Here you’ll find a one page document, using a leaflet format, which gives students an opportunity to write for each different writing purpose. When I taught this, I asked students to write these alone in the top boxes. I, then, asked them to compare with a partner, considering whether they had managed to get a feel for the purpose. We ran through these together and I wrote models for each. Finally, I asked students to choose one purpose and to write the entire piece on the lined paper at the bottom of the page. This is EXTREMELY easily adaptable and could be used to teach any format or purpose required for paper two non-fiction writing tasks. Please do take a look at my other resources. :)

This is a resource which runs through a couple of activities comparing power and conflict poems. For each question, there is an example essay paragraph to consider and there is space for a student response. I’ve used this as a lesson a number of times and have found it useful with classes in enabling them to really visualise the way in which to write comparative paragraphs. Additionally, the layout has been influenced by learning science, specifically The Learning Scientists. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. Do take a look at my other resources. :)

This is a resource which runs through A Christmas Carol exam questions. They would be easy to use with an appropriate extract, which could be found through using the highlighted quotation used. For each question, there is an example paragraph to consider and there is space for students to write their own paragraph at the bottom of the page. I’ve used this as a lesson a number of times and have found it useful with classes in enabling them to really visualise the way in which to structure their paragraphs and extend their analysis. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. Do take a look at my other resources. :)

This is a resource which runs through a reflection on a poetry comparison task, similar to those in AQA Literature paper two. The task focuses on Langston Hughes’ ‘I, Too’ and Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’. How do Angelou and Hughes present ideas about strength in ‘Still I Rise’ and ‘I, Too’? It includes an example paragraph and a KS3 mark scheme which students can use to reflect on the piece, marking it and giving advice on improvements. Beneath this, there is space for whole class feedback (which is deletable) as I used this after a trial where I used this question. At the bottom, there is space for students to attempt the task for themselves. I’ve used this as a lesson a number of times and have found it useful with classes in enabling them to really visualise the way in which to structure analytical and comparative paragraphs. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. Do take a look at my other resources. :)

This is a resource which runs through AQA Literature paper one, including a Macbeth and A Christmas Carol extract questions. For each question, there is an example essay answer to consider and there is space for feedback on the answers, in case this has been used as a trial. I’ve included the feedback I gave my classes, in the form of WWWs and EBIs. They just need deleting. These sections are highlighted yellow for your ease. Additionally, this could simply form a structure for your own feedback from trials. I’ve used this as a lesson a number of times and have found it useful with classes in enabling them to really visualise the way in which to write the entire essays and to familiarise themselves with the mark scheme. Once this has been done, I’ve asked students to improve their own trial responses to enact what they’ve learned. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. Do take a look at my other resources. :)

This is a resource to sit alongside the Life Of Pi hyena extract English Language paper one exam. For each reading question, there are example answers to consider and there is space for feedback on the answers, in case this has been used as a trial. I’ve included the feedback I gave my classes, in the form of WWWs and EBIs. These just need deleting. These sections are highlighted yellow for your ease. Additionally, this could simply form a structure for your own feedback from trials. I’ve used this as a lesson a number of times and have found it useful with classes in enabling them to really visualise the answers and to familiarise themselves with the mark scheme. Once this has been done, I’ve asked students to improve their own trial responses to enact what they’ve learned. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. Do take a look at my other resources. :)

Given the heavy markload of English teachers and the need to communicate clearly and rapidly with students, I decided that stickers with an abbreviated mark scheme would allow for both faster communication with students regarding their work and faster marking. This resource covers every question for AQA Literature and AQA Language. With this in mind, I’ve created mark schemes which are adaptable and image-based for ease so that they can be resized and stuck into books. I would advise A5 stickers but they do work at half of that (four to a page). These mark schemes work by showing the quality of the work at the side (four bands for Language and six for LIterature). They then have a column with the necessary skills listed. I’ve taken these from the highest band I felt all students could understand (bands five and three). The final column leaves space for students to complete any feedback or, indeed, for the teacher to do so. I use these with whole class feedback sheets and ask students to fill them in themselves. The simplest use lies in highlighting the quality and skills evident, once students have stuck the sticker in themselves. There is a space for the mark in the bottom left hand corner. This has been created with the concepts of The Learning Scientists in mind. Please do check out my other resources. :)

