Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences
Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts
Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
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It is important to remember that writers plan their texts deliberately to make the reader respond in certain ways, and think and feel certain things. This task in Question 5 asks you to think about how you can effectively engage your reader and produce a cohesive piece of creative writing.
When you reach Question 5, you will already have read an example of creative writing. You can use the ideas and structure to inform your answer. You should spend some time thinking about the question: not only the content, but also the order of your ideas. An effective piece of creative writing considers plot, setting and characterisation .
In your answer you must:
Question 5 tests your ability to create a text which is constructed in an appropriate manner.
The creative writing question assesses your skill in crafting a convincing piece of creative writing or short story. The question will be worded according to a specific task, for example:
It is worth remembering that you will be given a choice of two tasks in the exam: one will be a creative writing task, and the other will be a descriptive writing task. One will also give you a picture as a prompt for your piece of writing, but this could be to write a story or a description, so it is important that you read both options carefully.
Below are some points on how you might approach the task “Write a story with the title ‘Abandoned’”. It is divided into plot, setting and characterisation.
This task asks you to write a short story. This means you are required to plan your response carefully as you have limited time to create a cohesive plot. It is best to plan how your story will end before you begin writing so that you are in control of your story. Writing a response which has not been planned is likely to have an abrupt ending, or no ending at all, which does not satisfy readers or get you high marks. Your character development will lead the plot; you should decide if your story ends with a clear resolution or with a cliffhanger. Your resolution could be happy, or you can create a tragic ending.
There are lots of different narrative structures or arcs you could use to plan your story. Bearing in mind you only have 45 minutes, including planning time, your story needs to be controlled and concise. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to consider Freytag’s Pyramid:
| Stick to one main setting and start at the location: |
Hook your reader: | |
Decide which narrative perspective and tense you are going to write your story in: | |
Employ the five senses to create an atmosphere: | |
This paragraph could end with an “inciting incident”, which prompts the rising action and moves the story forward | |
| This paragraph should build tension, drama or interest: |
This paragraph should also develop your character(s): | |
This is the turning point of your story: | |
Your protagonist could face an external problem, or an internal choice or dilemma: | |
You should vary your sentence structure, length and language here for dramatic effect | |
What happens in this paragraph should be as a direct result of the climax paragraph: | |
It also should focus on your characters’ thoughts and feelings as a result of the climax of the story: | |
You can choose to resolve your story, or end on a cliff-hanger: | |
Your setting and atmosphere could reflect a change from the setting or atmosphere you established in your opening paragraph: |
As this task assesses the ability to communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, it is important to consider how to use language constructively in a short story to convey an atmosphere or mood. Building an effective setting is key as it contributes to atmosphere and mood.
Remember, Question 5 requires an extended written response. Therefore, the most effective stories will demonstrate a well-planned response which has considered what information is relevant to the reader and the most effective way to order and structure the narrative.
This question asks you to create a short story and therefore you will need to build some elements of detailed characterisation. This means you need to consider what your character(s) represent. They may represent an idea, such as being the victim of abandonment, or as a villain to represent injustice or evil. It is best to limit yourself to two characters in the time you have.
Well-rounded characters are taken on a journey in which a character undergoes some form of development or change. The mark scheme rewards answers which clearly and effectively convey ideas, meaning that you need to consider the most effective ways of building a character in a short piece of writing. Ideally, you should focus more on indirect characterisation than direct characterisation:
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Here, we will consider how to effectively plan your character(s) to engage your reader. This is what the examiner is looking for in your answer:
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| Your character’s appearance may not always be relevant: , remember that it is rare we describe our own appearance perspective can describe appearance more effectively |
| One of the most effective ways to describe a character is through their movements: and can be used to effectively build characterisation |
| If you use the perspective, a monologue helps readers engage with the character: will help your reader understand your character better |
| Dialogue can convey the relationships between your characters and provide insights into what other characters think about each other: |
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Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.
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Here are our top tips for acing any creative writing exam!
