
Grammar & Writing
This programme introduces grammar in a systematic manner with detailed explanation of how grammar works. Students learn grammar as a whole instead of bits and pieces as in most schools. The other half of this programme focuses on writing, and teaches students the entire process of writing - from brainstorming and planning to writing, reviewing and proof reading.
Grammar
Writing
The Key Elements
Grammar
Our students can apply grammar accurately in both targeted exercises and writing as they truly understand how it works.
Terminology
It is easier to learn grammar and writing knowing the proper terminology early on. It improves understanding and correct usage.
Planning
Planning determines the quality of a piece of writing. Students learn how to plan a sentence, a paragraph to a story or an essay.
Creativity
While creativity is innate, students can learn how to unleash it. They learn how to write interesting details from their own experiences.
Variety
From poetry and letters to stories and essays, students are introduced to different types of writing with detailed instructions .
Proof reading
Proof reading requires good grammar and a critical mind. Our programme trains students how to effectively review their work.
Levels
SparkEnglish currently offers Grammar and writing from level 1-5. They cover all grammar and writing needs for students in primary and early secondary schools. Students are placed based on their knowledge of grammar and ability in writing.
Suitable for P1 – P3 students
Level 1 Grammar and writing are designed to give a solid grammar foundation to primary students and to provide students with practices to plan and write short stories and narratives. Students have the chance to understand basic grammar from a different perspective. Instead of memorising usages, they learn how and why we use them in the certain ways. By learning grammar logically, students can apply grammar consistently whether in targeted exercises or free writing. On the writing front, this level teach students to build good writing from the ground up. From good sentences to good paragraphs, they learn how to plan, write, edit and finalise their own writing. They learn how to described characters and write with logical sequencing. Before the students move to the next level, they learn the common writing errors and how to proofread and correct their work.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- Have a good foundation in basic grammar and show grammar awareness
- Have a very good understanding in parts of speech, especially nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions
- Have mastered how to use articles, comparative adjectives, plurals and punctuations
- Have a firm grasp of subject verb agreement
- Have a good understanding of subjects and objects
- Know how to put together good sentences
- Have detailed knowledge of how to use simple present tense and present continuous tense
- Know how to plan and organise a story
- Know how to describe characters
- Have practised writing different kinds of stories and narratives
- Have understood common writing errors and know how to proofread
Suitable for P2 – P4 students
Level 2 offers students with basic grammar and writing skills a chance to further their understanding in grammar and to horn their writing skills in stories and personal narratives. In addition to delving deeper in parts of speech, students would also learn simple past tense and how to apply it correctly in different context. They would also learn gerunds and have an introduction to common phrasal verbs. On writing, they would learn how to write personal narratives with great details and to articulate their thoughts and feelings. There are also specials units focusing on how to activate their vocabulary and use them to write super sentences and descriptive paragraphs that would entice audience.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- Have further understanding in parts of speech, especially verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and adverbs
- Have learnt simple past tense as well as regular and irregular verbs
- Have mastered adverbs of frequency and how to use them to write about habits and daily life
- Have learnt how to use time phrases with the correct tense
- Know how to use gerunds and phrasal verbs
- Have learnt how to write personal narratives with logical sequencing and great details
- Have practised writing journal entries and letters
- Have a good grasp in writing good sentences with interesting details
- Have practised writing “super sentences” and descriptive paragraphs
- Have ample practice in both narrative and creative writing
Suitable for P3 – P5 students
Level 3 expands on the students’ foundation and covers more advanced grammar topics and writing skill. Students would enough tenses to write proficiently about the past, the present and the future. In addition to main verbs, they would master all all auxiliary verbs and their usages. They would also learn to analyse sentence structure, learning how to use clauses and sentences to build more sophisticated sentences. Students would also practise using similes and metaphors to liven up their writing. Other than story writing, students at this level would learn how to write poems, correspondence, reports as well as other functional non-fiction writing.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- Have learnt how to use simple past tense with past continous tense
- be competent in using simple future tense with will/shall as well as “going to”
- Have mastered all auxiliary verbs and adverbs of frequency
- Have learnt how to use comparatives and superlatives correctly
- Know how to use relative pronouns as clauses in sentences
- Have experience writing compound sentences using conjunctions such as “when” and “while”
- Have practised how to write similes and metaphors
- Know how to give detailed description of position and directions
- Have learnt how to write letters and emails depending on audience
- Have the basic research skill to write informational reports
- Have experience writing poems [ ]
- Have practised writing reviews, posters and procedures
Suitable for P4 – S1 students
Students studying in this level should already have a solid training in both grammar and writing. This level covers more advanced topics such as passive voice and reported speech, gerunds and infinitives as well as tenses like present and past perfect tenses. Students would also learn how to write effective sentences using different structures. To prepare for their academic language needs, students learn how to write summary and précis as well as reports and leaflets. In addition to creative writing, students would learn how to set out, plan and write persuasive writing.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- Have fully understand all parts of speech and how to use them in their writing
- Have understood how to used present perfect tense and learnt past participles
- Have learnt how to used simple past tense with past perfect tense
- Know how to use active and passive voices as well as writing with reported speech
- Mastered how to use gerunds and infinitives
- Know how to distinguish and write simple sentences, complex sentences and compound sentences
- Have experience writing summary and précis
- Know how to write news reports, autobiographies and leaflets
- Have experience in persuasive writing
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Suitable for P5 – S2 students
Level 5 covers advanced grammar topics that students would come across in secondary schools. They will fully master how to use the right parts of speech in their writing and to distinguish meanings between similar words with the same root. Students would learn all 12 tenses by the end of this level and be able to choose the most appropriate tense to convey different meanings. Besides advanced grammar topics, students would also have ample practice in writing stories with complicated plots and character development, informational reports with in-depth research, presentations as well as formal letters and persuasive writing.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- Have fully understand all parts of speech and how to use them in their writing
- Have understood how to used future continuous and future perfect tense
- Have learnt simple perfect continuous, past perfect continuous and future perfect continuous tense
- Know how to choose the appropriate tense to articulate different shades of meanings
- Have learnt transitive and intransitive verbs
- Be able to collect information, research and interview for informational report writing
- Be able to write longer stories with complicated plots and character development
- Be able to write presentations on different topics and present in front of an audience
- Be proficient in persuasive writing and other non-fiction writing

FAQ
Each class would have a maximum of 5 students.
Each level lasts the whole academic year.
While the Comprehensive programme teaches grammar and writing, it does not have focused sections on them every week. The Grammar and Writing programme delves deep into grammar or writing every week. We can do longer or more complicated grammar and writing tasks in this programme.
It depends on your child’s current English level. For most of our students, joining both programmes maximise their abilities and potential. However, we would suggest certain students taking the Comprehensive programme first, because they need a good foundation in reading and vocabulary before they can handle the work load in the Grammar and Writing programme.
There are certain elements of grammar one needs to know before one can write fluently and accurately. For example, without simple past tense, one cannot write stories and personal narratives. We also teach some elements of grammar in a series of classes as they make more sense to be taught together than peppering across different academic years.
All potential students would need to take an evaluation before enrolling in this programme. This is to ensure your child has the necessary foundation to participate in this programme and be challenged at the right level.
Testimonials