With assessments moderated and marked, one thing screamed out to the English department I’m a part of:students aren’t confident about how to approach and structure each questions’ answers. It wasn’t that student hadn’t tried, often they had. The issue was that they just couldn’t remember what to do for each question. How could they structure it to get the most marks? How could they remember the exam technique? Considering these issues, I realised that it might be worthwhile creating a set structure for each question. More than that, I thought it would be useful to set them out as a potential display for my classroom. Perhaps more usefully, I have these printed out to give to students when they’re struggling with how to approach a question so they can see them as a guide while they write their own responses. Do check out my other resources. :)

These are a collection of English subject terminology posters to decorate classrooms and to be used for reference by students when analysing texts. Additionally, they could be used, as a display, when teaching terminology so that prompts are available and visible during all lessons. They are designed to be clearly seen and to be displayed alphabetically for ease. Additionally, the formatting and layout has been influenced by ‘The Learning Scientist’ and their principles on how to make resources most accessible and memorable. Take a look at my other resources. :)

These resources seek to redress imbalances in most English curricula, containing writing challenges, unseen poetry analysis and non-fiction analysis by LGBTQIA+ writers and writers who are black, asian and from other ethnic groups often, wrongly, omitted from canon. Where possible, intersectionality has been considered too as we are more than one label… It is SO important that our children/students hear a range of voices and know that the world should value each of us equally. Thank you for taking the time to view these resources. Any mistakes or clumsy phrasing is my own - please let me know politely if I should change anything.

With assessments moderated and marked, one thing screamed out to the English department I’m a part of: the inference is missing. It wasn’t that student answers weren’t long enough, often they were. It wasn’t that quotes were missing, mostly they were well selected and supportive. It wasn’t that they’d missed the steer. It was that, where the inference should be, there were empty phrases: “*This makes the reader want to read on.” *“The writer uses language for emphasis.” * *“This creates more meaning.” I don’t know where students hear these phrases from but they seem incredibly universal! When I was thinking about a solution, it seemed clear that students struggle to know the difference between empty, space-filling phrases and actual analysis. Considering how to make this difference more evident, I realised that it might be worthwhile doing some phrase comparison and, thus, the ‘Inference Powerpoint’ was born. It consists of a series of slides, each one intended as a starter/bell work which should take five minutes. The aim is that students should select the phrase which includes the best inference and explain how they know it is the most analytical. Additionally, students can they decide on the flaws of the other answers. Not all of them have one obvious answer, in that the aim is that students are considering what makes inference effective, so it is worth sometimes warning students of that. Perhaps more usefully, it seeks to teach students about some other common errors. Often there are answers of exactly the same length or a really vague and meaningless longer answer so that students can rely on length as a guide. We’ve all had students who use that as a guide!

This is a worksheet, detailing how to write up context for ‘An Inspector Calls’ (though it could be used for teaching other texts where context explanation is required. It runs through how not to do it and then how to do it, leaving a space for students to have a go themselves at the bottom. I’d imagine teaching it to the class, going through it together and discussing how and why the second one is better before getting them to write one themselves. Additionally, you might want to write an example together as a class, an example in pairs and then one independently to ensure mastery. All of my resources are influenced to some degree by ‘The Learning Scientists’. Thank you for taking the time to look at my resources. :)

These are transactional writing tasks based on the power and conflict cluster of poems. All fifteen poems are covered, with an exemplar response for ‘Bayonet Charge’. These follow the format of 200 word challenges, though they could be used in other ways quite easily. Each includes an appropriate task for AQA GCSE English Language paper two, section b. These tasks are varied so all text types and purposes should be covered. Feel free to use these as a lesson or as cover to set if you are absent. More able students should be able to approach these independently whilst you may wish to go through them more slowly, step by step with less able learners. Please do c heck out my other resources and my blog: https://idealisticteacher.edublogs.org/author/idealisticteacher/

