Writing task
“It was the wrong dog!” Write a story in which these exact words appear. Make sure they matter to the plot.
Time: 30 minutes (as indicated for this published task).
Marks: 50.
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Write a story incorporating the compulsory words It was the wrong dog!, and make them relevant to the plot.
- accurate expression
- imaginative control
- structure
- audience awareness
Requirements to keep in mind
Choose ONE option in the writing section; option 3; 50 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
We found the muddy spaniel behind the village shop and rushed it back to Mrs Keane. She stared at the animal, which wagged its tail furiously. 'It was the wrong dog!' she cried. Before we could apologise, the spaniel dashed past her into the garden, straight towards a hole dug beneath the greenhouse.
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.