how to do creative writing english language paper 1

AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 – Revision Guide

Welcome to the ultimate revision guide for the AQA GCSE English Language paper 1. In this guide we’ve collected all of the best advice from our experienced English tutors. We tell you what to expect from each question, how to get top marks and how to revise. We’ve also linked to some practice papers. Follow the advice in this guide and you will have everything you need to ace the exams. 

To begin with, let’s address and popular myth. We hear many students saying things like: “you don’t need to revise for English language because you’re given the extract on the day”; or even that “you can’t revise for English language”. Believe me – nothing could be further from the truth. You absolutely need to revise for GCSE English language and following a few simple steps can make all of the difference. Overall you need to: 

• understand what each of the papers will be like;
• know what the examiner wants from you on each question; and
• do lots of practice questions – marking your own work to improve further. 

Check out our revision guide for AQA English language paper 2 as well to make sure you’re confident with both papers.

For focused help and support with your GCSE English Language revision, why not try a lesson with one of our expert online tutors? They’ll deliver personalised lessons for you to help you achieve your potential in the exams. Contact us today to book your trial lesson.

Overview of the paper

Language paper 1 is all about exploring creative reading and writing. You’ll be looking at an example of a fiction text and doing some creative writing. You will need to answer five questions, separated into two sections. In section A you are asked four questions about a fiction extract from the 20th or 21st centuries. In section B you answer one question form a choice of two, where you demonstrate your own creative writing skills.  

You will have 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete the paper. There are 80 marks at stake, which contributes towards 50% of your GCSE English Language grade.

AQA English Language Paper 1 Section A

Read the text carefully – spend 15 mins here.

It’s really important to take some time at the beginning to carefully read the extract in full. You should:

• spend 15 minutes reading the text in detail;
• read it carefully, do not skim read the text; and
• annotate the text to highlight any important parts.

Question 1 – list 4 things – spend 5 mins here

Question 1 should hopefully be quite straightforward for you. You will be asked to find four specific bits of information (such as a description of something) from a specific part of the text. It’s likely there will be more than four pieces of information available, so you’ll have plenty to choose from. You can either put your answers in your own words, or quote directly from the text.

The key things to remember are:

• read the question carefully;
• only refer to the specific section of the text in the question;
• don’t spend too long on the question. Get your four points down, get the four marks in the bag and then move on.

Question 2 – language analysis – spend 10 mins here

Question 2 is worth 8 marks and is all about language analysis. There is quite a lot to do in a short space of time. You will be asked to analyse how the writer has used language to achieve something. Consider how the following things help to create the specific effect set out in the question:

• any uses of interesting words and phrases;
• language techniques; and
• sentence forms

Make sure you use well selected quotations directly from the text and explain how these quotes show your points. Aim to make four clear points across two paragraphs. Each time, make your point, provide a good quotation and explain how the techniques or use of language creates the effect set out in the question. Ensure you only refer to language in your answer (you won’t get any marks for commenting on structure here). Use plenty of the technical vocabulary you have learnt at school.

Question 3 – structural analysis – spend 10 mins here

This is a tough one as students tend to spend more time at school looking at language features than structure. Again, there’s a lot to do in this question in a short space of time. You will be asked to identify and analyse how the writer uses structural features to achieve a specific effect. 

Your analysis of structure here should focus on shifts – or continuity – in focus across a whole text. Look, for example, at what the writer focuses on at the beginning, how that focus changes during the main body of the text and then how they end the piece. Look for shifts in focus, changes in perspective or elements of continuity. Use quotations directly from the text to demonstrate the structure point and then explain how the quote proves your point.

You need to identify the structural feature and analyse how it is effective. Again, look to make four clear points across two paragraphs. Make the point on structure, prove it with a quotation and then explain how your quote proves your point.

Do not analyse language in this question – you won’t get any marks for talking about language in question 3. 

Question 4 – evaluate texts critically – spend 20 mins here

This is the big one in section A – there are 20 marks available. Everything is in scope here. They expect you to analyse both language and structure. You need to evaluate how successfully language and structural points build a particular effect. 

