Writing task
Spend 15 minutes on Question 4 (creative writing), including the time you take to check your answer to ensure accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Question 4 Write a short description in which you find yourself in a new place in a city. Your description could be real or imaginary.
You should try to make it clear:
- where you are
- what the place is like
- how you feel
You might like to:
- use the senses
- use a simile or a metaphor
(10 marks for content, 5 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar.)
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
This city setting description prompt chiefly tests sensory observation, atmosphere and imagery and controlled structure. Show a believable urban place and the narrator’s emotions without introducing an unnecessarily complicated plot.
- sensory observation
- atmosphere and imagery
- controlled structure
- accurate language
Requirements to keep in mind
Writing time: 15 minutes; Marks available: 15
Plan your response
- Show a believable urban place and the narrator’s emotions without introducing an unnecessarily complicated plot.
- Plan the response around the task’s specific instructions.
- Use deliberate paragraphing, sentence variety and concrete detail.
- Reserve time for spelling and punctuation checks.
- Compare with the official paper for any accompanying text or picture.
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
The underground doors slid apart, and I stepped into a square I had never seen before. Tall buildings reflected the afternoon sun like enormous mirrors. Hundreds of people hurried past, speaking languages I could not recognise. The air smelled of coffee, warm bread and rain on pavement.
I checked the map on my phone. The blue arrow spun in a hopeless circle. Across the square, a violinist played beneath a stone archway, his music threading through the traffic. I followed the sound, past a flower stall and a fountain, until I reached a familiar street sign. My shoulders relaxed. The city was still strange, but it no longer felt hostile.
Learn from the example
- Concrete details build an impression of the subject. Notice how those choices work together rather than reading as a list of general adjectives.
- The viewpoint controls what the reader notices. Choose details and an order that sustain the task's requested perspective and atmosphere.