Excellence in English at Nexus

This year, the Nexus English Department achieved its best IGCSE results to date, with 78.26% of learners in the 2024/25 cohort earning Grades 9–7 in their IGCSE English Literature exams — the equivalent of A to A* grades. In the IB Diploma Programme, 57.1% of learners achieved Grades 7–6, which represent the top band scores in the IBDP assessment scale.

Behind these outstanding results lies a culture of continuous reflection, innovation, and teamwork, and a department that is always looking for ways to improve. We spoke to Kate Ellicott and Katie Hayward from the English Department to learn more about how their team continues to refine and elevate teaching and learning at Nexus.

“We’re constantly evolving,” shares Kate, English Learning Area Leader and Assistant Head of Secondary. “We never repeat the same lessons every year. We’re always developing and looking for ways to do things more effectively. It’s about keeping learning fresh — for our learners and for us.”

A Curriculum Built for Progression

The English Department at Nexus takes a forward-looking approach to curriculum design. By building on the IGCSE framework, the English team intentionally designs lessons and activities that not only prepare learners for their IGCSE examinations but also equip them with the skills and mindset needed for the IB Diploma. This ensures a seamless and purposeful progression through the Secondary years, where each stage strengthens readiness for the next. 

Learners explore IB Diploma themes alongside their IGCSE texts as early as Year 10 and maintain reflective learning portfolios that strengthen analytical and metacognitive skills for the years ahead. This alignment ensures that every stage of the Secondary English journey builds towards success in the Diploma Programme.

The department’s move to the Edexcel pathway at IGCSE, with 100% examination-based assessment, was part of this broader vision. By removing the need to manage coursework early in the two-year course, teachers can now dedicate more time to developing core skills consistently across the two years. As learners mature and their writing improves, they are able to demonstrate their full potential in the final examinations.

“It was a bold move, but it worked out well,” says Kate. “Literature is a highly academic pathway, and achieving such exceptional results across our IGCSE and IBDP cohorts confirmed it was the right decision for our learners to change the course at the IGCSE level.”

Teaching for Excellence

Every lesson in the department is designed to help learners understand how they learn and what excellence looks like in practice. Teachers place a strong focus on metacognition, encouraging learners to think about their learning process, reflect on how they approach tasks, and recognise what they need to help them succeed. By developing this awareness, learners are better able to identify areas for improvement, take ownership of their progress and make purposeful steps toward their goals.

One of the ways the team supports this reflective approach is by building a rich and growing bank of top-scoring model answers from past Nexus learners. Each year, the department requests copies of high-marked examination papers from the IGCSE and IBDP exam boards. Teachers use these authentic examples as live models in class, guiding learners to analyse what earned the highest marks and why. By comparing their own work to these exemplars and the marking criteria, learners gain a clear understanding of how to improve and what is required to reach the top levels of achievement.

“We teach our learners how to get the 9,” explains Kate Ellicott. “We model it and provide scaffolds so learners see that it’s achievable. Excellence isn’t something abstract; it’s something they can work towards.”

Through this reflective approach, teachers can also identify skill gaps and tailor lessons to meet individual needs, ensuring every learner continues to grow in confidence and ability.

Harnessing Technology for Learning

The English team are always exploring digital tools that best support and benefit their learners. Their approach is purposeful and evidence-based, ensuring technology enhances great teaching rather than replaces it.

A key platform is MeeOpp, an AI-powered tool that creates personalised, skill-focused activities aligned with the Nexus curriculum. It helps learners revisit and practise skills previously taught in the course, keeping them fresh even as they move on to new topics. Teachers also receive data-driven insights about each learner and can use this information to target key skills more effectively in lessons, ensuring continued progress. Thanks to this innovative approach, Nexus was recognised as a MeeOpp Evidence-Based Certified School, celebrating how well the platform supports personalised learning and measurable growth.

Alongside MeeOpp, teachers use xf, a collaborative annotation platform that allows learners to engage directly with the texts they are studying in lessons. Teachers begin by annotating the first section of a passage to model the process for learners. Learners will then break into groups and take turns annotating the remaining sections, sharing their notes and insights with the rest of the class.

This approach turns each group into “experts” on their assigned section, allowing them to teach their peers and deepen their own understanding in the process. It also ensures consistency across the class while sharing the workload — everyone contributes to a complete set of notes that the whole group can use for revision.

The department also incorporates AI tools in thoughtful and responsible ways. Learners use AI-generated essay plans to explore different ways to structure responses or brainstorm ideas before drafting their own work. This approach encourages creativity, critical thinking and independence while maintaining academic integrity.

This responsible use of AI has proven to make a difference for learners. As Ashley-Rose, one of our IGCSE high achievers, shared in her recent interview:

“I used AI tools to support my studies, especially for English. I asked it to mark my work and to help build essay plans for me. For example, I’d request three themes to write about, then prepare sheets with relevant quotes and ideas. This allowed me to focus on writing during the exam rather than brainstorming on the spot. It saved time and boosted my confidence — I ended up writing ten pages for my second paper because I had everything memorised and ready.”

Her experience reflects exactly how Nexus encourages learners to use technology as a tool for deeper understanding, smarter preparation and confident performance.

Consistency Through Collaboration

One of the department’s greatest strengths is its strong culture of collaboration, consistency, and care.

“We see ourselves as learners too,” says Katie. “We’re always asking how we can make things better — for ourselves and for our learners. That shared mindset is what drives our success.”

Every teacher contributes to a shared bank of resources and examples, ensuring all learners experience the same high-quality teaching.

Teachers regularly moderate assessments together, reviewing written and oral work to align marking and maintain shared standards. This collaborative process ensures accuracy, builds confidence and helps every teacher develop a clear understanding of what excellence looks like in practice.

Lesson recordings are also shared within the team as professional learning tools. New teachers can observe established classroom practices, while experienced teachers use them to reflect on and refine their own methods. This culture of openness means that great ideas and effective strategies are continuously shared, discussed and improved.

“When I first joined Nexus, I could watch recorded lessons and learn from my colleagues,” says Katie. “It helped me understand exactly what excellence looks like and how to replicate it in my own classroom. That consistency benefits our learners across the board.”

The department also uses evolving master slides for each unit, providing a common framework of model texts, discussion prompts and key resources.

“We’re all teaching from the same core materials,” explains Kate “but there’s still room for each teacher’s personality and passion to shine through. It means learners have a consistent experience across the department, with equal access to the best resources and support.”

This structured yet flexible approach has created a strong sense of unity across the team. Every teacher knows they are working toward the same goals, and every learner benefits from a consistent, collaborative and well-supported approach to English learning.

Supporting Every Learner

Excellence is nurtured in every learner. Classes are carefully balanced by teachers to include mixed abilities, allowing our learners to be appropriately challenged and for peer learning to thrive. Stronger learners act as role models, demonstrating skills and ways of thinking that others can learn from. At the same time, learners who need more support are given clear guidance and structured opportunities to practise and build confidence. This creates a classroom environment where everyone can learn from one another and make steady, meaningful progress.

The teachers also run a series of targeted support sessions in the lead-up to exams, which are open to all learners across the year group. Each teacher designs a session focused on a specific skill or exam component, such as analysis, structure or comparative writing. This flexible, learner-centred approach allows our learners to take ownership of their revision and seek support in the areas that matter most to them. It also ensures that every learner benefits from the collective expertise of the entire English team. 

As a result, many learners show significant value-added progress, often exceeding their predicted grades through targeted practice and personalised support.

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