Before students write, we show them exactly what the examiner gives marks for. Every piece of writing after that is aimed at a target they have actually seen.
We pick the activity that fits what the student needs to remember. After finishing a text, they answer questions on it with the book closed. Before writing, they answer questions on the mark scheme. They draft without looking at their notes. Each of these brings the learning back from memory. Work done with the notes open builds skill, but it is not recall.
Writing is broken into its parts, and each part is practised and marked on its own. Not one vague grade for a whole essay — a separate mark for each element of it.
The student marks their own work first, part by part, against the examiner’s criteria. They tell us the mark each part has earned, and point to the words in their answer that earn it. We work through that judgement with them, and where we see it differently we show them why. They decide what to improve, and then they improve it.
Once a student has shown progress on a topic, we move them to a new topic and a new text. They circle through all of their texts and come back to the one they started with later, taking it further than they left it. Their best-graded pieces are kept for revision nearer the exam.
A student keeps one main text, for example A Christmas Carol. While they work on it, we bring back a text they studied earlier, such as An Inspector Calls. Both ask how wealthy people treat people who have nothing. The student explains what is similar and what is different. Holding two texts together like this, rather than taking them one at a time, is what interleaving means. The comparison is what makes it work.
Students learn to judge their own writing against the criteria before anyone else does — so they can see the difference between good and nearly-good in their own work.
The programme
Plans and prices
£20 a month
Start the habit.
£70 a month
Build the habit.
Most popular
£140 a month
The full programme.
£300 a month
Maximum support.
There is also a free plan: a full diagnostic assessment, a predicted GCSE grade, a free demo lesson and starter resources from the Grade 9 Library.
A free live session for parents. We show you the method, you ask anything you like, and there is nothing to pay.
Each week
How the programme runs
Tuesday and Thursday 5:30–7:30, or Saturday 4:00–6:00. Two hours, live with a tutor, writing and being corrected as you go. Gold includes one a week; Platinum, two. Between sessions they write on the platform whenever they like, and every piece comes back marked.
Saturday 2:00–3:00. One hour watching an expert plan and write a full answer in real time. Everyone gets to ask a question, and the model answer and the replay come with it.
Monday 5:00–6:00 or Tuesday 5:30–6:30, whichever suits. Students are seen one by one and taken through their own work to check they are on track.
After each assessment. One hour, one to one with Abdullah, going through the marking in detail and setting the next targets. Three per 12-week programme.
Any time, self-paced. Worked examples, model answers and technique cards. Some of it is free to everyone.
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