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Creative Writing: What makes a good short story?

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Key learning points.

• In this lesson, we will be looking at what makes a good short story. We will be thinking about our own favourite short stories and what makes them so enjoyable as well as unleashing our imaginations and considering what we would find if we stepped through a window into another world!

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

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Lesson plan: KS3 English – literary texts for creative writing

• Subject: English
• Date Posted: 07 December 2015

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Writing creatively on a theme linked to a text is a motivational and exciting prospect for teachers and students alike, and our students must be given an opportunity to be creative and to realise that their writing has real value. If pupils can write for themselves, and have their written words valued and respected, then they can start to begin the process of evaluating other texts.

Pupils often struggle with the concept of ‘analysing language’ or pinning down the elusive ‘effect of the word or phrase’ – usually ending up with the old expression, ‘the word is effective’. However, they might have little to no concept of what ‘effective’ actually means. If we teach students to write critically, where they actively choose the words they employ in their work, then we begin to demystify this term and make sense of what effective writing really is. This also improves pupils’ reading skills – and who knows, hopefully we will be inspiring the next generation of writers.

Many students are scared of ‘difficult’ vocabulary – but allowing them to experiment with words will support them in dispelling these fears and will allow them to develop their evaluative skills as they develop critical choice. Opening the lesson with an engaging clip or visual image related to the learning is always a great way in to the gateway of a child’s imagination. This is especially supportive for our non-readers and we should embrace the visual media to support pupils in developing their ideas. I have chosen a clip which links to the theme of Lord of the Flies as a dystopian novel and a way in to studying our literature text.

WHY TEACH THIS?

Teaching a novel to students is an opportunity to inspire our pupils with a love of reading so that they can journey through literature, and the literary experiences of the characters, in order to travel through life as well read and well rounded students who have a wider knowledge of the world. Using literature texts and their themes as a basis to develop pupils’ writing and to inspire great writing from our students is the essence of this lesson.

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STARTER ACTIVITY

Screening a melancholic clip from McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ (with or without sound) as a means into writing a descriptive piece about a dystopian vision of the world allows the students to think about what this really means – and of course, we want all of our young people to think hard within every lesson instead of writing down the key word ‘dystopia’ and its definition, which does not support deep learning.

Immersing students in the action of this clip, and asking them to imagine how they would present a vision of a dystopian world in their writing is the starter activity. Pupils can write down key words and or sentences from the clip and then feed back through class discussion about how the film creates a dystopian world and which words they would use to do this in their own writing.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

At this point in the lesson, you could introduce an extract from the text ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ask students to read this in pairs and highlight any negative images of the description of the island in the opening chapter (any dystopian novel opening could also be used, depending on your set text).

Alternatively, display a sentence, which delivers a description of the dystopian world from the clip, for example: “Gnarled and twisted, the old trees loomed over the beach. Decaying bark hung from their torsos like peeling wallpaper.” Ask the pupils to consider which individual words contribute to creating an overall impression of the setting – this can be modelled with the class on the board. Then ask students to suggest which words in the sentence do not fit this atmosphere. In this example, my class thought that the word ‘beach’ was too positive and settled on sand, shingle or island as being more fitting choices. They also came to the conclusion that ‘wallpaper’ called up a rather domestic image, and decided that ‘skin’ would be more disturbing. This rapidly evolved into ‘flesh’, at which point the class started to cringe – and all because of the choice of a single word. They had started to understand the effect and power of language.

Pupils then have to create effective sentences of their own which have a sinister atmosphere through using the images from the clip (have stills prepared so that students can refer back to these) and the extracts which they have read. Students can feed this back and the class can support, develop or challenge their ideas.

Finally, students should be invited to recreate a dystopian image of the world through their own writing. When pupils begin writing, ask them to craft each sentence slowly. Having sentence stems with multiple choices of words for the least able can support them in making an effective choice and producing something powerful. Learners must stop and read their work at check-points in the lesson to enable them to consider if their words choices have the desired atmosphere and effect before discussing this with a peer.

HOME LEARNING

Students can redraft their work based upon the feedback from their peers. They can create their own model of the dystopian world, which is labelled with key words from their creative piece of writing or re-write the opposite version of their description focusing upon a utopian vision of the world. Another suggestion is to ask students to work on a reading of their writing to deliver to the class.

