Examples of Student Work

My Little Brother

Poem By Jason

When he came home from hospital, his face was so pink.

Like a piglet with an oval shaped face

Rich chestnut hair neatly spread over his delicate head.

His skin was as clean as a fresh cloth

Wrapped up like a cocoon.

He was surprisingly heavy, like my dad’s training weights

Weighing exactly 3.6 kilograms.

As the days went on, he emerged from his cocoon

Squiggly and moving in all sorts of strange ways

Squeaking like a giant mouse

People came, presenting gifts

Congratulations, congratulations the people would sing.

My goodness, he’s so cute they would shriek.

All was so quiet and so still until there was an almighty…

ARGHHHHHHHHHH!

Racing up the stairs in panic

Bursting into my mother’s room

There in the middle of the was no longer a squeaking mouse but a whaling crying machine.

Aged 8- Preparation for the 9+ Entrance Exam

The Long Lost City

By Chloe

The light blue river trickled gently through the giant valley. Bushy, green trees swayed calmly in the cold breeze. Brown, mushy mud-covered Rosie’s pink sparkly wellie boots. Above her, birds tweeted sweetly. The water splashed mightily over the monstrous rocks as she made careful footprints in the mud. After years of planning and preparing, Rosie was finally in the forest of the Long Lost city and she was feeling calm and excited. She took a deep sigh and admired the beautiful forest in front of her.

Two hours of hiking had past, and Rosie was beginning to feel a little tired. She decided to take what she thought was a short cut through the rainforest. Venturing further into the rainforest, Rosie noticed that the path was starting to get thinner and more difficult to see, brambles jumped over her legs and tangled themselves around her. Rosie glanced up, the sky had started to turn navy blue with a mixture of pink and orange and purple, it was tie dye. It was a very, very, very bright morning and the birds were tweeting and singing sweetly.

Suddenly she found herself lost, “Where am I? Where’s the path? Is anyone here?” She asked aloud with disappointment. She had been travelling with some friends, but they had decided to split in order to make absolutely sure that they find the city.

Just at that moment, something distracted her thoughts, what’s that noise? She thought to herself, it was what seemed to be a loud howling noise and it sent a shiver down her spine. Rosie bit her nails, which she would always if she was feeling scared or nervous. Suddenly, the noise was getting closer and even louder and there was a big rustle in the bushes. “Arghhh” Rosie yelled as she stumbled backwards and tumbled clumsily over a huge log. At that moment, the fearsome beast jumped out from the dense bushes. Rosie covered her head cautiously with her arms, worried that this was the end. Hang on minute Rosie thought to herself as she looked upwards through her hands, this beast was pink and it has a large snout, wait, this isn’t a beast at all, it’s a pig! Rosie sighed a big relief.

Rosie got up slowly and started to follow the pig, stumbling through the forest, jumping over the brambles, and weaving through the ticklish leaves. To her amazement, she realised that she was getting closer to the Long Lost City. Suddenly, in front of her was the Long Lost City, she couldn’t believe it. The city was full of old ruins and grand buildings that were beginning to crumble. The whole city was covered in leaves and tangled brambles that were tied tightly around grand monuments and old statues.

To her surprise, her friends were already there. They were so shocked to see her. “Where were you?” Rebecca asked. I was lost in the deep, dark, monstrous forest, she explained. Rosie felt a great relief after all that had happened to her in that scary, creepy, forest with the help of the big, fat, magic and very helpful pig!

Rosie took a big sigh, “I’m so glad that I found you guys and all because of a friendly pig!” she exclaimed. Maybe next time, its best if we all stick together, her friends laughed and agreed.

