Why Creative Writing Is the Hardest Part of the 11+

The creative writing section catches more children out than any other part of the 11+. Your child might be flying in maths, verbal reasoning and comprehension, but when the timer starts and they have to produce a compelling story or essay from scratch, the words just will not come.

Most 11+ tutoring focuses on verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths, because those are the easiest to drill. Creative writing is harder to teach, so many tutors avoid it or fall back on generic advice like “use ambitious vocabulary” and “write a clear structure”. That is not enough to get a distinction at a competitive grammar school.

Examiners are looking for original ideas, a confident authorial voice, precise word choices and the ability to build atmosphere and tension, all within a 30 to 45 minute window. Those are skills that need to be practised repeatedly with expert feedback, not mentioned once in a lesson.

Small Groups. Marked Writing Every Week.

Creative writing only improves when a child writes often and someone who knows the mark scheme reads every piece. Our groups are capped at six children so that is actually possible, at our Beckenham centre, our Catford centre, and online.

• Max 6 students per class
• Weekly timed writing under exam conditions
• Every piece marked with written feedback
• Real past paper prompts from grammar and independent schools
• Regular progress reports for parents
• One-to-one sessions also available

How the Programme Works

We start with a free one-hour assessment. That shows us exactly where your child is: whether they struggle to get started, lose structure mid-essay, or have the ideas but not yet the language to express them. From there we place your child in the right group and build a plan around what needs to improve most.

Sessions run weekly at our Beckenham or Catford centre, or online through our interactive live platform. Each session combines direct teaching, guided writing practice and feedback. Children also complete writing tasks between sessions, which are marked and returned before the next lesson.

Why Choose Geek School for Creative Writing

Our founder Joycellyn Akuffo is a journalist with an MA in Education and over 11 years of experience teaching English at the highest level. She built this programme around what grammar and independent school examiners actually reward.

• Specialist English expertise: a published journalist with an MA in Education, not a generalist tutor working from a worksheet pack
• 1,000+ students helped across Beckenham, Catford and online since 2014
• 100% pass rate for children sitting Kent, Bexley and Medway grammar school exams
• Small groups of up to 6 children so every child gets individual feedback every session
• Real past papers from St Olave’s, Newstead Wood, Tonbridge Grammar, Wilson’s and more
• Ofsted registered and DBS checked, full peace of mind for parents

Also Looking for Specialist 11+ Essay Coaching Online?

Our sister site 11plusessay.co.uk offers a dedicated online creative writing and essay coaching programme, developed by Joycellyn for children preparing for grammar and independent school entry. It is ideal for families outside South London, or as a supplement to our in-person programme.