuation of children). Skills: a) Analysing characters and their motivations; b) Selecting the correct evidence for an answer; c) Using effective quotations to support an answer; d) understanding the relevance of historical context. 5 Merchant Taylor's; Long Lankin (gothic novel). Skills: a) Word definitions; b) Using short quotations in a PEAL paragraph; c) Evaluating the effect of the use of the senses and sentence structure to create atmosphere. 6 Poetry analysis: Purple Shoes. Skills: a) How to evaluate poetic techniques; b) How to analyse structure and syntax (sentence forms); c) How to tackle grammar and punctuation tasks; d) Assessing the mood and theme of a poem; d) Writing extended answers. 7 Sherlock Holmes passage: Skills: a) Long-form and multiple-choice questions; b) Making inferences; c) Grammar correction tasks and creative extensions. 8 St Albans school: The Second Bakery Attack. Skills: a) Finding evidence; b) Assessing the role of dialogue and setting in a narrative. 9 Sonnet and Washing my Grandmother's Hair. Skills: a) Analysis of poetry and poetic techniques; b) Comparing and contrasting poems on a similar theme. 10 Sevenoaks 2017: Rebecca (with my questions). Skills: a) How to evaluate tone and mood