Poetry can be annoying to get the full grasp of. From understanding the meaning in comprehension reading exercises to writing your own poems, it is critical to be comfortable with abstract ideas. I share an exercise that we use with our students to help them to begin and understanding the ideas in a poem can be different images in our mind depending on the person. There is no right or wrong way but using this exercise will help your creativity flow. It can be used with students from primary school all the way to students in high school.
Read MoreMost people make the mistake of not going for the Opportunity Class (OC) exam because they feel inadequate. They don't see the benefit in it, they think it would be a waste of time considering their child's level or they would not accept moving schools anyway. Develop the mindset and the strategy on why I believe the opposite and why every child and student should participate in it regardless of whether they make it in or not.
Read MoreThe NSW Writing Selective exam has undergone some radical changes. No longer is it a one-dimensional writing task where it is easier to predict the format, instead, it now assesses a broader range of creative writing ability. If you were finding it difficult to adapt to different writing formats or wanted to know how to maximise your marks in the exam, this is the video to watch. You know you need to for the sake of getting into a Selective school, but you don't want to be wasting time on parts of the writing that doesn't yield enough return.
Read MoreI analyse the cloze passages especially the type seen in the most 'difficult' section of the English comprehension exam of the 2021 Selective School Sample paper. We'll dive deeper into cloze passages (what they are), how they can differ in difficulty level and how to best approach the more difficult style of these questions. This will ultimately help students save time and get better marks.
Read MoreUnderstand the different types of Selective High Schools available in NSW so you can make a more informed decision in the application process. If you learn how the inherent requirements of each type, you will know which schools will best suit your unique circumstances.
Read MoreAchieve better marks by understanding the question (know what the true audience is and how to cater to them appropriately). John goes through what the newly released Writing Sample Paper for the NSW Selective Exam is asking you to do and how to respond in the best way possible. If you learn how to listen and demonstrate your understanding of your audience, you'll be given a higher opportunity to stand out from the crowd with your writing.
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