how to prepare for creative writing exam

Ten 11+ & 13+ Creative Writing Tips For Excellent Exam Stories

When my students get the hang of these techniques, it makes an enormous difference to their creative writing – but it takes practice.

M y advice for 11 plus stories in this article applies just as well to 8 plus, 13 plus or GCSE … in fact, although I have written with 11 plus creative writing in mind, my suggestions should be relevant at any level.

I’ve been teaching these things to young people for many years, and I hope you also find them useful. Please write a comment if you do!

The creative writing materials offered by 11 Plus Lifeline teach students to use all the techniques explained on this page.

Every writing paper has full example answers, as well as detailed step-by-step discussions, marking guidelines and story-planning advice. Papers are structured to help students develop high-level skills – and just as importantly, to enjoy themselves!

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1 – before you write, daydream.

If you can see your story’s world in your head, you will be able to describe it powerfully.

If you can’t, your descriptions risk being superficial and your writing uninteresting.

After a little daydream, your next step is to turn it into a simple plan:

THE STORY PLANNING PROCESS

1) the main event.

The first thing to write in your plan is the main event in your story (see point 2 , below). Keep this simple for now.

2) Your Main Character

Next, jot down a few notes about your main character (see point 3 ). What is interesting about them? Try to imagine them sitting in the place next to you. See them clearly in your mind. Who are they, really?

3) Getting There

Now note down some ideas for how you will get to the main event. Make this simple too: don’t write more than a couple of lines.

4) … And Getting Out Of There!

Finally, write a few thoughts about what will happen after the event: why does it matter, and – above all else – how does it affect your characters?

The reason I suggest this order of planning is that when you only have a short time to write, there are two important things which will hold your story together: the main event (what it is about ) and your central character (who gives us a reason to care ).

Everything else should be very simple, allowing you to focus on describing beautifully.

In fact, you can probably guess what the next of my 11 plus tips is …

2 – Keep things simple! In an 11 plus exam story, choose  one main plot event & bring it to life.

If there are too many things happening, your descriptive skills may get lost.

What’s more, once there are lots of dramatic events in a story, many students struggle to write about all of them properly.

Look at this example:

As they walked through the forest a tree fell and nearly crushed them. That was close , thought Claudia. Then they sat down to scrutinise the map.

It’s good to describe the small details of life – and especially with an interesting verb like “scrutinise”.

But if you forget to fully describe big events, such as a tree almost killing your characters, the effect is very peculiar. It implies that a near-death experience is no more interesting than reading a map!

Either give dramatic events their due importance, by describing them powerfully and giving a clear sense of your characters’ reactions, or steer clear of them altogether.

This is often a problem in exam stories with too much action, or with too many plot events in general.

It’s best to structure your story around one main event, which isn’t too extreme. Spend the rest of your time building up to it and showing its after-effects.

3 – Focus on one character

Just as it’s best to focus your writing around one main event, it makes sense to have one core character.

You probably won’t have time to make more than one person interesting and believable in a thirty minute writing exam. If you try, you’re at risk of coming unstuck.

(If you feel really confident, you might manage to develop two characters: a brother and sister, for example. But in the exam itself, ask yourself: Is it worth the risk? )

Make your main character really interesting, and only refer to others in passing.

4 – Put a little dialogue in … but don’t write a play script!

“Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he said.

“That makes sense,” I said, “because otherwise I can’t explain why we’ve been chatting pointlessly for two full pages.”

Dialogue is excellent in an exam piece, and you should aim to include some in every story. However, there are risks, demonstrated by the example above!

Don’t let your story turn into a play script.

Use a little dialogue in 11+ creative writing, but focus on your descriptions of the setting, characters and events.

When you do write conversations, don’t stop describing. Avoid repeating “I said”, “she said”, “Mum answered”, and so on.

Instead, add little details which help the reader to imagine the scene as the characters talk.

Describe how people move around between saying things, the expressions on their faces, and so on:

“Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he replied, a hint of a smile twitching like a worm at the edge of his mouth.

A quick note about paragraphing:

Examiners are likely to expect that a new speaker begins on a new line, if somebody else has already spoken in the paragraph.

This doesn’t happen in every book you’ll read, but it’s a convention – a normal way of doing things – which you are supposed to know about.

Look at this way of writing the example at the top, and think about where a sentence should begin a new line :

“Why are we still talking?” I said. “Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he said. “That makes sense,” I said, “because otherwise I can’t explain why we’ve already been talking for two full pages.”

Now check the original again, to see whether you were right!

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It’s perfect for Key Stages 2 and 3 and for 11+ exam preparation, at home or in the classroom. It’s also ideal for anybody aged 9 or above who enjoys writing and wants to do it better.

Click on the covers to learn more and view sample pages from the books:

RSL Creative Writing: Book 1

Rsl creative writing: book 2, rsl creative writing: book 3, the rsl creative writing collection (£40.47), 5 – short stories don’t need an introduction.

Robert was 33. He lived in a small flat with his cat and his wife. One day, he decided to go for a walk to the shops. The shops weren’t very far away: it took about ten minutes to get there. It was a cloudy day. It was the middle of February and it was a bit cold but not cold enough for a scarf. The road was in need of some repairs. He was wearing a blue jumper and black shoes and some fairly old jeans.

You don’t need to introduce your story as though it is a 300 page novel!

The reader doesn’t have to know everything about the main character, and especially not at the start. This way you waste a paragraph, when you might only have time for four or five in your whole story.

Anything that really matters about your characters can be mentioned along the way. In creative writing for 11 plus exams, everything else can be left out.

Get into the main business of your story from the very first line.

6 – Show, don’t tell … Whether you’re writing an 11 plus story, or whether you’re a famous novelist!

In real life, we can’t see what is in other people’s minds.

We have to work it out from what they do – and sometimes from what they say, although this can be very misleading!

For this reason, other people’s creative writing is often most interesting when we have to work out what characters are thinking and feeling.

This makes the characters seem like real people whose thoughts we can’t immediately know.

It also helps to get us – the readers – involved in the story by making us do some thinking for ourselves!

You might initially want to write this:

Simon looked up. He was angry.

But this is much more interesting to read:

As Simon looked up I could see his jaw muscles flexing.

Have a go at re-writing the following paragraph to make it more interesting . You can change things around as much as you like.

I admit: this is the sort of thing which you will sometimes read in a book. It isn’t necessarily  always bad writing, in itself.

However, it is a missed opportunity to bring a character to life. In a time-limited 11-plus exam story, you need to take advantage of such moments.

The rule is:

Where possible,  show me  what a character is feeling … don’t  tell me .

Have a look at my way of re-writing the paragraph above:

All Anna’s thoughts have gone.

Instead, there are some strong clues which steer you towards a particular idea about what she thinks and how she feels: but you still have to decide for yourself.

This forces you to imagine Anna clearly in your own mind.

How does my answer compare to your approach?

7 – Use a range of senses throughout your story

This is good writing. The trees may be “green” (which is a bit dull), but they are “swaying”, which is an effective detail and more than makes up for it.

The simile in the second sentence (“like wisps of cigar smoke”) is vivid and well planned.

The sandwich bag is “crumpled”, and “bag of bacon” is a nice moment of alliteration to emphasise this robust, commonplace item of food.

But imagine a story which continues in the same way, all the way through.

Everything is visual: a sight image.

For the reader, it is like being in a world without the ability to hear, smell, touch or taste.

Furthermore, the narrator seems to be looking around constantly, noticing everything. Is this normal behaviour?

It’s an unrealistic way of seeing the world, and after a while it becomes exhausting to read.

For a student, there are two simple but very useful lessons:

1) Always think about the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell).

2) Sometimes avoid the most obvious sense when describing a thing (see point 8 below).

These tips are easy to apply in your creative writing for 11+, but they make a huge difference.

What’s more, unlike a clumsy simile (see point 9 ), a sensory description rarely ends up  harming  your writing. It can be effective or ineffective, but that’s another matter!

Take the example above:

“The trees were green and swaying”  could become:  “The trunks were groaning, and overhead I heard the dull rustle of a thousand fresh leaves slapping against one another.”

There’s nothing startlingly original here, but because it is a slightly less obvious way of describing trees, it creates a much more powerful atmosphere.

If you want a metaphor as well, try turning  “dull rustle”  into  “distant applause” , which makes the leaves seem like a mass of enthusiastic people.

Similarly,  “I looked at the bag of bacon sandwiches crumpled on the seat next to me”  takes on more life like this:

I smelt something like old sick; then I remembered the bag of bacon sandwiches crumpled on the seat next to me.

Notice how easily similes (“like old sick”) and metaphors happen, almost by themselves, when you focus on describing with a range of senses .

This is one of my most important 11 plus writing tips.

8 – Sometimes describe things using a less obvious sense

Using a range of senses, as I discussed in point 7 , is really, really important.

But how can you come up with surprising, powerful descriptions – descriptions to make the marker stop ticking your work for a second, raise their eyebrows and smile?

Imagine that you are just about to write the following sentence:

It was a cold morning.

But you stop yourself, think for a second, and write this:

I could hear the crackle of thawing ice on car windscreens.

This is much more interesting. Rather than using the sense of touch (a “cold” feeling), you are using a sound: “the crackle of thawing ice”.

There’s a good chance that the reader will think:  “Yes! I never considered it before, but you really do hear a sound when ice thaws quickly.”

This version also tells you much more about the weather:

The reader can work out that the night has been exceptionally cold, but also that the temperature is now rising quickly.

The thought process to produce descriptions like this is much simpler than it seems:

1) Think of the sense which is most obvious to describe the thing you are writing about.

3) Think of the second most obvious sense.

4) Ban that too!

5) From the three remaining senses, pick the one which is most useful.

6) Ask yourself how the thing would sound, feel, smell or taste – whichever three of these you have left (you’ve almost certainly banned sight!).

7) Write about it.

9 – Use similes and metaphors carefully in your creative writing

Similes and metaphors are useful (and can be impressive), but they have to make things clearer for the reader, not create confusion.

“She won the sprint like a racing car” asks more questions than it answers.

Was she noisy? Was she travelling at 150 miles per hour?

On the other hand, “She ducked her head and slipped across the line as cleanly as a racing car” helps me to picture the event exactly as intended.

Here’s another simile for speed, which I’ve seen a great many times (you’d hardly believe how many) in 11-plus stories:

Donald wrote like a cheetah.

Does this mean that Donald wrote savagely and meaninglessly, like a wild animal with a pencil jammed between its claws ?

Or perhaps that he wrote largely about the themes of hunting and sleeping ?

My guess is that Donald wrote quickly , but I’m not sure … because if that’s all you meant, WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SAY IT?

This sort of thing is not really the fault of a young writer, who after all is (hopefully!) doing their best.

It is the fault of those dastardly teachers who advise children to include, for example, “at least one metaphor and two similes” in each story.

The result of this, for most children, is a succession of poorly chosen descriptive tricks, which add nothing.

Indeed, we’ve seen how these things can end up making a story comical for all the wrong reasons!

The right approach to creative writing doesn’t start with the need to include a simile: it starts with the need to describe effectively .

To me, this means allowing the reader to imagine the situation fully, and helping them care what happens.

Let’s play around with the image of Donald writing “like a cheetah”.

What happens if we just get rid of the simile?

Donald wrote quickly.

OK, but it doesn’t tell us much: did he write quickly because he wanted to finish his story before  Newsnight , or because he was really excited by his work?

Let’s say that it was the first reason: he wanted to get his work out of the way. Perhaps he was feeling annoyed, given that it might interrupt his favourite TV show.

When somebody is writing rapidly while annoyed, what might this look like?

I imagine Donald’s arm wiggling as the pen moves — especially the elbow. The movement is fast and constant because he is worried about getting the work finished, and because in his irritation he doesn’t much care about its quality.

So I ask myself: What moves to and fro constantly, performing a task in an unimaginative way?

And the first thing I think of is a machine in a factory:

Donald hunched over the page, his arm jerking to and fro with the quick, regular movements of a factory robot.

This sentence by itself would go some way to making your story the best in the exam room.

I hope I’ve persuaded you that with a well-organised thought process, a good simile isn’t too difficult to write!

Because children have been taught to work in this way, a story will often contain the required two similes, a metaphor, a personification, even an interesting alliteration …

… but everything in between is lifeless.

What students need is a different sort of checklist, to help them make the rest of their writing interesting .

I hope this article will give you some ideas!

10 – Stephanie was writing a beautiful story in the 11-plus exam hall. Or was she …?

Suspense is good if it’s appropriate to the story, but don’t jack-knife it in clumsily!

“It was a calm, sunny day. Or was it?” doesn’t really make me curious.

It makes me think that you’re trying to pester me into being excited, rather than persuading me to feel that way through your excellent writing.

If you write in a way that builds suspense by making me interested in the characters and events in the story – while keeping some important information hidden from me, just out of sight – this will speak for itself.

However, not every piece of creative writing needs it!

If you found these story writing tips useful or if you have a question, please leave a comment below! I’d love to have your feedback. (Tick the “Receive email updates” box to receive an email when I reply.)

For the most comprehensive range of resources to help with preparation for the 11+ exam,  you might like to try 11 Plus Lifeline (with a money-back guarantee in the first month). Every practice paper has full example solutions, with a detailed discussion and explanation for every question – like being taught by an excellent private tutor. There’s lots of material to help develop creative, high-scoring exam stories!

According to Tutorful, it’s “ the gold standard for independent and grammar school 11-plus preparation ”.

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At the same time, you’ll receive 121 Pages of award-winning RSL practice material, with step-by-step solutions – for free!

I'll also send you some useful information about RSL Educational resources and more advice for exam preparation. You’ll be able to unsubscribe from my emails any time you like.

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89 Comments

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here. I’ll do my best to help you out!

Hi, I’m preparing my son for 11+. His story ideas are good but he needs to add more details/depth. How can I encourage that? Thanks

That’s a very difficult question to answer, because there is so much that I could say! Many of my suggestions are in the article above. The sample at http://digioh.com/em/27284/164929/84za5s4g4u may offer more ideas. If this is useful, then 11 Plus Lifeline offers many further resources.

What’s the syllabus of creative writing for 11plus. I understand there is no definitive one, it varies with target school as well, but still I’d like to know the min types of writing children should be knowing end of year 6 e.g. story writing, descriptive writing, poetry writing, persuasive writing, diary, reconnect, fiction, non fiction writing, script writing, book/film review, blog writing etc. Really confused with the list of categories and subcategories under each. I just need a good structure with every details. Please help with a detailed table of contents.

Hi Jay. I’m afraid I don’t have such a list – because there isn’t one. Schools can set anything that they like! However, I think getting children used to responding to a range of formats is more important than covering everything. The most common formats are probably: 1) A story based on a title or topic 2) A continuation of a passage (usually the passage already used as a comprehension text) 3) A story based on a picture

You provide excellent tips that we can use to guide our children. Done in a very simple but effective way. Even more – as times are hard and money is tight your generosity shows you truly do wish to help children and not just make money out of them. Thank you

Thank you Alison. I’m glad you found the article useful. Robert

Thank you ever so much for your very useful tips. Would you have some advice (or a sample essay) on writing a descriptive essay based on a given image?

Hi Aparna, There is some relevant content in 11 Plus Lifeline. For more along these lines, keep an eye on the website in the autumn …

Hi Robert, I found the article above very helpful. My daughter is in year 5 and we have just started our 11 plus journey. She seems to be struggling air with creative writing. She has such great ideas and an amazing imaginative mind, however she struggles to express this on paper as compared to her peers also studying for the 11 plus. How can I help her become a better writer?

Speaking as she writes might help: perhaps she will write more fluently if she just thinks of it as a way to record her verbal ideas.

My RSL Creative Writing books might help her to develop her ideas.

What is a good range for the word count for a “continue the story” creative writing task at 10+? I see suggestions of 4-5 paragraphs, but paragraphs vary hugely in length. My son is only writing around 150 words, and I fear this is taking “quality not quantity” to the extreme!

It really depends! Sometimes you’ll be given an 8-10 line answer space, in which case that would be appropriate. On the other hand, if you have 30-40 minutes, you should be pitching for 1 to 1.5 pages. Robert

Thank you so much! Very informative

I’m glad to help!

how much your fees for creative writing, and how many lesson? please let me know [email protected]

Hello Hemang. I’m afraid I don’t work as a tutor these days. However, you might be interested in my creative writing books at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/rsl-creative-writing . These will take your child through their skills step by step, much as I would if I was teaching them. Good luck! Robert

Hi Sir! Sir, you suggestions are greatly useful. Sir, can you assist me on how to incorporate Strong Verbs in my writings as I do not know many and I struggle on account of it ?

There’s no easy answer, but the best starting point is to look for specific ways of describing things. For instance, instead of “he talked”, you might say “he muttered”, for example. You’ll learn more verbs if you look out for them as you read things, and perhaps note interesting ones down in a book. Good luck!

Dear Robert Hope you are doing well , my son is in year 5 and he is going to set for 11 plus exam for very highly competitive grammar schools , he need help for is creative writing . I advice that you are the best , I’m seeking help from you ,please . Yours sincerely Saha Mcewan

Hello. Have a look at 11 Plus Lifeline , perhaps, and my RSL Creative Writing books. I do intend to release some new things for creative writing in the future: watch this space!

Hi Robert. These are great tips. My question is how to come with effective descriptions that vary. When I do descriptive writing, I describe with only the five senses and often run out of ideas. Also, how can we write in a way that will make a clear image in the readers mind. Thanks for the time

Hi Yatharth! My video at https://youtu.be/LKnvrad6jpw is all about this, so why not have a look at that? If that’s useful, look at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/product/rsl-creative-writing-1

I completely agree with your article, and as a teacher who prepares children for GCSE and the 11 tests, I employ a lot of the ‘strategies’ you mention. What children need ultimately is time to read, digest and above all enjoy stories and poems and then to talk about what they’ve read and in some ( or maybe a lot of cases) relate the themes and ideas etc in what they have read to their own lives. This I feel, can give a greater sense of ‘reality’ to what they can eventually write; and then we as teachers (and parents) can model how to write ‘good’ creative stories (and include all the SPAG) which can go a long way to ensuring children actually begin to feel that they themselves can be imaginative and write great stories.

Thank you for taking the time to comment, Molly. I very much agree with you.

What children need ultimately is time to read, digest and above all enjoy stories and poems and then to talk about what they’ve read and in some ( or maybe a lot of cases) relate the themes and ideas etc in what they have read to their own lives.

The only thing I’d add to this is that it works both ways: reading informs writing, but the very best way to develop critical reading skills is to become more sophisticated as a writer!

Hi Robert,l am a Creative Writing teacher for 8+ Do you think 6+ can be taught Creative Writing that will yield excellent result? I asked this question from my experience of teaching Creative Writing,I observe that more 6+ struggle with understanding and implementing Creative Writing stages than 8+ Also,I teach Creative Writing easily because I believe I have the skills to teach it but how can I come up with a special syllabus to teach my colleagues how to teach Creative Writing in the class that will be result oriented.

Hello Soremi.

I would not think too much about results, if by that you mean percentage scores, when children are 6 or so and developing their writing. I would focus on their enjoyment and on encouraging them to explore their imagination, creating interestingly described characters and environments. It’s a different situation in 11+ exams, where children must demonstrate certain skills and perform well in comparison with their peers.

However, it is very important to encourage the development of accurate and clear English from an early stage. Creative writing is a good opportunity to uncover and address problems.

I found this very useful and straightforward, and also very funny… The tips will take me flying in my writing!

Thanks Lily-Grace. The work you sent for me to look at this week was very impressive: you’re already flying!

Thanks Robert this description is very helpful

I’m very glad it’s useful. Thanks for commenting!

Hola me gustaria hacer unas infografias mas dinamicas

Thank you for the topic

It’s a pleasure. I hope the advice helps.

I thought that this was a brilliant summary. Thank you very much. Engaging and thoughtful. Very much appreciated.

I’m delighted to hear it. Thank you!

I found your creative writing tips very insightful, a real shame for us it was right at the end of our 11+/13+ preparation.

Thank you Sara. I hope they made some difference, even at a late stage.

Very useful tips! I like the way you have broken down the advice into bite-sized chunks! Thanks Robert

I’m glad you found them helpful! Thanks for commenting.

Great tips, thanks Robert. Do you have tips on non fictional writing as well? E.g. how a child can do a stellar job when asked to write a suggestion letter to the council. My child struggles with writing on everyday things that she deems uninteresting like describing everday things but is flying when writing on imaginary topics. Thanks in advance.

Hi Tolu. I have some resources for less creative subject matter in 11 Plus Lifeline .

I think the best way to add interest to potentially unexciting things, like letters, is with examples. “I think you should do more to reduce bullying, because it discourages children from studying” is not interesting. “Last week, a boy trudged towards me across the playground, clenching and unclenching his fists, with the dead-eyed look of meaningless aggression that I’ve come to know so well. This is happening too often in our school!” is much more impressive.

Thanks for these tips . Would you suggest any topics for DS to practice .

There are a great many writing topics with fully explained example answers in 11 Plus Lifeline . I might add a blog post with some suggested topics in the coming months. Robert

These SPECTACULAR tips helped me a lot when I was planning and writing a story. I think that these AMAZING tips will help me a lot when I am doing the exam. THANKS Robert!!!!

Thanks Raon! I hope you’ll share the link. Good luck in your exam. Robert

Thanks for the tips to improve the writing skill for the content writers and the students.

Thank you Nihal – I’m glad my advice is useful.

What can I Say?

My son is about to take the 11 + and part of the material is creative writing,

Can you recommend any good material please?

The key is reading and I don’t think he reads as much as he should do

Please advise

Hi Fazal. I would of course recommend my own creative writing material in 11 Plus Lifeline . There’s a free sample here .

Reading is certainly important, but it won’t do any magic without good writing practice alongside it.

If your son isn’t keen on reading, trying to push him to read more may not work. However, you can help to improve the quality of the reading he does do, by discussing it whenever possible in a way that encourages him to think about it in more depth. You can also introduce new vocabulary into your conversations, and so on.

Also, the reading list here may help him to find books that he does want to read!

Hi, my son 11, is really struggling with creative writing, the main problem being he can’t think of anything to write about. he’s a clever boy but more into science and computers. He thinks he can’t do it and I’m worried he’s going to freeze in the exam. how can i get him to access his imagination and not panic. Thanks

Practice is certainly the main thing. If he can start to “access his imagination” (a nice phrase) without exam pressure, he is more likely to be able to do so in the test.

When you say that he can’t think of anything to write about, you’re describing a problem that I can relate to. However, it should not be a big concern at 11+, for the simple reason that the best stories tend to be about very little! If he can construct a simple plot, focused on one event – even something very ordinary and apparently dull – then he has what he needs. From that point, all his effort should be focused on describing well, so that the story creates atmosphere and has a believable main character.

The real problem at 11+ is when children have too many creative ideas. They construct complex, overwhelming plots, about which it is impossible to write well – or even plausibly – in the time available.

Hi Robert Have you got any tips for the CSSE style quick 10 mins Continuous Writing tasks please. These have included instructions, descriptions and this year the exam paper included a picture to write about- what’s happening- story /description?

Many thanks for your help.

This is very difficult to answer in a brief comment. I do have some specially designed resources for these CSSE writing tasks in 11 Plus Lifeline , if that is of interest.

If writing creatively, keep the plot to an absolute minimum. Imagine that you are describing a ten second scene from a movie – not writing the plot for a whole film. Focus on effective use of the senses, in particular – very much as I outline in this article. Don’t waste any space introducing your writing.

If describing a picture, the same applies. Focus on details from it, and try to find a logical structure. For example, a character might move around the image, finding things; or you might imagine the scene changing over a period of time.

For instructions, try to visualise the activity as precisely as you can, then use words to convey your thoughts exactly. This will lead to good vocabulary. Rather than saying “Screw the lightbulb into the socket”, say something like this: “Steadying the socket with your spare hand, twist the bulb gently in a clockwise direction until you encounter resistance.” This doesn’t come from trying to be fancy: it comes from very clearly imagining the action before I write.

There is a great deal more to be said, but I hope these pointers are useful.

Great tips and advice here. I have 4 boys, all at different levels of education. This has helped me to help them. Thanks!

That makes me very happy. Good luck to your sons!

Anybody who found this useful might like to read more of my creative advice at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/creative-writing-less-is-more .

This article is very helpful. Thank you.

