Let's get some work in before the next exam with this 100 wpm, which is based on a true story (with adaptations and name changes) about a lad from the small town where I was born, competing at the Olympics.

For those of you who may be taking a 60 wpm examination later this month, you will need to get ahead of the game - either by practising at a higher speed or by taking down a more challenging 60wpm passage. Well, this one is a challenge for you. There are numerous words that fall outside of the top 3,000 common words - 12 of them in fact. Treat this as an opportunity to practise thinking quickly to get something down, or omitting the word and carrying on, remembering that every word has the same value. So if you omit "overwhelming" you incur one error, just the same as if you transcribe "I" instead of "we"!!!! Once you have transcribed, look at the word "heightened" in the first sentence of Part 2. You will see that I have written an "I" vowel alongside the outline, otherwise it would be the same outline as "hidden". Whilst "hidden" would not make good sense, this proves you need to keep your wits about you, and because you probably won't have time to think about, or write that "I" indicator, you need to read back through your notes after every transcription and ask yourself - does this make sense? Good luck. Don't get worried, don't get stressed, Let's Love Teeline Together.

This one is not written in the traditional NCTJ way, and has a higher syllabic count than the NCTJ examinations. It is good practice, and contains the odd word you may have not written in shorthand before! See how you cope with that. Remember every word has the same value when it comes to examinations.