How the LADDER GCSE English system works

A typical session

1. Step 1

   Warm Up

   Two minutes of sentence work to switch your brain on.

2. Step 2

   Skill Builder

   One skill, taught in small steps before it's tested.

3. Step 3

   Quick Check

   Automatically marked questions to prove it's stuck.

4. Step 4

   GCSE Question

   An original question in the real format and command words.

5. Step 5

   Feedback

   AO-by-AO feedback with one specific next step.

6. Step 6

   Improvement Task

   Redraft one part — improvement earns XP too.

7. Step 7

   Progress

   Climb a rung when you genuinely develop a skill.

8. Step 8

   Next activity

   Your weakest skill decides what comes next.

The Learning Steps

Learning Steps describe how you learn. Every LADDER activity follows them.

1. Step 1

   Learn

   The skill is taught first, in small steps.

2. Step 2

   Practise

   Short, focused practice until it sticks.

3. Step 3

   Apply

   Use the skill on a real GCSE-style question.

4. Step 4

   Feedback

   What went well, and the one thing to fix.

5. Step 5

   Improve

   Redraft one part — improving counts.

6. Step 6

   Progress

   Climb a rung and see how far you've come.

The Kelly Framework — PRTEE

The Kelly Framework is the teaching methodology used inside LADDER. PRTEE is its paragraph structure. PRTEE is the foundation, not the ceiling. Once the structure is secure, you're encouraged to write with more independence.

1. P

   Point

   Say what you think, clearly and simply.

2. R

   Reference

   Quote the exact words that prove it.

3. T

   Technique

   Name what the writer has done.

4. E

   Explain

   Say what it makes the reader think or feel.

5. E

   Explore

   Push further — another reading, or the bigger idea.

The five Ladder Levels

Choose the level you want. The app also recommends one based on how you're doing — and never penalises you for working at a level that suits you.

• Foundation

  Core principles

• Developing

  Core GCSE skills

• Secure

  Grade 4–5 skills

• Strong

  Grade 6–7 skills

• Mastery

  Grade 8–9 skills

Grade progress

You'll always see your current practice level, and the skills that define the next step. No app can guarantee your eventual GCSE grade — and we won't pretend otherwise.

1. Grade 4

   Clear point, accurate quotation, simple explanation.

2. Grade 5

   Consistent explanation of effect on the reader.

3. Grade 6

   Zooming in on single words with connotations.

4. Grade 7

   Analysis of methods, structure and whole-text ideas.

5. Grade 8

   Alternative interpretations, controlled argument.

6. Grade 9

   Conceptual, critical response sustained throughout.

How answers are marked

• Automatically marked

  Multiple choice, matching, word-class and technique identification, retrieval and quizzes.

• Rule-based marking

  Structured answers: does it include a point, a quotation, a technique, an explanation, and comparison or context where required?

• AI-assisted marking

  Paragraphs, essays, analysis and creative writing: estimated mark, AO breakdown, strengths, weaknesses, a target and one improvement task.

Rungs

A rung is a step on a ladder. Every time you develop a new skill or reach an important milestone, you climb another rung. Your rungs show what you've achieved so far — and how far you've climbed.

• Rung 0

  First Rung

  You've taken your first step up the LADDER.

• Rung 1

  Foundation Builder

  Built your first key English skill.

• Rung 2

  Evidence Builder

  Successfully selected and used relevant evidence.

• Rung 3

  Analysis Builder

  Developed an explanation of a quotation.

• Rung 4

  PRTEE Practitioner

  Successfully applied the Kelly Framework.

• Rung 5

  Paper 1 Builder

  Worked through the whole Paper 1 ladder.

• Rung 6

  Paper 2 Builder

  Worked through the whole Paper 2 ladder.

• Rung 7

  Literature Builder

  Completed a Literature ladder for one of your texts.

• Rung 8

  Mastery Builder

  Took on Mastery-level challenges and pushed your writing further.

• Rung 9

  Point Builder

  Wrote a clear point that answers the question.

• Rung 10

  Explanation Builder

  Explained the effect of a writer's choice in your own words.

• Rung 11

  Grade Climber

  Improved your own writing by one clear step.

• Rung 12

  Essay Builder

  Planned and built a whole essay from your own ideas.

• Rung 13

  Retrieval Builder

  Selected accurate information without slipping into guesswork.

• Rung 14

  Inference Builder

  Worked out what a text suggests, using evidence.

• Rung 15

  Language Analyst

  Explained the effect of a writer's word choice in your own words.

• Rung 16

  Structure Spotter

  Explained why a writer placed something where they did.

• Rung 17

  Evaluation Builder

  Made a judgement and supported it with evidence.

• Rung 18

  Creative Writer

  Planned and drafted original descriptive or narrative writing.

• Rung 19

  Transactional Writer

  Matched purpose, audience, tone and form in your own writing.

• Rung 20

  Grammar Builder

  Edited your own writing for accuracy and clarity.

• Rung 21

  Summary Builder

  Combined two sources into one clear, accurate idea.

• Rung 22

  Comparison Builder

  Compared two writers' viewpoints and how they show them.

• Rung 23

  Core Skills Builder

  Secured the essential Grade 4 reading and writing skills.

• Rung 24

  Evidence Finder

  Found evidence that genuinely proves your point.

• Rung 25

  Clear Point Builder

  Wrote a point a reader understands first time.

• Rung 26

  Paragraph Builder

  Built a complete, clearly organised paragraph.

• Rung 27

  Independent Writer

  Wrote a full response with the scaffolding removed.