Thanks for taking the time to say so!

I found this very helpful, thank you

Hello Good Afternoon and thank you very much for my help. I am a young child preparing the eleven plus. I don’t necessarily have any questions i just don’t have any questions. Good luck on your educative journey.

Good luck to you, Lukas! Well done for taking the initiative and researching your exams.

I am a 8 years old child and I am doing your 11+ RSL comprehension, do you have any tips that might help me improve my writing? Thank you for your help!

Hi Kate! I’d like to help, but I’m not sure how to. You’ve written this under an article about improving your writing, and you’re working on a book that also helps with this. I don’t know what tips to add here. If you could be more specific, perhaps I’ll be able to say something. Good luck with your work! Robert

Hi Robert! I really like your tips and they did improve my daughter’s writing! Thank you so much!

I’m so glad! Well done to her.

Hi Richard, Does cursive or printed handwriting affect the writing score a 11+ level? Thanks in advance.

No, it shouldn’t make any difference. All that matters is that the writing should be easy to read, and that the student can write reasonably quickly.

Hi there, I am doing 13+, My tutor says that I should not use metaphors or similes, but I think I should. Do you have any advice for me on descriptive writing? And can you explain what a metaphor is?

I think you are probably misinterpreting your tutor. A good simile or metaphor, in the right place, is a good thing, but I would guess that your tutor is concerned that you are over-using these things and that this is distracting you from simply writing well. An alternative is that you haven’t quite understood how to use them effectively. A misjudged simile can look odd: using no simile (or metaphor) is better than using a bad one!

For a good explanation of what a metaphor is, see https://www.grammarly.com/blog/metaphor/ .

Hi, I’m currently helping a student prepare for entrance exams, and I just wondered if you could help me with a question. He was struggling with the timed element of creative writing and wanted to know if he DID run out of time, what would a marker prefer? To just leave the piece unfinished, or to quickly make an ending for the story, even if it meant it was quite an abrupt ending that didn’t necessarily do the story justice?

I think it depends on the marker. I’d prefer an unfinished piece to one with something actively bad in it, like a bad ending. However, can they leave an unfinished ending that nonetheless has something final about it: for instance, zoom out and describe the trees swaying in the distance, or the waves, so that there’s a sense of the world rolling on, despite the events in the story? If this is done well, it might even appear that they intended to finish this way.

great work, keep it up.

Amazing website! The content is wonderful. Highly informative indeed.

That’s brilliant to hear. Thank you!

Do you have to pay to get your work marked?

Yes, that’s right. Most people do it via an 11 Plus Lifeline Platinum subscription .

My daughter is not good at creative writing and I am apprehensive as she writes her pre-tests on 11th November . How do I help her with the following formats?

1) A story based on a title or topic 2) A continuation of a passage (usually the passage already used as a comprehension text) 3) A story based on a picture

Hello! I cover all these things in my RSL Creative Writing books – see https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/rsl-creative-writing You will also find creative writing videos covering these things at https://go.easy11plus.org/VIDEOLIST Good luck! Robert

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11 Plus creative writing tips and examples

Preparing for your  11 Plus creative writing  exam doesn’t have to be a worry. We help you here with 11 Plus creative writing tips and examples to prepare you for the exam. We're here to help you practice and improve your writing techniques and creative writing skills so you’re ready for your 11 Plus exams . 

Creative writing can be really fun – you can explore something you really want to and write about something that means a lot to you. Although, we know it can be a little bit worrying for some students that don’t enjoy writing as much or don’t feel confident in their writing skills. 

So, ahead of your  11 Plus exams  we want to help you prepare with these 11 Plus creative writing tips and strategies.

What Is 11 Plus Creative Writing?

The 11 Plus creative writing exam assesses a child’s ability to compose structured and engaging pieces of written work. It’s designed to evaluate a student’s fluency, imaginative capabilities, grammar, punctuation and overall ability to write creatively.

What does the 11 Plus creative writing exam include?

The 11 Plus creative writing exam is usually 25-30 minutes and could involve the continuation of a storyline that you’ll be provided with. Alternatively you might be asked to write a short piece of your own in response to a visual stimulus – this could be describing a character or writing something from their perspective, like a diary entry. 

Here are some the potential writing tasks you could be given for your 11 Plus creative writing exam: 

Descriptive task – continuing on a short story that you’ll be provided with, or describing a place or situation that your character finds themselves in. 

Persuasive task – you could be asked to write a letter or an article with the goal to persuade the reader to feel or act in a certain way after reading it by using emotive language. 

Narrative task – this would usually involve writing your own short story. 

Expository task – this could involve writing an article or set of instructions designed to inform the reader how to go about doing something properly. 

What are the 11 Plus creative writing topics?

Prior to starting your creative writing piece, you’ll need to have a topic. It’s important that the topic remains at the centre of everything you’re writing, as it will shape the direction of the story and the characters

You can think of a topic as a theme for your story. This can be really simple, as a simple theme will really help write a story in your own way. 

For your 11 plus creative writing exam, you’ll likely be presented with a topic that you then have to write about. Often these topics will have you writing about: 

Being lost or scared, capturing the feeling of being alone and writing a story about overcoming it.

Doing something exciting or achieving something impressive, the best day of your life so far. 

A holiday or an adventure

Travelling to the city or countryside and what you might experience there.

Writing a short story on each of the topics above can be a great way to familiarise yourself with creative writing.

What do examiners look for in creative writing?

Successfully passing your creative writing 11 Plus creative writing exam is a lot less daunting if you know what the examiners are looking for in your creative writing. 

Unlike other exams, it can be difficult to prepare the exact answers. It’s not like a sum in maths, where there’s only one correct answer after your working out. That doesn’t mean there aren’t specific things that examiners are looking for. Let’s take a look at those:

A well planned piece of writing

Strong creativity and good imagination

A fluent writing style

Good and correct use of punctuation 

Good use of English grammar

Complex sentences that are broken in an easy-to-read way with commas

Good spelling

Good and exciting vocabulary

Neat, easy-to-read handwriting

You can use those things as a checklist for your creative writing. When you write practice pieces, read them back and see if you can check off everything on the list of things that examiners are looking for. This will not only highlight areas needing improvement but will also act as a confidence-building tool.

11 Plus creative writing marking scheme

Your creative writing task will be worth 50% of your  English 11 plus exam  paper. So, you’ll want to make sure you’re well prepared!

Part of preparing for the creative writing task is ensuring you know how the exam will be marked. Here’s what your examiner will look at when they mark your work: 

The plot – you need to write a piece that’s got an engaging plot, but more importantly it needs to follow a strong beginning, middle and end structure. We’ll be getting more detail about that further on. Make sure you plan your story to ensure you have a well-structured and easy-to-follow plot. 

Vocabulary – Make sure you’re using a wide range of adjectives, nouns and adverbs. Rather than describing everything the same way, come up with some other engaging ways to write something. Use a good amount of complex words that you normally wouldn’t use (and make sure you understand what they mean so you use them correctly). 

Writing devices – no, your examiner isn’t looking at what pen you used to write the exam. Writing devices refer to things like metaphors, similes, tension building short sentences, alliteration and irony. Try sentences like “he was as fast as a runaway train,” for a simile example. See if you can write a few sentences that each use a different writing device to practice.

Grammar – now is a good time to start practising your grammar skills. Make sure you’re using commas correctly when you write long sentences, and that you format your character dialogue properly. There are a few common grammar mistakes that may catch you out, so keep practising. 

Spelling – While avoiding spelling mistakes is good, to get great marks on your exams you’ll want to use complicated words and spell them correctly. It might be tempting to avoid complicated words if you’re not sure how to spell them but it’s actually not a bad idea to use one or two complicated words and spell them so they’re recognisable than to use no complicated words at all.

11 Plus creative writing tips and techniques

Every great writer has one thing in common – writing techniques! Everyone can develop their creative writing skills by practising these creative writing tasks.

Getting creative 

If you want to write a story this should be your starting point! Have a good think about the topic for your story and the character you’ll be writing about. Take a minute to sit back, close your eyes and think about the world of your story. Can you see it? 

If you can visualise the world of your story, then you’ve got a good idea to work with! Get creative about the story and think about directions that it can go, and the characters you can work with. 

Planning and structure

Once you’ve got your theme in place you need to have a think about the direction of your story. Think about how your story starts, how you want it to end and then think about how you want your main character to get there. 

Remember the classic story structure of beginning, middle and end:

Use the beginning of your story to introduce your character, where they are and maybe one of two of their friends. Maybe even try to set them a goal at this point, what’s something they really, really want? 

Introduce the middle of your story with a problem or an obstacle for your main character to overcome. This is going to be the longest section of your story, so make sure you don’t spend too long with the opening! Think about how your character would overcome the problem you’ve introduced for them. 

In the end your main character overcomes the problem that you introduced for them. Think about what they would feel, the relief they’d experience and how you can sum that up in a paragraph or two. 

There are lots of different ways to write a story, but following the beginning, middle and end structure like this will really help you plan. Try to just write a few short sentences from the beginning, middle and end, then expand it out from there. 

If you need more inspiration to improve your writing skills, why not see David Walliam’s top ten writing tips ?

Creative writing examples: using the senses

Remember – writing descriptively helps your ideas to really come across in what you’re writing. The person reading your creative writing piece can’t read your mind!

A great way to really set a scene in your creative writing is to use the senses:

Sight – what can your character see? Describe how the scene around them looks, and be sure to use some good adjectives.

Sound – can your character hear anything? Even if your character can’t hear anything, that can sometimes be a great way to set a scene. Or maybe your character can hear lots of noise? Either way, make sure the reader knows that.

Smell – what does the place your character’s in smell like? You can make a disgusting, murky bog seem even filthier by describing how smelly it is to the reader. We all react strongly to smells, good or bad, so make sure you’re describing them to your reader.

Touch – what can your character feel? Are they sitting on a really soft sofa? Is the cat they’re stroking extra fluffy? Describe everything your character feels!

Taste – is your character tasting anything? Of course, if your character’s eating you need to describe it. How sweet are the sweets they’re eating? How bitter is the medicine they had to take? You could even get creative and describe a smell so bad that your character can almost taste it!

Get creative when you write about senses. You don’t have to cover every sense in order, you can mix things up in a paragraph or two, and sometimes you only need to cover two or three senses in a particular scene. Make sure you’re always telling your audience what your character is experiencing so the reader can put themselves in your character’s shoes. Utilising this technique ensures the reader engages with your creative writing piece.

Fluent writing

Practice makes perfect when it comes to fluent writing. To practice fluent writing, set yourself a creative writing task as if you were taking your 11 Plus creative writing test.

Try keeping the stories short. Just a few paragraphs so you can do a few attempts. When you’re finished, read them back to yourself out loud. See if the sentences are easy to read out loud. If they’re not, it might be good to rewrite them in a way that makes them easier to say. Try doing this out loud too, rephrase the sentence so it means the same thing but is easier to say. 

Reading out loud is not something you will be doing at the exam, so practicing your fluency at home is the key. Never be scared to do a few practice stories before your 11 Plus creative writing exam.

Proofreading Your Creative Writing

Finally, once you’ve finished writing and you’re happy with how fluent your piece sounds you’ve got to proofread it! That means checking your grammar, your punctuation and spelling. 

Make sure you’ve only used capital letters where they need to be used – the start of sentences and the names of people and places. 

Make sure you’ve used quotation marks correctly – start a new paragraph for when a character starts speaking, open with a quotation mark and then write what they said before closing with a quotation mark. Make sure you carry on writing after they’ve finished speaking with a new paragraph!

Have you checked the tenses? Make sure you’re not mixing up  past, present and future tenses !

Have you used enough punctuation? Make sure all your sentences end with full stops, but also that questions end with a question mark. Space out long sentences with a well-placed comma and make sure if a character says something loudly or is surprised that you’re using exclamation marks. 

Check your spelling! Are there any words you struggle with? Go back and check them to make sure they look right. If you’re really struggling to spell a word, maybe use a different one for your creative writing piece – lots of writers do this! If you do this a lot, then it might be worth doing some spelling practice. 

How do I prepare for creative writing? 

When it comes to 11 Plus creative writing exams it’s difficult to find something specific to revise – unlike exams in maths or English spelling, creative writing exams don’t have a right or wrong answer. So, don’t get overwhelmed by reading countless creative writing books.

The best way to prepare for a creative writing test is to practice all the key points we mentioned above. Set yourself some small creative writing tasks, practice your spelling and get some help fromyour teachers. You could also ask your parents or guardians about tuition to help you prepare for your creative writing .

We also have some creative writing book suggestions and worksheets that could help you prepare. 

11 Plus creative writing examples books

If you’re looking for some books to help you prepare for your 11 Plus creative writing exam or want to find some creative writing examples, here are some of our favourites:

11+ Essentials Creative Writing Examples Book 1 (First Past the Post)

11+ Essentials Creative Writing Examples Book 2 (First Past the Post)

Bond 11+: English Focus on Writing: 9-11 years

RSL Creative Writing, Book 1: KS2, KS3, 11 Plus & 13 Plus – Workbook For Ages 9 Upwards

11+ Creative Writing

Remember to always ask a parent or guardian before buying anything online.

11 Plus creative writing tasks and worksheets

Here are some of our own worksheets that’ll help you prepare and improve your creative writing skills: 

Creating characters

Creating dilemmas

Creating settings

My favourite author

Try an 11 plus creative writing tutor

If you’re worried about your 11 plus creative writing exam, that’s okay. There are numerous ways you can prepare without getting yourself overwhelmed. We’ve already covered how practice makes perfect when it comes to writing, so creative writing courses could be a great way for you to improve your confidence.

11 Plus tuition  will also help with your creative writing. Explore Learning’s expert tutors can help you work on your story planning and structure, grammar, writing fluency and vocabulary. 

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed about your 11 Plus creative writing task, we’re here to help you do your best.  

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11 Plus creative writing FAQs

How to prepare for 11 plus creative writing.

Prepare by understanding the 11 Plus creative writing requirements. Engage in regular practice on various topics like adventures, challenges and feelings. Focus on grammar, punctuation, fluency, spelling and vocabulary. Always proofread and consider getting feedback.

Is there creative writing in the 11 Plus exam?

The 11 Plus exam may include a creative writing component, often lasting 25-30 minutes, where a student demonstrates their narrative and language skills.

What are the different types of creative writing 11+?

The 11 Plus creative writing includes descriptive, persuasive and narrative tasks. Studentsmay be asked to craft or add to stories, describe scenarios, write persuasive letters or informative pieces.

How do I study for a creative writing exam?

Study by practising various creative writing tasks regularly. Focus on language proficiency, structure your narratives and proofread. For tailoredsupport, consider 11 Plus tuition .

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A Guide to 11 Plus Creative Writing Preparation

Updated: December 1, 2023 Author: Creative Hare

Introduction:

As children gear up for their challenging 11 Plus English exams, creative writing often stands as a significant hurdle. Mastering this section requires not just a solid grasp of ambitious vocabulary and literary techniques but also the ability to think outside the box and express ideas in a compelling manner. This takes confidence and experimentation. In this blog, we’ll delve into effective strategies to prepare for the 11+ creative writing exam and unlock the doors to imaginative excellence, happiness and success! 

Understand the Exam Format:

• Before diving into preparation, it’s crucial to familiarise yourself with the exam format. There is no singular 11-plus exam format so it is best to check with the admissions team at your target schools what specific format they use. 
• Understand the time constraints, the types of prompts, and the criteria by which your writing will be assessed. You generally don’t find mark schemes readily available on school websites. Although 11+ creative writing criteria is devised by the individual schools, aside from spelling and grammar, the skills and techniques commonly assessed include:

Where your child can win marks:

• Use of ambitious vocabulary
• Literary devices (personification, simile, metaphor, repetition, emotive language)
• Imaginative and descriptive writing
• Overall narrative flow and coherency
• Ensure your child practises reading creative writing questions carefully so their written piece  addresses the exact question, rather than an interpretation. Click here for a creative writing mark scheme example which can be found on the Latymer School website. 

Read Widely and Often:

• A well-read mind is a fertile ground for creativity. Encourage your child to explore a variety of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, poetry to prose.
• Exposure to diverse writing styles enhances vocabulary and fosters creative thinking.
• Use the Christmas holiday to visit your favourite book shop and encourage your child to browse freely - notice the types of books they are drawn to….light, frothy and funny books or perhaps fantasy books?

Build a Strong Vocabulary:

• 11 Plus creative writing flourishes on a rich tapestry of words.
• Make vocabulary building a daily habit.
• Introduce new words, explore their meanings, and encourage their use in everyday conversation.
• Children who take charge of their learning by recording words that they come across are empowered learners.

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."

Practice, Practice, Practice:

• Creative writing is a skill honed through practice. Set aside dedicated time for writing exercises regularly. Provide prompts that challenge your child’s imagination, encouraging them to create stories with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Check out 6 Creative Writing Tips for Children for the best websites for free, fun writing prompts.

Develop a Writing Routine:

• Establishing a writing routine creates a sense of discipline and familiarity. Consistent practice helps build confidence and improves the ability to think creatively under pressure.

Explore Different Genres and Styles:

• The 11 Plus English exam might present prompts from various genres. Prepare your child by exposing them to different styles of writing—mystery, adventure, fantasy, and more. This versatility will prove invaluable during the exam. My new Bright to Brilliant 12-week Creative Writing programme equips children with the full-range of 11-Plus creative writing question types. 

Encourage Thoughtful Planning:

• Before jumping into writing, teach your child the importance of thinking ahead. Whether that’s sitting quietly with their ideas or jotting down their ideas in a quick planning format, this will help ensure their writing stays on track! 

Seek Constructive Feedback:

• Share your child’s writing with teachers, peers, or family members. Constructive feedback is an invaluable tool for improvement. Encourage your child to identify their strengths and areas to further improve to refine their creative writing skills. This is isn’t easy, it takes practice. However, empowering your child to self-evaluate their writing in a positive light is a key characteristic of awesome, confident writers. 

Learn from Examples:

• Analyse various pieces of creative writing. Identify what makes them compelling—the use of descriptive language, character development, plot twists. But encourage your child to ask how they could improve the writing. Children love to offer improvements on what they could do better, so it’s a great way to engage them. Learning from other’s writing can inspire and guide your child’s own writing.

Time Management Skills:

• The 11 Plus exam is as much about managing time as it is about writing skills.
• Practice timed writing sessions to ensure your child can express their ideas effectively within the given constraints.
• Ensuring your child is confident in expressing their ideas in writing before introducing exam style timing will make the experience more comfortable and worthwhile for them.

"I can see my competitors sweating, and I am cool as a cucumber."

Adam Rippon

Preparation for the 11 Plus Creative Writing component is not just about mastering accurate spelling; it’s about cultivating a creative mindset. Through a combination of regular practice, diverse reading, and constructive feedback, students can sharpen their creative writing skills and approach the exam with confidence.

Remember, creativity is a skill that can be nurtured and developed with dedication and the right strategies. Best of luck to all the young writers embarking on this exciting journey!

Interested in exploring a creative writing class?

Let your child discover their creative voice, related articles.

11+ English Sample Papers

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How Matteo reaped the benefits of 11+ success

Matteo was in Year 4 and attending a small independent school in North London when we first started working together. 

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11 Plus Creative Writing: Exam Preparation Guide

What is the creative writing element of the 11 Plus and what does it include?

Both 11 plus exam boards (GL and CEM) don’t have a creative writing element, however some schools may decide to add this element in to assist with the selection process. For instance, it may be used in cases where two students have very similar scores and so the creative writing piece will be the deciding factor.

Each school will have a different format for the writing element; some schools may ask for a creative piece of writing from scratch and others may ask students to complete a story from a passage they‘re provided with. Independent schools, on the other hand, usually require an essay or creative writing piece as part of the exam. 

In private schools, this section is crucial and is always marked, however in grammar schools this section may not always be marked. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be overlooked as it could be a deciding factor of whether or not your child gets an offer at their target grammar school.

This element of the eleven plus will require students to manage their time well and be able to complete their story in just under an hour. Generally, students are given a scenario or prompt that they are free to interpret in their own way. Students will then be required to put their ideas together in a creative style.

Some examples of past prompts that have come up in grammar and private school 11 Plus exams include:

• Describe a situation which you have experienced which might also be called A Magical Moment, showing what your thoughts and feelings are
• The Prince of Darkness is a Gentleman
• The Broken Window

As you can see from these titles, there’s no specific category that they fall into and they are very unpredictable. The trick here is to ensure your child has lots of practice with these past paper questions, so they can better understand how they’re going to draft their ideas together coherently.

The structure of the writing piece should include:

• A beginning that sets the scene
• Characters who have a motivation behind their actions and drive the plot forward
• An ending that wraps up the original idea that was set out at the beginning 

How to prepare for the creative writing part of the exam?

Practice is of course a crucial element of the revision process. It may also be useful to jot down ideas and descriptions of: emotions, actions, characters and the environment. Having these sets of descriptions ready will save lots of time in the actual exam. Even though the emotions and characters your child has practised writing don’t match the question in the exam, they will have a better idea of how to formulate the structure and plot in a timely manner by developing the descriptions they practised. 

Themes to practice writing about:

• Nature : this could be rivers, rain, mountains, lightning
• Emotions : this is an essential part of the story as it helps to set the tone. Some emotions can be: joy, anger, sadness. It may be beneficial to visualise the ‘inside out’ movie and write out the emotions according to how each character behaves
• Activities you enjoy : this will help with writing the plot in the eleven plus exam since you can adapt and build on these descriptions based on the title question
• Animals : this may be your favourite animal or your pet
• Your surroundings : this could be houses, parks, churches, villages, roads. Understanding how to write about basic structures in a captivating way is a very important of this writing element

Techniques to practise using in your writing:

• Personification : This technique involves associating something that isn’t human with human qualities. For example: the trees danced in the wind . This technique allows the objects throughout the story to have meaning and gives energy to something that is usually expressionless. 
• Metaphors : This is a figure of speech, where a word or phrase is defined as another object or action to which it is not literally applicable. A famous example is from one of Shakespeare’s plays, As You Like It, is: ‘all the world’s a stage. ’ This metaphor compares the world to a theatrical stage. While this is not literally true, the metaphor demonstrates that the world is like a show and the people are like actors. Metaphors allow the reader to think more deeply about a subject, and they can also add emotion and dramatic effect.
• Similes : This is like a metaphor, except similes use the connective words ‘like’ or ‘as’ to draw comparisons. For example: her eyes were like diamonds . The purpose of similes is to make comparisons to better illustrate your ideas, which makes the story more vivid and entertaining for the reader. 
• Hyperbole : This is an exaggeration to emphasise a point to the reader. For instance: I have waited forever for this to happen . This makes the sentence more dramatic and grabs the reader’s attention, which makes the emotions more memorable.
• Alliteration : This is having two or more words with the same letters consecutively in a sentence. An example of this could be: the big bug bit the little bee . This will have a different effect depending on whether the letters sound soft or harsh, but generally alliteration adds a rhythmic sound to the sentence and accentuates your descriptions.

Some revision techniques

Although the topics for the creative writing section are unpredictable, they are usually very broad so your child can use their imagination to think of a plot or build on the descriptions they have already practised. They can start off by writing short stories on the themes mentioned above in this article, and attempt to implement the literary techniques throughout their writing.

It’s crucial to keep your reader hooked throughout your story, so having an interesting plot and characters will help, but it’s also important to focus on developing the techniques listed. Use past paper questions and practice writing short stories under timed conditions, then read over it and see how many techniques your child managed to implement. 

If your child is struggling to come up with ideas, it may be useful to encourage them to pick up one of their favourite books and allow them to get inspiration from there. This will encourage their creative thinking skills to grow; the first few pages of a book are especially important as they sometimes outline the main characters and setting of the entire story. 

Reading and analysing the first few pages can allow them to imagine how they’re going to start their own. Even better, try to encourage them to annotate the pages they read with how the characters are displayed, the emotions, actions and the techniques used. After this, they can try to use their structure and techniques in their own writing. Adding these techniques can improve their score tremendously in the eleven plus creative writing section.