You’ll be given a statement from a student about the extract and asked about the extent to which you agree with it. In your answer you need to evaluate how successful the writer has been in achieving the points raised in the question. This will include your own interpretation. 

The key points to remember are:

• identify language and structural features;
• use quotations from the text to demonstrate these features;
• analyse how the quotation proves your point;
• evaluate how successfully this achieves the effect from the question;
• focus on the specifics of the question; and
• provide your own clear opinion of how far you agree with the statement in the question. 

Top tip – remember to refer to the effects on the reader. What do they think about what they’re reading. Think about what your opinion is, explain it and back it up with evidence.  

You can find even more great revision guides, advice and practice questions on our free resources page.

AQA English Language GCSE Paper 1 Section B

Question 5 – creative writing task – spend 45 mins here.

Question 5 is an extended creative writing task. There are a lot of marks available here, so you should spend around 45 minutes answering the question. You will get a choice of two questions – either writing a descriptive piece based on a picture, or writing part of a story on a given topic. 

There are 40 marks at stake. 24 marks are available for the content (so how effectively and imaginatively you write using a range of language and structural techniques). 16 marks are available for good old SPAG (spelling punctuation and grammar), so make sure you use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Put simply you need to write a quality, engaging, imaginative piece of fiction. You could use an experience as inspiration, or completely make everything up. Make sure your writing is appropriate to the specific purpose and audience set out in the question. Make sure you really show the examiner what you can do. Use plenty of different language techniques and a variety of vocabulary and sentence forms.

Top tip – spend 5 minutes planning your answer. Write a simple bullet point list planning each of your paragraphs. Make a note of any interesting language technique ideas that spring to mind. This will really help make he most of your writing time. 

How to revise for your AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 exam

Once you’ve read this revision guide you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the paper and what the examiner wants to see from you. Now you need to practice the skills we’ve discussed in this guide. The best way to do that is by doing as many past and specimen exam questions as possible. You can find all of the available past AQA exam papers here .

We also offer expert online tuition to provide personalised support with learning and revision. We’ll help you to achieve your full potential with your exams. Simply contact us and we’ll provide some free advice and set up a lesson with the perfect tutor for you.

7 thoughts on “AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 – Revision Guide”

Thank you so much hopefully this will help me with my exam

Thank you so much this will help me get a 3 tomorrow

Super useful! My exam is tomorrow, hopefully I will do well.

very helpfull i got a 7 thanks

Thanks you so much i got a grade 4!

Thank you so much, this is a life saver. Hopefully it helps with my exam

So useful. Hopefully it helps for tomorrow.

Comments are closed.

How to get top marks in English Language Paper 1: Section A

Below, you’ll find an approach for each question in Section A of the English Language Paper 1, including tips that help you to get full marks.

The name of this paper is ‘Explorations In Creative Reading + Writing’.

This exam is focused on ‘fiction’ – this means story writing. You will have to analyse a creative writing extract in Section A, then write your own creative piece for Section B.

Thanks for reading! If you find this page useful, you can take a look at our full AQA English Language Paper 1 course.

SKILLS NEEDED: 

• Reading comprehension – how well can you understand the story, both on the surface level and the deeper meanings or messages?
• Read accurately – practise reading longer words, keep a vocabulary list, practice reading a range of extracts from different stories in different time periods; if you can manage it, start reading short stories and whole books regularly – read based around your own interests so that you’re always keeping engaged with the writing!  
• Understand part to whole – each individual word or quote should reflect the overall deeper purpose or messages of the story – try to go deep into what the ideas are behind the text before you start writing your analysis.

2. Information Selection – choose the right quotations and references

• Pick out the right parts that relate to your question and task.
• Don’t use really long quotations – be short and specific, make sure you synthesise and zoom in on quotations too!

3. Understanding the effects of language features

• Understand a wide range of features – including poetic devices, rhetorical devices, and grammatical devices.
• Be able to pick out these features from the text, but also understand HOW and WHY they are used.
• Talk in as much detail as you can about the SPECIFIC effects of the feature, finding more than one effect if you can.

QUESTION BREAKDOWN: WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? 

Q1: 4 marks, pick out 4 things.

• Double-check your answers. 
• Underline the focus of the question.

Example Question:

List four things about Rosabel from this part of the source. 

