This book presents questions from the 6 most common question types found in English exams, with an extra one, Interview, to help prepare children for that all important moment when the exam is over and the entry relies on making. good impression in a live environment. The categories are as follows:
Interview
This category contains a question such as a candidate might get at school entrance interview. Practicing essay writing on the basis of this question style will help prepare a child for how they need to think in an interview, with the emphasis being on originality - can they find the angle which other children didn't think of?
Picture
A frequent fixture in ISEB English exams, this question style requires the student to use a picture to stimulate ideas for a story. Use the enclosed flow chart and idea board to help stimulate ideas and guide story structure.
Discursive
Can you set aside your personal feelings and argue both sides of a contentious issue? That's the skill set this question style encourages students to develop. The book contains a guidance page where they can list their ideas, on the basis of agree, strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree.
Personal
This skills set is a throw back to the days of letter writing, and is this on some ways obsolete - but of course, being able to write a well structured email has never been more relevant, so it is very much transferrable. "Write a letter to your headmaster explaining what you like about your school" is an example question here.
Descriptive
Bring out your best adjectives and use your senses to generate pword pictures tat enchant your reader.
Continuation
An exam staple, the continuation requires the student to notice and then replicate stylistic signatures in someone else's work.
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Pedagogy
In the introduction, the book contains creative writing tips based on Alexander F.L. Newberry's creative writing methodology, designed to help users get the most out of the book.
It also contains Prize giving pages which encourage analysis of the work on the basis of Flow, Poetical Flourishes, Accuracy and Concept. Use these to generate a score and reward the user with one of the large motivational stickers that are included with the book.
At the back of the book are the Opportunity Knocks pages. Opportunity Knocks is a unique spelling harvesting system which incentivises spelling recall. Spell a word at the first time of asking to earn 5 Antcoins. Get it wrong, and you have to rewrite it in the box provided, at which point, its recall value drops to 4 Antcoins. Use this to get students focussed when they are revising their spellings!
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Disclaimer
Please be aware that this is primarily an exercise book - it is not a study guide per se. It is designed for use by teachers and tutors who have the requisite knowledge base and skill sets. If you are a parent considering buying this book, please be sure that you are confident in English teaching pedagogy, otherwise you may not get as much out of it as you are hoping. We do not accept returns once the book has been marked in any way.