Lesson + activity
A focused skill, an example and a task to try.
About 20–30 minutesThe 6-Month Grade 6 Programme
Two English GCSEs.
Two Grade 6s.
One clear route.
A structured six-month AQA English Language & Literature programme designed to help your child work towards two Grade 6s — with the skills to aim higher.
I teach the skill, show what it looks like in an answer, give your child purposeful practice, and check whether that practice is actually improving their writing. Enrol now and start from Month 1.
Enrol now
£597 pay in full · Instalment options available
Grade 6 is the target, not a guaranteed result — and not the ceiling.
Three focused lessons a weekLive online group tuitionPersonalised marking included
More time practising what matters.
Taught by Ed Muir18+ years teaching secondary English
AQA GCSE English exam marker
AQA GCSE English exam marker
AQA English Language & LiteratureYear 10 & Year 11Teaching materials until GCSE exams14-day refund period
When ability isn’t showing up in marks
They can explain it to you.
So why doesn’t the answer show it?
Your child knows the story. They have ideas about the characters. They can talk quite intelligently about what a writer is doing.
Then the mock paper comes back, and the mark feels out of step with the child you know.
The feedback says “analyse more”, “develop this” or “improve structure”. You can see that something needs to change. But neither of you is quite sure what to do differently in the next answer.
That gap matters. Understanding an idea and demonstrating it in a timed exam response are related skills. They are not the same skill.
And if English grades affect the sixth-form or college route your child wants, “they seem to understand it” is not quite enough reassurance. Entry requirements vary, so it is worth checking what their chosen course actually asks for.
The part parents quietly take on
You’ve bought the books.
Found the papers.
Made the reminders.
But you’re still left asking: “Which English question or skill should we practise next?”
Perhaps there are revision guides on the desk, notes somewhere in a folder, and a collection of useful videos. Perhaps you have already tried tutoring.
None of those things is necessarily wrong. But having material available does not automatically create a workable revision session.
Someone still has to choose the task, find an example, make sense of the feedback and work out whether the next answer is better.
Too often, that someone becomes the parent — in the evening, alongside work, family life and the rest of the GCSE timetable.
You don’t need another pile of English resources.
You need a clear next step, and someone to check it.
You need a clear next step, and someone to check it.
A more useful starting point
More revision does not
automatically create more marks.
A pupil can work hard and still practise the wrong thing. Or repeat the same answer-writing habit without anyone correcting it.
GCSE English asks for a lot: reading unfamiliar texts, analysing language and structure, comparing ideas, writing creatively, making an argument, responding to Literature and managing time across different papers.
“Revise English” is too large an instruction. “Practise explaining how this particular word supports your point, then have that paragraph checked” is something a pupil can actually do.
This isn’t a criticism of school. It is a reason to give independent practice a clearer purpose — and a reliable connection back to feedback.
Results from pupils I’ve taught and supported
From a 3 and a 4
to two solid Grade 6s.
A parent described her son’s starting point as Grade 3 in Language and Grade 4 in Literature in Year 10. Later mocks were around 4 and 4. His final results were two solid 6s.
She credited the support, skills and practice he had received — and was clear about his own hard work, determination and focus.
The important point is not a promise of the same result for every pupil. It is the connection between useful teaching, specific practice and the work the pupil puts in.
3 / 4Year 106 / 6Final GCSEs
“He has picked up from a 3 in Lang, 4 in Lit in Y10 June, from a 4, 4 in Nov/ Dec mocks to two solid 6s.”
Parent of GCSE English pupil
Language / Literature · Parent-reported results
These are results from pupils I previously taught or supported, not pupils who completed this exact six-month packaged programme. Individual outcomes vary.
Enrol in Double-6 EnglishThe Double-6 Improvement Cycle
Not just content to watch.
A skill to put into practice.
Each stage has a job. Together, they turn a lesson into something your child can use on the page.
- 01
Learn it.
Short, focused teaching explains one important skill clearly. Your child knows what they are trying to improve.
- 02
See it.