Q2: Language Analysis: Gives you a chunk of the extract to focus on, 8 marks

• Language features skills.
• Multiple pieces of evidence (quotes/references) for each feature.
• PEE paragraph.
• 2-3 paragraphs (PEE).
• For top marks: Don’t just do one feature per paragraph, find a way to analyse several features within each paragraph by setting your topic sentence as quite a broad idea .

How does the writer use language here to convey Mr Fisher’s views on books and stories of the past?

Q3: Structure Analysis: read the whole extract, 8 marks

• Structural features (narrative features / narrative techniques).
• PEE paragraphs, all using structural features.
• Effects of the features are really important – make sure you understand in detail HOW and WHY writers use these devices.

This text is from the beginning of a short story. How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?

Q4: Argumentative essay, needs Intro + thesis, 3 middle paragraphs, conclusion

• Plan + write – 25 mins, 20 marks 
• Have a clear argumentative starter to your essay – state why you agree as a thesis (be clear on how to write argumentative essays before starting this question).

Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source, from line 19 to the end. 

A student said, ‘This part of the story, set in the hat shop, shows that the red-haired girl has many advantages in life, and I think Rosabel is right to be angry.’ 

To what extent do you agree? In your response, you could: 

• Evaluate how the writer conveys Rosabel’s reactions to the girl.
• Support your response with references to the text. [20 marks].
• Consider your own impressions of the red-haired girl.
• Intro + conclusion.
• Proofreading / Editing at the end to check your spelling and grammar.
• PEE paragraphs in the centre, with a detailed analysis that argues your point clearly.
• Essay style writing – use complex vocabulary and essay words.

HOW DO I ANSWER THE QUESTIONS? 

• Find the focus and keywords of the question.
• Understand the skills needed for each question.
• Make sure you’re comfortable with language features / structural features / PEE paragraphs. 
• Understand how to write an argumentative essay.
• Know the difference between types of questions: Information Selection (Q1), PEE analysis (Q2 + Q3), full argumentative essay (Q4) , and creative/narrative writing (Q5) .
• For top marks: Learn to structure your answers properly and make sure your analysis is detailed, sensitive, and thoughtful, considering alternative interpretations and deeper themes and ideas rather than staying on the surface level of meaning .

To see our full list of English courses available, click here .

Related Posts

The Theme of Morality in To Kill A Mockingbird

Unseen Poetry Exam Practice – Spring

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Writing – PEE Breakdown

Unseen Poetry Exam Practice: The Man He Killed

An Inspector Calls – Official AQA Exam Questions

How to Get Started with Narrative Writing

What do I need to do for AQA Language Paper 2?

How to do well in the AQA GCSE Paper 2 Exam!

How to Write a Perfect Essay on The Crucible by Arthur Miller

AQA Power and Conflict: Example A* / L9 Grade Paragraph

© Copyright Scrbbly 2022

This much I know about…a step-by-step guide to the writing question on the AQA English Language GCSE Paper 1

• One observation from the picture per paragraph;
• Three or four sentences per paragraph;
• A maximum of twenty words per sentence;
• Include the key word in each paragraph.

One o’clock

The sun shone down onto the bright mountains in the distance. Blue sky sat ontop of the towering mountains.  Birds whistled in the glazing heat as the sun shone warmth into the air.  The mountains looked down upon a remote house set in beautiful Scottish countryside.

The house sat in direct view of the sun as it speared light onto the face of it. The gable end cast a dark shadow down the side of the modern house.  Trees thrived in the sunlight as there bright green leavs glimmered in the midday light.

Trees hung over the boiling hot driveway as the sun melted the tarmack. flowerbeds surounded the house as the glistened in the sunlight.  There leaves let out a ray of beautiful colours.  The driveway led into a darkening woods.

French double doors let a sense of freedom into the house as the sun shone powerful rays of light through the doorway. A car sat on the driveway frieing in the midday heat.

Dark mountains sat in the distance as the clouds came in casting a black shadow covering the whole mountain range. Moorland sizzled with the sound of crickets clicking and birds whistling as sun cast a powerful view from the house.  Ivy intertwine up the side of the house as it cast a dark, menacing shadow through the window.

