This is a guide which covers how to answer the whole spectrum of essay questions at GCSE, A Level and university, with in-depth advice on how to answer each type of question (as well as being accompanied by a handy bank of words for each question). Whilst serving as a useful pedagogical guide for teachers, this could also be distributed as a revision aid or tool for students to help them understand how to answer each essay question.

Ideal for sixth form or mature students: this model personal statement (with accompanying commentary) is a sure-fire method of helping with an application to go to University. It is structured with sections, annotations and is easily transferable to applying to a degree course of any subject. Could be used as part of a careers, citizenship or PSHE lesson or as a teaching tool to help structure university applications in colleges and other education providers. It can also be an incredibly useful item to support any individual who is planning to apply to university by themselves.

This could be a useful accompaniment to a PSHE/Citizenship lesson or for students to use in their own personal life. This covering letter was for a job as a Teaching Assistant at a local primary school. This would pair well with the covering letter template resource also in my store so that pupils could cross-reference the two.

This handy template can assist students in looking for jobs and help them develop skills which will be useful for future job searches. Best suited for KS4 pupils (as part of PSHE/Citizenship).

This is a model student CV (applicable for those at GCSE, A Level and University) which is focused more showcasing a student’s academic accomplishments and work history (including courses and any volunteering experience). It could be used by students as a template to create a CV to apply for jobs, sixth form, college or any other further or higher education establishment. It could also be used in PSHE lessons, form time or career sessions by teachers as a handout/activity to show pupils what a model CV looks like and includes. It could also be a resource as part of an activity where students create their own CV.

This is a template of how to create a model CV, which is predominantly aimed at those in the upper secondary school and sixth form pupils who may wish to compose a CV to apply for a job or to possess for University. It is easily adaptable for either secondary school or college pupils. The template is designed in an accessible manner and allows students to complete their CVs easily by using this authoritative guide. This could be part of a PSHE/Careers lesson or else be an activity to be completed in form period.

This resource is a template to help students to accurately peer assess each other in a helpful and constructive manner. Pupils are guided by this resource to highlight good points of each others’ work whilst suggesting possible improvements to their fellow student’s work. This is a resource that works well in any subject, particularly those that involve writing and presentation tasks. It helps pupils to think in a deeper manner and critically appraise their own and others’ work.

A great resource for secondary school students to help them think reflectively and promote higher-order thinking skills in any subject. This learning mat summarises the 6 thinking hats, defining them for pupils and giving them ideas on how they can apply them to the work or activity they’re completing. In my practice at schools I’ve had my students keep these learning mats on their desk whilst they are completing their work (especially group work, writing and critical thinking tasks), often encouraging them to consult them in order to get more thoughtful responses from. them.

A handy pair of tables that sixth form students can use to compare both university courses and the actual universities themselves. This would be a very useful resource to assist with their UCAS applications in helping them to decide which course (and university) is right for them out of their choices and help them make an informed decision. The template on the courses allows aspects such as the length of the course, average class size, teaching/assessment methods, tuition fees and course content to be compared whilst the template comparing universities allows variables such as ranking, number of students, graduate employability, course satisfaction and extra-curricular facilities to be cross-referenced.

An incredibly helpful resource for sixth form students in helping them complete their university application. This resource is a model personal statement completed by a sixth form student for a Primary Teaching degree course. The personal statement is detailed whilst being succinct, including sections on work experience, personal reasons for wanting to study the course, academic history and interests/hobbies. The personal statement gives students an idea of what to include in and how to structure their own personal statement, possibly using it as a template. This resource could also be used by sixth form tutors/teachers who are helping their students complete their application to university.

This resource is intended for sixth form and university students and is an example of a first class essay, for which the topic was Mathematical Modelling. The essay is annotated with commentary (in red) which describes why the essay was a first and the steps the author went through in completing the essay as well as some general hints and tips. This could be used as part of a study skills workshop for students or just a general seminar on what constitutes good essay writing. An example of an activity for this resource could be to omit the commentary and ask the students themselves to annotate the essay and comment on why they think it was a first, before then resupplying them with the essay but this time with the commentary. This may be a useful way of assessing students’ perceptions of what it takes to get a first in an essay.

A model CV for a GCSE or college student (with some parts hidden to preserve anonymity). Useful for pupils in applying for jobs or to create an academic CV and could help them with the creation of their own CV as it provides a clear template with how to structure and what to include in their CV.

A useful template for creating covering letters, which could be used as part of general studies or careers education (PSHE/citizenship) and help pupils create their own covering letter, perhaps for a volunteer position or applying for an actual job.