Transactional Writing for Top Grades

 All GCSE English Language exams require students to produce a piece of 'transactional writing'.  But it's one of the hardest skills to master. This is the start of a new series of posts looking at how to help students improve their skills in transactional, persuasive writing.

The first skill to master is reading the question carefully.

Students are often in the habit of skim reading fast - the way they would read and respond to messages from their friends in seconds (or micro seconds!).  But this approach to reading is unhelpful when dealing with complex tasks.

Here's a past paper question:

Write a blog with the title ‘Does school prepare us for life?’ 

A student has started a response to this task. 

“Some people say that they did not learn anything useful at school, such as how to manage money, cook and look after themselves. Other people point out all the fascinating facts and ideas that they learned at school. So what should be taught at school and why? Here’s what I think.” 

Continue this blog using your own ideas. 

When I've used this question with students in my English tutoring, I've found that sometimes students start to drift away from the heart of the question into general discussions about what they enjoy, or don't, about school.  But that is not the question!

I have developed an approach that ensures students really get to the heart of what an exam task is asking of them, and then plan a relevant answer that explores arguments and counter-arguments.

I specialise at stretching able students to achieve top grades in English Language and English Literature from Years 5-13.

 I offer a free 30 minute online introductory session if you would like to know more.  

Contact me via the Contact Form here.