General tips and informative articles on 11 Plus:

• 11 Plus for Parents
• 11 Plus Creative Writing
• 11 Plus English
• 11 Plus Non Verbal Reasoning
• 11 Plus Maths
• 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning
• 11 Plus Comprehension Tips
• 11 Plus Reading List
• What Is 11 Plus Exam
• 11 Plus Maths Questions

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• 11+ Creative Writing Exam Guide

by Coriden Francis | Mar 26, 2024 | 11+ exams , creative writing | 0 comments

 Are you looking for help with preparing your child for the 11+ creative writing exam? It can be daunting for both parents and children to tackle, especially if it’s the child’s first time taking an exam. But don’t worry! This blog post provides an extensive guide to the 11+ creative writing exam, what to expect, how to prepare, and the  best tips and techniques to succeed. I also provide a list of 11+ creative writing exam prompts and activities to help your child ace the exam. So let’s get started!

What is the 11+ Creative Writing Exam?

The 11+ exam is taken in Year 6 to gain admission to either a grammar or independent senior school in the UK. These entrance exams are highly competitive with an increasing number of children chasing places each year.  

The main 11 plus exam boards ( GL , CEM and ISEB ) do not include creative writing tasks in their tests. However, independent school papers offer a variety of creative writing task options.  Some highly competitive grammar schools will have a creative writing test in the second round of their admissions process.

The 11+ creative writing exam is an assessment of your child’s writing skills. The exam assesses your child’s ability to write imaginatively, to structure their writing clearly, and to use grammar and punctuation accurately. It is not a test to see if they are the next J K Rowling!

What to expect in an 11+ Creative Writing Exam

Typically, the creative writing element follows on from the reading comprehension section in an 11+ English exam.  The writing section consists of a number of open-ended writing prompts – fiction and non-fiction –  that require the student to compose a piece of creative writing in response.  These may include the following:

• a short story
• a continuation of the comprehension passage
• an imaginative response to a picture prompt of character or setting,
• a personal recount
• a persuasive formal letter 
• a discursive essay in the form of an article or even a speech.

Students are given a set amount of time in which to complete the task, which can range from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the requirements of the school.  That’s not a lot of time, so it’s important for your child to have a plan so that they can make the most of the time they have. 

How to prepare your child for the 11+ exam

Here are some tips for preparing for the exam:

• Understand the format of the exam and the type of tasks for your chosen schools.
• Research the topics and the prompts that are likely to be used in the exam.
• Plan time and practise writing stories and essays within the time limit.
• Have a clear structure for writing stories and essays with a strong beginning, middle and end.
• Become familiar with the marking criteria and practise writing stories and essays that meet the criteria.
• Read as much as possible to improve writing skills.
• Read and edit writing to make sure it is error-free.
• Get feedback from an experienced 11+ creative writing tutor to identify areas for improvement.

A word of warning. These days 11+ creative writing exams are designed to be tutor-proof so the exam format of your child’s chosen school may change. The best way round this is to make sure that your child has practised a wide variety of creative writing tasks so that they can tackle any questions that might be set in an exam. Joining a course like the 11+ Creative Writing for Exams will ensure that your child has learned how to tackle all the different writing tasks with confidence. 

Techniques for planning and structure

A writing plan is essential for structuring a successful 11+ creative writing exam piece. Having a plan will help your child structure their piece, focus on the main points, and ensure that their writing flows logically. You child could use a mind map, a flow chart , a spider diagram or a list of bullet points. It’s important that they get plenty of practice and find a method that works best for them.

Top tips and strategies to ace the creative writing paper

Your child should be able to:

• use a wide range of figurative language and literary devices
• use a rich and varied vocabulary
• vary their sentence starters to create flow in their writing
• vary their sentence lengths to create tension and build atmosphere
• use good range of sophisticated punctuation
• paragraph their writing clearly
• edit and proofread their writing

These are the criteria that the examiner will be looking for in a piece of creative writing.

Editing and Revising Writing

Editing and revising writing is a crucial step in the creative writing process. It’s important for your child to be able to identify weaknesses in their work and make improvements to ensure that their writing has maximum impact. Revising and editing are also essential for achieving good results in the 11+ Creative Writing Exam.  Children who check their work thoroughly tend to score higher marks than those who don’t.

When editing and revising their work, it’s important for your child to be aware of common mistakes that can easily be overlooked. For example, make sure to check for subject/verb agreement, incorrect verb tenses, redundant words and phrases, and misspellings. It’s also important to ensure that your narrative is consistent and that there are no plot holes.

​​What if my child has a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, ASD, ADHD?

For many schools and exam boards, inclusivity is a top priority. To ensure that your child can receive the best support possible during the entrance exam, simply provide a formal report or letter of diagnosis from a professional such as an educational psychologist or psychiatrist when registering.  The school can make arrangements such as extra time or a quiet room to suit your child’s needs. Children with learning difficulties often struggle with low self-esteem and confidence – and I say this both as a mum of two children with specific learning difficulties and a tutor! Getting your child extra support to help them prepare thoroughly for the exam can make a world of difference to them – and you.

Creative Writing Exam Tasks

Here’s a list of creative writing questions from 11+ papers for your child to practise:

Write a short story using on of these titles: The Storm, The Treehouse, Alone, Run for Cover!, The Last Day, The Railway Carriage, A Mysterious Stranger, The Mist, The Magic Door, The Secret Letter.

Write a short story which features a talking animal; write a story where someone’s wishes come true in an unexpected way; write a story in which a journey goes wrong in a real or imagined way.

NON-FICTION

Write a letter to your headteacher asking for school uniform to be abolished. Write a letter to the Prime Minister arguing for a four-day working week. Write an article for a school magazine discussing the use of mobile phones for primary school children. Write about your favourite holiday.

At the end of the day, passing the 11+ Creative Writing Exam is about practice, preparation and hard work. By putting in consistent effort, your child will be well on their way to acing the creative writing exam and showing off their writing skills. If you would like more help with your child’s writing as the exam approaches, then book them a place in the 11+ Creative Writing Club in the summer term ! 

11+ Creative Writing Checklists!

Help your child edit their writing and tick all the right boxes!

Get our list of 5 essential 11+ Creative Writing Checklists to help your child ace their 11+ English exam.

Our handy booklet includes the following checklists:

• Narrative writing
• Descriptive writing
• Persuasive writing
• Newspaper article
• Personal recount

Each checklist is separated into two sections: features and text and structure.

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11+ creative writing guide with 50 example topics and prompts

by Hayley | Nov 17, 2022 | Exams , Writing | 0 comments

The 11+ exam is a school entrance exam taken in the academic year that a child in the UK turns eleven.

These exams are highly competitive, with multiple students battling for each school place awarded.

The 11 plus exam isn’t ‘one thing’, it varies in its structure and composition across the country. A creative writing task is included in nearly all of the 11 plus exams, and parents are often confused about what’s being tested.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the plot of your child’s writing task is important. It is not.

The real aim of the 11+ creative writing task is to showcase your child’s writing skills and techniques.

And that’s why preparation is so important.

This guide begins by answering all the FAQs that parents have about the 11+ creative writing task.

At the end of the article I give my best tips & strategies for preparing your child for the 11+ creative writing task , along with 50 fiction and non-fiction creative writing prompts from past papers you can use to help your child prepare. You’ll also want to check out my 11+ reading list , because great readers turn into great writers.

Do all 11+ exams include a writing task?

Not every 11+ exam includes a short story component, but many do. Usually 3 to 5 different prompts are given for the child to choose between and they are not always ‘creative’ (fiction) pieces. One or more non-fiction options might be given for children who prefer writing non-fiction to fiction.

Timings and marking vary from test to test. For example, the Kent 11+ Test gives students 10 minutes for planning followed by 30 minutes for writing. The Medway 11+ Test gives 60 minutes for writing with ‘space allowed’ on the answer booklet for planning.

Tasks vary too. In the Kent Test a handful of stimuli are given, whereas 11+ students in Essex are asked to produce two individually set paragraphs. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CCSE) includes 2 creative writing paragraphs inside a 60-minute English exam.

Throughout the UK each 11+ exam has a different set of timings and papers based around the same themes. Before launching into any exam preparation it is essential to know the content and timing of your child’s particular writing task.

However varied and different these writing tasks might seem, there is one key element that binds them.

The mark scheme.

Although we can lean on previous examples to assess how likely a short story or a non-fiction tasks will be set, it would be naïve to rely completely on the content of past papers. Contemporary 11+ exams are designed to be ‘tutor-proof’ – meaning that the exam boards like to be unpredictable.

In my online writing club for kids , we teach a different task each week (following a spiral learning structure based on 10 set tasks). One task per week is perfected as the student moves through the programme of content, and one-to-one expert feedback ensures progression. This equips our writing club members to ‘write effectively for a range of purposes’ as stated in the English schools’ teacher assessment framework.

This approach ensures that students approaching a highly competitive entrance exam will be confident of the mark scheme (and able to meet its demands) for any task set.

Will my child have a choice of prompts to write from or do they have to respond to a single prompt, without a choice?

This varies. In the Kent Test there are usually 5 options given. The purpose is to gather a writing sample from each child in case of a headteacher appeal. A range of options should allow every child to showcase what they can do.

In Essex, two prescriptive paragraphs are set as part of an hour-long English paper that includes comprehension and vocabulary work. In Essex, there is no option to choose the subject matter.

The Medway Test just offers a single prompt for a whole hour of writing. Sometimes it is a creative piece. Recently it was a marketing leaflet.

The framework for teaching writing in English schools demands that in order to ‘exceed expectations’ or better, achieve ‘greater depth’, students need to be confident writing for a multitude of different purposes.

In what circumstances is a child’s creative writing task assessed?

In Essex (east of the UK) the two prescriptive writing tasks are found inside the English exam paper. They are integral to the exam and are assessed as part of this.

In Medway (east Kent in the South East) the writing task is marked and given a raw score. This is then adjusted for age and double counted. Thus, the paper is crucial to a pass.

In the west of the county of Kent there is a different system. The Kent Test has a writing task that is only marked in appeal cases. If a child dips below the passmark their school is allowed to put together a ‘headteacher’s appeal’. At this point – before the score is communicated to the parent (and probably under cover of darkness) the writing sample is pulled out of a drawer and assessed.

I’ve been running 11+ tutor clubs for years. Usually about 1% of my students passed at headteacher’s appeal.

Since starting the writing club, however, the number of students passing at appeal has gone up considerably. In recent years it’s been more like 5% of students passing on the strength of their writing sample.

What are the examiners looking for when they’re marking a student’s creative writing?

In England, the government has set out a framework for marking creative writing. There are specific ‘pupil can’ statements to assess whether a student is ‘working towards the expected standard,’ ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth’.

Members of the headteacher panel assessing the writing task are given a considerable number of samples to assess at one time. These expert teachers have a clear understanding of the framework for marking, but will not be considering or discussing every detail of the writing sample as you might expect.

Schools are provided with a report after the samples have been assessed. This is very brief indeed. Often it will simply say ‘lack of precise vocabulary’ or ‘confused paragraphing.’

So there is no mark scheme as such. They won’t be totting up your child’s score to see if they have reached a given target. They are on the panel because of their experience, and they have a short time to make an instant judgement.

Does handwriting matter?

Handwriting is assessed in primary schools. Thus it is an element of the assessment framework the panel uses as a basis for their decision.

If the exam is very soon, then don’t worry if your child is not producing immaculate, cursive handwriting. The focus should simply be on making it well-formed and legible. Every element of the assessment framework does not need to be met and legible writing will allow the panel to read the content with ease.

Improve presentation quickly by offering a smooth rollerball pen instead of a pencil. Focus on fixing individual letters and praising your child for any hint of effort. The two samples below are from the same boy a few months apart. Small changes have transformed the look and feel:

Sample 1: First piece of work when joining the writing club

Sample 2: This is the same boy’s improved presentation and content

How long should the short story be.

First, it is not a short story as such—it is a writing sample. Your child needs to showcase their skills but there are no extra marks for finishing (or marks deducted for a half-finished piece).

For a half hour task, you should prepare your child to produce up to 4 paragraphs of beautifully crafted work. Correct spelling and proper English grammar is just the beginning. Each paragraph should have a different purpose to showcase the breadth and depth of their ability. A longer – 60 minute – task might have 5 paragraphs but rushing is to be discouraged. Considered and interesting paragraphs are so valuable, a shorter piece would be scored more highly than a rushed and dull longer piece.

I speak from experience. A while ago now I was a marker for Key Stage 2 English SATs Papers (taken in Year 6 at 11 years old). Hundreds of scripts were deposited on my doorstep each morning by DHL. There was so much work for me to get through that I came to dread long, rambling creative pieces. Some children can write pages and pages of repetitive nothingness. Ever since then, I have looked for crafted quality and am wary of children judging their own success by the number of lines competed.

Take a look at the piece of writing below. It’s an excellent example of a well-crafted piece.

Each paragraph is short, but the writer is skilful.

He used rich and precisely chosen vocabulary, he’s broken the text into natural paragraphs, and in the second paragraph he is beginning to vary his sentence openings. There is a sense of control to the sentences – the sentence structure varies with shorter and longer examples to manage tension. It is exciting to read, with a clear awareness of his audience. Punctuation is accurate and appropriate.

11+ creative writing example story

How important is it to revise for a creative writing task.

It is important.

Every student should go into their 11+ writing task with a clear paragraph plan secured. As each paragraph has a separate purpose – to showcase a specific skill – the plan should reflect this. Built into the plan is a means of flexing it, to alter the order of the paragraphs if the task demands it. There’s no point having a Beginning – Middle – End approach, as there’s nothing useful there to guide the student to the mark scheme.

Beyond this, my own students have created 3 – 5 stories that fit the same tight plan. However, the setting, mood and action are all completely different. This way a bank of rich vocabulary has already been explored and a technique or two of their own that fits the piece beautifully. These can be drawn upon on the day to boost confidence and give a greater sense of depth and consideration to their timed sample.

Preparation, rather than revision in its classic form, is the best approach. Over time, even weeks or months before the exam itself, contrasting stories are written, improved upon, typed up and then tweaked further as better ideas come to mind. Each of these meets the demands of the mark scheme (paragraphing, varied sentence openings, rich vocabulary choices, considered imagery, punctuation to enhance meaning, development of mood etc).

To ensure your child can write confidently at and above the level expected of them, drop them into my weekly weekly online writing club for the 11+ age group . The club marking will transform their writing, and quickly.

What is the relationship between the English paper and the creative writing task?

Writing is usually marked separately from any comprehension or grammar exercises in your child’s particular 11+ exam. Each exam board (by area/school) adapts the arrangement to suit their needs. Some have a separate writing test, others build it in as an element of their English paper (usually alongside a comprehension, punctuation and spelling exercise).

Although there is no creative writing task in the ISEB Common Pre-test, those who are not offered an immediate place at their chosen English public school are often invited back to complete a writing task at a later date. Our ISEB Common Pre-test students join the writing club in the months before the exam, first to tidy up the detail and second to extend the content.

What if my child has a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, ASD)?

Most exam boards pride themselves on their inclusivity. They will expect you to have a formal report from a qualified professional at the point of registration for the test. This needs to be in place and the recommendations will be considered by a panel. If your child needs extra arrangements on the day they may be offered (it isn’t always the case). More importantly, if they drop below a pass on one or more papers you will have a strong case for appeal.

Children with a specific learning difficulty often struggle with low confidence in their work and low self-esteem. The preparations set out above, and a kids writing club membership will allow them to go into the exam feeling positive and empowered. If they don’t achieve a pass at first, the writing sample will add weight to their appeal.

Tips and strategies for writing a high-scoring creative writing paper

• Read widely for pleasure. Read aloud to your child if they are reluctant.
• Create a strong paragraph plan where each paragraph has a distinct purpose.
• Using the list of example questions below, discuss how each could be written in the form of your paragraph plan.
• Write 3-5 stories with contrasting settings and action – each one must follow your paragraph plan. Try to include examples of literary devices and figurative language (metaphor, simile) but avoid clichés.
• Tidy up your presentation. Write with a good rollerball pen on A4 lined paper with a printed margin. Cross out with a single horizontal line and banish doodling or scribbles.
• Join the writing club for a 20-minute Zoom task per week with no finishing off or homework. An expert English teacher will mark the work personally on video every Friday and your child’s writing will be quickly transformed.

Pressed for time? Here’s a paragraph plan to follow.

At Griffin Teaching we have an online writing club for students preparing for the 11 plus creative writing task . We’ve seen first-hand what a difference just one or two months of weekly practice can make.

That said, we know that a lot of people reading this page are up against a hard deadline with an 11+ exam date fast approaching.

If that’s you (or your child), what you need is a paragraph plan.

Here’s one tried-and-true paragraph plan that we teach in our clubs. Use this as you work your way through some of the example prompts below.

11+ creative writing paragraph plan

Paragraph 1—description.

Imagine standing in the location and describe what is above the main character, what is below their feet, what is to their left and right, and what is in the distance. Try to integrate frontend adverbials into this paragraph (frontend adverbials are words or phrases used at the beginning of a sentence to describe what follows—e.g. When the fog lifted, he saw… )

Paragraph 2—Conversation

Create two characters who have different roles (e.g. site manager and student, dog walker and lost man) and write a short dialogue between them. Use what we call the “sandwich layout,” where the first person says something and you describe what they are doing while they are saying it. Add in further descriptions (perhaps of the person’s clothing or expression) before starting a new line where the second character gives a simple answer and you provide details about what the second character is doing as they speak.

Paragraph 3—Change the mood

Write three to four sentences that change the mood of the writing sample from light to gloomy or foreboding. You could write about a change in the weather or a change in the lighting of the scene. Another approach is to mention how a character reacts to the change in mood, for example by pulling their coat collar up to their ears.

Paragraph 4—Shock your reader

A classic approach is to have your character die unexpectedly in the final sentence. Or maybe the ceiling falls?

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—fictional prompts

• The day the storm came
• The day the weather changed
• The snowstorm
• The rainy day
• A sunny day out
• A foggy (or misty) day
• A day trip to remember
• The first day
• The day everything changed
• The mountain
• The hillside
• The old house
• The balloon
• The old man
• The accident
• The unfamiliar sound
• A weekend away
• Moving house
• A family celebration
• An event you remember from when you were young
• An animal attack
• The school playground at night
• The lift pinged and the door opened. I could not believe what was inside…
• “Run!” he shouted as he thundered across the sand…
• It was getting late as I dug in my pocket for the key to the door. “Hurry up!” she shouted from inside.
• I know our back garden very well, but I was surprised how different it looked at midnight…
• The red button on the wall has a sign on it saying, ‘DO NOT TOUCH.’ My little sister leant forward and hit it hard with her hand. What happened next?
• Digging down into the soft earth, the spade hit something metal…
• Write a story which features the stopping of time.
• Write a story which features an unusual method of transport.
• The cry in the woods
• Write a story which features an escape

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—non-fiction prompts

• Write a thank you letter for a present you didn’t want.
• You are about to interview someone for a job. Write a list of questions you would like to ask the applicant.
• Write a letter to complain about the uniform at your school.
• Write a leaflet to advertise your home town.
• Write a thank you letter for a holiday you didn’t enjoy.
• Write a letter of complaint to the vet after an unfortunate incident in the waiting room.
• Write a set of instructions explaining how to make toast.
• Describe the room you are in.
• Describe a person who is important to you.
• Describe your pet or an animal you know well.

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How to pass a creative writing 11 plus (11+) exam

Last updated: october 9, 2023.

What is 11+ creative writing?

Whilst the main 11+ exam providers (GL Assessment, CEM, and ISEB) do not feature creative writing in their 11+ tests, many grammar and independent schools design their own exams that contain creative writing sections.

Even if your child isn’t facing an exam with a creative writing component, honing these skills offers many advantages. Developing their creative writing skills can help a child improve their creativity, communication skills, emotional intelligence, critical reasoning, and self-confidence.

What does the 11+ creative writing exam look like?

The format of an 11+ creative writing exam varies depending on the area or school your child is applying to. Creative writing in the 11+ will usually ask candidates to either write an original story based on a prompt or they will be given the start of a story and asked to complete a piece of prose in the same style of writing. Both types of assessment examine a child’s ability to plan and write their story in an imaginative, structured and coherent manner.

In the Kent Test, children are usually given five prompts to choose from and the purpose is to gather a writing sample from each child in case of a headteacher appeal. The Medway Test only gives candidates one prompt for an hour of creative writing. In Essex, however, candidates are given two paragraphs in an hour-long assessment which includes comprehension and vocabulary questions. 

Creative writing papers can be presented at any point of an 11+ exam. Sometimes it can be a completely separate paper, with its own timings, or at the end of another section, such as a comprehension exercise. If it comes at the end of a comprehension exercise, candidates will likely be asked to continue writing the comprehension passage or write about the same topic. Sometimes children will be given a list of prompts to choose from or they may be given only one title to write from, so it is vital that they are prepared for either option. 

It is important to note that these creative writing assessments are strictly timed. The length of time given varies depending on which school is setting the paper. It is important to remind your child of these time limits and make sure they are comfortable completing a piece of work in the allotted time.

How to help your child prepare for a creative writing exam

Here are some top tips on how to help your child prepare for their creative writing exam:

• Make writing a habit 

Encouraging your child to write regularly can significantly improve their writing skills. Establishing a writing routine can help your child practice consistently, gradually building their writing skills and confidence. 

A great way for you to help your child build their skills is to offer them daily writing prompts. These could be words, phrases, or pictures to spark their creativity and inspire their writing. You could further encourage your child by getting them to practice different techniques, themes, or styles. 

• Encourage them to read more

Reading is one of the most beneficial and rewarding activities that your child can do in the lead-up to their 11+. Introducing your child to a wide range of genres and encouraging them to read as much as they can is a great way to help them develop a strong vocabulary, understand writing styles, and become familiar with various devices and techniques. 

Supplying your child with both classic and contemporary novels, as well as poetry, plays, and non-fiction, will ensure they have a wide range of resources to take inspiration from. 

Reading widely will introduce your child to imaginative plots, creative vocabulary, and help them understand how different characters think and emotionally respond to various scenarios. 

• Offer them constructive feedback and celebrate their creativity  

Providing your child with regular constructive feedback is crucial for their writing growth. Focus on their strengths and encourage them to keep checking, proofreading, and editing their work. Getting them to revise and edit their writing is a great skill that will help them across their academic subjects.

You should also make sure you are consistently recognising and celebrating your child’s writing achievements to help build their confidence and motivation. You could set up a rewards system for writing goals, share their work with friends and family or encourage them to submit their work to writing competitions.

• Remind them that handwriting matters

Handwriting is a part of your child’s creative writing assessment and can affect their grade. Your child does not need to have perfect handwriting; however, it should be completely legible and easy to follow. 

You could help your child improve their handwriting by supplying them with pens that are comfortable and easy to use. You could also give them exercises, focusing on individual letters or words they struggle with. 

How to respond to a creative writing prompt

One of the tasks your child could face in their 11+ exam is to write a story based on a prompt. Responding effectively to a creative writing prompt is not just a test of your child’s imagination and creative abilities but also their organisational skills, understanding of narrative structures, and vocabulary. 

Although there is no way to know which topic your child will be asked to write about in their 11+ exam, there are a handful of topics that have regularly come up in the past. Here is a brief list of tasks your child could be asked to write about in their exam and some examples of what this question could look like: 

• Write a story about a stormy day.
• Write a story entitled, ‘Afraid’.
• Continue a story that begins with the line: Outside my front door, someone had left a large cardboard box.
• Imagine you are an alien that has just landed on Earth. Write a recount of your first day.
• Describe a visit to an extremely hot place.
• Write about a time that you or someone else became very angry by something. Explain what happened and describe how you felt. You should make your writing as interesting and detailed as possible.
• Write a story based on the following image.
• Describe this image.
• Write a letter to complain about the uniform at your school.
• Do you think children should be able to have smartphones? Write a persuasive article in which you outline reasons for and against.

Here are some tips on how your child should respond to a creative writing prompt in an 11+ exam:

• Understand the question

The first step in responding to a creative writing question is to analyse the prompt carefully. If your child has been given multiple prompts to choose from, encourage them to make a quick decision and to choose the option that they feel they can write most confidently on. 

Once they have chosen a prompt, it is important for them to understand what it is asking them to do. It could be asking for a story, a description, a personal anecdote or a piece of informative writing, and each of these could inform their writing in different ways. 

• Start planning 

They should then start to plan their response, spending just a few minutes jotting down any ideas they have and beginning to think about how to structure their writing. 