Get the students to read their work aloud and record the reading so that when they hear it back as an audio book they can be critical about the effect of the words used. Learners should be able to explain what a dystopian vision of the world would be like and to make a prediction about the text the class is going to read.

ABOUT OUR EXPERT

Laura McGlashan is acting deputy head, teaching and learning, at Burnt Mill Academy

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• The Best Creative Writing Resources For Teaching Plot And Setting In Ks3 English

10 of the Best Creative Writing Resources for Teaching Plot and Setting in KS3 English

Whether students want to create an epic adventure in a fiery inferno or tense tale in a sleepy town, make sure they create a compelling plot and a fully realised setting with these resources…

Storyboard templates

Whether it’s short stories, comic strips or filmmaking, every tale needs the right structure to be told well.

Having a beginning, middle and end may be a staple of storytelling , but alone it’s not enough, and there are many ways to tell a story.

But however you choose to write yours, one thing is constant – good stories need good structure. These storyboard template resources and activities will help your students develop the skills required to add that foundation to their creative writing.

Check out these resources here.

Year 7 English worksheets

Get to grips with descriptive writing across two lessons with these free Year 7 English worksheets which focus on a piece of text all about the jungle.

Create a spooky atmosphere

Creative writing lessons need to stimulate all of the senses and inspire students. Creative writing in the Gothic genre – spooky stories – offers a wonderful opportunity for this. This is a topic that always manages to enthuse pupils and one of the most exciting aspects is that the outcome is completely different with every group.

Giving students time for thinking and the creation of ideas is essential. This plan provides the stimulus from which a number of sessions can be developed. Subsequent periods can also focus on the development of different writing skills as required by the individual needs of a group.

Get this resource here.

Use The Hobbit to write about tunnels

In this ‘build your own adventure story’ resource students discover new lands, and overcome monsters and other obstacles.

It begins with a passage from JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit , where Bilbo finds himself in a dark cave and meets Gollum for the first time. There are 10 pointers to look at to explore the passage, before student’s begin to write their own story.

It starts in a tunnel, which of course needs describing, and the other side of that they emerge in a fantasy land, which, guess what, also needs describing. They’ll also need to create maps, monsters and much more.

Download it here.

The Place as Character

This interactive resource from Eduqas offers an opening paragraph example of a story that creates a real sense of setting. Students should read through and identify the adjectives used to develop the atmosphere of the place being described.

The second section is where they give it a go themselves, writing out a descriptive passage about a place. But there are lists of adjectives they can click on to insert them into the story should they get stuck for inspiration.

Give it a try here.

Inspiring images and sticky notes

Inspiring images and endless sticky notes might be all you need to get learners producing some truly creative writing. And this lesson is one where students of all abilities (including in mixed ability groups) from Y7 to Y9 are taught engaging creative writing.

Getting students moving around the classroom (especially in classes where behaviour can be challenging) can be daunting but the speed of the task keeps students focused and can result in some fantastic work being produced without too much teacher talk or instruction needed.

This is very much a facilitation of learning and creating for the teacher. You do need a number of resources (and one way to differentiate this lesson thoroughly is to decide exactly which student will have each picture), but for all the coloured sticky notes required, it is well worth the effort.

Download this free lesson plan here.

Playing with structure

This excellent resource on Structure features sections about narrative structures, structure of stories, how you can play with structure, opening and closing a story and how narrative point of view can affect the how you structure the plot.

Dig in to all this here.

Model texts for settings

If you’re after example texts for different settings then head to Literary Wagoll where you’ll find descriptions of an alien world, a fairground, a tree house, a thunderstorm and various others.

Check out all these and more here.

Plot elements

This short and sweet resource is a handy reminder of what the ‘plot’ actually is (and how it can differ from how you choose to tell your story), and it also includes a fun little exercise based on quickly coming up with a plot based on a random word.

You’ll find it here.

Plot advice

This post features an excerpt from the book What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing , and builds on the idea of what a plot is.

It also includes a short list of traditional plot types, and tips for building a compelling plot, like using momentum, creating stakes and giving the characters goals and motives.

Give it a look here.

