Writing question
Write a creative story based on this title:
The Unfamiliar Sound
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
An unfamiliar sound should trigger curiosity, action and a satisfying partial explanation or twist. Keep the source of the sound central to the story.
- suspense
- plot design
- sound imagery
- resolution
Requirements to keep in mind
Write a creative story from the title “The Unfamiliar Sound”.
Plan your response
- Open with the sound itself to hook the reader.
- Reveal the sound’s source gradually.
- Show fear through actions and reactions.
- Build a believable explanation for the noise.
- Give the ending a satisfying surprise.
Check your response against the task requirements. Leave time to review sentence clarity, punctuation and spelling.
Original atoply example response
Written by atoply, not an official school answer or mark scheme. Other successful responses are possible.
Reveal example and teaching notes
The Unfamiliar Sound
Tick. Scrape. Tick.
I opened my eyes. The clock on my bedside table glowed 2:13 a.m., but the noise was not coming from the clock. It came from the other side of my bedroom wall.
Tick. Scrape. Tick.
Our house was old. Its pipes rattled and its floorboards complained, but this sound was different: slow, deliberate, almost like someone writing a message.
I pressed my ear against the wallpaper. The scraping stopped. Then came three gentle knocks.
My stomach tightened.
Taking a torch from the drawer, I slipped into the hallway. The noise seemed louder near the tiny door to the attic. I had never liked that door. Its handle was cold even in summer.
I pulled it open.
Something rustled in the darkness. Two bright eyes flashed in my torchlight, and I stumbled backwards. A small grey cat squeezed through a gap in the roof and landed at my feet. Around its neck hung a collar and a narrow silver tag.
I bent to read it: Moth. 17 Willow Lane.
The cat gave a fierce little meow, as though demanding breakfast. I laughed so loudly that Dad appeared on the stairs.
“What's happened?” he asked.
“An intruder,” I said, lifting the purring creature. “A very tiny one.”
From the attic came one final scrape. Moth's tail had caught the loose roof tile again.
Learn from the example
- The example focuses on one situation, keeping the action easy to follow. Notice how a detail, action or decision moves that situation forward.
- Use the task's requirements to plan the development and ending of your own response; an opening alone does not demonstrate a complete story arc.