1. HAVE A BANK OF STORY PLOT LINES READY
One of our top tips for any creative writing exam, is to have a bank of easily adapted plot ideas up your sleeve. Time is precious in an exam and you need to spend minimal time thinking, leaving you with the maximum amount of time to crack on with your writing!
2. DON'T MAKE YOUR PLOT LINES COMPLICATED
Don’t make your plot too complicated- only one thing needs to happen- just DESCRIBE ONE TEN MINUTE MOMENT. If your story was turned into a film, it would be a 10 minute scene, not a 2 hour film! Keep it simple!
3. DESCRIBE DON'T EXPLAIN
This point carries on from point 2. When you have a complicated plot then you end up explaining and summarising. What any teacher or examiner wants to see in a story is description. One moment described very slowly, in lots of detail.
4. DON'T BE AFRAID TO 'MAGPIE' IDEAS
'Magpieing' is a phrase that teachers use to describe using other people's ideas for story writing. Authors do it all the time! Nothing needs to be original! If you hear a great phrase in a book that you are reading, use it in a story!
5. SHOW DON'T TELL
'Show don't tell' is phrase that teachers use all the time, when teaching creative writing. It means, don't TELL me that the character is nervous; SHOW me that they are nervous by describing their sweaty palms and butterflies flutterin g in their tummy.
6. PAINT A PICTURE IN THE READER'S MIND
If you write a simple sentence such as, 'The man walked down the road', you will conjure up different images in different reader's minds! Is it a tall man or a short man? Is he walking angrily or happily? Add description to paint the same picture in the reader's mind, as you have in your own!
7. USE POWERFUL VERBS
The difference between an ok story and a great story, usually comes down to verb choices. Every sentence must contain a verb, so why not use powerful verb choices! For example, 'said' is a boring verb. Swap it for a verb such as 'mumbled' or 'screeched' to add more description!
8. PERSONIFICATION
Personification is a writing technique, where an object is described like a person. The effect is that it tells you the mood of the story- how the characters are feeling. In a happy story, the sun might be smiling but if the mood of the story is angry, the sun might be scowling!
9. SIMILES AND METAPHORS
Similes and metaphors are both types of comparisons. We use these comparisons to exaggerate a quality. Similes use the word LIKE or AS- ' He ran as fast as a racing car' or 'He zoomed like a racing car'. A metaphor does not contain like or as- 'He was a racing car zooming.'
10. ALLITERATION
Alliteration is when words near or next to each other start with the same sound. An alliterative phrase like, 'flickering, firey flames' is effective because the repetition of the F sound emphasises the sound of the fire. This is a great way to add marks in an exam!
11. ONOMATOPOEIA
We always want to describe using our senses, and onomatopoeic words describe sounds. Using sounds as verbs in a sentence, for example, BANGING, CRASHED, RUSTLING, SCREECHED, is a great way to add extra marks in a creative writing exam.
12. AVOID REPETITION
Avoid repetition! Make sure that you vary the first word in every sentence- sometimes start with a verb, sometimes start with a preposition, sometimes sart with an adverb... Do NOT always start with He/ She/ The! Also, vary your sentence length- some short, some medium, some long.
13. GREAT WAYS TO START A STORY
Think carefully about the first sentence in your story, and more importantly the first WORD! Do not start with ‘Once upon a time’ or ‘One day’. Starting with a subordinating conjunction like ‘As’ or ‘While’, is a great way to open a story as you are instantly giving the reader additional information to paint a picture of the scene in their minds.
14. PREPOSITIONS
Use prepositions in your sto ry- particularly at the start of sentences. Prepositions are words that tell us WHEN or WHERE. Prepositions that show where, are particularly good when describing a setting. It allows you to be precise and to paint a picture in the reader's mind.
15. AVOID DIRECT SPEECH
Do not overuse direct speech- it tends to explain rather than describe. Direct speech can be a great way to start a story and it is effective in establishing relationships between the characters- but use it no more than twice. You will get a mark for correct punctuation but don’t waste dozens of lines on one mark!
16. USE THE ACRONYM MAPSO
Use the acronym MAPSO as a checklist to ensure that you have used a variety of techniques in your story. There are lots of acronyms out there, but I like MAPSO the best- it’s short, easy to remember and covers the 5 most important techniques- Metaphor, Alliteration, Personification, Simile, Onomatopoeia.
