The first book in a three-volume skills programme which aims to develop students' essential literacy skills at Key Stage 3. Divided into four genre-based sections - Non-fiction and Media, Drama, Fiction, and Poetry - the book comprises 11 units, each offering: two focus texts, drawn from contemporary and pre-1914 sources; activities on grammar and language, comprehension, speaking and listening, text comparison, and extended writing; and clear explanations of grammar terms and Word Banks to gloss unusual or challenging vocabulary.