Velux windows popped open looking down on a river filled with life at the bottom of the garden. The river slowly ran through the scottish country side as the water sparkled in the sunlight.  fish swam in groups as theres fins let out a ray of sparkling lights.

Shards of sunlight speard through the light blue atmosphere as it illuminated the lucious green grass. Flowers sway in the sun as they lit up the front of the house.  Ivy curled up the columns of the porch as they cast a dark shadow into the house.

A BBQ sizzled on the driveway as sausages fried in the midday heat. Smoke rose as it spread a wonderful smell of summer round the garden.  Sunlight glazed down upon the baby trees as they cast a ray of beautiful shadows onto the lawn.

A pathway led to the river as the bottom of the garden as ducks swam with there duckling down the river into the Scottish sumer country-side.

I word processed Karl’s response verbatim so that we could work on improving it as a class; I wanted to focus on some basic spelling and punctuation errors. When I projected it onto the whiteboard and read it out, another student, Jack, said, Well, that’s OK and all that, Sir, but we can never be as good as you . When I denied authorship and told the group that the writer was one of them, they did not believe me for a second. I had to show them the hand-written original before they began to accept that the words belonged to Karl. Once they had overcome their huge sense of incredulity, it inspired them to work harder to become better writers. They have nick-named Karl, Shakespeare . The students now have a firmly embedded tool with which they can approach the 40 mark question with confidence. In my next post I will explain our step-by-step guide to answering the AQA English Language Paper 2, Question 5… it’s all about your FAP!

This post has 22 Comments

Maybe, but they have their core English lessons where they are taught the full range of skills; my 2/3 lessons a week are additional…

Reblogged this on littledevonbird and commented: Thanks…I’ll be using some of these ideas during our drop down session on Monday!

• Pingback: This much I know about…why job satisfaction matters | johntomsett

This is brilliant! Such a simple yet genius way of approaching this question. Thanks for sharing.

very useful, thank you

This is great. However, I’d be a bit concerned about asking my students to avoid the story. The exam notes from AQA state that “the question will give a choice of a descriptive and a narrative task, two descriptive or two narrative tasks.” If they are only prepared for the descriptive piece, they run the risk of getting two story choices. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s how I read it :/

This is correct, however, it is unlikely that they will provide two narrative options in the exam.

They did in the November 2017 exam.

is this a full mark response

Please can you tell me how I can access the slides, as your steep-by-step guide sounds brilliant and just what would help my students who struggle.

Very good approach of this question

Can I ask what mark you gave this? It’s a great response, I’d like to give it to my own students (I work in a PRU) and I would like them to mark it as well. Thanks!

Not sure. I reckon it does the job for a top mark? Happy you found it helpful. Best thing, though, is live modelling.

• Pingback: Blog #2.1 Deliberate Practice: Practice Makes Perfect? – EDified Teaching

THIS IDEA IS FANTASTIC! I WILL DEFINITELY USE IT IN MY ENGLISH LESSONS.

So helpful, for me to read as a student. I believe I have descriptive in the bag after reading this, only in search for a narrative guide as good as this. In case of the unlikely event of two arrive options in my 2020 GCSE exams (: Thank youuu!!

I think a simplistic, step-by-step guide is a great idea, especially for middle ability boys, who might feel overwhelmed by the prospect of a blank page; this gives them a starting point. I am going to use this with a class of Year 10, middle ability (many boys with a lack of resilience), but I am going to suggest that they use techniques/ideas from the source text in the reading section of the paper, as the two sections are usually linked by a theme. Can’t wait to give this a try and see how it works. Thank you for sharing.

• Pingback: R – Revision Pages for English Language P1 Sb Q5 | Qaawyrd-English with QAAWyrd Tuition

Find this a bit dull to be honest . It seems to produce a list of details . Also the question does not say describe this picture. It asks students to write a description ‘suggested by’ . I feel this very prescriptive formula limits their imagination and I would hate to limit the number of words they can use in a sentence.

