Writing task
Write a story about childhood friendship.
Time: 25 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 15.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Write an original narrative about a friendship between children.
- accurate expression
- imaginative control
- structure
- audience awareness
Requirements to keep in mind
Choose ONE option in the writing section; option 1; 15 marks; 25 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
Lena and I had built a kingdom beneath the old oak tree using sticks, pebbles and a broken umbrella. We argued over its borders every summer. When her family announced they were moving away, we buried a small tin beneath the roots. Inside was a map, two paper crowns and a note promising that our kingdom would always be there.
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.