English Cosy Corner

The number of times I have been handed this type of composition could be counted with more than my toes and fingers 😮‍💨😅

“I went to the park. I played with my friends. We ate ice cream. It was fun. I went home.”

Every sentence was correct. Every full stop was in the right place. There was nothing technically wrong.

But there was no story. Just events, listed one after another, with nothing to make me care about what happened.

This is one of the most common things I see in compositions across every level (yes, even up till P6). Students know what happened. They just don’t know how to make the reader feel it.

That’s what the SAFE Method does.

S, A, F, E. Four ingredients. One paragraph at a time.

Speech. Action. Feelings. Environment.

When all four are present, a paragraph stops being a summary and starts being a scene. The reader isn’t just told what happened. They’re pulled into the moment.

Swipe through for the full breakdown, with before and after examples and a guide parents can use at home. 👉 📌

Come say hello if this resonates. Let’s have a chat. 💛

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

I just ran my second mock exam session with my P5-6 students this June holiday.

And the same thing happened that happened the first time round.

They sat for a full Paper 1 before Paper 2, and somewhere in the middle of Paper 2, something shifted. The pace slowed. The answers got shorter.

That’s not a knowledge problem. That’s an exam stamina problem.

Sitting through 1 hour 50 minutes of Paper 2 under real timed conditions is a completely different experience from doing one section at a time. The fatigue is real. The pressure is real. And if the first time a child experiences that is on the actual PSLE or during prelims in July, it’s already too late to adjust.

That’s why I run mock exams. Not to stress them out. But to give them a safe place to feel that pressure, find their weak spots, and come out the other side knowing they can do it.

What I watch for every time:
Where do they slow down? Where do they rush? Do they even make it to the last section with enough time and energy left?

The answers tell me everything I need to plan the next few lessons.

Swipe through for the full Paper 2 breakdown and section-by-section time guide I use with my students. Screenshot it and try timing your child at home. 👉 📌

Come say hello if this resonates. Let’s have a chat. 💛

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

Vouchers. Bookstores. Happy boys.

At English Cosy Corner, we don’t just celebrate exam scores. We celebrate the quiet, consistent effort that most people never see — the homework done on time, week after week, term after term.

So when Term 1 ended, I wanted to mark it properly. Popular bookstore vouchers for the diligent ones. And watching them spend it on something they genuinely wanted? That was its own kind of joy.

One got his favourite stationery. One chose a book which, honestly, made me smile wider than I expected.

I’ve learned that when we acknowledge the small wins, students begin to see themselves differently.
That shift — from “I can’t” to “I keep going” — is where everything begins.

It takes time. It takes consistency.
To my students : I see you. Keep going.

Pull up a chair. It’s cosy in this corner.

Something happened after Week 1 of the June Holiday Masterclasses that I didn’t expect.

The messages started coming in before I even wrapped up the last session on Day 3.

A parent told me her two kids found the workshop enjoyable. And then, she asked if there was still a slot for my regular class.

Another mum shared that her daughter felt she could understand well. She signed up for the oral class the happening on the last day as well, ending the last workshop on a great note with all slots filled.

And a returning student from last year came back. His mum asked and he said yes, he learnt.

That was the one that got to me. Because this boy had been with me before. He came back because something stayed with him.

This is what the June Holiday Masterclasses are built for — not just to cover content, but to give students a safe space to try, to discover, and to realise that English isn’t as scary as they thought.

Week 1 was fully subscribed. Round 2 still has spaces for P3–4 and P5–6 on 15, 16, and 17 June. Mock Run 2 on 22 and 24 June has just 2 seats left.

Small classes. Maximum 6 students. Every child is seen.

If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s the time. DM me or head to the link in bio to sign up.

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins.

“One day, I went to the hawker centre with my family.”

I see this opening, or something like it, in many a composition I mark.

It’s not wrong. But it doesn’t make me want to keep reading.

The compositions that stand out? They open with something you can feel.

Not a plot summary. Not the weather. One vivid detail, a smell, a sound, something that pulls you straight into the moment.

“The smell of char kway teow drifted through the air before I even saw the stall.”

Same setting. Completely different feeling.

That’s what the senses do. They turn a composition from a list of events into a story someone actually wants to read.

Swipe through for the full breakdown, including one sense your child can use today. 👉 📌

Come say hello if this resonates. Let’s have a chat. 💛

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

Small by design. That’s always been how I do things.

I’m opening a new P5 Physical Class beginning Term 3, and if you’d like a feel for it first, I’m running 3 Thursdays in June: 4, 11 and 18 June, right here in Tampines North.

A trial class, a cosy corner, a chance to see if it fits. DM me if you’re keen. 💛

One apostrophe. Two completely different meanings.

Its and it’s is one of those mistakes that looks small, but it trips up so many students, right up to P6 and even secondary level.

I get it though. It is also because we tend to leave out the apostrophe in our text messaging when we get lazy. Hence, we forget the use of it when needed.

Here’s the confusion I see most often:

1. They write “it’s tail, thinking it means “the tail belonging to it.”

ITS (no apostrophe) is already the possessive form, just like his, her, and their. None of them need an apostrophe either.

IT’S (with apostrophe) is the shortened form of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. The apostrophe shows that a letter has been left out, not that something belongs to it.

Try replacing the word with ”it is“ or ”it has.“
If the sentence still makes sense → it‘s.
If it sounds wrong → its.

“The cat licked it is paws.” ❌ Doesn’t work → use its.
“It is going to rain.” ✅ Works → use it’s.

Swipe through for the full breakdown and a reference card you can screenshot. 👉 📌

One letter apart. Very different meanings.

Than and then is one of those mix-ups I see so often in my students’ compositions, and it’s such an easy fix once you know the difference.

THAN → use this when you are comparing two things.
She is smarter than her classmate.

THEN → use this when you are talking about time or what happened next.
He finished his work, then he went to play.

The trick I teach my students:
If you can replace the word with “compared to” → THAN.
If you can replace it with “after that” → THEN.

Swipe through for more examples and a quick reference card you can screenshot. 👉

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.