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.
In the exam you're normally given two options: a descriptive piece or a narrative piece. neither is worth more or less than the other so it's up to you to choose which suits you best. though describing the same thing for 45 minutes can see a little tough, i'd argue that the description is actually easier than the narrative. the problem with writing a short narrative, is its shortness., to do this well you need to make sure that your plot is very, very , very , very simple . you'll only have 45 minutes to write it, and that doesn't leave a lot of space for character development or events., really, you should be able to tell your storyline in one sentence, any more than that and it's probably too complex for the exam., i've included some of my own below to give you an idea of how much plot i've managed to include....
Read over the stories above and pick one structure that you think you could use. then, google some images and see if you can find a way for your chosen structure to become a story connected to that image. the key with a structure is that you can practice with it, but it will still fit any end you choose., but also, there are literally millions of short stories on the web, simply because writing is such a pleasure and sharing stories is so fundamentally human. to help you filter through some of them, you'll find a list of some of my favourite places below:, https://themolotovcocktail.com/, https://wigleaf.com/, https://blog.reedsy.com/short-stories/, https://www.flashfictiononline.com/.
I peered into the light with difficulty. I was lying in a pool of blood, feeling the liquid seeping through my underwear. Opening my eyes was hard enough, but moving them, that was another story. But where was I? I panned across what looked to be a barren island, only to discover, dune after dune of sand. The ocean seemed to stare me in the face and looking at it gave me a headache. I noticed the waves breaking closer to the shore. In a hurry, I turned around and limped across the beach, in search of higher ground, with a trail of blood following me. I became drowsy as I stood upon the sandy island, only coming across the occasional palm tree. Dehydration had taken its toll, as I collapsed to the ground with my arms and legs aching. I discovered hints of blood trickling down my arms. The cuts were not deep, but the bleeding persisted.
After taking a moment to recuperate, I heard familiar voices behind me. There they were, taking cover under a leaf shelter. The taller man turned around, hearing the rattle I was making behind the bushes and without warning...I shot out, with my hands above my head. Oh my god! Could it be? It was Terrance! I ran up to him and hugged him as hard as I could, sending him to the ground, with an unexpected thud! After being taken to their make-shift hut, I was introduced to Terrance’s friend, Timothy.
He later explained to me that he and Timothy had scoured the island for any food or water. And in doing so, they had stumbled upon the abandoned helicopter. It was only around 100 yards from the hut and it seemed in pretty bad condition. It had taken a few hits to the body work and one of the wings was missing. Before nightfall, we all did our best to recover as many items from the chopper as possible. Darkness fell as we retreated to the hut.
That night I just could not sleep, repeatedly seeing a helicopter crashing in my dreams. It all started on a stormy night; flying over the ocean. The weather was terrible, and a lightning strike was inevitable. Suddenly the turbulence picked up, and the helicopter began shuddering. Bang! The tail was gone. The helicopter spun violently and we plummeted to the ground...I woke up in a cold sweat, only to discover Terrance and Timothy gazing dubiously at me.
Another day dawned. Terrance had prepared breakfast, making use of last night’s scavenging. Disbelief grew inside me as resources ran low. However, going for a walk didn’t seem to cure anything with my arms and legs perilously aching again. As I panned across the area, a trail of empty chip packets caught me eyes, ones that I had salvaged! There he was, hiding in the distance, Timothy! The little bastard was munching away; he didn’t even notice me, gorging himself with food. I walked back in disgust, and confronted Terrance, informing him of the issue.
The days went on, and we were only left with two bottles of milk and a single Jar of Horlicks. With no food and only water in abundance, I began to worry. Timothy was also beginning to behave strangely. I observed him closely, to discover he had chewed his fingernails away. There were also a numerous amount of distinctive blood stains on the sleeves of his, white jacket. Then it hit me, patches of skin missing on the arms...blood stains on the jacket...bite marks on the arms. It all connects! I walked off, in search of Terrance, and after discussing the matter, he too became concerned.
Time passed and another ghastly day went by. Five days had gone. Terrance and I were fine; it was only Timothy we were worried about. The sky was gloomier that day and we had not seen sunlight for days. The sky became much darker, and it was becoming harder to see. Timothy had marched off, and I began pacing from one side of the hut to the other...
