11 Plus Creative Writing Intensive Course: Accelerate Your Child’s Success

In the Competitive 11+ Landscape, Creative Writing Can Make or Break Your Child’s Exam Success

Let’s be real for a moment. In the world of 11+ exams, 11 Plus creative writing often ends up being the deciding factor. Maths and verbal reasoning are skills many students can build with steady practice. But creative writing? That’s a different story altogether.

It requires a mix of imagination, technical skill, structure and confidence – all of which need to come together in under 30 minutes on exam day. And for many students, the typical one-lesson-a-week approach just doesn’t give them enough time or depth to get there.

That’s exactly why I developed our intensive creative writing courses. After working with hundreds of students, I saw a clear pattern: the children who made the most significant leaps weren’t always the ones who’d been at it the longest. They were the ones who had the chance to truly immerse themselves and get proper feedback, quickly and consistently.

One parent recently told me, “We saw more progress in five days than we had in the previous six months.” That kind of shift isn’t unusual in these courses, and it’s why families return again and again for siblings and referrals.

So, if you’re wondering whether an intensive could make a real difference, here’s a closer look at why this format works so well and what it could do for your child.

What Kind of Progress Can Happen in Just Five Days?

Here’s an example from a student I worked with during a half-term intensive:

Day 1 – Morning

“The boy was scared. He went into the dark forest. He saw something move. He ran away quickly because he was frightened…”

This is very common at the start: short, basic sentences. Repetitive words. The story just lists what happens without bringing the scene to life.

Day 5 – Afternoon

“Paralysed with fear, Jamal stood at the threshold of the ancient woodland. The twisted branches reached for him like gnarled fingers, while the wind whispered secrets through silver leaves…”

By the end of the week, the difference was dramatic. The student had learnt how to create atmosphere, use advanced sentence structures, and show emotion through description.

This kind of transformation is typical when students are given the time, space, and support to practise with focus and purpose – all of which is baked into the intensive format.

Why Weekly Lessons Often Plateau – and How Intensive 11+ Writing Courses Break Through

From my experience, here are the five most common reasons why students don’t make fast progress through weekly sessions, and how intensives solve those problems.

1. Gaps Between Lessons Slow Things Down

In weekly tuition, students often forget key techniques before they’ve had a chance to fully absorb them. During an intensive, they revisit those skills throughout the day, locking them in quickly.

2. Constant Subject-Switching Gets in the Way

In school or general tuition, writing is just one small piece of the puzzle. In an intensive, writing is the sole focus. That level of attention makes it much easier for students to build momentum.

3. Feedback Happens Straight Away

Rather than waiting days to find out what went well or what needs work, students get feedback immediately. That means they can adjust and improve within the same session, sometimes within minutes.

4. Every Day Builds on the Last

Each session picks up exactly where the previous one left off. That consistent, layered learning helps students move forward without constantly backtracking.

5. Visible Progress Builds Confidence

Students notice their own improvement day by day. They often go from feeling unsure or overwhelmed to enjoying their writing and looking forward to the challenge. That confidence boost often stays with them well beyond the course.

What Happens Each Day in the Course

Every intensive runs over five days, typically during the school holidays. Here’s how the week is structured:

Day 1 – Foundations and Diagnostic

• A writing assessment to understand where they are now
• Focus on punctuation, sentence control and vocabulary
• Practice building stronger, more interesting sentences

Day 2 – Descriptive and Sensory Writing

• Learn how to describe using all five senses
• Build atmosphere and mood
• Move from “he was scared” to showing it through actions and description

Day 3 – Literary Techniques and Story Structure

• Explore similes, metaphors, personification and more
• Plan clear narrative arcs with engaging openings and satisfying endings
• Develop pacing and flow

Day 4 – Characters and Dialogue

• Create realistic, compelling characters
• Use dialogue to show personality and move the story forward
• Balance speech with description

Day 5 – Exam Simulation and Feedback

• Full exam-style writing task
• Timed planning and execution
• Feedback on what’s improved and what to focus on next