17. DESCRIBE ACTIONS NOT FEELINGS
Avoid using these phrases in a story- they FELT, they THOUGHT, they WONDERED, they REALISED, they DECIDED… all of these phrases TELL the reader and what we want to do is SHOW. The reader is able to work out for themselves what the character is thinking and feeling from the description of their ACTIONS.
18. WHO/ WHERE/ WHEN/ WHAT/ WHY/ HOW
By the end of the first paragraph, make sure that the reader has an idea of WHO your character is, WHERE they are, WHEN it is (time of day/ season), WHAT they are doing when the story begins, HOW they are doing it (the mood) and WHY (it does not matter what order you put this information in).
19. PLANNING
The key thing is to keep your plan short- spend no more than 2 minutes- it doesn’t matter if your plan is messy and you shouldn’t write in full sentences. A five part plan is ideal (just a few words for each section) as 5 paragraphs is about the right length for a story written in a half hour exam.
20. CHECK SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION
Always leave yourself a few minutes at the end of the exam to check for silly mistakes!
Resources you can trust
Develop KS3-4 English students' confidence and enjoyment in writing for pleasure with a selection of inspiring classroom resources and activities.
One of the great pleasures – and challenges – of teaching English is helping students to develop their own 'voice' and style as writers of short stories. Assessing their creative, imaginative, descriptive and narrative writing skills at GCSE is a different matter, and can prove to be less rewarding for students, as writing on demand can test even the most confident of writers. The rich collection of creative writing resources on Teachit, generously shared by our fantastic English teacher contributors, are a testament to the creativity, resourcefulness and ingenuity of English teachers as we seek to tease out the best in students' writing. Here is a selection of popular resources for writing classes and lessons, as well as some of our newly published creative and narrative writing resources:
Story building grids is a flexible writing prompt resource to help students with the first steps of planning the writing process, with suggestions for different literary devices to include (metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, dialogue, point of view etc.).
Another writing prompt resource, Beth Kemp's Imaginative writing: creating a scene , carefully walks them through the whole planning and writing process. Like a screenplay writer, students learn how to zoom in on key scenes to create pace, tension and atmosphere, while considering point of view and their main characters' traits. This resource also focuses on the importance of re-writing and editing their piece of writing. Fran Nantongwe's delightful and hugely popular The quest for a cure is perfect for younger students and will take your class through a range of different genres and written forms over several English lessons, and also includes some non-fiction tasks.
Ditch the adjective is a great new resource by contributor Sally-Ann Griffin, which include a range of writing tips to guide students through the process of making better word choices and focuses on the importance of re-writing.
English teacher Helen Down's Turning pictures into word banks helps students to select really engaging words to use. Writing pyramids is a flexible resource for students to refer to again and again to support their writing experiments.
For inspiration for creative writing activities, try Super story starters or Engage your sleeping author! which offers students a range of examples of creative writing and opening sentences which help them to explore different forms (diary, epistolary, historical). With imaginative writing, it's important to inspire students. Stephen Mitchell's Exploring beginnings and Attention-grabbing story starters both encourage students to consider the effect of different story openings. For a series of lessons, try the thoughtful Memory-inspired creative writing . And if you are looking for more imaginative writing, creative writing or narrative writing resources, try our Writing fiction or Writing techniques collection for hundreds of classroom resources for English students and teachers on the following:
For non-fiction and creative non-fiction writing, try our Writing non-fiction texts collection.
This article was first published as an Editor's pick newsletter in January 2022.
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Posted on August, 2022
Having plenty of ideas for creative writing is one thing, but nailing down the right structure can be a bit more challenging.
There are several steps for children to think about before they begin writing, and that includes creating a structure or plan for how their story will flow.
Creative writing is all about grabbing the reader’s attention immediately, so children in their GCSE years need to understand the importance of structure when writing, in order to organise their ideas and make sure their work reads cohesively.