Crunch. I heard the leaf litter around the bushes moving. The reflection from what looked to be a machete, dazzled my eyes. We huddled together, me and Terrance. I took another peek, and saw two white eyes ogling me. I could hear the blood rushing through my ears. The shadow scuttled behind the bushes. I began to hear a whistling noise. It’s just the wind, I told myself. It leapt out. Wielding the machete, it let out some ferocious swipes. One whisked past my ear, hearing the blade slicing through the air. My heart thumped, beating harder every second. Terrance tripped, taking me down in his crushing grip. It was all over. We couldn’t move. I closed my eyes...
I heard the machete dig into the ground, feeling a brightly coloured light burning against my eyelids. There he was, standing in front of us. Timothy, with the sun shining right into him. Petrified, Terrance bolted. I was left stranded in the sand, and immediately took hold of the machete. I saw Timothy fall to the ground with his hands clamped to his eyes. Light hadn’t been seen in days!
With Timothy back on his feet again, we followed the sun’s path across the island. We began to see life as we travelled across the island, first the occasional butterfly and then a flock of birds in full flight. Our spirits lifted as we saw the wildlife but then the sand became loose. The final dune was dreadful, as each footstep was engulfed by the dune. And then in the distance we heard it, a helicopter? Could it be? The noise became louder, as we progressed. We started climbing faster, hoping for the best and there it was, the icing on the cake, “UN Search & Rescue”. As the fluorescent helicopter hovered above the shore-line, two men leapt out, wrapped us in warm blankets and escorted us to safety.
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I have my mocks coming up and someone please give me creative writing ideas
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COMMENTS
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]
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.
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. Think about the plot and how you can weave tension ...
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:
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 ...
Welcome to Writing Exercises and Prompts. This site provides (completely free) creative writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing blocks - as well as some fun anagram vocabulary games. Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more.
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.
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.
50 GCSE English Creative Writing and Story Writing Prompts. Subject: Creative writing. Age range: 14-16. Resource type: Worksheet/Activity. File previews. docx, 220.6 KB. 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.
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.
Writing fiction. This wonderful collection of fun and engaging classroom activities and resources will help KS3 and GCSE students to develop their own imaginative, narrative and creative writing skills. From planning their ideas and thinking about plot, character and setting, to exploring other forms and genres including poetry and drama ...
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.
1. Give students the steps in the story. Sending students into an assessment or exam in which they have no idea what they're going to be faced with is counterproductive. As teachers, we know the structures required for success. In creative writing, the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful short story is a sense of a "complete ...
This story plan generator can currently generate 74.9 * 1015 unique plans. Now that's a lot of stories! Buy Grade 9 GCSE English model answers now from only £5.99. Extra guidance on how to use this generator is available below. This book is ideal for helping students improve their creative story writing for the GCSE English Language exams.
Focus: Description / Narrative Marks: 40 Time: 45 mins. Ideas for creative writing can come from various places. The picture. There will always be a picture to inspire you. It could be linked to a description or a narrative. Remember that you can go beyond the picture and interpret it in any way you like. It's there to help you, not restrict you.
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.
Paper 1:Creative Writing. Paper 1: Creative Writing. In the exam you're normally given two options: a descriptive piece or a narrative piece. Neither is worth more or less than the other so it's up to you to choose which suits you best. Though describing the same thing for 45 minutes can see a little tough, I'd argue that the description is ...
Pragmatically, the stories are based on the GCSE creative writing task, around 45 minutes worth of writing - this is a crucial idea: everything I expose them to should be a model they can follow to satisfy the 45 min task. Again, thinking pragmatically, I am beginning to think more and more that the key for success is develop deeper ...
In a hurry, I turned around and limped across the beach, in search of higher ground, with a trail of blood following me. I became drowsy as I stood upon the sandy island, only coming across the occasional palm tree. Dehydration had taken its toll, as I collapsed to the ground with my arms and legs aching.
Basically it helps a lot to read as much as you can and take inspiration. why not do desription (the picture). its way easier and less time consuming and allows you to use more techniques in my opinion plus you can sourght of make it like a story as you can do a circular narrative.just never understand why people pick story unless there really ...