Here you’ll find reading tasks, focusing on non-fiction writing and nineteenth century context. Whilst both of the diary entries here are by Anne Lister in 1823, this resource provides a useful AQA English Language Paper 02A revision resource and an excellent opportunity into some SMSC work. Students often presume that they are developed, civilised and cultured, whilst those of the past lived rather more narrow, small-minded lives. Anne Lister proves this wrong. Use this as an opportunity for discussion about how wrong it is to generalise when discussing context! Please do note that these tasks mention Anne Lister and her life as a lesbian, including a mention of “making love”. It is no more gratuitous than that but it should be pre-read by the teacher and students may need to be spoken to about the content. Alternatively, let them read it and discuss it themselves, if they’re mature enough, and see which of them see the date! Please do contact me with any questions and check out my other resources.

These are posters I’ve used for my classroom. They can be divided into two types - classroom communication and BfL. They seek to communicate with students, allowing them to receive messages and top tips as well as enabling further behaviour for learning. Rewards based, these posters encourage effort and producing work of the highest quality. Whilst the specific class names may not apply in your school context, I have included a blank class communication poster that could be adapted. Any comments, please do get in touch! Check out my other resources or take a look at my blog where I talk about these… https://idealisticteacher.edublogs.org/author/idealisticteacher/

These are all paired AQA Language section B tasks, one for paper one and one for paper two. I’ve been using two per week throughout this academic year! Recently, our school has altered its behaviour policy and is running after school detentions. I’ve created these as purposeful writing tasks for our students to complete during these detentions. The aim is to develop students’ planning and writing abilities whilst getting them to consider the nature of their behaviour and the value of education. This means that all of these are about character development and SMSC in addition to exam preparation. There is a simple layout, inspired by ‘The Learning Scientists’ though I’m not sure that Oliver Caviglioli would approve of the boxes used in the design! Planning space is provided and, I would advise, should be used to ensure that students develop a structure prior to actually writing. I would print this on A3 paper for it to be most useful. Do get in touch with any feedback! I may well add more as time goes on… If you like these, check out my other resources, follow me on instagram/twitter or pop over to my blog: https://idealisticteacher.edublogs.org/author/idealisticteacher/

This writing challenge focuses on narrating the beginning of a story about an orphan - it might be worthwhile showing students short video extracts from ‘Oliver Twist’ as they enter the room as a bit of inspiration. KS4 students would benefit most from this writing activity which could be done as a stand alone lesson or to support the teaching of English Language paper one, section B in general. This activity would be useful as stretch activities for more able students, although it would be possible to run through it as a class activity (perhaps planning together) for less able students. For students who are just coming across writing narrative for the first time, it would be useful to run through how to plan and write it up separately, before focusing on editing and improving. The Writing Revolution would suggest that approaching it through describing as a teacher (modelling how it’d done), then in pairs and then indvidually would lead to better responses too. In terms of writing narrative, writing the beginning means that students should have an idea of where the story is going but are not required to race through it an write the entire thing. Using something like a ‘story mountain’ to plan it quickly and then circling the beginning section that they will actually write is often useful. Additionally, the formatting and layout has been influenced by ‘The Learning Scientist’ and their principles on how to make resources most accessible. Take a look at my blog and other resources! http://idealisticteacher.edublogs.org/

This year, I had a student in my year 11 class who had given up. That’s not an exaggeration. He was refusing to write anything at all. The issue was nerves and this simple sheet, made just for him, really was the solution I never expected it to be. Useful as a basic scaffold for any Literature questions or reading questions in the Language exam, this enables those students who are struggling or who have given up to access anything. I gave my student a stack of them to keep in his book and he just whipped them out whenever he had to choose and explain quotes. This really did enable him to get a five in Literature. I was genuinely astounded. I’ve included the handwritten sheets I made for him too, in case they’re of any use. All resources are inspired by the principles of ‘The Learning Scientists’.