Browse more  English games KS3 ideas and more creative writing prompts .

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Resources you can trust

Creative writing pack

A versatile KS4 pack filled with teaching ideas and activities to help students at different stages of creative writing. The pack includes essential sections on sentences, the use of tenses and suggestions for tackling 'problem' areas of writing, from sense based writing to using pictures as prompts. Practical support to inspire your students.

What's included?

• KS4 curriculum assessment objective map
• lesson plans and ideas along with tailor-made resources.

What's inside?

Introduction (page 1)

• Summary of pack

Getting students started (page 2)

Generating an idea for a story (page 3)

Tenses (page 4)

Narrative point of view page 4-5)

Varying sentences (page 6)

Improving vocabulary and descriptions (pages 7-8)

Conflict (page 9)

Beginnings (page 10)

Plans and planning (page 10)

Resources (pages 11-83)

• Law and order in Britannica
• Packing your bag
• Encounter with Gromitz’ spy
• Getting across to Tongwe Island
• Extract from Beast Quest – Krabb, Master of the Sea, by Adam Blade
• How to have TipTop paragraphing skills
• Diary Openings
• Dead Trial by Matthew Green
• An Active Imagination by Virginia E. Zimmer

This is a sample student activity from the KS4  Creative Writing pack:

When writing one way of making sure that your work is interesting and engaging is to vary your sentence lengths. This activity is a fun way of practising this skill. 

1. Write down your mobile phone number.  If there are any zeros in it then change these to any number of your choice between 1 and 9.  If you don’t have a mobile phone, use your home phone number.

2. Choose one of the following titles:

Christmas     The Mistake Theft Loneliness

3. Select one of the following genres:

Horror     Fantasy Romance     Comedy

4. Write a paragraph for your selected title and genre making sure that the number of words in your sentences follows the pattern of your telephone number.  For example, if your telephone number is 447798146372, then the first sentence must contain 4 words only, the second also 4 words, the third seven words etc.

Writing under these artificial constraints will help you to focus on sentence structure.  It will also demonstrate to you how varying sentence length can make your writing more interesting and can also change the mood and dramatic impact of your writing.

Writing plan

Before you start writing your paragraph, sketch out a brief plan on the following page.

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11+ creative writing guide with 50 example topics and prompts

by Hayley | Nov 17, 2022 | Exams , Writing | 0 comments

The 11+ exam is a school entrance exam taken in the academic year that a child in the UK turns eleven.

These exams are highly competitive, with multiple students battling for each school place awarded.

The 11 plus exam isn’t ‘one thing’, it varies in its structure and composition across the country. A creative writing task is included in nearly all of the 11 plus exams, and parents are often confused about what’s being tested.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the plot of your child’s writing task is important. It is not.

The real aim of the 11+ creative writing task is to showcase your child’s writing skills and techniques.

And that’s why preparation is so important.

This guide begins by answering all the FAQs that parents have about the 11+ creative writing task.

At the end of the article I give my best tips & strategies for preparing your child for the 11+ creative writing task , along with 50 fiction and non-fiction creative writing prompts from past papers you can use to help your child prepare. You’ll also want to check out my 11+ reading list , because great readers turn into great writers.

Do all 11+ exams include a writing task?

Not every 11+ exam includes a short story component, but many do. Usually 3 to 5 different prompts are given for the child to choose between and they are not always ‘creative’ (fiction) pieces. One or more non-fiction options might be given for children who prefer writing non-fiction to fiction.

Timings and marking vary from test to test. For example, the Kent 11+ Test gives students 10 minutes for planning followed by 30 minutes for writing. The Medway 11+ Test gives 60 minutes for writing with ‘space allowed’ on the answer booklet for planning.

Tasks vary too. In the Kent Test a handful of stimuli are given, whereas 11+ students in Essex are asked to produce two individually set paragraphs. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CCSE) includes 2 creative writing paragraphs inside a 60-minute English exam.

Throughout the UK each 11+ exam has a different set of timings and papers based around the same themes. Before launching into any exam preparation it is essential to know the content and timing of your child’s particular writing task.

However varied and different these writing tasks might seem, there is one key element that binds them.

The mark scheme.

