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Need to produce some narrative or descriptive writing? Sometimes you just run out of steam.  Sometimes you just can’t get started. And sometimes, you want your writing to be that little bit more original. Here’s a simple recipe that should help. First of all, put any thoughts of writing long sentences to one side. Next,…

AQA have made it clear that you may not have a choice between Descriptive and Narrative Writing for Question 5 on Paper 1 of their GCSE English Language examination. So it’s really important that you feel ready to tackle Descriptive Writing just in case that’s all that’s available on the exam paper. Students often seem…

You’re just about to tackle Paper 2 on the GCSE English paper and you’ve been given two sources to read.  One from the 19th Century Non Fiction and one from the 20th or 21st Century Non Fiction. I’d always assumed it was easy to tell which was which. Until recently when I heard a Year…

The descriptive writing question on Paper 1 carries a lot of marks so it’s certainly worth practising this to maximise your score. Typically, the GCSE English Language exam paper will provide you with a photo and ask you to describe something as suggested by the picture.  In light of today’s winter storms lashing the U.K., now…

We all like to look our best, play our best, and be our best. It’s human nature. But try just a little too hard to impress and it can backfire. Your GCSE English exams are no different, especially when it comes to vocabulary choices. Here are a couple of examples from a Year 11 student…

I thought now might be a good time to explain why I created Your Webinar Teacher. For me, the clue is in the word ‘teacher’. Because that’s what I’ve been for most of my career in one form or another – an English teacher. A really good English teacher too. I bumped into an ex-student…

The 19th Century gave the world some really big and important stuff. Amazing engineering feats such as the launch of the SS.Great Britain in 1843 which combined size, power and innovative technology and changed maritime history. Or the iconic Brooklyn Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York for the first time. Breakthroughs in Science,…

Last week’s Twitter poll for Your Webinar Teacher was clear – most of you are finding GCSE English Paper 2 more difficult than Paper 1. In our forthcoming blog posts we’ll help you develop the skills and understanding to tackle Paper 2 and be confident of success in the GCSE English exam itself. Let’s start…

If you’re taking an English exam any time soon you can be certain that you need to try to make sure your spelling is up to scratch. To give you an example, the GCSE English Language examination will be awarding a significant number of marks for technical accuracy. Take the AQA GCSE English Language examination…

Walk into any bookshop and you’ll see lots of different people quietly browsing the shelves, looking at books on a wide range of subjects – from revolutions to rock stars, gardening to genetics. Some may be sat with a coffee, gently flicking through their chosen books, the words racing by under their steady gaze, as…