Briefly outlining how they will start their story, the main events that happen, and the ending can help them with their writing flow and ensure they complete their story within the time limit. Deciding on the setting, characters and sequence of events straight away can also help alleviate some exam stress and help your child feel confident in their storytelling abilities

• Start writing 

It is important to encourage your child to start writing as promptly as possible, especially if the creative writing exam has a short time limit. Whilst spending time properly reading the question and planning are vital first steps, it is important that your child does not spend too much crucial writing time in these stages. 

A great way to start writing a story is by describing the setting and the first characters. You should encourage your child to use lots of descriptive language and devices (similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia etc.)

If your child is being asked to write a piece of non-fiction, a great way to start is by setting out their argument in an introduction. If they are answering a question such as ‘Do you think children should be able to have smartphones?’ or ‘What is your favourite season of the year?’ they should also make sure to include a conclusion at the end of their work. 

• Edit and proofread 

You should encourage your child to take a few minutes towards the end of their exam to proofread their writing, especially if they are someone who usually finishes early. They can use this time to check for spelling and grammar mistakes or make sure the story flows smoothly.

This is also a good time for them to double-check that they have answered the prompt correctly and included everything they wanted to in their plan.

Examberry's Creative Writing Course

At Examberry, we have a great Creative Writing Course , starting October 2023, designed to help your child reach their full potential in the lead-up to the 11+.

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11+ Exam Creative Writing Guide: Help Your Child Write Their Way to Victory

Welcome to U2 Tuition’s 11+ Exam Creative Writing Guide, a valuable resource designed to support your child's journey towards success in the highly competitive 11+ exams. This comprehensive guide has been carefully crafted to provide you with the tools, insights, and guidance necessary to assist your child in developing their creative writing skills and achieving their full potential in the critical assessment. The 11 Plus exams serve as a significant milestone, determining entry into some of the most prestigious schools and setting the stage for their educational journey ahead. Among the various components of the 11+ exams, creative writing holds immense value, as it allows your child to showcase their imagination, language proficiency, and ability to craft compelling narratives.

In the guide, we will explore effective strategies, practical tips, and engaging exercises that will enhance your child's storytelling abilities, expand their vocabulary, and refine their writing skills. One of U2’s founders, Camille, is also the author of a rhyming children’s book, ‘Mister Finch and the Queen ’ - creative writing is hugely important to us and we love to help students hone their creative imagination, in preparation for the exams, but also far beyond.

Contents of the 11+ Creative Writing Guide

Through a series of carefully structured sections, we will delve into the fundamentals of creative writing, equipping you with the knowledge and resources needed to nurture your child's creativity and help them excel in their 11+ creative writing tasks. From sparking their imagination and assisting in the planning process to refining their grammar and sentence structure, we will cover every aspect of the writing journey.

This guide provides you with sample prompts and valuable insights into assessment criteria, allowing you to support your child in preparing for the exams with confidence. By familiarising yourself with the expectations of the 11+ creative writing tasks, you can guide your child in crafting narratives that resonate with the examiners and stand out from the competition.

Section 1: The Fundamentals of Great Creative Writing in Exams

Imagination: unleashing the power of creativity.

One of the key elements that make a piece of creative writing exceptional is imagination. Encouraging your child to tap into their creativity allows them to create unique stories and characters that captivate readers. Here are some ways you can help nurture their imagination:

a. Read widely: Expose your child to a diverse range of books, genres, and authors. Reading not only enhances their vocabulary but also sparks their imagination by introducing them to different worlds, perspectives, and storytelling styles. Here are some of our suggestions:

Sevenoaks Year 7 Reading List: On Sevenoaks School’s 11+ admissions page, they publish a Reading List designed to challenge students to advance their reading level

U2 Tuition’s Book Recommendation Blogs: In our Free Resource Library, we include a range of book recommendations by age. E.g. The 5 Best Books to Read For Younger Readers , or to challenge your child: 7 Books To Read Before You Turn 14

b. Encourage daydreaming : Provide opportunities for your child to daydream and let their imagination wander. This unstructured time allows them to explore their thoughts, visualise scenes, and develop ideas for their writing. Inspiration can be found in such a variety of places e.g. exploring the great outdoors, visiting the theatre or ballet.

c. Engage in imaginative play: Encourage your child to engage in creative play, where they can invent stories, characters, and settings. This playful exploration strengthens their storytelling abilities and nurtures their imaginative thinking.

Structure: Planning and Organisation

An important aspect of successful creative writing is having a well-structured piece. Planning and organisation help your child create a coherent and engaging narrative. Consider the following tips to support them in this process:

a. Brainstorming: Encourage your child to brainstorm ideas before they start writing. They can jot down key plot points, interesting characters, or striking settings (Tip: Stories don’t have to be set in the modern era! A story set in an interesting historical period can be very effective) . The brainstorming process helps them generate multiple options and select the most compelling ones.

b. Story mapping: Guide your child in creating a story map or outline. This visual representation of their narrative allows them to see the overall structure, ensuring that the story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. When practising, students can spend more time planning than they would do in the exam, but as they approach 11+ examinations, they should try to limit themselves to about 5 minutes planning time to ensure they have enough time to write the story.

Exercise - Provide your child with story outline worksheets or templates that guide them through the different elements of storytelling. These worksheets typically include sections for the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. They help your child organise their ideas and ensure a cohesive story structure.

Here are some planning resources we have compiled to help your child become a planning whizz!

Plot diagrams: Introduce your child to plot diagrams such as the story mountain . These visual tools illustrate the key components of a story, including the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Plot diagrams help your child understand the overall structure of a story and ensure that their narrative has a clear progression.

Exercise - Planning Practice:

Engage your child in story planning exercises that involve outlining their story's beginning, middle, and end. Encourage them to identify the main conflict, the major turning points, and the resolution of their story. This exercise helps them develop a clear direction and roadmap for their narrative.

c. Developing characters: Encourage your child to flesh out their characters by creating detailed descriptions, including their personality traits, motivations, and backstories. Well-developed characters add depth and authenticity to the story.

Engaging Openings: Capturing the Reader's Attention

In the context of exams, it is crucial for your child's writing to capture the examiner's attention from the very beginning. The opening lines should intrigue, engage, and entice the reader to continue. Help your child craft engaging openings by:

a. Starting with action or dialogue: They could begin the story with an exciting event, a dramatic moment, or a thought-provoking line of dialogue. This immediately draws the reader into the narrative and creates a sense of curiosity.

Exercise - Opening Hooks:

Explore different types of opening hooks with your child, such as:

A captivating first sentence that grabs the reader's attention.

An intriguing question that piques curiosity.

A vivid description that immerses the reader in the setting.

A compelling dialogue that sets the tone or reveals a conflict.

Encourage your child to experiment with these techniques to create engaging story openings.

Exercise - Analysing Story Openings From Favourite Books:

Encourage your child to read and analyse opening paragraphs from well-crafted books or short stories. Discuss with your child what makes those openings captivating, such as strong imagery, unique perspectives, or a sense of mystery. This should help inspire your child to incorporate similar techniques into their own writing.

Exercise - Writing Prompts:

Provide your child with specific writing prompts that focus on crafting effective story openings. For example:

Start a story with the line: "The door creaked open, revealing..."

Begin a story with a character waking up in a strange place.

Write a story that starts with a sudden unexpected event.

Such prompts challenge your child to think creatively about how to hook readers from the very first sentence.

Exercise - Sensory Details Exercise:

Encourage your child to practise writing sensory details specifically for story openings. Have them choose a setting, and then ask them to describe what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, and feels like. This exercise helps create a vivid opening that draws readers into the story world.

Exercise - Story Opening Writing Exercises:

Engage your child in writing exercises specifically focused on crafting strong story openings. For example, ask them to write multiple versions of the opening paragraph for the same story idea, experimenting with different hooks, perspectives, or tones. This practice helps them explore different possibilities and select the most compelling opening.

b. Creating vivid descriptions: Encourage your child to use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture of the scene or setting. Engaging the reader's senses through rich imagery helps establish an immersive experience right from the start. Including sensory description is so important - encourage your child to try to use as many of their 5 senses as possible in their writing e.g. sound (via alliteration, onomatopoeia, sibilance etc.), touch (textures - is an object hard, feathery…how does the rain feel on the character’s skin?), sight (using colour, strong descriptive language e.g. double adjectives) etc.

c. Posing a question or mystery: Raise a compelling question or present a mystery in the opening lines. This creates intrigue and prompts the reader to keep reading to find the answers.

Engaging Storytelling:

At the heart of great creative writing lies the art of storytelling. Students should aim to craft a narrative that captivates their reader from the very beginning. As mentioned above, they should start with a strong opening that grabs attention and sets the tone for the story. They must then develop their characters by giving them depth, personalities, and motives. Creating a plot that is well-paced, with rising action, a compelling climax, and a satisfying resolution, is essential for students to stand out amongst other strong candidates. The following section is dedicated to this!

Section 2: The Art of Effective Storytelling

In this section of the guide, we will delve into the art of effective storytelling, exploring various literary techniques that will elevate your child's creative writing to new heights. We will discuss the power of vivid imagery, engaging dialogue, and well-paced plot development. Additionally, we will emphasise the importance of grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure in crafting polished and sophisticated narratives. To help your child practise these skills, we have included practical exercises and stimulating prompts throughout this section.

Vivid Imagery: Painting Pictures with Words

Vivid imagery is a powerful tool that brings stories to life, allowing readers to visualise the scenes and immerse themselves in the narrative. Encourage your child to incorporate the following techniques:

a. Sensory details: Prompt your child to include sensory details such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. By describing the sensory experiences within the story, they create a rich and immersive reading experience.

Exercise - Sensory Writing Prompts:

Provide your child with prompts that encourage them to incorporate sensory details into their writing:

Ask your child to write a paragraph describing a bustling marketplace, focusing on sensory details to bring it to life.

"Describe a walk through a bustling city street, focusing on the sights, sounds, and smells."

"Imagine you're on a beach at sunset. Write a paragraph that captures the feeling of warm sand between your toes, the scent of the ocean, and the sound of crashing waves."

Exercise - Sensory Observation Exercises:

Encourage your child to engage in sensory observation activities in their everyday life. This could include going on nature walks, visiting different environments, or exploring new places. Prompt them to pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around them. Afterwards, ask them to write a short paragraph or poem that vividly describes their sensory experiences.

Exercise - Sensory Word Banks:

Create a sensory word bank with your child. Brainstorm adjectives and descriptive phrases that relate to each of the five senses. Encourage them to use this word bank as a reference when writing, helping them choose precise and evocative language to convey sensory experiences.

Exercise - Sensory Object Descriptions:

Select an object, such as a piece of fruit or a common household item, and ask your child to write a detailed description that engages multiple senses. Encourage them to explore the object's appearance, texture, smell, taste, and even the sounds associated with it. This exercise helps develop their ability to incorporate sensory details into their writing in a focused and deliberate manner.

Engaging Dialogue: Breathing Life into Characters

Dialogue plays a crucial role in storytelling, giving voice to the characters and revealing their personalities, motivations, and relationships. Help your child create engaging dialogue by:

a. Showing character through speech: Encourage your child to use dialogue to reveal character traits, emotions, and conflicts. Each character should have a distinct voice and manner of speaking.

Exercise - Provide your child with prompts that require them to develop dialogue-rich scenes. This will give them practice in using dialogue effectively to reveal character traits, emotions, and relationships. For example:

Provide your child with a prompt and ask them to write a dialogue between two characters who have opposing viewpoints.

"Write a conversation between two characters who have just discovered a hidden treasure."

"Imagine two friends who are having a disagreement. Write a dialogue that shows their conflicting viewpoints."

Exercise - Character Interview :

Ask your child to imagine they are interviewing one of the characters from their story. Have them prepare a list of questions and encourage them to respond in the character's voice. This exercise helps them dive deeper into the character's personality and unique way of speaking.

Exercise - Dialogue Tags and Actions:

Discuss the importance of using dialogue tags and actions to enhance the portrayal of characters. Encourage your child to include descriptive tags and actions that complement the dialogue and provide additional insights into the characters' emotions or mannerisms. For instance:

She exclaimed with a wide grin, 'I can't believe it!'

He muttered under his breath, 'This is going to be a disaster.'

Well-Paced Plot Development: Building Tension and Momentum

A well-paced plot keeps readers engaged and eager to know what happens next. Teach your child how to develop a well-structured story with the following techniques:

a. Introduce conflict: Encourage your child to introduce conflict early in the story to create tension and drive the plot forward. This can be an internal conflict within the main character or an external conflict with other characters or the setting.

b. Build suspense: Guide your child in building suspense through strategic use of foreshadowing, cliff-hangers, or unexpected plot twists. This keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eager to find out what happens next.

Exercise - Suspenseful Story Prompts: Provide your child with a prompt and ask them to write a short story with a suspenseful plot twist towards the end. For example:

"Write a story about a group of friends who stumble upon a mysterious abandoned house."

"Imagine you're trapped in a haunted forest at night. Describe your attempts to find a way out."

Exercise - Analysing Suspenseful Scenes:

Read suspenseful scenes from well-known books or films with your child. Discuss how the author or filmmaker built tension and kept the reader or viewer engaged. Examples could include:

The introduction of the antagonist in a mystery novel.

A thrilling chase sequence in an action film.

Exercise - Foreshadowing Exercises:

Encourage your child to practice foreshadowing, a literary technique that hints at future events and builds anticipation. Ask them to include subtle clues or hints in their writing that suggest something significant is about to happen. For instance:

"Write a story where a character finds a mysterious object at the beginning, and later reveal its importance or danger."

"Include a brief mention of a storm brewing in the distance, and later incorporate it as a key element of the climax."

Exercise - Studying Suspenseful Authors:

Read works by authors known for their ability to build suspense. Discuss specific techniques they employ and how your child can incorporate similar elements into their writing. Examples of authors known for suspenseful storytelling include:

Edgar Allan Poe

Agatha Christie

Remember, building suspense is about creating anticipation and keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Encourage your child to experiment with these techniques, combine them with their own unique storytelling style, and practice regularly to refine their ability to craft suspenseful narratives.

Grammar, Vocabulary, and Sentence Structure: Polishing the Writing

Strong language skills are essential for effective creative writing. Help your child refine their grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure by:

a. Expanding vocabulary: Encourage your child to explore new words and phrases, providing opportunities for them to learn and incorporate them into their writing. A rich vocabulary enhances their ability to express ideas precisely.

b. Sentence variety: Teach your child to vary sentence structure by using different sentence lengths, types, and structures. This adds rhythm and flow to their writing, making it more engaging to read.

Exercise - Provide your child with a list of vocabulary words and ask them to write a short story incorporating as many of the words as possible while maintaining a natural flow.

Here are some example resources and exercises that can help 11+ applicants refine their grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure in their stories:

Grammar Practice Exercises: Utilise online grammar resources or workbooks specifically designed for 11+ exam preparation. These resources provide targeted grammar exercises and explanations to help your child strengthen their understanding of grammatical rules and conventions.

Vocabulary Expansion Activities: Encourage your child to actively expand their vocabulary by engaging in activities such as:

Reading widely: Encourage them to read books, magazines, and newspapers that expose them to a variety of words and contexts.

Word-of-the-day: Introduce a new word to your child each day and challenge them to use it in their writing or conversation.

Thesaurus exploration: Encourage your child to use a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms for common words, allowing them to enrich their writing with more precise and varied vocabulary.

Sentence Structure Exercises: Provide your child with exercises that focus on sentence structure and variety. For example:

Rewrite a paragraph by transforming simple sentences into complex or compound sentences.

Ask your child to create a set of sentences using different sentence types, such as declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory .

Grammar and Vocabulary Games: Make learning grammar and vocabulary fun by engaging in interactive games and activities. There are various online resources and mobile apps that offer educational games to reinforce grammar rules, word meanings, and sentence construction.

Section 3: 11+ Creative Writing Admissions Criteria

Admissions criteria for 11+ creative writing can vary depending on the specific school or exam consortium. However, here are some common factors that are often considered in evaluating creative writing submissions:

1. Creativity and Originality: Admissions teams look for imaginative and original ideas in the writing. They assess whether the story, characters, and plot display unique and creative thinking.

2. Writing Style and Technique: The quality of the writing style and technique is essential. Examiners assess the use of literary devices, descriptive language, sentence structure, and overall fluency. They look for evidence of a strong command of language and the ability to engage the reader effectively.

3. Narrative Structure and Development: The structure of the narrative and its development are crucial. Admissions officers evaluate how well the story is organised, if it has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and whether there is a logical progression of events. They also consider how well the story builds tension, maintains reader interest, and resolves conflicts.

4. Characterisation: Examiners examine the depth and complexity of the characters in the story. They assess whether the characters are well-developed, believable, and have distinct voices. Strong character development helps to engage the reader and bring the story to life.

5. Adherence to the Prompt or Theme: Applicants are typically given a prompt or theme for their creative writing submission. Admissions officers evaluate how well the applicant addresses the prompt or incorporates the theme into their story. They assess the level of understanding and engagement with the given topic.

6. Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation: While creativity and storytelling are important, examiners also consider the technical aspects of writing. They look for a high level of accuracy in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as these are indicators of a writer's attention to detail and ability to communicate effectively.

It's important to note that each school or exam consortium may have its own specific criteria and weightings for assessing creative writing submissions. Some schools may also consider the applicant's potential for improvement and growth. It's advisable to review the specific guidelines provided by the school or exam board to understand the precise criteria they use for evaluating creative writing submissions at the 11+ level.

Section 4: 11+ Creative Writing Prompts and Tips

Creative writing prompts can serve as excellent starting points to inspire your child's imagination and help them practise their storytelling skills. Encourage your child to embrace these prompts and unleash their creativity. Here are some example prompts along with tips on how to approach them:

1. Prompt: "Write a story about a magical adventure."

Tip: Encourage your child to let their imagination run wild. They can create a world filled with enchanted creatures, mysterious places, and unexpected twists. Remind them to think about the protagonist, their goals, and the challenges they must overcome.

2. Prompt: "Describe a memorable encounter with an animal."

Tip: Urge your child to tap into their senses and vividly describe the experience. Encourage them to think about the emotions evoked by the encounter, the physical appearance of the animal, and any unique characteristics or behaviors that make it stand out.

3. Prompt: "Imagine you can time travel. Write about a journey to a different era."

Tip: Encourage your child to research the chosen era to add authenticity to their story. They can focus on the sights, sounds, and customs of that time period, and imagine how their protagonist would navigate and interact with the world they've traveled to.

4. Prompt: "Write a story about a secret superpower."

Tip: Encourage your child to think beyond traditional superpowers and explore unique abilities. They can consider how their protagonist discovers their power, how they choose to use it, and the impact it has on their life and the world around them.

5. Prompt: "Describe a peculiar object found in an attic."

Tip: Encourage your child to bring the object to life by providing sensory details and incorporating a sense of mystery. They can explore the history and significance of the object, the emotions it evokes, and the impact it has on the characters or the plot.

Tips for Tackling Creative Writing Prompts:

1. Plan and Outline: Encourage your child to spend a few minutes brainstorming and outlining their ideas before starting to write. This helps them organize their thoughts and create a clear structure for their story.

2. Use Vivid Language: Remind your child to incorporate sensory details and descriptive language to bring their story to life. Encourage them to engage the reader's senses through vivid imagery, similes, and metaphors.

3. Develop Characters: Encourage your child to create interesting and relatable characters. Prompt them to think about their characters' backgrounds, motivations, and conflicts to make their stories more engaging.

4. Build Tension: Encourage your child to create suspense and excitement in their stories by introducing obstacles, conflicts, and unexpected plot twists. Remind them to pace their story effectively to maintain the reader's interest.

5. Edit and Revise: After completing the first draft, remind your child of the importance of revising and editing their work. Encourage them to check for grammar and spelling errors, and to refine their sentences and word choices for clarity and impact.

By providing your child with creative writing prompts and tips for tackling them, you can help them develop their storytelling skills, enhance their creativity, and prepare for the 11+ creative writing exams. Remember to foster a supportive and encouraging environment, allowing your child to explore their imagination and enjoy the process of writing.

Our Top 11+ Creative Writing Book Recommendations

Descriptosaurus by Alison Wilcox is an invaluable resource for young writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills. The comprehensive guide offers a wide range of descriptive vocabulary and writing techniques, empowering students to create vivid and engaging descriptions across various genres. With a focus on developing sensory imagery, the book provides abundant examples, prompts, and exercises to inspire creativity and strengthen descriptive writing abilities.

How to Write a Great Story by Caroline Lawrence is a valuable guidebook for aspiring young writers who want to master the art of storytelling. Drawing on her experience as a bestselling author, Lawrence provides practical advice, helpful tips, and creative exercises to help readers craft compelling narratives. From developing engaging characters to building suspenseful plots and creating authentic dialogue, this book covers the essential elements of storytelling in an accessible and engaging manner.

To Conclude Our 11+ Creative Writing Guide

Congratulations on completing our 11+ Creative Writing Guide! By exploring the various aspects of creative writing, from storytelling techniques to sensory details, dialogue, grammar, vocabulary, and more, we hope you have equipped yourself with valuable tools to help your child excel in their creative writing endeavours.

Remember that creative writing is an opportunity for a child to unleash their imagination, express their thoughts, and captivate readers with their words. Students should continue to read widely, analyse the works of their favourite authors, and draw inspiration from the world around them.

Creative writing is not only a valuable skill for exams but also a lifelong tool for self-expression, communication, and personal growth. It nurtures students’ creativity, critical thinking, and empathy, allowing them to explore different perspectives and engage with the world in a unique way.

Are You Seeking an Experienced 11 Plus Creative Writing Tutor to Help Your Child Excel in Their 11 + English Exams?

We have a great team of 11+ English tutors, many of whom are experienced in supporting students in application to the majority of top UK Schools. With our expert guidance, your child will receive targeted instruction to develop their storytelling abilities, refine their grammar and vocabulary, and master the art of creative writing. Our tutors are experienced in preparing students for the specific demands of the 11+ exams, ensuring your child is well-equipped to tackle any creative writing prompt that comes their way.

Investing in a skilled 11+ tutor can make a significant difference in your child's performance and overall success. Our tutors provide a nurturing and supportive environment, fostering a love for writing and encouraging your child to reach their full potential.

The Details

We offer online and face-to-face tuition (our service area for in-person sessions is Central London)

Frequency of sessions is flexible and tailored to the particular student’s needs

Our 11+ English tutors are experienced in preparing students for the particulars of their target schools’ entrance tests - our 11+ English tutors will have studied the subject to degree level (or a related course)

We typically begin with a diagnostic session to informally assess the student’s current ability and identify points for development. All going well, your 11+ Creative Writing Tutor will tailor a plan for preparation

Session rates from £70/h + VAT

Book a free consultation to discuss your child's needs and goals here .

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11+ Creative Writing Exam Prompts

Author: Sam Wainwright

Categories: Blog, Revision, Tips

Date: November 5, 2021

Most independent schools require prospective pupils to write an essay as part of their selective entrance exams. This can be in the form of a nonfiction essay or a creative writing assignment. Typically, students are given between 20 to 30 minutes for this essay and can select what to write from a number of up to four essay titles or other writing prompts, such as images.

Children do often feel that the essay element of the 11+ is a monumental, insurmountable task, and parents preparing them for it can often feel the same way! The tough time limit and the unseen writing prompts can make the essay quite daunting.

What’s more, it can be difficult to find the right resources to prepare effectively for the 11+ creative writing exam. For students seeking extra help, we recommend Eleven Plus Exams’s creative writing preparation course . The course consists of a thorough walkthrough of the forms of fiction and non-fiction that have appeared over the years in 11+ creative writing exams and what skills and techniques are needed to write successfully in each. Each lesson in the course covers different writing briefs commonly found in the exams and teaches pupils how best to tackle all types of questions, placing a focus on exam timing and exam practice.

For those looking for some quick tips and practice materials, you can read our advice for how students can improve their writing and what an examiner is really looking for in a writing essay here .

Creative Writing Prompts

Preparation is key to succeeding in this part of the 11+. Children should aim to write on a daily basis. This does not have to be a full essay every time, but a sentence or two in their vocabulary journals can really help to inspire more ideas and help boost their confidence in their own creativity! The brain, like most other parts of the body, needs to be exercised in order to grow stronger. Creativity and inspiration are no exceptions to this. The more a child dedicates their efforts to creating and exploring new ideas, the easier this will start to come to them. And in the time pressure of an exam, this kind of skill can be invaluable!

