Write That Essay is a web-based writing programme created by Dr Ian Hunter, with modules for year 9 to 13 students. St Paul’s was the first to adopt the tool and it has proven to be a major factor in the increase of subject endorsements and scholarships gained by students using the programme.

Write That Essay will be launching its second version of the programme on February 25 at St Paul’s Collegiate School.

Described as a ‘personal trainer for writing’, Deputy Headmaster in charge of Academics at St Pauls, Jeremy Coley says Write That Essay has allowed St Paul’s students superb preparation for university and life after school.

“A number of past students have acknowledged the value this programme has had on their writing after leaving school,” says Mr Coley.

St Paul’s has delivered the programme since 2013 and although it was initially thought to be used only by students studying English, Mr Coley and staff have found it useful for subjects requiring writing with control and fluency.

As an indicator of version one of Write That Essay’s success, statistics from 2013 to 2018 show there was an increase in 16 excellence endorsements for students studying English in the school. In Scholarship English, there has been a consistent increase from two or three scholarship achievers each year to five or more each year, with at least one student achieving an outstanding scholarship.

Other subjects such as geography have also seen a boost in its scholarship achievers. From two in 2013, eight achieved scholarships and one an outstanding scholarship in 2018. The improvement in writing has been exponential.

English teacher Michael Groom is a huge believer in the benefits of WTE.

"Dr Hunter has revolutionised essay writing in secondary schools. Students can now engineer their essays, based on a clear set of structural guidelines. As a consequence, they become empowered, and with each successive essay more competent and confident with the compositional process. When students formulate their work on the sound academic and argumentative foundation that Write that Essay provides, it enables them to be very excited about their writing proficiency and their future academic possibilities," says Mr Groom.

Version two of Write that Essay is set to be more interactive and fresh, after their design team has worked in the background to make changes tailored to the modern student. Mr Coley expects more games and for the resource to be more engaging.

With a new, improved and refreshed interface, Write That Essay is set to further aid St Paul’s students to achieve their best results.