I take a completely different approach and concentrate on the “suggested” bit. My students plan a descriptive narrative which includes a photograph, poster or postcard. They then describe the image as part of their writing. This means that only a paragraph, or maybe two, relate to the given picture.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• International
• Schools directory
• Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

Lesson on creative writing - English Language paper 1 question 5

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

6 June 2021

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

Creative Commons "Sharealike"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Great! Thanks

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

rosiewebster

Many many thanks - great resource

brittanyrkuhn

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

How I Would Teach… Creative Writing For AQA English Language Paper 1

How i would teach creative writing for aqa english language paper 1.

Andrew Atherton offers his advice on how to get students started with creative writing   for AQA English Language Paper 1 when they don’t know how to begin.

A blank piece of paper can be a fearsome thing. Liberating to some, but anxiety-inducing to others. Nowhere is this more apparent than with creative writing. I imagine accosting a comedian whilst they’re shopping, a trolley filled with the weekly groceries, and insisting that they tell me a joke. Something splutters out, a half-joke, not really funny, and they limp off, back to the cereal aisle. Being creative on cue is never an easy task, but yet this is what is demanded of our students. ‘You have forty-five minutes’, their GCSE intones, ‘now be creative! Go!’ The clock starts to tick, louder than any clock should.

How can we help our students to crack this? They can’t rely on creativity striking at 9am on a random Friday in May. How do we transform a blank piece of paper from a source of angst to a source of enjoyment? One answer lies in teaching, rehearsing and modelling certain generative structures that students can depend upon, both to shape their response and to plan it.

Such structures not only prime student thinking, giving them a much needed starting point, but they feed forward into the piece of writing. This article outlines one such structure that you can use with your own students, either as something to rehearse or to model.

A Photograph Finish!

This strategy works best with a question that asks students to respond to an image, an increasingly common style of question. However, even if it doesn’t use this format, students can still utilise this structure. For ease, we’ll imagine the student is presented with some kind of image or photograph.

This structure works by imagining that you, as the narrative voice, are holding this image (whatever it is) as a photograph or, if it fits better with the task, a work of art. The given image is not just an image, but a photograph or a framed piece of art. Whatever the image is, students can just imagine it is framed and that they are physically holding it in their hands. This initial premise can offer students so many ideas and directions, which is precisely why it works well. Let’s consider what could happen next, as a series of four steps.

Step 1 – The Photograph

Students begin with a description of the physical photograph itself. What might they begin to think? Is it torn? It is fading? Is it recent? Do the edges slightly curl after many years of being looked at and handled? Is it colour or black and white? Is it in a shoe box or a family album or a decorative photo frame? How does it feel in the hand? Light like a feather or somehow heavy? What does it smell like?

If the given image is a painting then has it been rolled up or is it proudly displayed in a frame? Here, students are not describing the image, or perhaps just in passing, but rather they’re describing the perimeter or parergon of the image: its physical, corporeal existence as you hold it in your hand.

Step 2 – Your Hands

Now, students have two options, one of which I much prefer. The first option is to zoom into the image itself and describe the scene a little. Again, perforating any description with reminders that the narrator is holding it physically in their hand. It has a weight to it. A sensation.

The second option, though, and my preferred one, is to zoom into the hands holding the photograph. What do they look like? How are they holding it? Do they tremble? Do they clutch? Do they hold it at the fingertips, almost pinching the photograph? Are these hands wrinkled? Are they young? Are they cracked? Knotted? Knuckled? Do these hands hold it closer or at a distance?

This could turn into a masterclass of ‘show don’t tell’: what can we suggest to the reader about (1) this person, the ‘I’ of the response, and (2) their relationship to whatever it is they are holding? How can we tell a story without actually telling it?

Step 3 – Origin Story

At this point, students deal more directly with the image itself. The ‘I’ of the piece now recalls via a flashback the day the photograph was taken. What was happening? Where was it? What was the weather like? How long ago was it? How did they feel? Who else was there?

Students begin to build a sense of the narrator’s relationship to the image, engaging with wider ideas of transience and memory. If earlier in the piece the photograph was described as having crumpled edges from being looked at and handled over many years, what was it about this day that caused it? Why is it important?

Students might now shift into description of a more traditional kind as they cast their narrative gaze over the landscape, the sounds, the smells, the people, the weather, the colour of the sky, and how this makes the narrator feel and why it has reverberated in their mind over the years.