Children should therefore practice writing to unseen prompts – they should come up with their ideas, plan, write and proofread all in 20-30 minutes.

We have compiled lists of the different types of writing prompts that can appear in a 11+ exam to help kickstart your child’s creative writing and to provide ample fodder for exam accurate preparation.

Remember that if your child does tackle any of these sample tasks they should set aside time a few days after completing them to revisit their work. Children who rewrite their stories, especially after receiving feedback from readers, often find they are able to spot where to improve and make better progress in elevating their writing.

Essay Titles

Essay titles may be the most common creative writing task assigned to students. For this task, students will be given a single title or a writing brief and must write their story to fit it accordingly. For these types of prompts, it is important to read the whole brief carefully .

Before students begin writing or even planning their essays, they should highlight the keywords in their title or brief. They should note if there are any specific instructions that they must follow. Students will be marked according to how well they fulfil the task they have been given.

For example, we can take a question from Merchant Taylor School in London.

The prompt reads: Write a story with Alone as the title, where you suddenly realise that you are on your own. It may be true or entirely made up, but it should include your thoughts and feelings as well as what happened. 

Successful students would follow this brief entirely. Those who title their story Alone and write a story that fits this thematically but fail to write their character suddenly realising that they are on their own, would potentially lose marks for failing to follow the title brief fully. 

Here are some more essay titles for your students to practice with.

• Write a story (true or made up) about a visit you make to some relations of your own. (Question from Merchant Taylor School)
• Write a letter to a cousin inviting them to stay with you . You should try and interest them in some of the varied and unusual activities they can take part in. (Question from Merchant Taylor School)
• Describe a situation that you have experienced which might also be called A Magical Moment , showing your thoughts and feelings on the event. (Question from Merchant Taylor School)
• Write a clear description of an animal you know well. Make sure you describe what it does and how it behaves as well as what it looks like. (Question from Merchant Taylor School)
• I prefer Winter to Spring (Dulwich College, London)
• The door and what was behind it (Dulwich College, London)
• The prince of Darkness is a Gentleman (Dulwich College, London)
• Ash on an old man’s sleeve (Dulwich College, London)
• My hobby (Emmanuel College, London)
• Write a story that begins with the words, I had been waiting for such a long time for this to happen… (Emmanuel College, London)
• Write a description of someone you admire . (You may choose someone you actually know, or someone you have never met. Describe them and explain why you admire them.) (Emmanuel College, London)

And more…

• A surprising spy
• Break time at school
• Write a story about a lost key
• Is life too hectic to enjoy fully?
• My favourite memories
• A farewell party
• An attempted robbery
• It was a while before I realised my cat could talk
• Moving Houses
• The new pupils
• The Burglary
• My Brilliant Idea
• The Balloon
• The school rules
• A place that inspires you
• Your favourite day out
• Are Jamie Oliver’s new school dinners a good idea.
• What makes a good friend?
• Describe the scene and the activities at a bus station.
• How does the life of your generation differ from that of your grandparents?
• Discuss the good and bad effects of competition in modern life.

Visual Stimuli

Another type of essay prompt is the visual stimuli. This typically involves one image or a series of images that students can select from that will serve as the basis for a creative writing or nonfiction essay.

This type of prompt is more interpretive than any of the others. Essays can be purely descriptive, wherein students are asked to simply describe the scene pictured using evocative language, or they can be more abstract, in which students are asked to use a picture as a jumping off point for their ideas, and to create a story based on what they see. 

Students should therefore practice both describing scenes in unseen pictures and also interpreting unseen pictures to create a story. In the case of the latter, they will often be marked on their creativity and ability to incorporate what they see in an innovative way, as well as on the usual hallmarks of good creative writing.

Here are some examples of visual stimuli for your students to practice with.

Students can practice writing descriptions of the scenes or characters they see, or they can try to write stories based on them. Printing the pictures and labelling them can help with generating ideas and sparking imagination.

Continue an Extract

Students may also be asked to continue a given piece of writing. This could be a single, unseen sentence or paragraph or it could be based on a longer comprehension that the students will have already read as a part of their exam paper. In either case, strong reading skills will be crucial to success in this type of writing prompt.

Students should once again read the question they have been given carefully to ascertain the exact details of their task; they may be asked to continue a text directly from where it finishes, or may be given particular instructions from where to pick it up. They may also be instructed to respond to the text, rather than continue it, which can involve writing letters to characters within it or writing a story based on the events of what they have read.

Students are being marked on their understanding of the text they have read as well as their innate writing ability – successful candidates will demonstrate that they understand the events, tone, genre, style and characters of what they have read.

Here are a few paragraphs from classic texts to kickstart your student’s practice for this question style.

It is good practice to attempt full practice papers for this question style also, as it will help children to prepare for the strict timings and the challenges of the potential comprehension part more accurately.

The printable version can be accessed here .

• Dracula by Bram Stoker  (Gothic/Horror) Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests. But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored further; doors, doors, doors everywhere, and all locked and bolted. In no place save from the windows in the castle walls is there an available exit. The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!
• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Fantasy) If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire. But just before they go on fire you see the lagoon. This is the nearest you ever get to it on the mainland, just one heavenly moment; if there could be two moments you might see the surf and hear the mermaids singing.
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Adventure) Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises—the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder.

Sample Essays

The following sample essays were written by children preparing for their selective examinations for entry into senior independent schools. Whilst they have been typed out, the original spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors have been preserved deliberately. These can be great practice to go through with your child, to see if they can spot these errors. This can help improve both their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills as well as their proofreading abilities.

These essays are also a great way for children to see what is expected of them in their exam. This can make the task far less daunting, as they can see what is reasonable and achievable for them to write in their given time limit! You can find more sample essays like those below in our Creative Writings Examples books .

• 11 Plus Sample Essay 1: Original Version and Corrected Version: Tsunami
• 11 Plus Sample Essay 2: Original Version and Corrected Version: Alone
• 11 Plus Sample Essay 3: Original Version and Corrected Version: Ace

Further Practice

For more focussed practice, we have written our own series of Creative Writing preparation books . 

These books are full to the brim with more prompts like those above and they are divided into distinct sections dedicated to different styles of writing, with a number of example pieces in each chapter written by students who have sat the 11+. Examining these extracts, like the samples above, and completing the accompanying writing activities will give your child a better understanding of what is required of them in the exam and will provide a great insight into the types of writing they are able to produce themselves, based on the work of children their own age.

Buy these books here . 

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Scoring Top Marks: 11 Plus Creative Writing Checklist

• Introduction

Creative writing can crop up on 11 plus exams often. But sometimes students can get confused about what the 11 plus exam is expecting of them. They have tons of questions. How do you start a creative writing piece? How do I get the marks? How long does this have to be?

Luckily, we have a guide here to something that can solve all this confusion and get students full marks on their 11 plus creative writing exam – checklists.  

Table of Contents

Why checklists?

The piacademy checklist system, students enjoy getting technical, it helps reluctant writers, here are the main issues:.

Checklists are used for many academic tasks, and creative writing is a common one. Are they really effective? Absolutely! 

This article from PiAcademy will explore why checklists are used and how to use writing checklists to improve student writing in the classroom and in the 11 plus creative writing exam .

Check this Out: Top 5 Creative Writing Tips to Score Full Marks

When children have the opportunity to address their own mistakes within the writing process, it makes their learning more meaningful. They can fix mistakes as they go and develop their writing skills that much faster. Think of famous authors like Roald Dahl or Judy Blume. 

Good writers use checklists, revise, and edit over and over again to get it just right.

A creative writing checklist is an effective tool to use because…

• It guides students to develop the skills needed when writing.
• It shows reluctant writers a simple way to include the necessary elements.
• It provides a reference to use throughout the writing process.
• It helps students stay focused on each step of the process.
• It gives students tools for review and peer-editing.
• It ensures students include key elements of that particular type of writing.
• It encourages students to establish organization throughout their paper.
• It reminds students to “check over” their paper for effective revising strategies and proper editing rules.
• It holds students accountable by providing expectations.
• It keeps students on task.
• It ultimately helps significantly improve students’ writing.
• It can help communicate the criteria of an effective paper to parents.

Don’t just take our word for it! Research from prominent universities backs it up:

“Kathleen Dudden Rowlands recommends using checklists to support student learning and performance. Well-designed checklists identify steps students can take to complete complex tasks which scaffold students’ metacognitive development and fosters the confidence and independence needed for internalising these steps for future tasks.”

When it comes to these ‘tasks’, creative writing for the 11 plus exam is no different. It might seem intimidating because of the number of marks. But the people marking the exams are using checklists too! They have their own criteria they have to follow to give out the marks.  All of PiAcademy’s 11 plus creative writing resources are built around this system, and here’s how it helps you get the marks.

So how does the system actually work? How does it help your child get higher marks on the 11 plus exam?

It Helps with Planning 

The starting point for our checklist system is based on a topic students overlook – planning. 

It’s a major reason why children take the 11 plus exam drop marks for no reason. No one wants to read a story that doesn’t make sense. So why would the examiner? They are going to read hundreds of these exams, remember. If they’re reading something that’s nonsense, it won’t go well for the student. 

Planning is an important part of the fiction writing process. Many professional writers use a plan as the basis for a first draft, which they will later edit several times before the work is complete.

Planning and proofreading should bookend your creative writing process. In the planning phase you prepare your ideas and narrative structure. As you proofread you check how well your writing is working. During each phase you might focus on vocabulary and effective forms of expression. The PiAcademy checklist is all about the student knowing exactly what is going to happen in the beginning, middle and end of the story. It even explains what your story should be doing at each stage in clear terms, so your child will never be missing a story structure ever again.

Ever enjoyed reading a grammar textbook cover to cover? Me neither. And with the checklist system, your child will never have to overthink how they build their sentences ever again. 

Something all 11 plus examiners are looking for is the technical ability, and creative writing is no different. But it can get overwhelming. Just showing students examples isn’t enough. They need to know they can use it in their own writing. 

For example, using a variety of sentences can help you to create pace and tension in your writing. Students must experiment with different sentence lengths and types to build atmosphere, mood and suspense. 

However, getting over this hurdle is easy when they prioritise different parts of the PiAcademy checklist. 

The checklist has a clear breakdown of all the different sentence types, with examples, so students aren’t left trying to do too much at once. Plus, the language used is simple enough for students to understand. 

Too many mark schemes use terms that confuse students rather than help them. A creative writing checklist on the other hand is designed for students to constantly reference.

Teaching creative writing for the 11+ creative writing exams can be incredibly difficult. I’ve discussed some of the issues previously, but the most frustrating thing I think is when students suggest they aren’t creative and so justify themselves not doing any writing. 

The inevitable disruptive behaviours then can become a nightmare to manage. Checklists introduce a pragmatic approach, with success, in getting students to produce quality responses in specific time frames.

• Students who withdraw from the writing process undoubtedly lack the confidence to write, which is because they lack the tools to do so. 
• There are numerous commentators who implore parents to provide consistent opportunities for students to write, thereby building their confidence in the process and concurrently developing a love of writing. 
• Chris Curtis‘ notable 200-word challenge is a prime example, where students are encouraged to write from a prompt but crucially without the fear of it being marked within an inch of its life, avoiding any self-consciousness and allowing a freedom of thinking. 

With a checklist like the one from PiAcademy , you don’t need to worry about reluctant writing, it's designed to get students into the task as soon as possible.

For example, if you have a child who is more geared towards mathematics or science than English, checklists can be a real help. They link to the mechanical part of the brain that likes to do things by steps or in a process.  

When each aspect of the mark scheme is broken down into plain language, many 11+ tutors have found that this helps with confidence over time. When a reluctant writer can focus on one section at a time, it cuts down on confusion and leads to higher marks. 

It helps great students, too. 

When we see students needing more than one experience of the modelling process, it reminds us that it’s not easy to write a successful story, and it takes lots of practice, even for the very best students. 

An inexperienced tutor would be guilty of rushing the process and have students writing independently too quickly, especially when 11 plus exams loom.

It’s easy for many parents to say, ‘just try your best, and get full marks’. But even the very best students need that help and support to get them over the line. Maybe there’s just one element of the mark scheme, like higher-level vocabulary , they need to meet. 

Having the checklist in front of them provides a scaffold to embed the final few parts of the mark scheme they need to get the very highest marks. 

Having examples of things like figurative language there to spur them on, can lead to increased creativity.

In some ways, this can be one of the trickiest parts of the exam to prepare for. There are not a great deal of high-quality resources available for parents, and the time pressures can really get to some students. 

Pupils will however find that developing a full description bank of characters, emotions, action, the natural world and the built environment etc will help them to deliver effective and creative descriptions on the day.

That’s why PiAcademy’s creative writing courses are so valuable – they have hints, plans, checklists, and structures in place to help students build up their confidence: 

• Specifically designed to prepare for independent and grammar school exams
• Great practice to improve your child’s imagination, writing skills, and performance in the exam 
• 23 Creative Writings - Designed by oxford graduate tutors

No matter which of these topics you want to make a start on, take a look at what PiAcademy has to offer.

The checklist ensures you cover essential elements for scoring full marks in 11+ Creative Writing.

It provides a structured approach to crafting compelling narratives.

Yes, it's designed to enhance Creative Writing for various 11+ exams.

Yes, you can conveniently access it online.

While it's a valuable tool, performance depends on overall writing skills.

Utilize the checklist as a guide to ensure you include critical elements in your Creative Writing, increasing your chances of success.

• Using PiAcademy for 8 months, Simply Amazing website. I have a lot of experience with other 11 + resources and found it hard to find any more difficult Math papers appropriate for the more independent academic schools. These exam papers are amazing, and very easy to follow with the thorough solutions. highly recommended for every parent. Sharon King , 11+ Parent Great, My daughter is taking her 11+ next month so we are using these papers to revise over the summer holidays. These topicwise questions are well set out and is a great practice for my daughter. These papers are a perfect way to help your kid to be as prepared as they possibly can for the 11+ exam. Amber , 11+ Parent
• Excellent, This website is perfect, initially i wasted three months just thinking whether to subscribe or not, After subscribing i found out that it was worth it. I recommended to almost all my friends and their kids are also busy now in practicing for 11+ El Loro , 11+ Parent Practice makes perfect!, PiAcademy have come out with a super range of new 11+ practice papers, designed to stretch, challenge and test your child for forthcoming entry examinations. The topicwise questions include numbers problems, algebra, geometry, probability, permutation and combinations, measurement...etc lana green , 11+ Parent
• Great exam papers. These test papers are amazing, they are a lot more up-to date than some of the 11+ stuff I have bought earlier for my daughter. gerry , 11+ Parent Using PiAcademy for 8 months, Simply Amazing website. I have a lot of experience with other 11 + resources and found it hard to find any more difficult Math papers appropriate for the more independent academic schools. These exam papers are amazing, and very easy to follow with the thorough solutions. highly recommended for every parent. Sharon King , 11+ Parent
• Using PiAcademy for 8 months, Simply Amazing website. I have a lot of experience with other 11 + resources and found it hard to find any more difficult Math papers appropriate for the more independent academic schools. These exam papers are amazing, and very easy to follow with the thorough solutions. highly recommended for every parent. Sharon King , 11+ Parent
• Great, My daughter is taking her 11+ next month so we are using these papers to revise over the summer holidays. These topicwise questions are well set out and is a great practice for my daughter. These papers are a perfect way to help your kid to be as prepared as they possibly can for the 11+ exam. Amber , 11+ Parent
• Excellent, This website is perfect, initially i wasted three months just thinking whether to subscribe or not, After subscribing i found out that it was worth it. I recommended to almost all my friends and their kids are also busy now in practicing for 11+ El Loro , 11+ Parent
• Practice makes perfect!, PiAcademy have come out with a super range of new 11+ practice papers, designed to stretch, challenge and test your child for forthcoming entry examinations. The topicwise questions include numbers problems, algebra, geometry, probability, permutation and combinations, measurement...etc lana green , 11+ Parent
• Great exam papers. These test papers are amazing, they are a lot more up-to date than some of the 11+ stuff I have bought earlier for my daughter. gerry , 11+ Parent

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How to prepare for Creative Writing

This article provides advice for students about the creative writing task in the 11 plus / selective school entrance examinations.

• 1 How is creative writing tested?
• 2 What is the examiner looking for?
• 4.1 1. Planning
• 4.2 2. Using you creativity/imagination
• 4.3 3. Fluent writing style
• 4.4 4. Punctuation
• 4.5 5. Grammar
• 4.6 6. Spellings
• 4.7 7. Vocabulary
• 4.8 8. Structure
• 5 Checking your work
• 6 Can your handwriting be read?
• 7 Practise your ideas

How is creative writing tested?

Creative writing for the 11+ may require you to write either an original story or complete a continuous prose exercise in the same style of writing (when you are given the start of a story/piece of writing and you continue it). Both types of task will examine your ability to plan, create and then write in a structured manner.

You may be given just one title/opening paragraph to write from or you could be given a set of options from which you choose your preferred one. A few schools may present the creative writing task at the end of a comprehension exercise where you are asked to continue writing the comprehension text or creative a piece of work about the comprehension text/information.

Some entrance examinations, for selective schools, will assess the creative writing task only as part of a borderline check in the review process if you have fallen marginally short or only just passed the given pass mark for that entrance exam.

Unlike creative writing lessons in school, there will no time allowed to do all the usual planning, drafting and revising required to produce a final piece of writing; the 11+ creative writing task is completed in a very short time, in one sitting, with no time allowed for any drafts.

What is the examiner looking for?

Creative writing skills include the following components:

• Effective planning
• Creativity/imagination
• A ‘fluent’ and interesting writing style
• Correct use of punctuation including the use of some ‘advanced’ types
• Correct use of English grammar
• Correct spellings
• An extensive and interesting vocabulary
• A well-structured piece of writing

There will be a specified time given for the writing task. The length of this will vary between schools. Ensure that you know what this is and keep an eye on your progress in order to be able to finish in time and include a check of your work.

Skills to practise

1. planning.

Never just start writing. Planning will help you to organise your thoughts and this will give your writing structure. It really does not need to take long but is always 5 minutes well spent. This planning time may form part of the whole time given to write or it may be an extra 5 minutes provided at the start before the writing is timed. Use a planning technique that works well for you e.g. flow-chart, mind map, spider diagram, chart. If you do run out of writing time you can ask the examiner to refer to your plan to see how you would have continued/ended your work.

2. Using you creativity/imagination

Some people are naturally creative with words, story-lines etc. and find this skill easy. However, your imagination can be greatly improved by reading a variety of books.

See this suggested reading book list .

3. Fluent writing style

Your writing style is unique to you. It should demonstrate ‘joined-up thinking’ and an ability to write in an entertaining manner that creates such an interest for the reader that they want to continue reading.

4. Punctuation

You will be expected to use all the correct punctuation marks in a piece of creative writing. The correct use of punctuation is required to make your writing clear and avoid confusion. Apart from the standard simple forms of punctuation you will already be familiar with, it is best to also demonstrate your knowledge and correct use of some of the less commonly used punctuation marks e.g. ellipses(…), brackets( ), colons(:), semi-colons(;), hyphens(–) and apostrophes(‘).

English Grammar follows rules and you will be expected to use them correctly in your writing. Speaking and writing use different accepted forms of grammar. It is therefore important that you do not write as you may speak or as you communicate in a text message. Your writing should use the word groups i.e. nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, connectives, prepositions and articles correctly and in the right order within your sentences. All sentences should be complete and make entire sense on their own, using the correct word endings as appropriate for the number of items and the correct form of the verb for the tense used. Use a variety of sentence structures, in addition to simple sentences, including compound and complex sentences to showcase your abilities.

6. Spellings

The use of correct spelling is essential in any form of writing. Some people are naturally good at spelling and others need to work at learning them. You will probably have been taught some spelling rules in English lessons, revise these and practise them however some awkward or irregular words just have to be learnt. Reading a lot will improve your spelling ability as will playing some word games e.g. Scrabble, Boggle and Hangman. Although a dictionary will not be allowed to be used in a test, make looking up spellings in a dictionary part of your 11+ preparation.

7. Vocabulary

An extensive and interesting vocabulary takes years to develop. Some tutors/parents like to use vocabulary lists LINK to extend a child’s vocabulary but the best method is to read numerous books and look out for new words that you can use in your writing. Keeping a word list of new words is useful and this can be added to when reading books, watching TV or out and about. When you are practising your writing skills use a thesaurus to improve and extend your vocabulary and make an effort to include lots of interesting adjectives and adverbs.

8. Structure

It is important to demonstrate that your writing has structure in the form of clearly demarcated paragraphs that organised by characters, topic and time. Ensure that you have a good opening paragraph, if this is not supplied, to draw the reader in and then a suitable closing paragraph to conclude your writing.

Checking your work

Always leave enough time at the end of your writing to check:

• Punctuation
• Consistent use of the same tense
• Good vocabulary

You have to become your own spelling and grammar checker. Read through carefully with a critical eye and carefully, neatly correct any errors or omissions.

Can your handwriting be read?

There is no point in writing a stunning piece of work if the examiner cannot read it. Although your handwriting is not usually included in the creative writing mark/grade it will certainly influence decisions made about your work. Additionally, punctuation errors may be assumed if it is difficult to differentiate your capital letters from the lower-case letters.

It is never too late to improve, try using a different pen and practise writing at speed.

Practise your ideas

It is a good idea to have a few ‘stock’ essays and/or ideas already practised and prepared that you are able to use, altering as required, for the examination task. Creative writing for 11+/selective school exams tends to follow some fairly predictable themes and styles that can be practised in advance.

Try Chuckra’s  Writing Feedback Service for tailored guidance on how to improve.

What type of 11+ parent are you?

A Fussy Parent , a Tiger Mum , an Exocet Missile , a Give it a go Parent ...

Join The 11 Plus Group  on Facebook to find out.

3 comments on “ How to prepare for Creative Writing ”

Thank you for this useful and informative post. Writing is an essential part of a college education. Having become accustomed to short essays and articles, you may be afraid of such responsible work – it is a long work based on facts. The time limit is another problem. You need help for student , consultations with your teacher to resolve issues.

cool the world is rabiolli shrek

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Creative writing in english in exams and in the classroom.

Hints and Tips - 7 minute read

Isobel Woodger, OCR English Subject Advisor

Reading as a writer, writing as a reader

Our approach tries to marry students’ experiences as readers and writers. This is why the creative component for Language and Literature is called “Reading as a writer, writing as a reader”, to emphasise that students should see elements they’ve explored in their texts not just as inspiration, but as a set of tools they can use in their work.

Equally, as I saw during a recent English and Media Centre (EMC) course on teaching The Bloody Chamber , creative writing can create powerful, conceptual responses to texts as well as deepen understanding of the author’s process.

What is our approach to creative writing tasks?

Crucial to our approach, at all levels, is the dual focus on narrative and choice. We believe in offering students a choice in which narrative they are asked to create to enable better, more authentic responses. It’s important that students feel they are involved in the assessment as opposed to simply sitting it.

Additionally, we focus on narrative over pure descriptive writing as we think this helps generate truly creative, imaginative work. In Component 2 of our GCSE English Language course , students are asked to write a creative response to one of two prompts, like those below from the 2018 June series .

One is narrative based, e.g. giving a title as a prompt for a story; the other is more of a personal, reflective response, giving a scenario to develop.

From June 2018, GCSE English Language Component 2:

This links neatly to the tasks we set in A Level Language & Literature course which we co-developed with EMC. In the second part of Component 3, students choose one of two narrative prompts like these from the 2018 June series:

Students should write approximately 500 words of an opening to a narrative, clearly using some of the bullet points provided. They are, in the next question, asked to write a commentary on their work.

What are our examiners saying?

Our examiners are aware that writing creatively on demand is a complex brief to fulfil. We also know that what we respond to as readers is often the author’s control: how they guide our responses to places, people and topics, as well as play with our assumptions and expectations.

At GCSE, the mark scheme talks about Level 6 students adapting the form of their writing “to position the reader” as a way to demonstrate “sophisticated control of purpose and effect” alongside “skilfully control[ing] overall structure.” Ultimately, whatever their level, students should aim to write a piece that demonstrates a sense of narrative control over its style and is structured to direct their reader’s response.