Although we can lean on previous examples to assess how likely a short story or a non-fiction tasks will be set, it would be naïve to rely completely on the content of past papers. Contemporary 11+ exams are designed to be ‘tutor-proof’ – meaning that the exam boards like to be unpredictable.

In my online writing club for kids , we teach a different task each week (following a spiral learning structure based on 10 set tasks). One task per week is perfected as the student moves through the programme of content, and one-to-one expert feedback ensures progression. This equips our writing club members to ‘write effectively for a range of purposes’ as stated in the English schools’ teacher assessment framework.

This approach ensures that students approaching a highly competitive entrance exam will be confident of the mark scheme (and able to meet its demands) for any task set.

Will my child have a choice of prompts to write from or do they have to respond to a single prompt, without a choice?

This varies. In the Kent Test there are usually 5 options given. The purpose is to gather a writing sample from each child in case of a headteacher appeal. A range of options should allow every child to showcase what they can do.

In Essex, two prescriptive paragraphs are set as part of an hour-long English paper that includes comprehension and vocabulary work. In Essex, there is no option to choose the subject matter.

The Medway Test just offers a single prompt for a whole hour of writing. Sometimes it is a creative piece. Recently it was a marketing leaflet.

The framework for teaching writing in English schools demands that in order to ‘exceed expectations’ or better, achieve ‘greater depth’, students need to be confident writing for a multitude of different purposes.

In what circumstances is a child’s creative writing task assessed?

In Essex (east of the UK) the two prescriptive writing tasks are found inside the English exam paper. They are integral to the exam and are assessed as part of this.

In Medway (east Kent in the South East) the writing task is marked and given a raw score. This is then adjusted for age and double counted. Thus, the paper is crucial to a pass.

In the west of the county of Kent there is a different system. The Kent Test has a writing task that is only marked in appeal cases. If a child dips below the passmark their school is allowed to put together a ‘headteacher’s appeal’. At this point – before the score is communicated to the parent (and probably under cover of darkness) the writing sample is pulled out of a drawer and assessed.

I’ve been running 11+ tutor clubs for years. Usually about 1% of my students passed at headteacher’s appeal.

Since starting the writing club, however, the number of students passing at appeal has gone up considerably. In recent years it’s been more like 5% of students passing on the strength of their writing sample.

What are the examiners looking for when they’re marking a student’s creative writing?

In England, the government has set out a framework for marking creative writing. There are specific ‘pupil can’ statements to assess whether a student is ‘working towards the expected standard,’ ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth’.

Members of the headteacher panel assessing the writing task are given a considerable number of samples to assess at one time. These expert teachers have a clear understanding of the framework for marking, but will not be considering or discussing every detail of the writing sample as you might expect.

Schools are provided with a report after the samples have been assessed. This is very brief indeed. Often it will simply say ‘lack of precise vocabulary’ or ‘confused paragraphing.’

So there is no mark scheme as such. They won’t be totting up your child’s score to see if they have reached a given target. They are on the panel because of their experience, and they have a short time to make an instant judgement.

Does handwriting matter?

Handwriting is assessed in primary schools. Thus it is an element of the assessment framework the panel uses as a basis for their decision.

If the exam is very soon, then don’t worry if your child is not producing immaculate, cursive handwriting. The focus should simply be on making it well-formed and legible. Every element of the assessment framework does not need to be met and legible writing will allow the panel to read the content with ease.

Improve presentation quickly by offering a smooth rollerball pen instead of a pencil. Focus on fixing individual letters and praising your child for any hint of effort. The two samples below are from the same boy a few months apart. Small changes have transformed the look and feel:

Sample 1: First piece of work when joining the writing club

Sample 2: This is the same boy’s improved presentation and content

How long should the short story be.

First, it is not a short story as such—it is a writing sample. Your child needs to showcase their skills but there are no extra marks for finishing (or marks deducted for a half-finished piece).

For a half hour task, you should prepare your child to produce up to 4 paragraphs of beautifully crafted work. Correct spelling and proper English grammar is just the beginning. Each paragraph should have a different purpose to showcase the breadth and depth of their ability. A longer – 60 minute – task might have 5 paragraphs but rushing is to be discouraged. Considered and interesting paragraphs are so valuable, a shorter piece would be scored more highly than a rushed and dull longer piece.