I model the skill in an exam response and explain the decisions behind it — not just show a finished answer.
- 03
Practise it.
Your child completes focused activities. They have to make the decisions themselves, rather than simply follow a video.
- 04
Prove it.
They apply the learning to authentic GCSE-style or past-paper practice. The answer shows what they can now do.
- 05
Fix it.
Marking identifies what is secure and what needs attention. The next piece of practice has a clear purpose.
An illustrative teaching example — not pupil work
What does “analyse more” actually mean?
It can mean moving from naming a technique to explaining a specific effect and connecting it to the writer’s idea.
Instead of stopping at:
“The writer uses the word ‘trapped’ to show fear.”
Develop the explanation:
“‘Trapped’ suggests the character cannot escape. It makes the setting feel threatening because it removes their freedom to leave.”
Explain the word → identify its effect → connect it to the idea.
A short invented sentence used to illustrate teaching; not an AQA question, marked script or grade prediction.Teaching, examples, practice and feedback — already connected.
Join Double-6 EnglishA normal week
A manageable rhythm.
Not another enormous workload.
Three recorded lessons are released at the beginning of the week. Each has around 5–15 minutes of teaching and corresponding activities.
Lesson + activity
Another clear step through the week’s learning.
About 20–30 minutesLesson + activity
Put the learning to work in your own response.
About 20–30 minutesThe days above are an example, not a fixed timetable. Recorded study can fit around school. Allow around 60–90 minutes a week for the three lesson-and-activity sessions; live tuition is additional.
Make English practice part of the weekFor you, as well as your child
You can go back
to being the parent.
“I’d like to think you played a part in this because you helped me to help her.”
Parent of a pupil I previously supported
You can encourage your child without having to become their English teacher.
Double-6 supplies what to learn, what to practise, examples, activities, exam questions, marking and feedback. You do not have to design a new revision session every evening.
Instead of a broad “Have you revised English?”, there is something more concrete to talk about: the lesson, the activity, the answer and the next improvement.
Your child still needs to give the work regular time. The programme cannot make them engage simply because you have bought it. But it removes the unnecessary work of deciding what English revision should consist of.
That same parent described results day as “absolutely ecstatic for us”. Her daughter’s effort mattered. So did being able to help her in a useful way.
Put the next step in placeThe six-month route
English stops feeling endless
when you can see the route.
Reading first. Then writing. Then Literature. A connected sequence, rather than a growing list of things your child ought to revise. Enrolment is open year-round. Your child starts at Month 1 and works through the structured six-month programme from there.
Month one · Reading
Understand the text.
Answer the question.
Comprehension and the reading skills needed for AQA English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2.
Month two · Creative writing
Make writing purposeful.
Narrative and descriptive writing: shaping ideas, building detail and giving the response a coherent direction.
Month three · Writing to an audience
Build an argument
that holds together.
Persuasive and transactional writing, with clear purpose, audience awareness and developed points.
Month four · Shakespeare
Turn knowledge into analysis.
Responding to Shakespeare through relevant evidence, developed explanation and naturally connected context.
Month five · Prose & modern drama
Construct a Literature response.
Novels and modern drama: selecting evidence and connecting the writer’s choices to the question.
Month six · Poetry
Read closely. Compare clearly.
Anthology and unseen poetry, including language, structure and making useful comparisons.
Practice Week · Every month
Progress is an answer.
Not a tick beside a video.
Your child has to produce English. That is how we see whether the learning is transferring.
In Week 4, your child attempts a genuine exam-style or past-paper question and submits the response to me.
I assess the work. The result and feedback become part of their progress record, so the next step is based on what the answer actually shows.
- AttemptApply the month’s learning to an exam-style response.
- SubmitSend the writing to Ed, rather than marking completion alone.
- ReviewRecord what is secure and what still needs practice.
This also gives practice a reason. Your child is not writing another answer that nobody will ever look at.
Unlimited personalised marking · During the six months
Someone is actually
looking at the writing.
Not just providing the lesson. Not just supplying the questions. Reading what your child has written.
