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  • A* Coursework Narrative for IGCSE First Language English

    A* Coursework Narrative for IGCSE First Language English

    The full moon stared down in dismay as Leisl sighed. She had only a moment until the rite must be performed, yet the leaves on the ancient oak tree refused to regrow. Geisterholz Forest remained barren; bare branches twisted their arthritic fingers into the gloom of the blackened sky.

  • Model Essay – Travelling in The Whale Rider

    Model Essay – Travelling in The Whale Rider

    Travelling in The Whale Rider symbolises the emotional journeys and changes the characters undergo, as Witi Ihimaera aims to make the reader understand that traditional cultures should modernise whilst holding onto their history and cultural identities. Travelling is a metaphor for maturing and progress, particularly with Rawiri’s trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea, …

  • IGCSE Narrative Exemplar: Race to the Top

    IGCSE Narrative Exemplar: Race to the Top

    Swiping bold stripes of face paint on my cheeks, I felt the adrenaline soaring through my body. This would be the year I’d come first, get my name in the newspapers, and finally beat Benson. It was my seventh time competing… and my seventh time coming second place.

  • Model Essay & Free Resources: The City Planners by Margaret Atwood

    Model Essay & Free Resources: The City Planners by Margaret Atwood

    The City Planners by Margaret Atwood expresses disdain for the City Planners, who attempt to impose order upon fundamentally chaotic subjects: humanity and nature. Through her personification of the landscape, puns of insanity and use of free verse, Atwood critiques the sterile and oppressive nature of modern urban planning and argues…

  • How to answer Directed Writing for IGCSE First Language English

    How to answer Directed Writing for IGCSE First Language English

    Are you gearing up for the IGCSE First Language English Paper 2 and feeling a bit daunted by the directed writing section? Fear not! In this blog post, I’ll break down the key elements of directed writing, focusing on reading skills and evaluation – the secret ingredients to securing those top marks.

  • Model Narrative for IGCSE First Language English: The Reunion

    Model Narrative for IGCSE First Language English: The Reunion

    A cup of coffee grew colder in a café on the frigid outskirts of Paris, but Henri LeBarre seemed to pay no mind to the dwindling threads of steam. No, Henri’s eyes were fixed far in the distance, any thoughts of his five Euro coffee going to waste pushed far from the front of his…

  • Model Description IGCSE English: After the Bomb Dropped

    Model Description IGCSE English: After the Bomb Dropped

    Homes erupted to rubble; safety bled into chaos; embraces disintegrated to ash. Step by step, with trembling legs, I staggered through the ruins of the place that was my home. I ignored the streaks of blood dripping into my eyes, the tiny shards of metal lodged into my left forearm, and the wails around me.…

  • Cinematic Structure for Descriptions – IGCSE First Language English

    Cinematic Structure for Descriptions – IGCSE First Language English

    Lights up on dazzling New York City, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, where Fat Cats prowl and ingénues seek fame, glory or money – whichever comes first. Pan out and see skyscrapers climbing into the heavens, their facades adorned with glimmering glass and steel, like modern-day castles touching the clouds. Each one…

  • Easy Descriptive Writing Structure for IGCSE First Language English

    Easy Descriptive Writing Structure for IGCSE First Language English

    It was April, and the time had come again for Tokyo to be velveted in a pink blanket. Shinjuku National Garden, vast and winding, was bustling with life: lovers made eyes in pedalos on the lake; a pretty girl posed for photos with petals in her hair; a tourist hunted for the best picnic location,…

  • Book recommendations for KS5 students: May 2022 (age 16+)

    Book recommendations for KS5 students: May 2022 (age 16+)

    With a real talent for story writing and creating complex characters, Adiche is one of my favourite authors. Purple Hibiscus is her debut novel, set in post-colonial Nigeria, examining a wealthy family and the impact that colonisation has had on language, religion and real people even after the British have left.