I speak from experience. A while ago now I was a marker for Key Stage 2 English SATs Papers (taken in Year 6 at 11 years old). Hundreds of scripts were deposited on my doorstep each morning by DHL. There was so much work for me to get through that I came to dread long, rambling creative pieces. Some children can write pages and pages of repetitive nothingness. Ever since then, I have looked for crafted quality and am wary of children judging their own success by the number of lines competed.

Take a look at the piece of writing below. It’s an excellent example of a well-crafted piece.

Each paragraph is short, but the writer is skilful.

He used rich and precisely chosen vocabulary, he’s broken the text into natural paragraphs, and in the second paragraph he is beginning to vary his sentence openings. There is a sense of control to the sentences – the sentence structure varies with shorter and longer examples to manage tension. It is exciting to read, with a clear awareness of his audience. Punctuation is accurate and appropriate.

11+ creative writing example story

How important is it to revise for a creative writing task.

It is important.

Every student should go into their 11+ writing task with a clear paragraph plan secured. As each paragraph has a separate purpose – to showcase a specific skill – the plan should reflect this. Built into the plan is a means of flexing it, to alter the order of the paragraphs if the task demands it. There’s no point having a Beginning – Middle – End approach, as there’s nothing useful there to guide the student to the mark scheme.

Beyond this, my own students have created 3 – 5 stories that fit the same tight plan. However, the setting, mood and action are all completely different. This way a bank of rich vocabulary has already been explored and a technique or two of their own that fits the piece beautifully. These can be drawn upon on the day to boost confidence and give a greater sense of depth and consideration to their timed sample.

Preparation, rather than revision in its classic form, is the best approach. Over time, even weeks or months before the exam itself, contrasting stories are written, improved upon, typed up and then tweaked further as better ideas come to mind. Each of these meets the demands of the mark scheme (paragraphing, varied sentence openings, rich vocabulary choices, considered imagery, punctuation to enhance meaning, development of mood etc).

To ensure your child can write confidently at and above the level expected of them, drop them into my weekly weekly online writing club for the 11+ age group . The club marking will transform their writing, and quickly.

What is the relationship between the English paper and the creative writing task?

Writing is usually marked separately from any comprehension or grammar exercises in your child’s particular 11+ exam. Each exam board (by area/school) adapts the arrangement to suit their needs. Some have a separate writing test, others build it in as an element of their English paper (usually alongside a comprehension, punctuation and spelling exercise).

Although there is no creative writing task in the ISEB Common Pre-test, those who are not offered an immediate place at their chosen English public school are often invited back to complete a writing task at a later date. Our ISEB Common Pre-test students join the writing club in the months before the exam, first to tidy up the detail and second to extend the content.

What if my child has a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, ASD)?

Most exam boards pride themselves on their inclusivity. They will expect you to have a formal report from a qualified professional at the point of registration for the test. This needs to be in place and the recommendations will be considered by a panel. If your child needs extra arrangements on the day they may be offered (it isn’t always the case). More importantly, if they drop below a pass on one or more papers you will have a strong case for appeal.

Children with a specific learning difficulty often struggle with low confidence in their work and low self-esteem. The preparations set out above, and a kids writing club membership will allow them to go into the exam feeling positive and empowered. If they don’t achieve a pass at first, the writing sample will add weight to their appeal.

Tips and strategies for writing a high-scoring creative writing paper

• Read widely for pleasure. Read aloud to your child if they are reluctant.
• Create a strong paragraph plan where each paragraph has a distinct purpose.
• Using the list of example questions below, discuss how each could be written in the form of your paragraph plan.
• Write 3-5 stories with contrasting settings and action – each one must follow your paragraph plan. Try to include examples of literary devices and figurative language (metaphor, simile) but avoid clichés.
• Tidy up your presentation. Write with a good rollerball pen on A4 lined paper with a printed margin. Cross out with a single horizontal line and banish doodling or scribbles.
• Join the writing club for a 20-minute Zoom task per week with no finishing off or homework. An expert English teacher will mark the work personally on video every Friday and your child’s writing will be quickly transformed.

Pressed for time? Here’s a paragraph plan to follow.

At Griffin Teaching we have an online writing club for students preparing for the 11 plus creative writing task . We’ve seen first-hand what a difference just one or two months of weekly practice can make.

