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Essay training
5th grade

Writing is a process and requires time and training. Therefore we recommend that your child starts writing early in the 5th grade.
Course overview
  • Essay training in the 5th grade
  • Introduction to the types of texts required for the examination: narrative, report, letter and description.
  • Saturdays or Wednesdays: from November 2025
  • Individual and focused support: 3 to a maximum of 8 children
  • Location: Directly at Zurich HB or Stadelhofen station
  • Participation fee: 990 CHF

» REGISTER NOW

Course Structure

It has been shown that the essay on the Gymnasium entrance exam is a crucial part of the exam, is not trained enough in the public schools and many children have great difficulty with it. In this specific essay course in the 5th grade, the most important pillars of essay writing are covered and deepened. After a theoretical introduction, the students put the knowledge they have acquired into practice by a specific writing assignment (essay), which is discussed on the next day of the course, including correction and individual written feedback and a sample solution.

Through this individual coaching of the teacher, the students can improve their vocabulary, their understanding of the four types of texts and their writing skills step by step.

These three basic pillars will be discussed each day of the course under a different topic:
  • Acquire knowledge
    • Text types: What are the different types of essays in the Gymnasium entrance exam? (narrative, letter, report, description)

    • Planning: How do I plan the content on specific topics? Which topics are typical for the Gymnasium entrance exam

    • Structure: How do I build up an exciting essay? What elements can I use to create suspense?

    • Breakdown: What belongs in the introduction, the main part and the concluding part?

    • Vocabulary training: How do I use appropriate adjectives and verbs? And how do I write varied sentences? What are the related words?

    • Perspectives: How do I write vividly from different perspectives? ("Ich-Form", "Er/Sie Form", "Allwissende Perspektive")

    • Revision: How do I optimize my essay? How do I avoid careless mistakes?
    • Transfer knowledge
      1. Every day of the course, the students are given a writing assignment on a specific topic (which is taught in a theoretical part at the beginning), which enables them to consolidate their acquired knowledge.
      2. As homework, vocabulary is trained through specific exercises.
      3. On the next day of the course, the students receive the corrected essay back, including individual feedback and a sample solution. They can improve it on the basis of the feedback, revise it and, if necessary, hand it back to the teacher for correction
    • Check knowledge
      The essays are corrected for vocabulary, structure, presentation, content, spelling and grammar. In this way the students receive individual feedback on where they stand and what exactly they can improve. The teacher supports each individual student in understanding and closing the individual gaps.

    Course dates

    The essay course takes place on the following dates:

    November to December 2025
    Course A: Saturdays, at Zurich Main Station, 09:00 to 10:30
    Course B: Saturdays, at Zurich Main Station, 11:00 to 12:30
    Course C: Saturdays, at Stadelhofen Station, 11:00 to 12:30
    Course D: Saturdays, at Stadelhofen Station, 13:15 to 14:45
    • 15.11.2025
    • 22.11.2025
    • 29.11.2025
    • 06.12.2025
    • 13.12.2025

    Course E: Wednesdays, at Zurich Main Station, 14:00 to 15:30
    Course F: Wednesdays, at Zurich Main Station, 16:00 to 17:30
    • 19.11.2025
    • 26.11.2025
    • 03.12.2025
    • 10.12.2025
    • 17.12.2025

    January to February 2026
    Course dates will be published later.
    *Follow-up course: If your child would like to receive even more practice in essay writing and visits the course from November to December, we offer a "follow-up course" from January to February and/or March to April. We are happy to discuss appropriate options with you and your child directly during the course.
    Limited seats – enroll now!
    Quality courses and individual support for your child
    • Qualified and trained teachers with a high level of professional expertise
      We specialize in supporting students on their way to Gymnasium. Our teachers are highly motivated and qualified in the latest teaching materials and curricula. We set high quality standards and we only employ a select group of teachers who fully meet our standards.
    • Individual support and personal coaching
      Personal support and an individual focus is very important to us. Our teachers identify the respective gaps of the individual students and help them to close them through individual coaching. For questions outside of course hours, the teacher can be reached via chat.
    • Comprehensive training materials
      For an optimal training during and outside of the course hours.
    • Specific essay training
      Writing essays is a core component of our courses. We will show your child step by step which types of text he or she needs to master and how to best plan, phrase and revise them. Writing essays is a process that we coach individually and specifically. For that reason, your child will write essays on a regular basis – with the aim of imparting the joy of writing. After class hours, your child is always welcome to write additional essays on a voluntary basis. Naturally, we will provide feedback and valuable suggestions for improvement for those essays as well.
    About us
    • GVZH is an independent and private competence center for Gymnasium preparation.
    • Only qualified teachers with several years of experience in exam preparation teach at our school.
    • As a small team of teachers, close support is central to us, which is why we are always there for our students, even outside of course hours.
    • Structure and organization are crucial for the Gymnasium – we teach this along the way.
    • We encourage your child's independence and personal responsibility and keep you informed about their progress.
    • A joyful environment and enthusiasm are important to us.
    • We not only prepare your child for the exam in terms of the subject matter, but also mentally.
    Our course locations
    Our course rooms are situated in central locations, which you can easily get to via public transport. Our students can expect modern rooms, equipped with the latest media.
    Our course location directly at
    Zurich Main Station
    Lagerstrasse 2
    8090 Zurich
    Our course location directly at
    Stadelhofen Station
    Falkenstrasse 28A
    8008 Zurich