Aged 6- Preparation for the 7+ Entrance Exam

The Magic Bag

By Edward

My birthday party just ended last hour. Everyone had gone home except Fred and I. There was just one last present I didn’t unwrap. I wanted to open it after I go home, but Fred insisted to tear the wrapping before his Mum came to pick him up. The present was in the multi-coloured cloth bag. “How strange! It didn’t have my name or the person who gave me the present.” I muttered to Fred. “Open it quick!” Fred shouted. Inside the bag it was a large auspicious rainbow coloured microphone. Also in the bag, there was a user guide that wrote ‘Teleportation’ on the front. We were confused but excited. Fred declared that if he could be teleported anywhere, he would like to be teleported to the great forest.

He said that clearly into the microphone and then suddenly we whooshed and landed with a great bag onto a muddy, damp forest floor. In the greenish forest, I squinted to see the towering browse green pine tree. I smelt earthy fresh air that brushed my neck. I heard birds tweeting melodically like an angel singing softly. Suddenly there was a rustle. “I don’t like this place anymore”. Fred nasalized. “I want to teleport to the farm” Fred added. In the blink of an eye, we appeared in a verdant farm immediately and then there was an ominous signs. The spooky rustling and roaring sound made us jump. Fred shocked in the microphone “I want to go back home”. Finally, we arrived at Fred’s home.

Fred’s mum found us sitting in the armchair in the drawing room. She was complete puzzled. “How did you manage to get here Fred?” She inquired. “I was about to pick you up. Hi Edward, shouldn’t you be at home eating your birthday cake?” I and Fred smiled at one another. “It’s our secret” I whispered to Fred.

THE END

Aged 6- Preparation for the 7+ Entrance Exam

My Super Fun Day in Lapland

There was a blanket of thick, white snow that covered the ground. Tiny, elf houses surround Santa’s workshop with elves busily getting ready for Christmas. The sweet smell of hot chocolate filled the air. I took a sip and my mouth exploded with popping candy. It was delicious.

Beautiful and colourful lights sparkled majestically throughout the workshop, whilst piles of wonderfully wrapped presents filled the space. This was one of the most exciting days ever. To finally meet the real Santa.

Suddenly the phone rang, it was Santa, he wanted to speak to Conker. Santa kindly commanded Conker to make more bunnies for the children but little did we know that something would go wrong…

“Everything’s going wrong” a little voice mumbled. It was Conker. Sobbing on the wooden planks, he realised that he had made a terrible mistake “I thought Santa had asked for buns, not bunnies!” Conker cried. “Now we have hundreds of buns but no bunnies! What am I going to do?”

Wish, who was a very friendly elf wore a beautiful turquoise blue and pink tutu skirt. Like a spinning tornado, she whisked herself towards Conker and gave him a great big hug. “Don’t worry, we can fix this” she reassured Conker. Wish grabbed the bag of stuffing and the empty bunnies and asked for our help. We had just started stuffing the soft toys, when suddenly, Wish shouted out “Wait! Where are the bunny hearts?”

Reaching under his chair, my friend pulled out Conker’s suitcase, which had a big letter spelling out Conker’s name. Waving the bag in the air, Conker finally noticed and yelled “Ah, thank you!” Conker took a deep breath and sighed, he felt so relieved.

Now, was time to catch up with all the missed work. Like busy worker bees we dashed around, frantically putting all the missing hearts back into the bunnies. Wow, I thought to myself, the elves really do work hard.

Aged 7- Preparation for the 8+ Entrance Exam

The Ship At Sea

The mighty frame of a ship stood tall and proud, bravely battling the waves that threatened to subdue it. Each wave more monstrous than the last, it was relentless. The ship was bound for India, or as they hoped it would be but disorientation had a firm grip on the crew that sailed her. It was called the Roseli, and was the largest ship that had survived the Snetaceous Ocean. This, however, did not make the sailors confident.“Snot too bad” they would say with a slight unease in their tone, but this night was one where this phrase was not going to be heard on the ship again.