That said, we know that a lot of people reading this page are up against a hard deadline with an 11+ exam date fast approaching.

If that’s you (or your child), what you need is a paragraph plan.

Here’s one tried-and-true paragraph plan that we teach in our clubs. Use this as you work your way through some of the example prompts below.

11+ creative writing paragraph plan

Paragraph 1—description.

Imagine standing in the location and describe what is above the main character, what is below their feet, what is to their left and right, and what is in the distance. Try to integrate frontend adverbials into this paragraph (frontend adverbials are words or phrases used at the beginning of a sentence to describe what follows—e.g. When the fog lifted, he saw… )

Paragraph 2—Conversation

Create two characters who have different roles (e.g. site manager and student, dog walker and lost man) and write a short dialogue between them. Use what we call the “sandwich layout,” where the first person says something and you describe what they are doing while they are saying it. Add in further descriptions (perhaps of the person’s clothing or expression) before starting a new line where the second character gives a simple answer and you provide details about what the second character is doing as they speak.

Paragraph 3—Change the mood

Write three to four sentences that change the mood of the writing sample from light to gloomy or foreboding. You could write about a change in the weather or a change in the lighting of the scene. Another approach is to mention how a character reacts to the change in mood, for example by pulling their coat collar up to their ears.

Paragraph 4—Shock your reader

A classic approach is to have your character die unexpectedly in the final sentence. Or maybe the ceiling falls?

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—fictional prompts

• The day the storm came
• The day the weather changed
• The snowstorm
• The rainy day
• A sunny day out
• A foggy (or misty) day
• A day trip to remember
• The first day
• The day everything changed
• The mountain
• The hillside
• The old house
• The balloon
• The old man
• The accident
• The unfamiliar sound
• A weekend away
• Moving house
• A family celebration
• An event you remember from when you were young
• An animal attack
• The school playground at night
• The lift pinged and the door opened. I could not believe what was inside…
• “Run!” he shouted as he thundered across the sand…
• It was getting late as I dug in my pocket for the key to the door. “Hurry up!” she shouted from inside.
• I know our back garden very well, but I was surprised how different it looked at midnight…
• The red button on the wall has a sign on it saying, ‘DO NOT TOUCH.’ My little sister leant forward and hit it hard with her hand. What happened next?
• Digging down into the soft earth, the spade hit something metal…
• Write a story which features the stopping of time.
• Write a story which features an unusual method of transport.
• The cry in the woods
• Write a story which features an escape

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—non-fiction prompts

• Write a thank you letter for a present you didn’t want.
• You are about to interview someone for a job. Write a list of questions you would like to ask the applicant.
• Write a letter to complain about the uniform at your school.
• Write a leaflet to advertise your home town.
• Write a thank you letter for a holiday you didn’t enjoy.
• Write a letter of complaint to the vet after an unfortunate incident in the waiting room.
• Write a set of instructions explaining how to make toast.
• Describe the room you are in.
• Describe a person who is important to you.
• Describe your pet or an animal you know well.

Paper 1 Question 5: Creative Writing Model Answer ( AQA GCSE English Language )

Revision note.

Paper 1 Question 5: Creative Writing Model Answer

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. It is important you write in the correct format and use the conventions of this form, as the mark scheme mentions adapting your tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. 

This means: 

• The tone (sound of the narrator’s ‘voice’) is appropriate and convincing 
• The register (vocabulary and phrasing) is suitable for the purpose
• The style of the writing (sentence structure and overall structure) is dynamic and engaging

Below you will find a detailed creative writing model in response to an example of Paper 1 Question 5, under the following sub-headings (click to go straight to that sub-heading):

Writing a GCSE English Language story

Structuring your story, ao5: content and organisation, ao6: technical accuracy, question 5 level 4 model story, why would this story achieve top marks.

Remember, Paper 1 Question 5 is worth 40 marks, broken down into two Assessment Objectives:

When planning your response, it is a good idea to keep the tone, style and register in mind, as well as the conventions of the form. Here, we will consider how you can produce an effective story with these devices in mind:

Story writing should develop a sense of character as well as mood. This means you should consider how your narrator or characters would behave and sound.  