Get teaching with feedback includedPupils may send me work they want me to look at throughout the six-month programme.
Ordinary submissions receive useful guidance and feedback. The formal Practice Week response receives a more detailed assessment and is tracked as part of the programme.
The feedback has a purpose
Identify what the pupil can already do, make the weakness specific, and give the next piece of practice a clear focus.
There is no promise of instant marking. The value is that your child’s own response informs the next step, rather than leaving them to guess what “develop this” might mean.
How progress stays visible
The calendar moves on.
The weak area doesn’t disappear.
70%
The programme’s threshold
for secure performance
An internal progress threshold — not an AQA grade boundary or a promise of Grade 6.
We use 70% as the secure threshold in monthly Practice Week assessments.
If your child scores below it, they do not stop the whole programme. The result is recorded, the weakness is identified, and they continue through the complete six-month route.
Once the main curriculum is complete, areas still below 70% become priorities for further targeted practice.
That matters because completing a month is not the same as becoming secure in everything it covers. A weaker skill remains visible and can be revisited.
Record the resultContinue the routeRevisit the priority
Choose practice with a clear next step Two Grade 6s is the central aim
Grade 6 is the target.
It isn’t the ceiling.
Clear explanations, relevant evidence and well-developed answers are not skills that suddenly stop being useful at Grade 6.
For a capable pupil, the same careful work can support more ambitious responses. Previous pupils I have taught and supported have achieved higher grades, including 7 and 8.
8English Language
7English Literature
“I got an 8 in lang and 7 in lit!”
“Now I’m moving into sixth form to study English and History.”
Former GCSE English pupil
A pupil I previously taught and supported; not a graduate of this packaged programme. These are individual reported results, not a forecast for your child.
Support that fits around the route
Recorded teaching for flexibility.
Live teaching for the questions.
Your child does not have to understand everything first time, alone, with a revision guide.
A place to ask
and practise.
Normally one or two live online group sessions each week, approximately an hour each. The focus is on exam questions, practice and clearing up what pupils are finding difficult.
If school commitments get in the way, the recordings are added to the programme hub for members to access.
Learn how to respond.
Not just what to memorise.
My main models frequently use common AQA texts: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, Jekyll and Hyde and An Inspector Calls.
The skills and activities are designed to transfer to other AQA set texts. Not every possible text has an equal volume of dedicated recorded teaching. The aim is to teach effective responses, not a collection of essays to reproduce.
Six months of teaching.
Access until the exams.
You do not lose the teaching and programme materials when the six months end.
Your child retains access until they finish their GCSE examinations, so they can return to the explanations and resources during later revision.
Unlimited marking and the normal live tuition offer apply during the six-month programme. Continued materials access is a separate benefit.
A clear route through both English GCSEs — with room to revisit.
Enrol nowA note from Ed
I’m Ed Muir.
English teacher first.
Ed MuirFounder, Double-6 English
I’ve spent more than 18 years teaching secondary English. I also mark AQA GCSE English examinations, so I know how important it is for a response to demonstrate the skill the question is asking for.
I’ve seen pupils understand a text and still struggle to make that understanding visible on the exam paper. Simply giving them more information is not always the missing step.
That is why this programme connects explanation to modelling, practice and feedback. The teaching needs to lead somewhere your child can use it.
My Master’s degree in Psychology of Education, CCET qualification in educational and psychometric assessment, and SEND experience also inform how I think about learning and assessment. A mark should help us decide what to do next — not just describe what happened last time.
I cannot sit the examination for your child. I can provide the teaching, the structure, the practice and a careful look at the work they produce.
Double-6 English is my independent educational service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA.
A sensible fit matters
Is this the right programme
for your child?
It is designed for Year 10 and Year 11 pupils studying AQA English Language and Literature — broadly from around Grade 2/3 upwards.
Likely to be a good fit if…
- Your child needs a clearer route through English and more useful exam practice.
- They understand ideas but struggle to turn them into written marks.
- They can engage with GCSE-level activities independently.
