Writing task
Continue the passage from “The Cat”, following what happens to Peter after his transformation.
Source passage
It was the oddest thing to climb out of your body, just step out of it and leave it sitting on the carpet like a shirt you had just taken off. And then Peter suddenly knew what he wanted to do, what he had to do. He floated towards William the Cat and hovered. The body stood open, like a door, and it looked so inviting, so welcoming. He dropped down and stepped inside. How fine it was to dress yourself as a cat. It was not squelchy, as he thought all insides must be. It was dry and warm. He lay on his back and slipped his arms into William’s front legs. Then he wriggled his legs into William’s back legs. His head fitted perfectly inside the cat’s head. Using his paws, Peter was able to zip himself up easily. He stood, and took a few steps. What a delight to walk on four soft white paws. He could see his whiskers springing out from the sides of his face, and he felt his tail curling behind him. His tread was light, and his fur was like the most comfortable of old woollen jumpers. As his pleasure in being a cat grew, a tingling action deep in his throat became so strong that he could hear himself, Peter was purring. He was Peter Cat.
Time: 30 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 20.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Continue the fictional scene from Ian McEwan’s The Cat, preserving Peter’s surprising new experience.
- viewpoint
- imaginative detail
- consistency
Requirements to keep in mind
Choose ONE option in the writing section; option a; 20 marks; 30 minutes advised.
Plan your response
- Follow the exact instruction, form and viewpoint in the source PDF.
- Plan a clear beginning and a focused development.
- Use distinctive details rather than general adjectives.
- Allow a few minutes to check accuracy before finishing.
Check your response against the task requirements. Leave time to review sentence clarity, punctuation and spelling.
Original atoply example opening
Written by atoply, not an official school answer or mark scheme. This is an opening only; develop the rest of the response to meet the task requirements.
Reveal example and teaching notes
Peter raised one furry paw and spread his toes in astonishment. Every noise was louder now, from the hum of the refrigerator to the slow scratch of a branch at the window. A mouse moved beneath the cupboard. Peter meant to call for help, but what escaped his throat was a delighted, unmistakable meow.
Learn from the example
- The response reconnects with the source characters and situation instead of retelling the extract. This helps the new writing feel like part of the same scene.
- Compare the narrator, tense and first action with the passage's final moment. Keep any compulsory opening and paragraph limit when writing your own continuation.