Writing task
Write about a time when you had an exciting or dramatic experience for the first time.
Time: 30 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 20.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Recount your first experience of something exciting or dramatic, using description and emotion.
- accurate expression
- imaginative control
- structure
- audience awareness
Requirements to keep in mind
Choose ONE option in the writing section; option c; 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
The climbing wall looked harmless from the ground. Halfway up, however, my hands were shaking and the safety rope seemed very thin. My instructor called from below, telling me to find the next foothold. I saw a small blue grip above my head, reached for it and realised that fear did not have to make my decisions.
Learn from the example
- The voice connects experience with thoughts or feelings, making the response personal rather than a detached report.
- Develop the link between a particular detail and the narrator's reflection. Keep the requested diary, recount or monologue form in your own answer.