Writing task
Imagine you are an ageing voyager, planning one final adventure. Write a personal diary entry, explaining the nature of your plans and the motivations behind them.
[25]
Up to five of the 25 marks available will be awarded for SPAG, originality, and flair of expression.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
The Last Adventure of an Ageing Explorer is a creative narrative task that tests originality, plot control, narrative voice. Build a distinctive older voice, show why this journey matters, and balance physical vulnerability with curiosity.
- originality
- plot control
- narrative voice
- accurate punctuation
Requirements to keep in mind
Recommended writing time: approximately 40 minutes (as indicated in the paper/section); Writing marks: 25 total, of which up to five marks will be awarded for SPAG, originality, and flair of expression.
Plan your response
- Build a distinctive older voice, show why this journey matters, and balance physical vulnerability with curiosity.
- Plan a clear beginning, development and ending within the time available.
- Use precise vocabulary and vary sentence lengths where appropriate.
- Proofread spelling, punctuation and paragraphing before finishing.
Check your response against the task requirements. Leave time to review sentence clarity, punctuation and spelling.
Short atoply teaching example
Written by atoply, not an official school answer or mark scheme. This short illustration shows selected techniques. It does not set a target length or expected mark for the timed task.
Reveal example and teaching notes
14 April. I have decided to make one final voyage. At eighty-one, my hands are less steady than they once were, but the old charts still fill me with excitement. Next month I shall sail towards the northern islands, where my father spoke of a lighthouse no map has ever marked correctly. I must hire a small crew, repair the compass and persuade my doctor that a comfortable armchair is not a fitting end to a travelling life. I know the risks. Yet I would rather look back on an attempted adventure than spend my last years regretting the journey I never began.
Learn from the example
- The date and first-person voice establish a diary entry. Practical plans such as hiring a crew and repairing the compass make the final adventure concrete.
- The contrast between physical frailty and the wish to avoid regret explains the voyager's motivation. A full timed response could develop those tensions over several paragraphs.