Colette attended our Selective Trial Test Reading and Writing program and scored within the top 10% band for writing for the Selective Exam. She has received […]

How to Write an Engaging Narrative Opening Whether you are preparing for your selective or scholarship entrance exam, high school exam, it is crucial to master […]

Tips on Characterisation: How to Show, Not Tell in Creative Writing Creative writing is very often tested not only in selective and scholarship entrance exams, but […]

  How to Create a Persuasive Tone Your selective or scholarship entrance exam may test anything from an essay to a speech to a marketing pitch. […]

The process of preparing for the OC test that occurs in July of Year 4, can be thought of as more of a marathon than a […]

  The OC Test reading component involves 25 multiple choice questions which must be answered within 30 minutes. Students are required to read a variety of […]

Andy attended lessons at JP English since Year 9 and scored a 99.95 ATAR and became Dux of his cohort at Baulkham Hills High School. Here […]

Jarrod attended lessons at JP English since Year 10 and scored a 99.35 ATAR, 95/100 for HSC English Advanced , and ranked top 5 at North […]

Feature articles are a commonly tested text type in the selective test and scholarship exams. They are often not understood properly unlike the tried and tested […]

Excelling in reading comprehension is crucial not only for the selective test and scholarship exams but also later on in high school. Read below for tips […]

The NAPLAN is essential for all Year 3, 5, 7, and 9 students. The most commonly tested writing type is persuasive writing. See below to learn […]

As one of the most commonly tested text types in selective and scholarship entrance exams, it is crucial to understand the tips and tricks to crafting […]

Develop a deep and personal understanding of your text  In order to write insightful essays, you need to develop a deep and personal relationship with your […]

2022 was a spectacular year, with our students achieving amazing marks. Two of our students achieved 99.95 ATARs, our highest HSC English Advanced mark was 98/100 […]

English never came easy to me. My junior years were filled with reading, and more reading, hoping to develop some sense of linguistic prowess. In many […]

A lot of my challenges with English stemmed from its supposed ‘subjectivity’ – in hindsight, this is what gave me the liberty to articulate my perspectives […]

Anna has been attending lessons at JP English since year 10 and scored 96/100 for HSC English Advanced and 48/50 for English Extension 1, while ranking […]

Sanbo P has been attending lessons at JP English since year 7 and has since completed her HSC, scoring a 99.90 ATAR and 96/100 for her […]

Dylan N has been attending tutoring lessons at JP English since Year 8 and has since gotten excellent marks to enable his transfer from Chatswood High […]

English is a subject notorious for parents not knowing how they can help. The jargon of the NESA syllabus, the peculiarity of English questions and the […]

It is essential to breakdown how scaling and ATAR works because it affects every student in high school. Additionally, it should be in the back of […]

Meet Alex* (name has been changed). He has been with a private tutor for the past 2 years. Every week, he would write a piece of […]

Grand narratives are assumptions and attitudes about life that permeate and build the foundation of our society. It is what composers, writers, filmmakers, and playwrights have […]

Jasper Jones has proven to be an enthralling Australian coming-of-age text which delves into our own backyard to tackle racism, scapegoating, and empathy. Through the use […]

  It’s that time of year when your child comes back with their school reports. You hope that their grades have gotten better but to your […]

Othello, one of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedies, is made rich in its characterisation and themes such as alienation (racial or otherwise) and moral instability. It might […]

During your high school life, NESA assesses students on their ability to develop skills that extends beyond analysing texts in the written word, but also their […]

When initially looking at the term ‘textual conversations,’ one can easily feel anxious. Yes- it may sound a bit convoluted and technical, however it really refers […]

Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the greatest love stories of all time. But also one of the greatest tragedies. So does this mean that […]

You might consider transferring to a selective school for various reasons. Whether it’s because you want to surround yourself with more academically driven peers or reduce […]

In English, you’ll be required to study literature and gain a deeper appreciation for the thought put behind its creation. As a result, you can expect […]

Comparative essays are a staple of Advanced, Extension I English and throughout Year 7-10, and the rationale behind it makes sense – NESA wants to measure […]

Module C: The Craft of Writing is as much a unit about your own skill and style in composition as it is a demonstration of your […]

How to best structure the elective essay while effectively incorporating related texts is a question that many students frequently ask. Being able to integrate ideas and […]

William Shakespeare: a legendary playwright and icon within the literary canon – yet the most feared of all composers up for grabs to study by students […]

When studying a text like Waiting for Godot where there is so much to unpack, it really gives you the opportunity to write about key themes […]

Studying films as a text can often be a daunting spectacle for many students, due to the very fact that we are (more often than not) […]

When approaching the critical analysis component of the first section of your exam, many students struggle to formulate a response because of question unfamiliarity and not […]

Success in HSC English undoubtedly requires students to be able to synthesise numerous effective arguments that each skillfully respond to the given examination question. Providing markers […]

Studying the Worlds of Upheaval elective allows you to explore different aspects of your novels in unique ways. For Frankenstein, by considering the diverse perspective of […]

How to Write a Section II Critical Response As one of the most important writing skills for English Extension 1, being able to compose a critical […]

It’s the start of the term and it’s English class again. The teacher presents a welcome back gift for the class. The next prescribed text in […]

What is a textual conversation? To truly understand what we are supposed to be looking out for in our critical evaluation of Hag-Seed and The Tempest, […]

Module B is also called a ‘critical study of literature’. Hence, it is important to: 1.  Make personal and intellectual connections with the text. You must […]

Following on from our blog post on how to write creatives, this is a sample of a creative piece written in response to: “Write a creative piece […]

Definition The definition of a creative piece is somewhat loose. However, it is generally agreed that creative writing encompasses texts where creativity and innovation are at […]

Module C: The Craft of Writing is arguable one of the hardest modules to prepare for in the English Advanced Course. So, if you’ve been struggling […]

The HSC English exam consists of multiple sections, requiring students to write essays, a creative, and short answer responses to unseen texts. All too often students […]

It was two years ago when the infamous trio of ‘persuasive, discursive and creative texts’ entered the NSW syllabus. Discursive texts were unfamiliar and foreign to […]