Without taking the time to plan a response, it can be hard to demonstrate this control. As the June 2018 GCSE Examiners’ Report says, “The best work has been carefully planned and builds to a clear and effective conclusion.” Knowing what and how they want to write offers students more control over their work and gives them greater scope for inventiveness.

A crucial way to approach students’ ability to plan is to build their understanding of structural choices. Being able to choose what narrative voice they wish to use, where the story should open and close, how the story ought to progress – these are structural decisions that can enable students to write more imaginatively, without a dependence solely on vocabulary extension. Naturally, exposing students to a wide range of texts of different kinds is what aids this understanding.

Some consideration of time can be a great way for students to be more formally and structurally inventive, as outlined in the same report: “The use of flashback, flash forward, starting at the linear conclusion and working back to the beginning […] can all bring a great deal of creative originality to straightforward or even rather mundane content.”

Creative writing strategies for the classroom and the exam:

Use analogies both as instructions and models. For example, ask students to think of perspective as being like directing a film scene, where your decisions about where the camera should be and who it should focus on can change how the audience feels.

Don’t be afraid to use creative writing as tool for understanding other texts or ideas. Teaching students to write creatively only in response to examination prompts isn’t the way to broaden their ideas. Instead, use creative writing as a way for them to respond to a Literature text; use it as a way for them to express their thoughts about a concept like inequality, or relationships.

Using style models is underrated. Get students to write in the style of a range of authors, so they can learn from the inside out how voice is constructed in different ways depending on the writer.

Exploratory writing could form part of the planning process. Often students think planning means coming up with a list straight away. It’s worth asking students to write in an exploratory way about a text or a task before getting them to consider which of those ideas might form a road map for their own writing.

Effective description moves beyond modifiers. Adjectives and adverbs are important but should be used with judgement. Having a wider range of descriptive, precise verbs will give students more control over their work.

Plan to write something ‘real’. This isn’t a plea for realist fiction, but rather, responses that have a sense of emotional reality. This can help ground writing, giving it depth and direction. This can be easy to miss when trying to plan for something dramatic or surprising.

In short, we want students to write pieces that demonstrate control and consideration, which show they can choose words with care to craft a planned narrative. We think the more students are aware that their experiences as readers can be used or adapted for themselves in their own work, the wider range of tools students have at their fingertips.

Stay connected

Have you got any creative writing strategies you’d like to share? Or perhaps there’s a particular area of the subject you’d like us to talk about. In either case, do submit your comments below or email us at [email protected] . You can also sign up to receive email updates or follow us on Twitter at @OCR_English .

About the author

Isobel joined OCR as a member of the English subject team, with particular responsibility for A and AS Level English Literature and A and AS Level English Language and Literature (EMC).

She previously worked as a classroom teacher in a co-educational state secondary school, with three years as second-in-charge in English with responsibility for Key Stage 5. In addition to teaching all age groups from Key Stage 3 to 5, Isobel worked with the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education as a mentor to PGCE trainees. Prior to this, she studied for an MA in film, television and screen media with Birkbeck College, University of London while working as a learning support assistant at a large state comprehensive school.

By the same author

• Clarifying context in GCSE and A Level English Literature
• English: Tips and tricks for tackling the A Level Literature NEA
• English ‘subject terminology’ - precision or complication? How might it help rather than hinder?

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How to achieve A+ in creative writing (Reading and Creating)

March 9, 2017

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Go ahead and tilt your mobile the right way (portrait). the kool kids don't use landscape....

We’ve explored creative writing criteria, literary elements and how to replicate the text over on our The Ultimate Guide to VCE Creative Writing blog post . If you need a quick refresher or you’re new to creative writing, I highly recommend checking it out!

For many students, writing creative pieces can be slightly daunting. For some, it is about unleashing the writer within as the boundaries and thematic constraints that exist in Text Response are lifted. For others, it can be an opportunity to discover new writing styles, branching out from the generic T-E-E-L structure.

Formats of imaginative pieces include:

• short narratives,
• a personal diary entry ,
• chronicling the character's thoughts,
• and monologues.

Writing in an imaginative style allows you to draw from your own morals, views and feelings. You can weave in personal anecdotes, experiences, and metaphorical language which gives one's writing that pizazz and individualist factor!

Moreover, you can showcase how you have perceived and interpreted the characters within the novel/film, the landscapes they inhabit. Alternatively, you can step into different personas. For example, for the topic of conflict, I can write as an injured army medic, a doctor, a foreign correspondent and a war photographer.

However, imaginative writing also has many pitfalls students tumble into (do not despair; you can get out of it!):

1) Don't get too caught up in emotions and flowery language.

Great imaginative pieces are not only graded on how good your story telling skills are. More importantly, your teachers would be grading on the palpable links to the themes of the text and prompt you have been given.

In Year 11, when I wrote an imaginative piece, I went overboard with the flowery metaphorical language. My teacher said ‘Overall, the piece is good however, at some parts it sounded like purple prose.’ When I read it over now, I shudder a little.

2) In Reading and Creative, there is greater emphasis on extrapolating themes and ideas from your studied text.  

So, those radical and out-of-the box ideas and views you have in relation to the text can now be used.

For example, the overarching themes in  Every Man In This Village Is A Liar  encompass the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, inequality (the unequal status of women in Middle East), the effect of war on the physical body and the human psych and, how the media portrays war and violence. The starting point to planning any context piece is to use quotes and ideas within your text. Infer meaning from those quotes and main ideas and ask yourself:

• 'Does it hold a great degree of relevance to issues prevalent today?'
• 'Can I link it to my sac/exam prompt?' 

So, here's an example of planning a creative piece. Two of my favourite quotes from  Life of Galileo  are:

'Science is the rightful, much loved daughter of the church.'

‘Our ignorance is limitless; let us lop off a millimeter off it. Why try to be clever now that we at last have a chance of being less stupid.’

In essence, this conveys the overarching theme of science vs. religion, and how Church and the inquisition exploit the peoples' views through their own ignorance. Their fear of change, pioneering and gaining of new knowledge stems from the prospect of chaos if society's entrenched values are uprooted. I interpreted this as 'ignorance is not bliss' and instead, it breeds fear in people. This is in relevance with the tragic events that has occurred in recent years - acts of terrorism, and/or racially motivated attacks. In the context of our modern society, religion and science still maintain an intriguing and tumultuous relationship. As the advancement of technology and ethics are not at equilibrium, this is where controversy arises. Conversely, we now have to consider whether this relates to the prompt:

A person never knows who they truly are, until tested by conflict.

Possible idea for this example:

"Is it ethical to administer a new drug capable of rewiring and regenerating brain function at a neuronal level to someone who has sustained extensive brain damage? Is it deemed humane to potentially change a person's character? At what personal cost will this have? - Playing god."

Tips to achieve A+ in creative writing

1. ensure it is related to the text..

A lot of students believe that the reading and creating essay is exactly the same as the old context essay. However, there is a significant difference! While a creative context essay does not have to link to the text in any way and only needs to explore a certain idea (e.g. encountering conflict), the reading and creating essay needs to offer a relevant interpretation of the text as well as show understanding of the text’s messages and how the text creates meaning .

The easiest way to write a creative response that links clearly to the text is to write about a scenario that is related to the plot line. You can do this by writing a continuation of the storyline (i.e. what happens after the end?), or by filling in gaps in the plot line which the author did not explicitly outline (what happens behind the scenes that caused the outcome?) In this way, your response will be completely original and still demonstrate an understanding of the world of the text.

2. Write in a way that shows understanding of how the text creates meaning.

When creating your response, be aware of the features present in your text (such as characters, narrative, motifs etc) that you can use in your own essay. For example, if the text is narrated from a first-person perspective, you may also mimic this in your essay. Or, you could tell it in first-person from another character’s point of view to demonstrate another interpretation of the text. You may also include motifs from the text into your own response. But be careful when making decisions about structure, conventions and language. If the text is written in very formal and concise language, it is probably not a good idea to use slang. Similarly, if the text is a play, structuring your response as a script might be a better choice than writing a poem!

3. Explore the explicit and implied ideas and values in the texts.

Lastly, remember that whilst it is a creative response, your purpose is NOT to tell a nice story but to explore the ideas, values and messages left by the author! There will always be various interpretations regarding these values, and you can express your understanding of the text through your portrayal of certain characters, or through the events in your response. For example, if you were studying Measure for Measure and wanted to explore how human nature cannot be restrained or limited by law and punishment, you could write a continuation of the play in which the city of Vienna has reverted to its original state of moral decay.

4. Show, don't tell

Creative essays are great because they offer interesting and unique stories; however, there is one common downfall that occurs in writing. Some students create pieces that are  too  straightforward. Rather than using vocabulary, imagery and symbolism to express a point, they simply write down a statement that sums up what they wish to say. Your aim is to invite the reader to  experience  the story through your words. This can be done through the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions etc. Thus the well-known phrase among writers, ‘ Show, don’t tell’ . Keeping this idea in mind turn you into a much more successful writer – and you’ll see the difference!

Tell: Katie was very happy.

Show: Katie’s face lifted. Little wrinkles appeared around her bright eyes, her dimples made an appearance that dug into her cheeks as a big grin emerged to show her perfect teeth.

Tell: She felt horrible for the weeping children.

Show: Guilt throbbed inside her as she stared at the weeping children. Her heart pounded against her chest, her hands trembling beside her still body, her brain screaming at her to do  something .

Tell: I was scared.

Show: I hear my breathing; heavy, and rapid. I shut my eyes tightly. I can feel goosebumps running up my arms and down my back.

To test whether or not you are ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’, think about whether or not your sentence leaves room for questions. In Example 1, ‘Katie was very happy’ would leave the reader thinking – what thought or action showed that she was happy? Whereas ‘show’ demonstrated that she was happy without directly stating it.

The key is to go into the finer details of your story!

Finally, have fun and enjoy the process of planning a creative narrative, let your imagination run a little wild and rein it in with your knowledge! Hopefully these tips were helpful and you are now more confident and informed on the Reading and Creating response! 

This blog post was written by Amanda Lau, Rosemary Chen, and Lisa Tran.

Get our FREE VCE English Text Response mini-guide

Now quite sure how to nail your text response essays? Then download our free mini-guide, where we break down the art of writing the perfect text-response essay into three comprehensive steps. Click below to get your own copy today!

Access a FREE sample of our How To Write A Killer Creative study guide

• Learn how to apply key creative frameworks and literary elements to elevate your writing
• Introduces the REPLICATE and IMAGINE strategy , a straightforward and methodical approach to creative writing
• Includes a step-by-step method to guide you through every phase of creative writing
• Explains the Written Explanation component, with multiple annotated A+ examples
• Includes excerpts from multiple A+ creative pieces

For a deep dive into the Creative and what it entails, check out our blog post: VCE English Unit 3, Area Of Study 2: Creating Texts - What Is It?

Leo Tolstoy wrote his magnum opus, War and Peace , over the span of six years. It took Harper Lee two and a half years to write To Kill A Mockingbird . Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See took ten years to complete.

The incredibly intricate and complex nature of stories means that it often takes time to fit all the elements in harmony. But for those of you studying VCE English Units 1 and 3 , you don’t have the luxury of two or six, let alone ten years to write your Creative. The time constraints you face can mean that it’s harder to put the metaphorical puzzle pieces together. 

Luckily, we can simplify the process for you by breaking down what makes a good story (using Cinderella to demonstrate).

The Skeleton of a Good Story (With Steps!)

In primary school, we were all taught the “beginning-middle-end“ approach to stories. Aside from being kind of vague, this overused approach doesn’t ensure a clear transformation between the “beginning” and the “end“. If nothing changes between the beginning and the end of your story, you have no story.

The skeleton approach is an effective alternative to other forms of story writing because it guarantees that your character has fundamentally changed by the end. Think of the following as criteria when you write your Creative - if you have (even slightly) addressed all of the following aspects, you can be sure you’ve written a story worth telling (and a Creative that’s going to score highly).

1) The Status Quo

Most stories feature a main protagonist, and your Creative piece should too! This is the main character who is in a zone of comfort/familiarity with some obvious shortcoming. This shortcoming can be a character flaw or something in the setting. This is Cinderella: she is used to her ordinary life in her small house, with her shortcoming being that she’s a servant to her evil stepsisters.

2) The Want

Additionally, your character has to want something (or at least, think that they want that thing). Since your time is limited, keep the desire simple. For instance, Cinderella’s main desire is to escape her life of servitude and be supported.

3) The New Situation

After you have established the character’s “want”, your character has to enter an unfamiliar situation that addresses their shortcoming. Continuing the example of Cinderella, this unfamiliar situation is the royal ball, which offers her the chance to marry the prince and live with him instead.  

4) The Plan

After the new situation is presented, the character must carry out a plan to get what they want, be it explicitly or subconsciously. This plan can either succeed or fail in getting them what they want. Cinderella plans to present herself as a viable option for the prince by ensuring she is well-groomed and presentable - a plan she fulfils.

However, the character must pay a very heavy price for it - mentally, physically or emotionally. This is the climax of the story, where the character is challenged and maybe even forced to change. For Cinderella, the clock striking midnight signals a limit on the amount of time she can maintain the princess persona and interact with the prince.

5) The “Eureka” Moment

This part of the story is potentially the most vital: when the character is forced to look within and reflect on who they are, what they actually need and want, and who they must be to achieve these things. Cinderella's initial reluctance to claim ownership of the shoe suggests her acceptance of a life of servitude, implying that she views the "aristocratic dream" as unachievable.

6) The Resolution

Finally, the character either returns to their familiar situation or a new situation is born. In Cinderella , a new situation arises when Cinderella marries the prince and escapes her previous life. This is when the situation has been “resolved ”, not “ended”.  

Experiment!

The other benefit of the skeleton approach is that you have the room to experiment with your Creative piece. For instance, you can do an allegorical text (like Animal Farm ) or maybe even a cyclical structure ( Gone Girl , film). Your Creative piece is inspired by your experiences and no one else’s so have fun with your creative control!

Here’s how to get ahead of this brand new VCE English Unit. 

What Is ‘Creating Texts’?

If you’re in Year 12 this year, chances are you will begin studying the Creating Texts Area of Study very soon (if you haven’t started already). This new AoS in the 2024 study design has essentially expanded and replaced the previous study design’s approach to creative writing, now placing a greater focus on the process of creating texts and embracing multiple forms of writing.

Here’s what the study design states the outcome of this unit is:

‘On completion of this unit the student should be able to demonstrate effective writing skills by producing their own texts, designed to respond to a specific context and audience to achieve a stated purpose; and to explain their decisions made through writing processes.’ (VCAA English Study Design, 2024-2027)

So, while before VCAA did not place a heavy focus on this unit, now it is heavily emphasised, being one of the three sections of the English exam. Now, more so than before, you are required to write – even if just a little bit – creatively.

Given that Creating Texts is now reflected in the end-of-year exam, it is very important to nail it. And to do that, you first need to know what this Area of Study is all about.

Framework of Ideas

A big part of this AoS is the Framework of Ideas , which provides students and, perhaps most importantly, schools, with thematic guides to encourage discussion and unique writing. The study design states:

‘ The Framework of Ideas presents four broad ideas through which students can engage with writing’. 

Here’s what they are, as directly taken from the study design:

• Writing about country: 'Exploration of place and belonging'

You can also explore ideas of one’s sense of national belonging, the climate crisis, colonisation and decolonisation, and different forms of cultural identities in relation to the land. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives can also be addressed.

• Writing about protest: 'Explorations of conflict and contest, what it means to protest, the value of protest, the outcomes of protest, personal stories of protest, struggle and war'

For this framework, you can dive deep into prominent figures who spearheaded social movements through protests, or you can look at protest more broadly and investigate its role and effectiveness within society, the history of protest and its many facets.

•   Writing about personal journeys: 'Explorations of ‘life’ or biographical explorations'

Ideas surrounding the importance of storytelling and personal change, and invitations for students to create autobiographical written pieces are also outlined in the study design.

•   Writing about play: 'Explorations of experiences and traditions of play and playing in many cultures and through history'

This framework also invites thought into how play intersects with technology, the role of play and make-believe in our daily lives, and even how performance and social media may influence how we view the world today.

NOTE: The study design also offers many other possible ways to explore these ideas, so make sure to check it out and read it carefully. It can be found HERE .

As you can see, the ideas within the frameworks are very broad. This was intentionally done, so that you have ample opportunity to find something within those ideas that engage you. Your school will choose only one of these frameworks, so you are in no way expected to dissect all four – that would be a huge undertaking!

Mentor Texts

There are also four mentor texts for each framework, which range from TED Talks, blog posts, short stories, speeches and argumentative articles, to name a few. Their purpose in the curriculum is to serve as examples of effective writing, as the selected texts show a competent understanding of context, purpose and audience , as well as confident use of textual features such as tone, vocabulary and authorial voice. This is similar to what you might have encountered in Year 11, where you were asked to read and analyse a range of creative texts to then inform your own writing.

When studying your mentor texts, make sure to keep all of this in mind and carefully analyse each text and what is successful about them in relation to your framework. This will make your life much easier when it comes to writing your own.

If you don’t feel very confident in creating texts or think these frameworks are very broad and hard to come up with good ideas for, just remember that you’re not going into this unit completely blind, neither are you expected to write completely from scratch.

Besides your experience last year, your given framework and mentor texts are there to provide a guide to effective writing and introduce you to many different ideas, so make sure to use them to your advantage! Besides, having more freedom in a creative writing task should definitely be viewed as a benefit rather than a hindrance. 

Oh No! Does This Mean I Have To Write a Narrative? 

No, it doesn’t! If the aforementioned formats of the mentor texts were any indication, this AoS encourages you to embrace the variety of different writing styles.

When before you might have been required to write within a narrative format or asked to ‘fill a gap’ in an already existing short story, now you have the freedom to write in whatever way you want, and it does not need to be a narrative, let alone fictional storytelling.

In the context of the Creating Texts AoS, ‘creative writing’ does not only equate to creating fictional characters, worlds and narratives. Instead, it gives way to the many other forms of writing that show off a writer’s creativity, which is not solely dependent on what is written, but also how and why the text has been written. This links back to the context, purpose and audience idea I talked about before.

The study design also heavily focuses on the process of writing and experimentation and not just the final draft. This AoS is your chance to fully immerse yourself in writing, so you should make sure to brainstorm and try new modes of writing you might not have thought of before. You might end up surprising yourself and coming up with great texts!

So, here’s a non-exhaustive list of writing styles you can choose to tackle:

• Your classic narrative or short story
• Argumentative article
• Transcript of a Podcast episode
• Poetry/Song (just remember you are not allowed to write in these formats for the Exam!)
• Reflective essay
• Biographical texts

You may find that, as you work through the unit, some formats may be more effective than others depending on your framework, chosen audience, chosen tone or even just your personal preference. For example, writing in a blog post format post would be more effective in engaging the particular audience of teens and young adults. 

Or, you may choose to convey your ideas with a specific tone in mind. For example, if you want to address your framework in an emotive way you might choose to write a first-person narrative short story. Conversely, if you want to address it in a rational and factual way, you might choose to write an article. 

That’s another reason why experimenting and trying new things is so important -  so that you can find out what, in your opinion, suits you and the framework best.

Check out our blog post on the Skeleton Approach for a suggestion of how you could potentially structure your Creative piece.

What Your SAC Will Look Like

This AoS is worth 60 of the 100 marks allocated for Unit 3, so it is a big deal. However, if you have a look at the study design, those 60 marks are split into three equal parts worth 20 marks each, which means your SAC will consist of three things:

‍ 1) ‘A written text constructed in consideration of audience, purpose and context.’ And, of course, your text will also need to be constructed in relation to your chosen framework.

2) ‘A written text constructed in consideration of audience, purpose and context.’ Yep, that’s right. For this SAC you have to create two distinct writing pieces. The assessment task as it is outlined in the study design does not mention whether they need to have completely different formats or audience/purpose/context from one another, so the specifics might be up to your school to decide.

3)   ‘A commentary reflecting on writing processes.’ This is the same as a Written Explanation , which you likely have come across before. This is where you write a couple of paragraphs outlining and justifying your choices for each written text you produced, especially in relation to your framework and your audience, purpose and context. Having a successful commentary means you clearly describe the authorial intent in your work, so make sure to be specific and self-analytical in your writing!

What the Exam Will Look Like

The 2024 English exam will be the first exam that follows the new 2024-2027 study design, and the biggest change between now and the previous years is that Section B, which used to ask students to write a Comparative Response to a set of texts they would have studied at school during the year, is now all about Creating Texts . So much so that now Section B is called – you guessed it – ‘Creating texts’.

VCAA has been kind enough to release a sample of this new requirement, which outlines very faithfully what this section will look like in the actual exam. The exam paper consists of a page of general instructions which apply to all students, and then four pages with three pieces of stimulus material each, which relate to each of the four frameworks.

The stimuli consist of one statement, an image, and a section of a poem/story, and the exam paper says you must use ‘at least one’ of them in your writing. (Here’s a quick tip: if the examiners are asking for at least one, use two or more.)

There is also a compulsory title given for each framework, which must be the title of your text.

The instructions in the VCAA sample exam also outline that in Section B ‘you must create one written text ( not including song, poetry or verse)’ , and that ’you must include meaningful connections with ideas drawn from one of the Frameworks of Ideas’ as well as the provided title and the stimulus material. You should choose the framework you have studied in depth at school to write about, and you are also able to refer to your mentor texts, although that is not compulsory in the exam.

Another point is that ‘you must develop your text with a clear purpose, incorporating at least one of the following: to explain, to express, to reflect, to argue.’

You may remember these purposes from the Unit 1 Crafting Texts Area of Study in Year 11. They are pretty much self-explanatory, and chances are that any writing you do will already serve one of these purposes without it being your conscious decision. Also, similar to the stimulus material, try to incorporate two purposes within your piece instead of just one, if possible.

And, as previously was the case as well, Section B is worth one-third of your full exam marks.

You can find the 2024 English sample exam and other very helpful resources such as past exams and exam reports by clicking HERE . 

Three Tips to Help You Ace Creating Texts

So, now that we know what Creating Texts is all about, here are three helpful tips to keep in mind as you make your way through this Area of Study:

1) Play to Your Strengths

As you experiment and become familiar with a range of writing styles and formats, you may find that you’ve become really good at writing argumentative essays, or you became more interested in writing short stories, or maybe you remember that in Year 11 you got a high mark for writing a strong reflective essay. Make sure to self-assess and keep in mind what your strengths are in writing, even if they might not be apparent at first glance.

Also remember that, in the exam, you have a very limited amount of time to come up with a unique piece of writing from scratch, so having a text format in mind that you feel really confident and comfortable writing with can provide at least a little bit of guidance and reassurance when you’re writing something new.

2) Choose Formats That Will Help You Show a Deep Understanding of Your Framework

For instance, if you have the ‘writing about play’ framework and you are deeply inspired by an example of how play can help people heal from trauma from one of your mentor texts which happens to be a memoir, you might deem it best to write a short story or a personal fictionalised diary entry which shows you have taken inspiration from that memoir’s central idea, but you are also engaging with the framework’s implications in society.

Of course, this should be judged on a case-by-case basis, but it can be a helpful guide if you feel stuck and unsure of where to start your writing process.

3) Be Flexible

This is especially important for the exam. You don’t want to walk in with a memorised text! Examiners can definitely tell when a student has just route-learned their way into essay writing, and this will undoubtedly be extra noticeable for creative texts, especially when the exam gives you no choice but to integrate their given stimulus material.

This is why becoming used to as many writing formats as possible, alongside consistent planning and brainstorming, are incredibly important skills to develop throughout the year, so that when it comes time to the end-of-year exam you are ready to go regardless of what the examiners throw at you!

The best way to succeed in this Unit, like pretty much all other tasks in English, is to consistently practice your writing and experiment with as many writing styles as you possibly can. Be open to new ways of thinking, not only about the framework you are given, but about the concept of writing itself! Although certainly challenging, the Creating Texts AoS can prove itself to be great fun. So, best of luck in creating texts, and happy writing!

2022 Update: Check out our TikTok and YouTube channel for the latest GAT updates and how you can succeed even without study!

If you're not entirely sure what the GAT is, head on over to this blog to find out more about it and why it's important!

