An ill prepared mountain climb will, most likely, end in defeat or worse. No-one would dream of arriving at the base of Mount Everest with no planning, training or kit and expect to successfully make the climb. Preparing for exams is a little like a mountain climb. You can’t just arrive in the exam room…
Becoming a grade riser means using effort to improve your skill. Not everyone is going to get top marks, but those struggling at the lower end can benefit hugely from some simple changes to how they work. Success and motivation will feed effort and this means looking at where pupils are at the beginning of…
Most paragraphs should follow the same pattern. This might seem boring, but it’s useful for both you and the examiner! Keep things regular and structured, and avoid diverging without being clear about why you’re choosing to do so. Each paragraph should follow that same basic pattern, for example: 1.Point – Mobile phones are better than…
PEE is a common essay technique that helps structure the content itself. PEE consists of three simple steps: 1. Point – what is your point in this paragraph? 2. Evidence – is there proof? 3. Evaluate – what do you think? Each paragraph or section should make a point, provide evidence for that point, and…
The introduction is extremely important for any essay or long answer. By providing a great introduction, you’ll set the tone for the rest of the essay and guide the reader through your intentions and main points. Firstly, you should try to summarise the title in a couple of lines. So, if your title is something…
Essays should always be well-structured. In fact, structure is crucial to all written work, regardless of whether it’s a novel, news article, essay or even a long social media post! Learning how to structure your writing will vastly improve your overall essay writing skills. Our colour-coded essay planner is a good place to start, you’ll…
Essays generally require precise use of language and should be detailed, but you should always aim to make your writing interesting and engaging. Good writing involves quality grammar, a wide vocabulary and effective use of transition phrases. There are hundreds of transition phrases, and you probably use many already. Here’s a few pointers: At the…
To get started, read the question. Not once, not twice, but three times (at least)! Some essay questions are simple and open-ended, but others are much more detailed and ask you to demonstrate specific knowledge. The longer and more complex the question, the more you should read it. In fact, one of the best pieces…
Get in the habit of colour-coding your essays to make the structure easier to visualise and follow. The concept of colour coding is simple. First, each essay should have a clear title, which is the first colour. Then there’s the introduction and conclusion, which are represented with the same colour. The introduction should set out…
Essays need structure. If you learn how to structure your work properly, everything suddenly becomes easier! Non-fiction essays must demonstrate a clear structure that links information and emphasises answers. A clear structure makes an essay easier to write, and it’ll also make it easier to read when someone comes to mark your work. Walk your…