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English · Topic

Composition and narrative writing

Plan for two minutes; a shapeless piece loses more marks than a plain but structured one.

2 original questions in the bank, worth 18 marks · above the two-per-topic floor

Drill this topic All composition and narrative writing questions

The questions, with the examiner reasoning

Write12 marksBoth boards

Write a composition of about 400 to 600 words on one of these titles: (a) The morning the taps ran dry. (b) A journey that did not go as planned. (c) Write a description suggested by the photograph of a busy bus rank: the noise, the heat, the waiting. This app has no photograph of people, so for (c) work from what you know of a bus rank you have stood in.

Show the mark scheme and the examiner note

Answer: Self-mark against the four bands below, and be harder on yourself than a teacher would be. A composition is marked on the whole piece, not line by line.

  1. Structure and shape (3 marks) — a clear opening, a middle that develops one idea rather than five, and an ending that lands; paragraphing used to control time or mood
  2. Content and detail (3 marks) — specific, sensory, believable detail rather than general statements; the reader can see the place and the people
  3. Sentence control and effects (3 marks) — deliberate variety: short sentences for tension, longer ones for reflection; at least one technique used for a purpose, not sprinkled in
  4. Accuracy (3 marks) — tense consistency, punctuation of speech and clauses, spelling of common words, agreement between subject and verb

Examiner technique: Spend the first two minutes planning three paragraphs and the last three proofreading. A composition that runs out of time mid-sentence loses structure marks no amount of good vocabulary can recover.

Explain6 marksBoth boards

A composition title asks you to write about a time you were lost in a familiar place. Explain how you would plan the piece before writing: what you would decide, and why each decision helps the reader.

Show the mark scheme and the examiner note

Answer: A plan that fixes the ending first, chooses one main incident, and names the detail that will carry the mood.

  1. Fix the ending before writing: it decides whether the piece builds or wanders (1 mark)
  2. Choose one incident, not three: a single developed scene earns more than a rushed sequence (1 mark)
  3. Pick the opening image: something concrete the reader can see in the first sentence (1 mark)
  4. Name the detail that carries the mood, so it is not invented at paragraph four (1 mark)
  5. Decide the tense and stick to it — flashback only if the plan can hold it (1 mark)
  6. Match the plan to the title, so every paragraph earns its place (1 mark)

Examiner technique: The plan is not marked, which is exactly why most candidates skip it. Two minutes of planning is the cheapest mark-fixing tool in the whole paper.