A typical tutoring session

In a tutoring session, what actually happens? The importance of level descriptors Examination technique Making progress How long is a tutorial? When should you take up tuition? What should you do now? In a tutoring session, what actually happens? We always have a question as a focus, often an examination question; sometimes, it’s a question … Read more

More on that semi-colon rule

Punctuating three uses of however However as a conjunction (; however,) However as an adverb (however) However for emphasis (, however,) The nice easy rule is semi-colon before however and comma after. But that’s not always the case . . .  However as a conjunction If however is joining two clauses (as a conjunctive adverb) … Read more

Meeting the Writing Descriptors

Assessment Descriptors These are what the examiners have at their elbow when they mark your work. They say things like: “plot and characterisation are developed with detail, originality and imagination” They are pretty much the same for all the boards – the above comes from AQA and WJEC. So what does it mean? How to … Read more

Improve descriptive writing

How can we improve descriptive writing? Part 3 Pan and Zoom A common technique in descriptive writing is panning and zooming. Look out for it, especially at the start of a piece of writing. What happens is that the writer, like a film camera, pans across the scene noticing detail after detail, until zooming in, … Read more