The ebony sea continued to roar like an angry beast, thrashing to escape. CRASH. It smashed into the boat sending sailors shrieking, sending them, scattering like mice. Never ending ladles of water came pouring in over the edges and cracks, flooding the deck below. The dog yelped mournfully, cowering into the shadows onboard the deck, as if he already knew what was to become of them all. They struggled and struggled trying to turn the ship; it was no use, the ship was caught like a fly in a web and there was no chance of turning it.

“Run to the lifeboats!” they shouted. They were trembling with fear for the same question was on all of their lips, “Will we survive?” A few of these sailors felt so faint that they could hardly move, let alone help the others. Exhausted and feeling jellied, they tried frantically to set up the boats but it was all too late.

Grey black clouds positioned themselves ahead of the ship. The crew had spent their time. They had no more to give. They gathered ahead, moving together, forming a large thunderous shape, preparing for one last battle. The sailors glanced upwards towards the leaden sky one last time, the blotch canvas of clouds began to leak further. Suddenly an almighty lightning bolt, like a ball of fire struck the ship sending it flying, like a toy boat in a toddler’s bath. They were sinking. Falling forever into the merciless depths of the ocean, the sound of deathly screams could be heard echoing throughout the unforgiving sky. Suddenly, out of the corner of their eyes they spotted a most wondrous sight – the dog, they thought had be swallowed by the sea, was paddling his way to freedom, perhaps this was the one sign of hope that they needed. Grabbing whatever piece of debris they could find, they clung on to it for dear life and hoped for the best.

Preparation for the 11+ English exam- Creative Writing.

A Spooky Encounter by Alexandra- The Opening to a Gothin Novel.

I tiptoed into the dark forest, its foggy breath pulling me in, deeper and deeper. Something sent a shiver down my spine, making me jump. Vast, gigantic trees grabbed onto me with their long fingers as I trekked further in. I trembled and shivered as my teeth chattered. I continued struggling. I felt like I was being watched. A small glowing light, like an eye appeared. I screamed and ran, suddenly red glowing eyes appeared, but it’s just a barn owl, right? I thought to myself. As quick as a flash, I ran away, a strange unknown sound started following me. The sound grew and grew. Suddenly, I was off path, I was lost. I heard a shriek and then a cackle and I ran. Suddenly, I stumbled into a broken path and looked up aghast, it was a house. The smashed windows were out of my reach, but I could see the tangled weeds and vines crawl like spiders to a web. Looking up, the full moon made the house glow. Some walls were cracked, and others completely demolished. Holes covered the doors and tiles lay in a devastating condition in a pile on the floor. A golden, glowing light shimmered from one of the broken windows. A shiver darted down my spine as I searched around the house.

Preparation for the 11+ Exam- Creative Writing

The Secret Garden

Emerald green, Ivy leaves danced mesmerisingly in the cracks of the ancient stones and rugged walls. Small birds sang melodically up in the lush branches of the bushy trees. A gentle breeze tickled the back of my neck, like someone teasing me with a feather. I felt a bit anxious; my heart began to pump rapidly as I ventured further through the undergrowth and further away from the towering presence of the house. I had recently moved and decided to explore the garden, I wanted to be alone. I was missing my friends and my old house, everything that had seemed so familiar had now disappeared. Exploring the garden was the only thing that gave me a slight sense of belonging. I decided to run through the thick branches, clamber over the bracken and weave in between the roses. Suddenly , I found myself lost…

Where am I? I thought to myself. Ducking and weaving through the tangled vines and scratching brambles. I don’t recognise this garden. “Help!” I yell, but nothing. Suddenly, a loud rustle seemed to be coming from the bushes. I covered my eyes and screamed. A large hand grabbed my shoulder. I felt terrified. I turned around and a friendly, wrinkled face looked back at me and smiled. Her jade-green eyes looked like unpolished diamonds and she wore patched up clothing she gave me a “It’s just me” she said in a soft, sweet, “I’m your new neighbour, let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll make you a nice cup of tea, how about that?” I gave a hesitant smile back as she placed her arm reassuringly over me. Perhaps it’s not so bad here after all I thought to myself.