Writing task
Write a creative piece which encourages the reader to question how well we know those closest to us. Include surprising and exciting imagery, writing that appeals to the senses, and a rich variety of vocabulary and sentence forms.
Time: 45 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 50.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
The Secret Life of Someone Close is a creative narrative task that tests originality, plot control, narrative voice. Reveal one surprising detail through subtle evidence rather than an implausible final twist.
- originality
- plot control
- narrative voice
- accurate punctuation
Requirements to keep in mind
Recommended writing time: approximately 45 minutes (as indicated in the paper/section); Writing marks: 50 (30 content and 20 spelling, punctuation and grammar) (subject to separately awarded SPaG marks); Published task/option: 1 (where the source offers alternatives, pupils answer the paper's specified number, not all)
Plan your response
- Reveal one surprising detail through subtle evidence rather than an implausible final twist.
- 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
Every Thursday my grandmother bought three oranges. She lived alone, disliked fruit and claimed never to have travelled. One rainy afternoon I found a photograph tucked inside her cookbook: Gran, much younger, smiling beside an aeroplane in a desert. On the back was written a name I did not recognise. When I showed it to her, the spoon fell from her hand. For several seconds she looked older than I had ever seen her. Then she said, very quietly, 'I wondered when you would find that.' I realised how little of her life I had bothered to ask about.
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.