‍ [Modified Video Transcription]

What's up?! I got 10/10 on my GAT, so I'm going to tell you how I got perfect marks in Task One of the GAT . I'm also going to share with you my essay so that you know exactly what you need to do when it comes to doing your GAT. 

Why Do I Need To Do Well in the GAT?

Here's a bit of information you need to know going into Task One , which is basically a Creative piece . Now, I've done a GAT video in the past, which I highly recommend you go and watch, because in that video I teach you essentially what you should be doing for the writing tasks and how you should organise your time in order for you to get the best possible marks in the GAT. No, you don't have to study for the GAT, but if you can do well in it, then you might as well because...you don't know….COVID might come back, you might need a derived score...you know what I mean? You just don't know what's going to happen so you might as well try to do your best and if this video helps you out with that, if you're willing to spend a few minutes doing it and yet bump up your marks heaps, it's definitely going to be worth it for you!

GAT Advice From a VCAA Examiner

I learned all of my skills from my tutor at the time, who was a VCAA examiner, so this information comes directly to you from an examiner, so, you know, it's legit! 

A lot of people get really confused when it comes to Task One because they think that it's just a whole bunch of information that's put in front of them and what they're supposed to do is just regurgitate the information that's there and package it into an essay somehow. But, as I've talked about in my previous video , the way that you do this is to write a Creative piece using the information that's in front of you - just trust me on this. 

Approaching the GAT Creatively

I know there's a lot of talk back and forth out there about how you should be doing Task One , but you can see ( in the comment section of my other video ) people who followed through with this Creative method and have done really well. Another reason I like this Creative approach is because it makes things easier for you. In the instructions, it says:

'Develop a piece of writing, presenting the main information in the material. You should not present an argument.’

So really what's left is (if it's not going to be persuasive) it either has to be an Expository, which is just like a normal Text Response essay, or it can be a Creative. A normal Text Response essay is going to be so boring for everyone out there - do a Creative instead! Why?! Because:

‘Your piece will be judged on:

• how well you organise and present your understanding of the material.
• your ability to communicate the information effectively’

So, what this means is if you're going to do a Text Response version of the information that's in front of you, the only way you can really do that is by regurgitating and just wrapping up similar pieces of information in one paragraph together. I don't know how you would do an Expository well, but if you take a Creative approach, it not only tests your organisational skills but also tests your understanding of the material as well. 

What I mean by Creative piece is you can write a letter to the editor, you can write a diary entry, you can write an advertisement, you can write a brochure. There are just so many different types of Creative pieces you could use - the world is your oyster essentially. I'm going to talk you through how I did it for my particular GAT. 

How a Creative Approach Got Me a 10/10 in My Trial GAT

This one here is actually a trial GAT. We had an examiner come in and grade our marks for us so it's not my actual GAT, which I don't think you can get back, but it's the closest thing to it, so, we'll work with that. 

We did a really old GAT. This is the 2004 (which is ages ago) General Achievement Test. Some of you might've been born around this time! That is nuts!! Anyway, the GAT has not changed over the past 10 or so years, or the past 20 years even, so don't feel like this is information that's not going to be helpful, because every single year it's the same type of instructions with a similar type of information that's given. 

Here you can see that I've got an island and there are just bits of information. There's a legend, there's a scale, there are facilities, there is a temperature and a bird's eye view of the island itself.

If you look at this, how are you going to write a Text Response on this? It's going to be boring. So instead, what I did was I said:

'Dear Diary: We arrived in Amaroo Island this afternoon and the view of this place from the plane was amazing!'

When I was in the GAT itself, I would cross out the section (in this case the photo of the island) that I had covered just to see how much information I was able to pack into my piece and know that I wouldn't need to touch it again.

'Magnificent blue water sea, sandy white coast and huge amounts of great green trees! From the airport, we travelled by bus to our hotel where we will be staying for two nights. On the way, we stopped at a historical ruins site. One of the tour guides whom we bumped into told us the ruins have been found to be from 1854! We stayed there for an hour, then caught the bus back again to our hotel. We were extremely excited to explore the hotel and its surroundings, so Dad, Mum, George and I quickly unpacked our luggage and changed for the night. We decided to have dinner at a restaurant which turned out to serve delicious food. After dinner, we explored a shopping centre, galleries and even a museum which is called ‘Maritime Museum’. So many facilities in just one place! That took most of the night and we were all tired from a long day. Tomorrow we will be going swimming and camping outdoors for the night. I'm excited!' 

You can see just in this one paragraph I've tried to pack in as much information as I can, but in a way that makes it interesting and fun. You'll notice that with my vocabulary it's not like I am this 50 study score achiever who’s writing exceptionally beautiful language and, I don't know, making this GAT piece something that it's not. I'm just giving them information, having fun with it, making it creative and as a result, I did well!

Alright, let's keep going. 

'Dear Diary: Our second day began with the sunshine pouring into our rooms.'

That's just a nod to the temperature. It's not an explicit nod, it's more of an indirect nod. 

‘George and I were very eager to go swimming and were pleased to find that the weather for the day was 28°C!'  

There's the explicit inclusion of the information.

'I'm glad we came here in January rather than July when we were initially planning to holiday.'  

Adding more information without just forcing it down the examiner’s throat. 

'Our travel guide booklet states that it’s only a maximum temperature of 15°C! degrees in July! We wouldn't have gone swimming then, that's for sure. Mum and Dad decided that even though there was a safe swimming area near Gali in Gali Bay, we should go to Dolphin Bay and then to Marlin Bay to stay for the night.'

Here I'm just including Gali Bay because I wanted to, but I wanted to also talk about the other bays as well. I'm just trying to be creative in how to include this information. It's all embedded within my storyline so it doesn't feel like I'm spoon feeding my examiner piece after piece of information.

'We caught the bus again to Dolphin Bay and there were many families as there was a caravan park situated right by the bay! How convenient is that! When we were swimming, we could even see the Cape Dolphin lighthouse in the distance. Afterwards, we travelled to Marlin Bay via bus. Marlin Bay is right next to Amaroo National Park, and we've seen some kangaroos and koalas amidst the trees but we're not allowed into the park as it's a marine reserve boundary. Tomorrow we're heading back to Gali Hotel, playing some golf and going riding along the coast!'

I'm pretty much almost done! You see that my essay wasn't actually that long. It was only a page and a half (of handwriting), and yet I still got 10/10. I think it just goes to show how many people out there just don't know how to do a GAT, so you only need to do a fraction better in order for you to do exceptionally well in your GAT scores. To finish off my story:

'Dear Diary: Our final day at Amaroo! We woke up early, had breakfast which Mum cooked up and then headed back home.'  

Here I'm also adding in pieces of information that aren't necessarily on the page that's been given to us. I just thought it'd be a nice touch to say this,  you know, we woke up early, we had breakfast which Mum made - it just adds to the storytelling. 

'We didn't do much during that morning, just had lunch at the Gali restaurant. Afterwards, however, we did lots! We hired bikes from the shopping centre and rode along Gali Bay to Moonlight Bay. It was tiring but the scenery was amazing! We spent most of the afternoon riding but got back to Gali at 4 o'clock and Dad headed out for some golf. George and I decided not to because we were drained from all our exercise already. This is our last night in Gali, I'll be sad to leave Amaroo Island.'

That's it! If you guys want to see how I got 10/10 in my second task. Make sure you leave a comment for me over on Youtube, like the video and I'll get another video/blog out for you guys. Thanks so much for watching (or reading) and I wish you guys all the best for the GAT.

The Full Essay ‍

Dear Diary:

We arrived in Amaroo Island this afternoon and the view of this place from the plane was amazing! Magnificent blue water sea, sandy white coast and huge amounts of great green trees! From the airport, we travelled by bus to our hotel where we will be staying for two nights. On the way, we stopped at a historical ruins site. One of the tour guides whom we bumped into told us the ruins have been found to be from 1854! We stayed there for an hour, then caught the bus back again to our hotel. We were extremely excited to explore the hotel and its surroundings, so Dad, Mum, George and I quickly unpacked our luggage and changed for the night. We decided to have dinner at a restaurant which turned out to serve delicious food. After dinner, we explored a shopping centre, galleries and even a museum which is called ‘Maritime Museum’. So many facilities in just one place! That took most of the night and we were all tired from a long day. Tomorrow we will be going swimming and camping outdoors for the night. I'm excited!

Our second day began with the sunshine pouring into our rooms. George and I were very eager to go swimming and were pleased to find that the weather for the day was 28°C! I'm glad we came here in January rather than July when we were initially planning to holiday. Our travel guide booklet states that it’s only a maximum temperature of 15°C! degrees in July! We wouldn't have gone swimming then, that's for sure. Mum and Dad decided that even though there was a safe swimming area near Gali in Gali Bay, we should go to Dolphin Bay and then to Marlin Bay to stay for the night. We caught the bus again to Dolphin Bay and there were many families as there was a caravan park situated right by the bay! How convenient is that! When we were swimming, we could even see the Cape Dolphin lighthouse in the distance. Afterwards, we travelled to Marlin Bay via bus. Marlin Bay is right next to Amaroo National Park, and we've seen some kangaroos and koalas amidst the trees but we're not allowed into the park as it's a marine reserve boundary. Tomorrow we're heading back to Gali Hotel, playing some golf and going riding along the coast!

Our final day at Amaroo! We woke up early, had breakfast which Mum cooked up and then headed back home. We didn't do much during that morning, just had lunch at the Gali restaurant. Afterwards, however, we did lots! We hired bikes from the shopping centre and rode along Gali Bay to Moonlight Bay. It was tiring but the scenery was amazing! We spent most of the afternoon riding but got back to Gali at 4 o'clock and Dad headed out for some golf. George and I decided not to because we were drained from all our exercise already. This is our last night in Gali, I'll be sad to leave Amaroo Island.

If you'd like more help, check out Why the GAT Matters and How To Use It To Your Advantage . It walks you though what's involved, why the GAT matters, the different tasks you'll need to complete and more!

Last updated 20/10/19

Planning is an essential part of any successful text response essay. It helps you ensure that you’re answering the prompt, utilising enough quotes and writing the most unique and perceptive analysis possible! The hard part of this is that you only have about FIVE MINUTES to plan each essay in the Year 12 English exam… (more info on the best way to tackle that challenge in this video !)

So, I developed the FIVE TYPES of essay prompts to help students streamline their planning process and maximise every minute of their SACs and exams.

By identifying the type of prompt you’re being challenged with immediately, a number of parameters or guidelines are already set in place. For a specific type of prompt, you have specific criteria to meet – for example, in a metalanguage-based prompt , you immediately know that any evidence you brainstorm in your planning stage should be based around the literary techniques used in your given text.

If you’d like the full picture on our best FREE advice on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response here .

1. Theme-Based Prompt

‘Ambition in the play Macbeth leads to success.’ Discuss. ( Macbeth )

When you’re presented with a theme-based prompt, you can automatically shift your brainstorming and planning towards the themes mentioned in the prompt along with any others that you can link to the core theme in some way.

In regard to this Macbeth prompt, for example, you could explore the different ways the theme of ambition is presented in the text. Additionally, the themes of guilt and power are intimately related to ambition in the text, so you can use those other ideas to aid your brainstorming and get you a step ahead of the rest of the state come exam day.

2. Character-Based Prompt

‘Frankenstein’s hubris is what punishes him.’ Discuss. ( Frankenstein )

These prompts are pretty easy to spot – if you see a character’s name in the prompt, there you have it; you have a character-based prompt on your hands.

Once you know this, you can assume that each example you brainstorm has to be relevant to the specific character named in the prompt in some way. Also, you can explore how the actions of characters don’t occur in isolation – they’re almost always interrelated. Remember, however, that the actions of characters are always connected to the themes and ideas the author is trying to convey.

This type of prompt also grants you some freedoms that other types don’t give. For example, unlike a Theme-based prompt, a character-based prompt means that it’s perfectly fine to write about characters in the topic sentences of your body paragraphs.

3. How-Based Prompt

‘How does Grenville showcase Rooke’s inner conflict in The Lieutenant ?’ ( The Lieutenant )

Unlike other prompts, the ‘How’ positions you to focus more on the author’s writing intentions. This can be achieved by discussing metalanguage – language that describes language (read my blog post about it here ). These prompts tell you immediately that you need to be thinking about the literary techniques explored in the text and explain how they affect the narrative.

Rather than using specific techniques to frame your specific arguments, it’s best to use them as evidence to support arguments that attack the main themes/ideas mentioned in the prompt.

4. Metalanguage or Film-Technique-Based Prompt

‘Hitchcock’s use of film techniques offers an unnerving viewing experience’. Discuss. ( Rear Window )

This type of prompt is very similar to How-based prompts, specifically in the fact that the discussion of literary techniques is essential.

For this type of prompt specifically, however, the actual techniques used can form more of a basis for your arguments, unlike in How-based prompts .

5. Quote-Based Prompt

“Out, damned spot!” How does Shakespeare explore the burden of a guilty conscience in Macbeth ? ( Macbeth )

Countless students ask me every year, “What do I do when there’s a quote in the prompt?!” My reply to these questions is actually fairly straightforward!

There are two main things that you should do when presented with this type of prompt. Firstly, contextualise the quote in your essay and try to use it in your analysis in some way. Secondly, interpret the themes and issues addressed in the quote and implement these into your discussion. The best place to do both of these is in a body paragraph – it weaves in seamlessly and allows for a good amount of analysis, among other reasons!

When faced with unknown prompts in a SAC or your exam, it's reassuring to have a formulaic breakdown of the prompt so that your brain immediately starts categorising the prompt - which of the 5 types of prompts does this one in front of me fall into? To learn more about brainstorming, planning, essay structures for Text Response, read our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Regardless of whether you’re writing a Text Response , Comparative , or even an Argument Analysis essay, it is easy to see the introduction as something inconsequential, that won’t change your overall mark. And as a result, far too many students view the intro as a mere convention of writing that simply needs to ‘tick off’ certain criteria before they get into the ‘meat’ of the essay. But, from my experiences in VCE English, I’ve found taking some time to write a concise, yet original, considered, and insightful intro (with a bit of flair when appropriate) can be hugely beneficial. 

Why Your Teacher Says You Can’t Earn Any Marks in an Introduction

‍ Everyone has heard it before:

You can’t win/lose marks in an introduction or conclusion

I’ll be the first to admit that in some ways, this is true. The purpose of a Text Response essay is to show an understanding of a text through analysis. So, it is natural that your essay is marked based on the quality of your analysis of the text. And, because very little of this analysis occurs in the introduction, it’s easy to think that an intro can’t influence or change your final mark. While this may be true in theory, the reality is that your introduction serves as a foundation for your analysis...and just like a house, without a solid foundation coming first the rest of your essay is more liable to be weak and fragile. In my mind, the introduction provides a basis for everything that you’re going to analyse in your body-paragraphs which can build upon the assertions you have made regarding the topic in your intro. In other words, the introduction sets the direction for your essay, which overall acts as a backbone allowing for a cogent argument to be presented in your piece.

How an Introduction Can Help You

‍ Now that we have established how an introduction helps contribute to the overall cohesiveness of an essay, let’s have a look at how an intro can help you while you’re writing. Especially when writing under timed conditions, it can be difficult to produce a detailed plan which lays out the structure of an essay. Here's where your intro can be of great help. When considered carefully, your introduction can set the parameters within which your essay will be contained. In other words, your intro can define the scope of your essay, outlining which themes and characters you are going to explore, and most importantly what arguments you are going to posit throughout your script. This means that if you get lost, or go blank trying to figure out what you should write next you can refer back to your intro to find a sense of direction and regain a foothold in your essay and. In this way, the intro not only acts as a foundation for your body-paragraphs but also provides a blueprint for them which can guide you from point to point. 

At the same time, although an introduction cannot explicitly earn you marks, I would argue that a quality introduction can help position your assessor to immediately categorise your essay as belonging in a higher mark bracket. At the end of the year, exam assessors have hundreds of scripts to mark. And the truth is, they will not dedicate more than a couple of minutes to read your essay. As such, if you can impress your assessor with a powerful opening, they are more likely to see your piece as one that should earn a high mark. The reality is that assessors can often tell a lot about an essay based on the quality of its introduction. Therefore, if you can write a 9-10/10 introduction, your assessor will already be leaning towards awarding you a mark in that range without even having read your body-paragraphs yet. 

So, How Can You Write an Original Introduction That Doesn’t Sound Like Everyone Else's?

If there’s one thing English teachers and assessors hate, it’s reading essays that have been memorised and recited (though, if you absolutely insist, then here's a middle-ground option where you could use' templates' ). What is crucial, then, is that from the very first line of your introduction you are responding directly and unswervingly to the topic. I would suggest trying to avoid starting with a cliche contextual statement in favour of a bold response to the topic. 

For example, in response to the topic ‘Shakespeare’s Vienna is a world devoid of balance.’ I would try to avoid starting my introduction with a vague and easily memorisable statement such as... 

‘ Shakespeare’s Jacobean tragicomedy Measure for Measure explores the concept of balance in his extremest characters.’ 

Instead, a bold opening statement is preferable... 

‘Whether it is in Vienna’s abject lasciviousness, Angelo’s ascetic self-governance, or even Isabella’s hyper-rectitude, Shakespeare’s conception of Vienna in Measure for Measure is one laced with problematic extremism.’ 

Consider opening with a quote which captures your take on the topic. In the Comparative task, most definitely try to avoid staring with the word ‘Both’, and instead consider shedding light on a theme or concept common to both texts. 

For example, in response to the topic ‘ Both Invictus and Ransom suggest empathy is key to creating unity.’... 

Whether it is between African and Afrikaner or Trojan and Achaean, the capacity for human understanding is upheld as paramount to overcome societal fissures.  After you have put forward a broad response to the topic in your opening sentence, your introduction can then proceed to ‘zoom in’ and offer more specific arguments. These specific ideas should essentially signpost the distinct arguments you are going to present in each of your body paragraphs.

And, as suggested in the 2019 VCAA Exam Report : 

‘ One characteristic of high-scoring essays was recognition of the ways in which the ideas the student intended to discuss were connected.’ 

This means that the ideas you flag for discussion in your intro, should be logically connected to both the prompt and each other, and you should aim to outline these connections.

The specific ideas which you offer set the parameters for the rest of your essay, so it is a good idea to ensure that these insights take into consideration the implications of the key-terms of the topic, and attempt to take the topic further. This allows you to consider the text in a sophisticated and conceptual way while maintaining rock-solid links to the topic.

After you have ‘zoomed into’ the specific arguments you will be mounting in your essay, the final step is to ‘zoom back out’ and offer an incisive, and powerful overall contention which responds explicitly to the terms of the topic. We talk about this 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' technique in How To Write A Killer Text Response .

Ultimately, the introduction provides you with a great opportunity to show off to your assessors that you can write incisively, fluently, and with confidence.

How To Write an A+ Language Analysis Introduction

Introductions for EAL Language Analysis, To Write or Not To Write?

VCE Literature Close Analysis: Introduction

5 Tips For A Mic-Drop Worthy Essay Conclusion

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Language Analysis ‍

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Literature

The Ultimate Guide to VCE EAL

Updated 14/12/2020

Introduction

• Definition of Metalanguage
• Examples of Metalanguage in VCE English

1. Introduction

Although it appears on criteria sheets, many students never really understand the term  metalanguage . Strangely, it is something that is rarely addressed in classrooms. While the word may be foreign to you, rest assured that metalanguage is not an entirely new concept you have to learn. How come? Because you have been unknowingly using metalanguage since the very beginning of high school.

It's a word that is more and more frequently thrown around as you get more advanced in high school. And, it's something that becomes tremendously important in your final year of high school, because the more you include metalanguage discussion in your essays, the more intricate your discussion becomes and the more unique it also becomes.

So, let's find out exactly what metalanguage is.

2. Definition of Metalanguage

Metalanguage is  language that describes language .

So, instead of maybe using the word, "He was sad ", we might say something like, "He felt sorrowful " . The choice in words changes the meaning that is interpreted by the reader, just slightly, but there is still a difference. So, when it comes to studying texts or reading articles, and trying to analyze what the author is trying to do, we look at metalanguage as a way to help give us insight into the ideas that they're trying to portray.

The simplest way to explain this is to focus on part 3 of the English exam – Language Analysis. In Language Analysis , we look at the author’s writing and label particular phrases with persuasive techniques such as: symbolism, imagery or personification. Through our description of the way an author writes (via the words ‘symbolism’, ‘imagery’ or ‘personification’), we have effectively used language that describes language.

Now, if we look at the bigger picture, our analysis of an author’s language can be applied to Text Response, and even Reading and Comparing. To learn more about why metalanguage is important in Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response . Otherwise, for those interested in Comparative, head over to our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative .

3. Examples of Metalanguage in VCE English

• Grammar and punctuation
• Characterisation
• Foreshadowing

For example

• Achilles is  characterised as a foetus, for his position is ‘chin down, shoulders hunched’ as though he is inside a womb. ( Ransom , David Malouf)
• In the first scene of All About Eve* , Mankiewicz foreshadows Eve's sinful and regretful actions, as a sorrowful expression is emphasized as she accepts her award

As you can see, the word 'foreshadows' pushes us in a new direction. Rather than just saying what has already happened or telling your teacher or examiner something that they already know, it forces you to actually analyze what's in front of you and to offer your own unique interpretation of why this metalanguage or why this technique has been used.

*If you happen to be studying this text, check out our All About Eve Character Profiles .

• Mise-en-scene
• Camera angles

When Terry leaves Friendly’s bar, the thick fog symbolises his clouded moral judgement as he decides whether he should remain ‘D and D’, or become a ‘rat’. ( On the Waterfront , Elia Kazan)

• Stage direction
• The miniature set Zac creates is designed with a white backdrop, symbolising his desire to wipe away reality since he ‘can’t stand real things'. ( Cosi , Louis Nowra)

In Medea , the motif of animals emphasizes the inhuman and bestial nature of Medea, highlighting how she defies natural norms.

This student has actually given us an analysis of why animal motifs are used. And that is to highlight how Medea defies natural norms, because of her inhuman and bestial nature.

4. Conclusion

As indicated earlier, you should be familiar with many, if not all the terms mentioned above. Take note that some metalanguage terms are specific to a writing form , such as camera angle for films. If you need help learning new terms, we have you covered - be sure to check out our metalanguage word banks for books and our metalanguage wordbank for films .

As you discuss themes or characters, you should try and weave metalanguage throughout your body paragraphs . The purpose of this criteria is to demonstrate your ability to understand how the author uses language to communicate his or her meaning. The key is to remember that the author’s words or phrases are always chosen with a particular intention – it is your job to investigate why the author has written a text in a particular way.

[Modified Video Transcription]

Hey guys, welcome back to Lisa's Study Guides. Today, I'm really excited to talk to you about metalanguage. Have you guys ever heard of metalanguage before? It's a word that is more and more frequently thrown around as you get more advanced in high school. And, it's something that becomes tremendously important in your final year of high school, because the more you include metalanguage discussion in your essays, the more intricate your discussion becomes and the more unique it also becomes. So, let's find out exactly what is metalanguage. Simply put, metalanguage just means language that analyses language. When authors write anything, we make certain decisions when it comes to writing. So, instead of maybe using the word, "He was sad", we might say something like, "He felt sorrowful". The choice in words changes the meaning that is interpreted by the reader, just slightly, but there is still a difference. So, when it comes to studying texts or reading articles and trying to analyse what the author is trying to do, we look at metalanguage as a way to help give us insight into the ideas that they're trying to portray.

Metalanguage comes in really handy, especially if you're somebody who struggles with retelling the story - I have a video on how to avoid retelling the story , which you can watch. Metalanguage essentially takes you to the next level. It prevents you from just saying what happened, and forces you into actually looking at how the ideas and themes are developed by the author through the words that they choose to use. So, let's have a look at a couple of examples to give you a better idea. I'm going to show you two examples. One uses metalanguage and one doesn't, and you'll see how a massive difference in how the student understands the text is really clear.

Number one, foreshadowing.

In the first scene of All About Eve , Mankiewicz emphasizes Eve's sorrowful expression as she accepts her award.

In the first scene of All About Eve , Mankiewicz foreshadows Eve's sinful and regretful actions, as a sorrowful expression is emphasized as she accepts her award. As you can see, as soon as we put in the word foreshadows, it pushes us in a new direction. Rather than just saying what has already happened or telling your teacher or examiner something that they already know, it forces you to actually analyse what's in front of you and to offer your own unique interpretation of why this metalanguage or why this technique has been used. So, in this case, it's foreshadowing. ‍ Let's have a look at another one, motif.