In this post, we will go through everything your child needs to know from paragraphing, to creating a satisfying ending, providing examples along the way to demonstrate the best way to structure their creative writing.
There are several types of creative writing questions that could come up on the GCSE reading and writing exam. There will be the option to either write creatively based on an image, or a made-up scenario.
Having a solid structure for longer creative writing questions and exercises helps to ensure your child is prepared.
By using a structure that helps to organise your child’s ideas, it helps their writing to flow. It also allows your child to become more confident in their creative writing process.
Planning is more important than you might think, as mark schemes from most exam boards include ‘well-controlled paragraphs’ or something very similar within the top band of criteria for creative writing.
Therefore, children should practise planning out creative writing structures well before their writing exam. Planning gives them time to get into the habit of always providing themselves with a simple, but focused idea of what they are going to write.
Introduction.
Understanding the fundamental structure of a story is crucial for crafting engaging narratives. Beyond basic sequences, story archetypes provide a deeper framework. Christopher Booker , a renowned scholar, identified seven main story archetypes.
Each archetype outlines a distinctive journey and the challenges faced by characters.
This archetype portrays an underdog’s quest to conquer a formidable evil. Examples include the epic tales of Harry Potter battling Lord Voldemort, the classic struggle in Jurassic Park, and the timeless narrative of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Embarking from a starting point of poverty or despair, characters rise to newfound wealth and success. Witness this transformation in stories like Slumdog Millionaire, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
A hero’s journey to discover something, overcoming trials and tribulations along the way. Iconic examples include the Fellowship of the Ring’s quest in The Lord of the Rings, Marlin’s journey to find Nemo, and the epic adventures of Odysseus in The Odyssey.
Protagonists venture into unknown territories, facing adversity before returning home transformed. Dive into this archetype with examples like the curious escapades in Spirited Away, Bilbo Baggins’ journey in The Hobbit, and the enchanting Chronicles of Narnia.
Contrary to our typical perception of humour, this archetype involves destined lovers kept apart by conflicting forces. Delight in the comedic twists of relationships in classics such as 10 Things I Hate About You, When Harry Met Sally, and Notting Hill.
Protagonists with major flaws or errors leading to their inevitable downfall. Witness the unraveling of characters in tragedies like The Great Gatsby, Requiem for a Dream, and the Shakespearean masterpiece Othello.
Characters succumb to darkness but redeem themselves throughout the narrative. Experience the transformative journeys in stories like Atonement, American History X, and the animated Beauty and the Beast.
Beyond literature, these archetypes seamlessly apply to filmmaking and photography. A well-crafted photograph or film can mirror the same narrative arcs, captivating viewers on a visual adventure akin to storytelling. Explore these archetypes to infuse depth and resonance into your creative endeavors.
First of all, paragraphing is central to creative writing as this is what keeps the structure solid.
In order to stick to a creative writing structure, children must know exactly when to end and start a new paragraph, and how much information each paragraph should contain.
For example, introducing the main character, diving into the action of the story, and providing 10 descriptive sentences of the weather and location, could be separated and spread throughout for impact.
Structuring a creative writing piece also involves creating an appropriate timeline of events. Then, you must map out exactly where the story will go from start to finish. This is assuming the writing piece is in sequential order.
Occasionally, there may be a question that requires a non-sequential order.
The Ultimate Creative Writing Workout!
This list below details every section in a creative writing piece and should look something like this:
With this structure, it is important to bear in mind that for the AQA GCSE English Language paper 1 reading and creative writing exam.
You can also use Freitag’s pyramid or a story mountain to help you understand the basic structure of a story:
Children will be expected to spend about 50 minutes on the creative writing section. It’s therefore vital to get them into the habit of planning their writing first. As with anything, practice makes perfect.
If you want to find out more about GCSE English Language papers 1 and 2, check out our blog .
We will dive deeper into the creative writing structure further on in this post, but first, let us go through the importance of paragraphing, and how TipTop paragraphs can help to improve children’s writing.
Before children begin to plan out the structure of their stories, it’s essential that they know the importance of paragraphing correctly first.
At this stage of learning, your child should be comfortable in knowing what a paragraph is, and understand that they help with the layout of their stories throughout the whole writing process.
