The 2022 NSW Writing Selective exam has just been completed and has undergone some astonishing changes from previous years. It has become harder to predict but one thing is clear, the format of the question can be misleading and surprising for students who are not prepared. This year's exam explored the future in 2099 and asked students to write a diary entry set in that time period.

Getting started in narratives is often the hardest part. Once a story is begun, it is a lot easier to continue and finish it.

Here in Australia, narratives and stories are required to be taught from a very young age. It is covered as early as kindergarten focusing on one single event and with every year beyond that, it increases in difficulty and complexity in terms of the way it is written and assessed. It is a key component in the NAPLAN test, Selective and all throughout high school including the HSC exam in year 12. There are many components of a narrative but they all will require an introduction.

Everyone knows that knowledge is power and, in this day, and age, nearly everyone under the sun knows that you can read to improve your knowledge. There are a few initiatives to encourage students and children to read more yet many teachers and parents do not introduce anything at all. It is a growing problem that needs to change.

In New South Wales (NSW), students who were not successful in getting into a selective high school in year 6 or who want to get into a better selective high school aim will try to transfer into one. For the top ranking selective high schools, they will have to complete the HAST test which is created and assessed by ACER as part of their application process.

Earlier in 2021, global testing company Cambridge Assessment now creates and assesses the NSW Selective exam. Every year tens of thousands of students undertake the exam in hopes of getting into one of these schools as the benefits are clear. However, a trend that has been developing over the last few years has made the test even more difficult for students who are yet to complete it. The fact is there is an increasing number of students doing the exam every year! It is getting so competitive where the number of applicants has grown by hundreds based on the last few years.

In most writing tasks in Australian schools, students sometimes struggle to be top performers because they are unable to make their writing stand out. Following a set formula can get you some marks but the ones who get really high all have one thing in common, they incorporate unique twists in their ideas. John goes through some examples of this in popular movies today and breaks them down to show how students can incorporate twists in their own writing to stand out.