- They are willing to make regular time for the tasks and submit practice work.
- They are aiming for Grade 6 — or have the capacity and ambition to go further.
Probably not the right fit if…
- Your child has extremely low literacy and needs intensive foundational, one-to-one intervention.
- They cannot yet access GCSE-level English tasks independently.
- They will not attempt the activities or submit practice work.
- They study another exam board and need teaching specific to that board.
It is not a last-weeks rescue course. The six-month sequence is intended to be worked through, not rushed at the end.
If your child has SEND or significant anxiety
My experience is relevant, but it does not make this recorded-and-group format right for every pupil. Consider their ability to access the tasks and whether they need more individual support. School support and exam-access arrangements remain separate. If you are unsure, use the contact link below before enrolling.
Ask about suitabilityA parent’s experience of support
When an exam feels worse
than the result turns out to be.
“You kindly checked some of her writing and gave me some advice…”
“Come results day - she passed both!”
Her daughter’s Language result was initially Grade 4 and became Grade 5 following a review. Literature was Grade 5. I had checked writing and advised the parent; this was not participation in the six-month programme, or evidence that this format suits every child.
Parent of GCSE English pupil
Everything connected, in one programme
The teaching.
The practice.
The feedback.
Not a library you have to turn into a plan yourself.
Both AQA English GCSEs are brought into a visible six-month route, with tasks that ask your child to use what they learn.
- The complete six-month taught routeEnglish Language and Literature, sequenced from reading to writing to texts and poetry.
- Three focused recorded lessons each weekClear teaching, worked examples and corresponding activities.
- GCSE question resources and practiceOpportunities to produce exam-style answers, not just read about them.
- Monthly Practice Weeks and tracked assessmentA submitted response, a recorded result and feedback on what needs attention.
- Unlimited personalised marking during the six monthsGuidance on ordinary submissions, with detailed assessment of formal monthly work.
- Live online group tuition and recordingsNormally one or two sessions per week, with recordings in the hub.
- Teaching and materials access until GCSE examsReturn to the lessons and resources after the taught route ends.
Your Double-6 English programme
Put the English plan in place.
Then work through it together.
The 6-Month Grade 6 Programme
Choose how you would like to pay. Each option includes the same programme.
Pay in full
£597
Total cost: £597
One payment for the complete six-month programme.
Enrol nowStart from Month 1
Two payments
2 × £315
£630 total
Spread the cost across two payments.
Enrol now — 2 paymentsSame programme and included support
Three payments
3 × £220
£660 total
Spread the cost across three payments.
Enrol now — 3 paymentsSame programme and included support
The achievement reward is subject to the Programme Terms. It is based on final results, not simply on enrolment. No GCSE grade is guaranteed.
Enrolment is open year-round.
Your child starts at Month 1 and works through the structured six-month programme from there. The sooner they start, the more time they have to learn, practise, receive feedback and revisit weaker areas before the exams.
The Double-6 Achievement Reward
Aim higher.
Earn up to £300 back.
The achievement reward is subject to the Programme Terms. Your child can earn up to £300 back, based on their highest final grade across English Language and English Literature.
Grade 6 remains the central target. This reward recognises a result beyond it; it does not promise one.
Highest English gradeAmount back
Grade 7£100
Grade 8£200
Grade 9£300
One reward. The highest grade only.
Language 8 + Literature 7 = £200 back.
Language 9 + Literature 8 = £300 back.
The rewards are not added together.
After GCSE results day, email a photograph of the official results sheet from the address used to purchase the programme. I verify the purchase and refund the applicable amount.
Choose your payment optionTime to check the fit
Try the programme properly.
If, within the first 14 days, you decide it isn’t the right fit for your child, contact me for a refund.
Before you enrol
Good questions.
Clear answers.
If you still need to check the fit for your child, please ask rather than guess.
Contact EdIs this only for pupils already working at Grade 6?
No. Grade 6 is the target, not the entry requirement. The programme is broadly suitable from around Grade 2/3 upwards, provided your child can access GCSE-level tasks independently and will engage with the practice.
