Picture stimulus
Open the original picture in the source paper before planning your response. It opens in a separate tab so you can keep this task alongside it.
View the original picture (PDF page 4)Writing task
Look at Emanuel Leutze’s painting of Washington crossing the river (1851). Write from the viewpoint of someone on the shore watching the boats approaching.
Use the accompanying image stimulus for this task.
Time: 30 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 15.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Respond to the painting as a witness standing on the riverbank watching the approaching boats.
- accurate expression
- imaginative control
- structure
- audience awareness
Requirements to keep in mind
Choose ONE option in the writing section; option 3; 15 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
From the far shore, I saw only dark shapes drifting through the ice. At first I mistook them for fallen branches, but then a row of oars lifted together. Voices travelled strangely across the frozen river. I crouched behind a bare tree and watched the boats come closer, unsure whether to run or wave.
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.