In order to craft a tone which builds characterisation and mood, consider: 

• The perspective from which your story will be told: 
• First-person characterisation can include monologues which express the narrator’s thoughts and feelings 
• Third-person characterisation will generally include a description of the character’s appearance and movements
• Choose verbs and adverbs carefully to ‘show’ the character’s reactions
• If you use a third-person omniscient narrator , you can advise the reader of the character’s thoughts and feelings
• Consider how you can use sentence lengths and types in monologue and dialogue, as well as description of setting:
• Short sentences reflect tension and unease, e.g. ‘No sound could be heard’
• Longer sentences and listing can create a sense of being overwhelmed, or of abundance, e.g. ‘The table was laden with apples, grapes, oranges, loaves of bread, chunks of cheese and an array of colourful vegetables’
• Rhetorical questions can suggest confusion, e.g. ‘Would I ever get it right?’

Style and register

The style of your story writing is closely related to the language you use. For example, in a creative writing response, the best answers show evidence of careful word choice and linguistic techniques.

Creative writing helps the reader to visualise the person, place, or situation being described with word choice and linguistic techniques, as well as being taken on a journey.

The best way to do this is to: 

• Use vocabulary which is useful to the reader:
• For example, describing something as ‘great’ or ‘amazing’ is telling rather than showing 
• Use sensory language to bring the scene to life:
• For example, a deserted park at night requires a completely different description from a busy park during the daytime
• Emphasise key ideas or impressions using language techniques and imagery:
• For example, you could use a simile to create associations about size or colour
• Personification is a useful technique when describing weather or objects 
• Ensure you describe the important details:
• For example, you do not need to describe every inch of a person or scene bit by bit, but instead focus on key, interesting features that develops the story or the sense of character

Creative story writing develops an idea to a conclusion. This means your story should have cohesion by planning an ending with a resolution (you should plan whether your story will end happily or not). In the exam, it is best not to plan a complex story which takes place over a long period of time, employs multiple characters and has more than one setting or plot twist.  

In order to adhere to the conventions of story writing, it is best to: 

• Plan your writing in an order which takes your character (and reader) on a clear journey:
• The best way to do this is to plan one main event
• Consider employing structural techniques such as a flashback:
• This can give background information to the reader and provide context
• Ensure you use past-tense verbs for this
• Develop your characters:
• Consider essential narrative characterisations, such as villain, victim, hero etc.
• Decide on how your characters fit this description 
• When describing people, focus on relevant details only:
• You could focus on their body language or movements
• If using dialogue, how your characters speak can reveal more about them than what they say, e.g. “shrieked”, “mumbled”, “whispered”
• It is effective to repeat ideas related to colour
• You can repeat ideas for emphasis, for example, black and grey or green and blue

Below is an example of the type of creative writing you may be asked to write in Question 5. This is taken from Language Paper 1 June 2019:

This task asks you to write a story with the title ‘Abandoned’. This means you are required to construct a story based around this idea. The mark scheme rewards original ideas, but the most successful answers are those which develop an idea effectively and engage the reader in a compelling story. 

Crafting a story plot which conveys a complex and original idea does not need to include multiple characters or take place over a long period of time. Consider the short story as a ‘scene’ in a film. It is not necessary to know everything about your characters, but better to immerse the reader with vivid ‘showing’ techniques, such as sensory imagery, movements and dialogue.

As this is a longer writing question, you can spend about 5 minutes planning your answer. 

Once you are sure of the form you will write in and you have considered how best to convey the mood and character development to your reader, you can begin to think about how you will order your ideas. 

Creative writing responses should be structured in five or six paragraphs. We have suggested basing your narrative structure on Freytag’s Pyramid:

Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length. In fact, better answers vary the lengths of their paragraphs for effect. What is important is to develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph, and avoid repeating the same descriptions throughout your response.

Keep using sensory language throughout, but adjust the focus and perspective as your paragraphs develop. Make sure you include description of movement and description of sound to effectively craft a mood.

Below is an example of a full-mark Level 4 model story:

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Author: Sam Evans

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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10 Creative Writing Prompts Detailed

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Other

Last updated

31 July 2024

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10 creative writing prompts with; “character”, “setting”, and “initial complication.”

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