All About Alliteration!

July 23, 2018 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB, AP

By Sonali Khemka (English Literature, English Language, LNAT, Psychology tutor at The Edge Learning Center) Alliteration is a literary device that repeats the same sound, usually a consonant, at the start of a series of words or sentences. Though it is frequently used in poetry, it can also be found in prose such as novels or plays. Depending on […]

How to Argue: An Introduction to the “Toulmin Method”

June 25, 2018 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB, AP

 By Jonathan Wilson (AP/IB History, English Literature and English Language tutor at The Edge Learning Center) Hi everyone. This is Jon again here at The Edge. When I sat down to write my latest blog, I asked myself: “What would be the one topic I could write about that would benefit the most number of students?” It […]

FOA & IOP: The Burden of Creativity

January 16, 2018 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB

By Janka Steenkamp (English Literature, Edge Writing, Public Speaking, Drama (IB) tutor at The Edge Learning Center) As an IBDP English student, 30% of your final grade is orally assessed. 15% of that is the dreaded IOC, and the other 15% is your FOA if you are Lang/Lit and your IOP if you are Lit. Now, a […]

Summarizing vs Analyzing in English Literature

December 18, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB

By Sonali Khemka (English Literature, English Language, LNAT tutor at The Edge Learning Center) Throughout your tenure as an English literature student, you will often be faced with the task of “analyzing” a particular text. While most students believe they at least have an idea of what this means, the task is often misinterpreted and students end […]

New IB English Curricula 2019

December 5, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB

By Karin Chun Taite (Head of Academics and English Literature tutor at The Edge Learning Center) The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) has announced that it will be launching a new set of curricula for IB English A Literature and IB English A Language & Literature in 2019. The details have not all been settled, but here is […]

On Not Being A Torturer of Poems: 4 Tips for Engaging with Poetry

September 27, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English Literature, IB English, IB

By Janka Steenkamp (English Literature, Edge Writing, Public Speaking, Drama (IB) tutor at The Edge Learning Center) In literature, as in life, first impressions can be deceiving: just as that cute puppy in the window can potentially bite your finger off, that poem that you think is about an onion is about a long-term relationship. This is […]

Avoid These Common Mistakes to Stay Ahead of IB English

August 11, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB

By Karin Chun Taite (Head of Academics and English Literature tutor at The Edge Learning Center) The 2017 academic year is right around the corner, and it’s best to start off on the right foot. Stay on target by avoiding the following common mistakes that IB English students often fall into: 1. PREPARATION FAIL It’s all too […]

IB/AP/IGCSE Free Trial Lesson

August 7, 2017 | IB Math, Edge Writing, AP Math, IGCSE Math, English Writing, IB Writing, IGCSE Writing, Free Trial Lesson, IB English, IB, AP, IGCSE English, IGCSE, AP English, IB Economics, IB Business

Are you ready for the new school year? Getting help early for the upcoming school year can be the difference between average grades and stellar grades. Whether you need a general subject review or want to learn a few subject-specific strategies for your exams, we are here to help! Currently, we are offering a FREE […]

The Arts as an Area of Knowledge: Interrogating Lunch atop a Skyscraper

July 18, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, IB

By Louis Cheng (Test Preparation (ACT/SAT/SSAT/ISEE/IELTS/TOEFL) , IB ToK (Theory of Knowledge), Economics tutor at The Edge Learning Center) Every IB student needs to take Theory of Knowledge, a course that aims to provoke critical examination into the ways through which we know what we claim to know. The arts, in particular, are designated as one of the “Areas […]

How to Read a Graphic Novel or Comic Strip: Part 2 (Shots and Angles)

June 20, 2017 | Academic Tutoring, IB English, Graphic Novels

 By Jonathan Wilson (AP/IB History, English Literature and English Language tutor at The Edge Learning Center) Hi everyone, this is Jon, and I teach English and History here at The Edge. In my last blog, I broke down some of the structural elements of a graphic novel so that we had the vocabulary to talk about […]