Paragraphs essentially help to organise ideas into dedicated sections of writing based on your child’s ideas. For example, having a paragraph for an introduction, then another paragraph introducing the main character.
This means your child’s writing will be in a logical order and will direct the reader further on into the writing.
To avoid your child straying from their creative writing structure and overloading paragraphs with too much information, there is a simple way to remind them of when they need to start a new paragraph.
Using the TiPToP acronym is such an easy way for you to encourage your child to think about when they need to change paragraphs, as it stands for:
When moving to a different time or location, bringing in a new idea or character, or even introducing a piece of action or dialogue, your child’s writing should be moving on to new paragraphs.
During creative writing practice, your child can ask themselves a series of questions to work out whether they need to move onto a new paragraph to keep their story flowing and reach that top band of criteria.
Providing opportunities to practise creative writing will help your child to get into the habit of asking themselves these questions as they write, meaning they will stick to the plan they have created beforehand.
Now it’s time to get into the all-important creative writing structure.
Producing a creative writing structure should be a simple process for your child, as it just involves organising the different sections of their writing into a logical order.
First, we need to start at the beginning, by creating an engaging opening for any piece of writing that will grab the reader’s attention. You might also be interested to check out this blog on story structure that I found in my research.
This leads us nicely onto step 1…
There are several ways to engage the reader in the opening of a story, but there needs to be a specific hook within the first paragraph to ensure the reader continues.
This hook could be the introduction of a word that the reader isn’t familiar with, or an imaginary setting that they don’t recognise at all, leaving them questioning ‘What does this all mean?’
It may be that your child opens their story by introducing a character with a description of their appearance, using a piece of dialogue to create a sense of mystery, or simply describing the surroundings to set the tone. This ‘hook’ is crucial as it sets the pace for the rest of the writing and if done properly, will make the reader feel invested in the story.
Read more about hooks in essays .
If your child needs to work more on description, I definitely recommend utilising the Descriptosaurus :
Additionally, it’s important to include a piece of information or specific object within the opening of the creative writing, as this provides something to link back to at the end, tying the whole storyline together neatly.
Providing a complication gets the storyline rolling after introducing a bit of mystery and suspense in the opening.
Treat this complication like a snowball that starts small, but gradually grows into something bigger and bigger as the storyline unfolds.
This complication could be that a secret has been told, and now the main character needs to try and stop it from spreading. Alternatively, you could introduce a love interest that catches the attention of your main character.
In this section, there should be a hint towards a future challenge or a problem to overcome (which will be fleshed out in the development and climax sections) to make the reader slightly aware of what’s to come.
The development seamlessly extends from the previous section, providing additional information on the introduced complication.
During this phase, your child should consider the gradual build-up to the writing piece’s climax. For instance, a secret shared in the compilation stage now spreads beyond one person, heightening the challenge of containment.
Here, your child should concentrate on instilling suspense and escalating tension in their creative writing, engaging the reader as they approach the climax.
The climax is the section that the whole story should be built around.
Before creating a structure like this one, your child should have an idea in mind that the story will be based on. Usually this is some sort of shocking, emotion-provoking event.
This may be love, loss, battle, death, a mystery, a crime, or several other events. The climax needs to be the pivotal point; the most exciting part of the story.
Your child may choose to have something go drastically wrong for their main character. They must regardless, need to come up with a way of working this problem into their turning point and resolution. The should think carefully about this will allow the story to be resolved and come to a close.
After the climax, the story’s turning point emerges, crucial for maintaining reader interest.
During this post-climax phase, address and resolve issues, acknowledging that not every resolution leads to a happy ending.
Turning points need not be confined to the story’s conclusion; they can occur at various junctures, signifying significant narrative shifts.
Even in shorter pieces, introducing turning points early on can captivate the reader.
Creative writing allows for individual storytelling, and effective turning points may differ between your child and you.
Maintain suspense in this section, avoiding premature revelation of the ending despite the climax’s conclusion.
The resolution should highlight the change in the story, so the tone must be slightly different.