Step 4 – Lay to Rest

Students now return to the physical artefact of the photograph. The narrator is holding it again. What do they do with it? Do they lay it gently into a box?   Do they crumple it up and shove it back into a shoe box, watching as the lid folds darkness around it? Do they hold it close? What are their hands doing? How do they feel? The final action the narrator takes tells the reader a lot about the relationship they have to this photograph and what it depicts.

Why Does This Work So Well?

There are a few reasons I think this approach works so well. Here are just a few:

• It provides students a set of prompts and self-generated questions to cue their thinking as they write and plan: How does the narrator hold the photograph? When was it taken? Who was there? What was the weather like, and so on. For students that may struggle to find a way into their creative writing, this set of cues is absolutely groundbreaking. Suddenly they are free from trying to devise a ‘set up’ to their piece and can focus instead on their control of language and choice of imagery.
• It almost has built in some of the features that often characterise a top response: a central motif that runs throughout the piece (the idea of a photograph), perspective shifts (from the photograph to the hands to the flashback), a tightly controlled structure (photograph, hands, memory, photograph), as well as a bank of imagery related to time and memory to call upon. But, again there is more than enough creative space for students to transform this premise and shape into something genuinely imaginative and emotive.
• Indeed, following the above, it offers a conceptual thread to their response that is really important but difficult to pin down: time and memory. If we imagine the shift from wrinkled hands holding the photograph to youthful hands the day it was taken, embedded into this is a potentially incredibly powerful meditation on the transience of time and the memories we hold onto. Equally, describing the photograph at the start as having curled, faded edges again taps into this. So, it gives a substantive shape to something, by its nature, very abstract and conceptual.
• Another aspect of this approach that I really like is that it again has embedded within its structure really effective opportunities for inference and ‘show don’t tell’. If we wish to express sadness, we don’t need to say this and instead we can describe how the hands ‘trembled’ whilst ‘clutching onto the edges of the photograph, a fresh dampness falling onto the plastic film and bringing to life once again the rain suspended by the camera’s click’. Students can imply the relationship between the narrator and the image by how the narrator handles and touches the physical artefact. It is again making concrete something that is often very abstract, and providing the cues that help students to think about it.
• One final aspect of this overall strategy that I think is great is the opportunity to teach students about ekphrasis. We can talk about how this basic idea (a descriptive piece about holding a photograph or work of art) taps into a rich repository of literary work broadly aligned to ekphrasis. We could, for instance, introduce this approach alongside Keats’ ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, exploring how Keats too imagines a moment caught in time and how he also uses this to explore ideas such as the transience of time.

Now, whether or not you aim to teach this as a set shape or framework for students to use in the exam itself, there is of course another benefit to this strategy. A benefit for us. In the same way this approach offers students a set of prompts to think their way through a response, it also offers us a series of cues to help model creative writing.

Whenever I am introducing creative writing at GCSE, this shape tends to be the first full example I model to students. It works exceptionally well for this as it demonstrates and elucidates many of the typical characteristics of an excellent piece of descriptive writing as well as offering a set of ready-made cues to help me to verbalise my thought process as I live model.

Given there are so many different ways we could take this response, it also offers enough freedom for students to add their thoughts as we do it together and even produce a follow-up with a different image.

This basic shape, as well as the ideas it helps to generate, will ensure students always have at least a starting point. Now when they’re told to be creative, they’ll at least have a punch line.

You can read more articles by Andrew Atherton here .

Andy Atherton is a Teacher of English as well as Director of Research in a secondary school in Berkshire. He regularly publishes blogs about English and English teaching at ‘Codexterous’ and you can follow him on Twitter @__codexterous

Related Posts

Making shakespeare relevant for all, encouraging participation in sport for all, how to interpret the writing moderation criteria for the end of key stage 2, write a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• News and Analysis
• Download Latest Edition
• Charity Partners
• Subscribe to HWRK Magazine
• Write For Us
• Mission Statement
• Terms and Conditions
• Our Company Privacy & Cookie Policy

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

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 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....

The Simple Scene

Perspectives

An Unreliable Narrator

Using Description

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/.