What if my child is currently around Grade 3 or 4?
They may be a good fit if the difficulty is structure, exam technique or putting understanding into writing. The programme teaches skills step by step, with modelling and practice. A starting grade alone cannot tell us everything: if foundational literacy is the main barrier, more intensive one-to-one intervention may be more appropriate. No particular grade improvement is promised.
How much work is involved each week?
Allow approximately 20–30 minutes for each of the three recorded lesson-and-activity sessions: around 60–90 minutes in total. The teaching videos themselves are about 5–15 minutes. There are also normally one or two live group sessions of about an hour each; those are additional to the recorded-study estimate. Monthly Practice Week includes a submitted exam-style response.
What happens if my child misses a live lesson?
The session is recorded and added to the programme hub for members to access. Recorded lessons and activities can also be fitted around school; the example days shown on this page are not compulsory study slots.
Does this replace school English lessons?
No. It provides a structured route for additional teaching and practice alongside school. It does not replace school teaching, arrange exam entry or secure exam-access arrangements.
Which Literature texts are covered?
Main models frequently use Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, Jekyll and Hyde and An Inspector Calls. The route also includes anthology and unseen poetry. The focus is on constructing effective AQA Literature responses, not memorising one set of model essays.
What if my child studies a less common AQA text?
The skills and activities are designed to transfer to other AQA set texts. However, every possible text does not receive an equal volume of dedicated recorded content. If text-specific coverage is important to your decision, contact me with the texts and poetry anthology your child studies before enrolling.
What happens if they score below 70%?
The weakness and result are recorded, but your child continues through the full six-month curriculum. After the main route, areas still below the threshold become priorities for further targeted practice. The 70% threshold is used within the programme to track secure performance; it is not an AQA grade boundary and does not guarantee a GCSE grade.
How does the marking work?
Unlimited personalised marking is included during the six months. Pupils can send work they want me to look at for useful guidance and feedback. Formal Practice Week responses receive the more detailed assessment process and are tracked in the programme. There is no promise of instant turnaround.
How does the achievement reward work?
The achievement reward is subject to the Programme Terms. The highest final English Language or Literature grade determines the reward: Grade 7 earns £100 back, Grade 8 £200 and Grade 9 £300. Only one reward is paid, not a reward for each subject. After results day, email a photograph of the official GCSE results sheet from the purchase email address. I verify the purchase and refund the applicable amount. Eligibility does not guarantee the required result or a reward payment.
How long do we keep access?
The taught route runs for six months. Your child retains access to teaching and programme materials until they finish their GCSE examinations. The included unlimited marking and normal live tuition offer apply during the six-month programme; retained materials access does not extend those offers indefinitely.
Is this appropriate for pupils with SEND?
My SEND experience informs the teaching, and short recorded lessons may be helpful for some pupils. But the format is not suitable for every need. Your child needs to be able to access GCSE-level tasks independently. If they need intensive foundational literacy teaching, substantial one-to-one support or help with school/exam arrangements, this programme is not a substitute. Contact me to discuss suitability before enrolling if you are uncertain.
Is Double-6 English affiliated with AQA?
No. I mark AQA GCSE English examinations, but Double-6 English is an independent educational service. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by AQA.
What if we decide it isn’t the right fit?
You have a 14-day refund period. If, within the first 14 days, you decide the programme isn’t right for your child, contact me for a refund.
Did the pupils quoted here complete this programme?
No. The testimonials come from pupils I previously taught or supported, and from their parents. They are evidence of their experience with my teaching or support, not results from this exact six-month packaged programme.
Enrol year-round · Start at Month 1
Not another pile of resources.
A clear route through English.
Your child needs focused teaching, examples they understand, practice they can use, and feedback on the answers they actually produce.
You need to know what comes next — without having to work it all out yourself.
Start the six-month route£597 pay in full · 2 × £315 (£630 total) · 3 × £220 (£660 total)
A Grade 6 target in both English GCSEs. No guaranteed grade. A 14-day refund period to check the fit.
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