At this stage, the problem resolves (happily or unhappily) and the character/s learns lessons. The close of the story must highlight this.
The writer should also not rush the resolution or end of the story.
It needs to be believable for the reader right until the very end. The writer should allow us to feel what the protagonist is feeling.
This creates emotion and allows your reader to feel fully involved.
Remember the piece of information or specific object that was included in the story’s opening?
Well this is the time to bring that back, and tie all of those loose ends together. You want to leave the reader with something to think about. You can even ask questions as this shows they have invested in the story.
To enhance your children’s GCSE creative writing skills, allocate time for practice.
Plan a structure for creative writing to guide children in organising their thoughts and managing time during the GCSE exam.
Apply this structure to various exam questions, such as short stories or describing events.
Focus each creative piece on a climactic event, building anticipation in the beginning and resolving it at the end.
Consider a tutor for GCSE preparation to help children focus on specific areas.
Redbridge Tuition offers experienced tutors for learning from KS2 to GCSE, providing necessary resources for your child’s success.
Get in touch to find out how our tutors could help.
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A whopping 25% of GCSE English Language marks are assigned to creative writing – such as a story or description in 45 minutes. Always a tall order as it needs to have all the right ingredients to WOW the examiner.
For starters, the question usually reads like this:
You have been invited to take part in a creative writing competition judged by people your own age. Write a description of this picture.
With just 45 minutes allocated time, you need to get your skates on fast.
Of course, this is just the start to becoming a fabulous creative writer. Something our experienced English teachers here at 121 Home Tutors always advise is to read. As many different genres as you can.
Check out the BBC Sounds app too. There’s all sorts of novels, short stories and podcasts to listen to.
Ready to transform your writing capabilities? Please get in touch with our tutor team. With a fantastic mix of tutors local to Manchester and Cheshire, or tutors available online, we can help you not only achieve your target grades , but smash them.
Just drop us a line here to start the ball rolling.
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This is a Practice Exam Paper: GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing made from scratch.
A lesson plan (including Mock Paper 1, Insert and Mark Scheme) for teachers and 3 comprehensive PDFs aimed at helping students taking GCSE English Language Paper 1 to analyse the literary techniques, language features, themes, structural tools and characters in the extract from ‘A Taste of Death’ by P.D. James. The mark scheme is also designed and written for GCSE and is exam-style.
The mock Paper 1 GCSE English Language with the accompanying mark scheme and insert will help students revise Paper 1 for exam practice. It closely mirrors the style required to ace GCSE English Language for an instant last-minute revision or an intense past paper response writing throughout the year.
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Unit 2 Reading and Writing: Description, Narration and Exposition gives two prompts to choose between, for an account and an essay perhaps, and Unit 3: Reading and Writing: Argumentation, Persuasion and Instructional sets up a letter, or similar. Jump ahead to WJEC Eduqas non-fiction writing prompts from past GCSE papers.
Retold Fable. Prompt: Modernize a classic fable or story, such as the Boy Who Cried Wolf, in a contemporary setting. Potential Story Directions: The story could be set in a modern city, exploring current social issues. It might be told from a different perspective, offering a fresh take on the moral of the story.
II. Desire. [6] Small child really wants cake but has been forbidden from taking it down from the shelf. Start this story with the child lusting after the cake, which you should describe - baking, decorating etc - in delicious detail. [ read a short, very funny version of this here]
Slow your writing down. Both of these writing prompts are great for s-l-o-w writing. Slow writing is the opposite of a quick write. The idea is to write slowly, precisely, carefully, selecting each word intentionally. Slow writing can take 5 minutes with one sentence and 30 minutes with a paragraph. Write these moments of action (or inaction ...
READ MORE: > 10+ GCSE creative writing ideas, prompts and plot lines Mastering Narrative Structure. A good story has a clear structure - a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should hook the reader, the middle should build the story, and the end should provide a satisfying conclusion.
2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples. I recently asked my year 11s to pen a piece of description and/or narrative writing for their mini assessment. I gave them the following prompts: Your school wants you to contribute to a collection of creative writing. EITHER: Write a short story as suggested by this picture:
Writing Prompt Resources. Use Beyond's GCSE creative writing prompts in English lessons to help your students to move through any creative blocks that might be preventing them from writing. Including a range of GCSE creative writing prompt lessons, with a focus on titles, openings, endings and more, everything you need to break down creative ...
50 varied and fun ideas for writing shot stories. Ideal to use individually for the whole class to write the same story or to use as a whole and let the students choose a prompt. Prompts can also be used as a starter or discussion points. Also, these are very good to practise planning a piece of work as they promote imagination.
In Paper 1 Question 5 you will be presented with a choice of two writing tasks and a stimulus image. One task will ask you to write descriptively, most likely based on the image, and the other question will ask you to write a story, based on a statement or title. The task requires you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific form.
GCSE Creative Writing Tip 3: Ambitious Adjectives. Now, add some ambitious adjectives to add. further detail and information. e.g. Deafeningly, the large, boisterous crowd screamed Beyoncé's name. Why? This builds upon the image, adding extra information to help the reader imagine what is happening.
Before embarking on your creative writing journey, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the assessment criteria is imperative. The evaluators of your English language GCSE creative writing piece will scrutinise several key areas: the coherence of your narrative structure, range of ideas you explore, the variety and complexity of your sentence structures, and the precision of your spelling ...
Overview of Paper 1 Question 5. Paper 1 Question 5 is the writing question. It asks you to apply what you know about imaginative and creative fiction writing, such as in the text you read in Section A, and use these same techniques in your own writing. AO5 rewards you for your ideas, as well as the style and the fluency of your writing.
1. HAVE A BANK OF STORY PLOT LINES READY. One of our top tips for any creative writing exam, is to have a bank of easily adapted plot ideas up your sleeve. Time is precious in an exam and you need to spend minimal time thinking, leaving you with the maximum amount of time to crack on with your writing! 2.
Narrative and Descriptive Writing Prompts •Challenging yourself to write developed answers under timed conditions can make a huge difference to your GCSE success in English. •On the following slides, are 20 story and descriptive writing prompts that you can use to help you to get yourself used to writing in detail in 45 minutes.
Writing Prompt Resources. Use Beyond's GCSE creative writing prompts in English lessons to help your students to move through any creative blocks that might be preventing them from writing. Including a range of GCSE creative writing prompt lessons, with a focus on titles, openings, endings and more, everything you need to break down creative ...
Published: 27/01/2022. One of the great pleasures - and challenges - of teaching English is helping students to develop their own 'voice' and style as writers of short stories. Assessing their creative, imaginative, descriptive and narrative writing skills at GCSE is a different matter, and can prove to be less rewarding for students, as ...
Creative Writing Prompt - Sand 1 review. Story Mountain Guide Writing Prompts 3 reviews. Explore more than 1,695 "Gcse English Creative Writing Prompts" resources for teachers, parents and pupils. Instant access to inspirational lesson plans, schemes of work, assessment, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, teaching ideas at Twinkl!
To enhance your children's GCSE creative writing skills, allocate time for practice. Plan a structure for creative writing to guide children in organising their thoughts and managing time during the GCSE exam. Apply this structure to various exam questions, such as short stories or describing events.
Creative Writing Hacks to Impress GCSE Examiners. A whopping 25% of GCSE English Language marks are assigned to creative writing - such as a story or description in 45 minutes. Always a tall order as it needs to have all the right ingredients to WOW the examiner. For starters, the question usually reads like this:
Put your GCSE English Language students to the test with our Writing a Prompt lesson, the eighth in our series of Creative Writing lessons. In this lesson, students are tasked to plan short stories based on picture prompts with plenty of guidance. This is a great way to monitor how well students are progressing and highlight any potential areas worth revisiting. Take a look at our Writing to ...
This is a Practice Exam Paper: GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing made from scratch. A lesson plan (including Mock Paper 1, Insert and Mark Scheme) for teachers and 3 comprehensive PDFs aimed at helping students taking GCSE English Language Paper 1 to analyse the literary techniques, language features, themes, structural tools and characters in the ...