In Medea , Euripides commonly refers to animals when describing Medea's actions and temperament.

See how, in the first example, it was really just telling you what we might already know through just reading the book, but when it comes to the second example, this student has actually given us an analysis of why animal motifs are used. And that is to highlight how Medea defies natural norms, because of her inhuman and bestial nature. So, those are some examples of metalanguage. There are so many more different types of metalanguage out there...

Don't forget to also check out Our Ultimate Guide to Oral Presentations for everything you need to know for Oral Presentations.

List of topics

1. ‘implementing a sugar tax to curb australian obesity.’.

Premise: Mexico and UK have already implemented the ‘Sugar Tax’ on soft drinks to prevent obesity through the avenue of consumer choices, with this debate being sparked in Canada and Australia as to whether this is a viable solution. The World Health Organization believes this could reduce consumption of sugar by reinvesting the more expensive prices into health initiatives against ‘Childhood Obesity’. The Federal Government is facing this decision in 2019, to introduce these radical changes. Thus, whether or not the sugar tax should be implemented would be the core of your oral.

Basis of the tax

Young stakeholders ‍

Expert opinions, use this for further reading ‍

Mexico comparison, who have done this

British conversation, opposing views on sugar tax ‍

2 . ‘What can Australia do to reduce the dangers of paramedic assault and overtime?’

‍ Premise: Lately in the media, paramedic attacks and unreasonable overtime shifts means that the safety of our ambulance staff is compromised. A series of movements and a necessity for awareness has been sparked in Australia, with one paramedic being assaulted every 50 hours, and 147 assaulted in 2018. Whether or not people choose to support ambulance safety on a political front, social front or preemptive front (see Ambulance Victoria’s ‘Help keep our ambos safe at work’), action has been gaining momentum in contemporary news and campaigns. Is Australia doing enough for paramedic safety? This would be the basis of your oral.

‍ Ambulance Victoria’s campaign

Paramedics’ Union urging Political Parties in 2019

Other factors, overtime shifts

Further reading on specific cases of paramedic violence ‍

3 . ‘How are our politicians dealing with events of Melbourne CBD terrorism ?’

Premise: A series of concentrated terrorist attacks on Melbourne’s Bourke Street and around Melbourne’s CBD has led to preventative measures such as 88 concrete blocks and anti-terror speaker systems. With politicians such as Matthew Guy pushing movements such as suspects facing curfews and counselling and drones around the city being put in place to monitor events like Christmas Day and New Years, this issue is being noted. But is enough being done? How effective are these measures, and are the police and government working closely enough to avoid these situations? This would be the basis of your oral.

Victoria Police’s response to terrorism

Bourke Street incidents

Links to other attacks and opinion article ‍

Political movements from Matthew Guy ‍

Anti-terror measures

4 . ‘Are loot boxes just gaming, or gambling?’

Premise: The question of whether loot boxes being utilised in video games marketed to underage children are in fact exposing them to gambling is currently being debated at a Senate level in Australia and around the world. Whilst opinions are segregated on whether this is harmless or harmful, statistics and experts seem to believe in Europe that the detriment is too high, with 15 gambling regulators pinning game developers and publishers. Similarly, the UK and especially Australia have been making movements to rid the gaming industry of this practice. However, ‘EA Games’ is a big player against this, thriving of their sales in games such as ‘FIFA Coins’ and ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’. Thus, whether it is just gambling or gaming would form this oral.

The Senate Inquiry on loot boxes ‍

Are loot boxes gambling? ‍

Expert Opinions ‍

Age restrictions with gambling v. gaming ‍

Global statistics/reasons against

5 . ‘ Anti-vaccination movements within Australia.’

Premise: The anti- vaccination movement, concentrated in the beachside town of Byron Bay in Australia is claiming more young lives daily, as medical reports are starting to note a greater toll in whooping cough cases and other vaccination related diseases. With campaigns such as the ‘No Jab, No Play’ initiative and other experts stating the way vaccinations are being handled, the situation is not apt in the current necessity for herd immunity amongst young Australians. Whether or not vaccination should be more heavily emphasised would be explored in this oral.

Geographic case study for vaccinations

Implications and health issues

No jab, no play campaign

Case studies

For vaccination

6 . ‘The competition of Uber, Taxis and other ride sharing services.’

Premise: The hyper competitive nature of ride-sharing services and transport on the Australian field means that Uber and taxis have a lot more competition with one another, meaning shared business can affect the others customers in a major way. Hence, the Australian approach of lawsuits and the pickup of other services such as Shebah, Gocatch and Ola, means that drivers are facing harder times finding customers and also maintaining a steady stream of income. Whether or not these competing companies escalate the quality of transport or are too detrimental to driver’s livelihood would be explored in this oral.

The premise ‍

Taxi share zones, official action/recognition ‍

The legal aspects ‍

For the competitive nature

Other platforms that affect this ‍

7. ‘The drought impact on Australian farmers.’ ‍

Premise: Communities within Australia, specifically in Queensland, prepare themselves for overwhelming drought this 2019, with as their profits will most probably drop below $13,000 in this next financial year for farmers. Whilst milk companies and other politicians have attempted to rally with farmers, more attention seemingly may have to be put in place to assure the livelihood of these agricultural practitioners. Hence, even with drought relief practices and campaigns with many stakeholders in the government and as owners of business, it may require more of a push on a formal level in these pivotal years for farmers. The necessary movements and activism for greater support of farmers would be explored in this oral. ‍

The lack of support for drought ‍

What the implications of drought are ‍

Campaigns and movements already in place ‍

Stakeholders and the issues amongst them ‍

The up and coming concerns for drought in 2019 ‍

8. ‘ Microplastics in the Ocean.’ ‍

Premise: The rise in plastic consumption on a global scale and also lack of environmental solutions has led sea turtle’s digestive tracts and parts of the deepest oceans to be littered with seemingly minute particles called ‘microplastics’. However, these particles have detrimental effects and often litter foods, water sources and our ecosystem, usually sinking to the bottom of the ocean, with 99% of the plastic the seas contain building on the bottom. Ultimately, how we deal with these microplastics and whether it is important would be illustrated in this oral.

Marianas Trench plastics ‍

Contamination in foods ‍

Actions against microplastics ‍

The basics of microplastics ‍

Expert opinions 9. ‘ Indigenous ‘Close the Gap’ Campaign’. ‍

Premise: The ‘Close the Gap’ campaign originally focused on integrating the Indigenous people back into modernized society that excluded them wrongly. Objectives were necessary to fulfill educational reforms, social necessities and the favour within employment that needed to be shown in order to “even the playing field”. Over the years, this has been scrutinised and subjected to downfalls, both political and social, with many of these objectives not achieved. Thus, greater attention or movement may have to be incited. Hence, whether enough is being done or more needs to be provoked would inspire this oral. ‍

Scott Morrison on the current ‘Closing the Gap’ measures

Discussion of the origins of this movement

Stakeholders in parliament, Indigenous rights

A review of the campaign and its downfalls

The new closing the gap campaign and its implications

10 . ‘Can we use genetically modified foods in daily life?’

Premise: The discussion of GMOs (genetically modified foods) and their ethical, moral and health implications have segregated both consumers and producers alike. Australia’s viewpoint of the scientific practice in modifying foods has been portrayed in the recent elongation to bans in South Australia until 2025, but has also been challenged with groundbreaking research that could double the crop yield in theory, due to the advances in photosynthetic characteristics and other chemical properties of plants. Thus, whether or not they should be refuted or supported would form the basis of this oral.

The science behind GM foods

Other global players accepting GM crops

Advances and what this means for farmers

Photosynthesis/scientific endeavours in the field of GM crops

The bans in South Australia, and the dangers

11 . ‘The wage gap : Women in STEM.’

Premise: It is rare to find a career where the exact same work will be paid differently based on sexuality, race or gender. It seems in the contemporary age the real issue is that cultural norms raise more women lawyers, doctors and teachers than engineers, physicists and STEM workers. Rather than a direct percentage of the pay gap, it is made apparent that it is rather a systematic average of less over time because of the careers being chosen. Whether or not the wage gap is due to STEM and what we can do to prevent this would be the formation of your oral.

What is the gender pay gap?

Statistics and figures

Australian specific pay gap

Against the gender pay gap

12. ‘Should we take on Finland’s education system ?’

Premise: Standardised testing is often a debate that goes without alternatives that truly work. But the core of Finland’s number 1 education system in the world is that they hire so many good teachers, hence independent learning is monitored and possible. The VCE system and IB curriculum does not streamline because students are so pressured they do not take time to explore and ultimately find what they want to do in tertiary. In Finland, it is less about the competition, and more about individual learning up until university so that they excel in different pathways. What would it take to change Australian systems to model this? This would be a key idea within your oral.

Australian education reform

Study assist packages being released

Universities involved, education opportunities amongst

Finland school system comparison

The National qualifications bureau

13 . ‘Should we change Australia day? ’

Premise: This is a heavily utilised oral topic. The Australia Day debate is a popular one, and this is because it is rich in cultural, social, ethical and political stances within itself. With the date remaining the same in 2019, and with the fireworks of the Perth council still going ahead, more protests and council movement means that these discussions are still very contemporary and readily available online. The bids and failed attempts to change the day to a Reconciliation Week celebration, or any date but ‘Invasion Day’ all form evidence to back up either side. Hence, the question of whether or not the date should be moved would be the primary focus of this oral.

‘For’ changing Australia Day in its entirety The council players in changing the date Bids/failed attempts to change the date The council’s on movements and government reflection on history

14 . ‘Is the National Broadband Network , working?’

Premise: The National Broadband Network policy meant that the telecommunications sector was supposed to gain momentum and strengthen itself, however, downfalls of the technicians and rollout of the service have meant public scrutiny and Government blame being laid. Telstra’s work on this with ping and download speeds being effective, but upload speeds suffering means that Australian consumers are not completely satisfied with the service, putting into question the ultimate effectiveness of NBN as an invested infrastructure. The success of NBN would form the base of this oral.

New rollouts geographically

New government policies

The effectiveness of NBN

Does it work as promised?

Downfalls of NBN

15. ‘ Teaching standards for undergraduates in Australia.'

Premise: The teaching standards of Australia have been heavily scrutinised after certain lower ATAR scores were primarily accepted into the fields. Thus, the question of whether the right teachers are being accepted and their skills are being honed is put into the spotlight, as a lower bar for the academic necessity of the career sparks debate on whether the standards for Australian education has fallen. However, with 2 teachers in the Global Top 50 for the education sector means there is still hope, and with lots of regional areas geographically, it can be difficult- So whether or not Australia is doing enough would form this oral.

ATARs and their own role in teachers

The skills necessary for teachers

A lower bar for academics means a lower bar for teachers

The consequences for teachers in regional areas

Australian teacher’s success stories

16. ‘Is the cost of living rising too high in Australia?’

Premise: The cost of living within Australia is inevitably rising, with a spike of homelessness within Sydney and the common retiree locations being in Asian countries forming the basis of whether or not we should start working on this sector of Australia’s wealth. However, some sources argue that our economy is steady and positive, with the perspective gained on this challenging what 2019 seems to hold for the cost of living. It is a contemporary topic as the next generation will have to face these challenges, proving an interesting oral if you focus on the stakeholders in each category (teenagers, workers, government and retirees).

The rising homelessness rates

Key area in the study of rising prices

The perspective of the greater economy in comparison to the cost of living

The meaning for retirees and where they have to go

The changes in 2019 to the cost of living

17 . ‘Are we doing enough to aid beekeepers in Australia?’

Premise: The ‘Save the Bees’ campaign begun as we started to realise the necessity and imminent danger we would face if bees were in harm's way. Recently, South Australia faced some strange occurrences with mysterious bee deaths, and younger stakeholders attempting to grasp Australia’s bee population. National Geographic focused on real steps and actions that could be taken within Australia, with measures that could potentially be put in place in order to protect these bees. Hence, this could be a unique oral if presented with the statistics and urgency of this issue.

Young stakeholders trying to save the bees

The implication of bees dying

Bees dying in South Australia

The plan to save Australia’s bees

Other measures in place that may affect bees

18. ‘The impact of the strawberry needle scare. ’

Premise: The Strawberry Needle Scare was a 2018 issue, with 2019 implications in the dangers of food tampering, and a case of needles in grapes at a Melbourne store. Moreover, the implications for farmers and the agricultural community meant that many workers were affected by this, as consumers initially feared the worst, affecting Australian livelihood at its core. Thus, in order to do a contemporary oral on this, you would focus primarily on the impact on the farmers, what future fears could arise, (eg. the grape needle scare), and what consumers need to be aware of in future contamination.

The grape scare, new to 2019

The Western Australian side of the strawberry scare

Food tampering in history, where this fits

The effects on farmer that the needle scare has

The movement for farmers from consumers to just ‘cut them up’

19. ‘The epidemic of anxiety. ’

Premise: In a digital, gratification-desiring age, anxiety and depression are symptoms of the high pressure scenarios within daily life. Recently, new studies proving the dire nature within Australia’s mental health provoked more attention by experts and the population into methods and the ‘epidemic’ we face, as we continue to head down a dark spiral. With case studies, statistics and the current situation within pressurised work situations, this could form a strong oral.

The need for instant gratification

The effects of employment on mental health

Australian statistics on worry and anxiety

The Kids helpline and a case study

More statistics/stakeholders in the debate

20 . ‘Is the zero road toll possible?’

Premise: The concept of the ‘Towards Zero’ campaign is that we would have no deaths on the roads in short. This takes drink driving measures, the hazardous first months of a probationary driver and the zones in which these accidents are most highly occurring into consideration, as the government, younger drivers, and adult drink drivers are all concerned. There are already worrying trends going into 2019 however, as this forms the basis of some concerning patterns, and could be explored either way in an oral of whether or not the ‘zero road toll’ is truly possible.

The action plan, released by TAC branch

The implications of striving for the road 0 toll

What is already in place, is there grounds to this?

Trends and why it may not be possible

The official campaign

MAIN CHARACTERS

Margo Channing played by Bette Davis

As the protagonist of the movie, Margo Channing is a genuine and real actress raised by the theatre since the age of three. She is a vulnerable character who openly displays her strengths and weaknesses; Mankiewicz showcasing the life of a true actress through her. Initially, we see Margo as mercurial and witty, an actress with passion and desire (not motivated by fame but the true art of performing). She is the lead in successful plays and with friends like Karen and Lloyd to rely on and a loving partner, Bill, it seems that she has everything.

However, Margo’s insecurities haunt her; with growing concerns towards her identity, longevity in the theatre and most importantly her relationship with Bill. Eventually, in a pivotal monologue, Margo discusses the problems that have been plaguing her. She battles with the idea of reaching the end of her trajectory, the thought that ‘in ten years from now – Margo Channing will have ceased to exist. And what’s left will be… what?’ By the end of the movie, Margo accepts the conclusion of her time in the theatre and understands that family and friends are what matters most, not the fame and success that come with being an acclaimed actress.

Eve Harrington played by Anne Baxter

Antagonist of All About Eve , Eve Harrington (later known as Gertrude Slojinski) is an egotistical and ambitious theatre rookie. With a ‘do-whatever-it-takes’ attitude, Eve is first introduced to the audience as a timid and mousy fan (one with utmost dedication and devotion to Margo). However, as the plot unfolds, Eve’s motive becomes increasingly clear and her actions can be labelled as amoral and cynical, as she uses the people around her to climb the ladder to fame.

Margo is her idealised object of desire and from the subtle imitations of her actions to infiltrating and betraying her close circle of friends, Eve ultimately comes out from the darkness that she was found in and takes Margo’s place in the theatre. Mankiewicz uses Eve’s character to portray the shallow and back-stabbing nature of celebrity culture; Eve’s betrayal extending beyond people as she eventually turns her back on the world of theatre, leaving Broadway for the flashing lights of Hollywood.

Addison DeWitt played by George Sanders

The voice that first introduces the audience to the theatre, Addison DeWitt is a cynical and manipulative theatre critic. Despite being ambitious and acid-tongued, forming a controlling alliance with Eve, Addison is not the villain.

The critic is the mediator and forms a bridge between the audience, the theatre world, and us; he explains cultural codes and conventions whilst also being explicitly in charge of what we see. Ultimately, Addison is ‘essential to the theatre’ and a commentator who makes or breaks careers.

Bill Simpson played by Gary Merill

Bill Simpson is the director All About Eve does not focus on Bill’s professional work but rather places emphasis on his relationship with Margo. He is completely and utterly devoted to her and this is evident when he rejects Eve during an intimate encounter. Despite having a tumultuous relationship with Margo, Bill proves to be the rock; always remaining unchanged in how he feels towards her.

Karen Richards played by Celeste Holmes

Wife of Lloyd Richards and best friend and confidante to Margo Channing, Karen Richards is a character who supports those around her. During conversations she listens and shares her genuine advice, acting as a conciliator for her egocentric friends. Unfortunately, Karen is also betrayed by Eve, used as a stepping stone in her devious journey to fame.

Lloyd Richards played by Hugh Marlowe

Successful playwright and husband to Karen Richards, Lloyd Richards writes the plays that Margo makes so successful. However, as Margo grows older in age, she begins to become irrelevant to the plays that Lloyd writes. Subsequently, this causes friction between the two characters and Mankiewicz uses this to show the audience the struggles of being an actress in the theatre; whilst also adding to the Margo’s growing concern towards her age.

Lloyd is unwilling to change the part for Margo and thus Eve becomes a more attractive match for the part. An unconfirmed romance between the budding actress and Lloyd also adds to the drama within All About Eve .

MINOR CHARACTERS

Birdie played by Thelma Ritter

A former vaudeville actress (which means that she acted in comic stage play which included song and dance), Margo’s dresser and close friend, Birdie is not afraid to speak the truth. Initially she sees right through Eve’s story and she warns Margo to watch her back. Despite not being in much of the movie, Birdie’s critical eye is a foreshadowing for the audience towards what is to come.

Max Fabian played by Gregory Ratoff

Producer in the theatre, Max Fabian is involved in theatre just to ‘make a buck’. He is a hearty character who adds comic relief to a dramatic plot.

Miss Claudia Caswell played by Marilyn Monroe

Aspiring actress, Miss Caswell is seen briefly throughout the movie to show the audience the shallow nature of the world of show business. Unlike Eve, she relies on her appearance to ‘make’ it rather than talent; as seen during her encounter with Max and the unsuccessful audition that followed.   

Phoebe played by Barbara Bates

The next rising star to follow in Eve’s footsteps, Phoebe is featured at the end of the film. In this scene there is a foreshadowing of the future, which suggests a repeat of the past, thus, making Phoebe an interesting character to observe. She is a manufactured construction of an actress and illustrates how replaceable a character is in the world of theatre.

Sunset Boulevard is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Sunset Boulevard is perhaps the most famous film about film . A darkly funny yet disturbing noir, it follows washed-up screenwriter Joe Gillis being pulled into the murky world of even-more-washed-up former silent film star Norma Desmond, disingenuously helping with her screenplay. Critical commentary on the film industry is obviously included here, but Billy Wilder’s 1950 film digs deeper to explore the blurred line between fantasy and reality, as well as power, authenticity and self-delusion. Crucially, these themes are often shown in the film’s construction , via the cinematic techniques implemented by Wilder in each scene. This blog will explore the most important examples of these cinematic techniques. Remember, VCE examiners are on the lookout for students who can offer a close reading of the text they are discussing, giving specific examples of how its creator has constructed it to support their arguments. Just look at the difference between an essay that says:

' Through the final shot of the film, Wilder shows Norma completely succumbing to her fantasy.’ 

Compared to one that argues:

‍ ‘Through his utilisation of an increasingly glossy and distorted filter in the ominous final shot, Wilder depicts Norma being completely overtaken by her romanticised fantasy of ‘Old Hollywood’.

So read below to learn how to use the most effective and crucial cinematic techniques within Sunset Boulevard.  ‍

Camera Techniques: Shot Types & Angles

Camera techniques are arguably the primary way that a director will intentionally direct the eye of the audience, directly framing how they view a film. The two most basic ways in which the camera is used for this are through the distance between the subject (what the scene is about) and the camera, or the ‘shot type’ and the ‘camera angle’ at which the subject is being filmed. Four key examples of these from Sunset Boulevard are explored below. 

Key Examples of Shot Types

Our first look at Norma Desmond is within the wide shot above, just as Joe Gillis has entered her dishevelled mansion early in the film. As a rule, the introductory shot of a character is always worth closely analysing, as the director typically establishes their characteristics and place within the film’s wider world. 

Shown above, this distant first look at Norma establishes her distance, both physical and mental, from the world around her. Removing herself from an industry that has long since moved on from her, she is severely out of touch with the reality of the world outside her home. Crucially, as this same shot is from Joe’s perspective, Wilder also foreshadows the more specific character ‘distance’ that will emerge between the two. Here, the audience sees the space Joe will similarly leave between himself and Norma, disingenuously humouring her poor-quality scripts and romantic advances and, therefore, always keeping her ‘at a distance’.

Another shot conveying crucial information about character relationships is shown when Joe officially ‘loses’ Betty towards the end of the film, refusing to give up his ‘long-term contract’ with Norma. Here, Wilder consciously frames the scene’s subject (Betty) at a distance with a medium shot. Supported by her refusal to make eye contact with Joe and her literal statement that she ‘can't look at [him]’ we again see physical distance between the camera and the subject translating to emotional distance between two characters. The impact of them no longer ‘seeing eye to eye’ is additionally heightened by the clear chemistry they previously demonstrated across the film. 

Key Examples of Camera Angles

Just like the introductory shot of a character is worth digging into, the opening shot of a film is also incredibly important to unpack. Sunset Boulevard’ s seemingly straightforward opening shot simply includes the film’s title, by showing the real-life Hollywood street. However, notice that we are not seeing a ‘Sunset Boulevard’ street sign (the more obvious choice), but instead a dirty and stained curbside. Further, Wilder shoots this curb from a high angle . Therefore, the film’s opening shot establishes maybe the most central aim of Wilder’s film; offering a critical look at the superficiality and flawed nature of Hollywood. As such, we are literally looking down on the film industry in the first moment of the film, represented by this dirty and unflattering visual symbol of Hollywood. This, therefore, is setting the stage for the satire and critical commentary that will follow. 

Wilder’s careful use of camera angles is further shown at the end of the film after Betty abandons Joe at the gate of Norma’s mansion. Crucially, this all happened due to the desperate exertion of power by Norma, who called Betty and revealed the details of her relationship with Joe. As such, Wilder shoots Norma at a low angle, as Joe looks up at her haughty gaze. The level of power that Norma has exerted over Joe may seem minimal within the moment, but when we consider what happens next, this shot becomes much more important. On the brink of descending completely into madness and taking Joe’s life, Wilder uses this shot to establish that Joe should be looking up in fear at Norma, and his dismissive and pitiful opinion of her will soon lead to his death.  

Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène is perhaps the most deceptively simple cinematic technique. It involves analysing what appears within a frame and where it has been placed by the director. This includes elements such as the actor’s costumes, the props and the design of the set. Often, mise-en-scène is used to reinforce something we are being told about a character already through the film’s dialogue and acting.  

Key Example of Mise-en-scène 1

We can see a key example of characterisation through mise-en-scène early in the film, where the audience’s introduction to Joe Gillis visually communicates his unconcerned and detached attitude, as well as his tendency to settle for something convenient despite its inauthenticity. His being dressed in a bathrobe with the blazing sun outside (and his debt collectors clearly up and doing their jobs) speaks to his slovenliness and uninvested approach to life. The set design within this scene further characterises Joe, with the script directly describing the ‘reproductions of characterless paintings’ that cover his walls. Here, the set arguably provides a visual metaphor for the profit-driven ‘Bases Loaded’ script he is writing at that very moment, later described by Betty as having come ‘from hunger.’ 

Key Example of Mise-en-scène 2

Equally, our introduction to the home of Norma Desmond helps establish the key elements of her character. The house is, as Joe describes, ‘crowded with Norma Desmonds’, in the form of countless framed photos of her from her silent film era. These self-portraits constantly looking out onto Norma symbolise the deluded fantasy world she has placed herself in. They both show how this world is based around her still being a youthful and famous actress, and that this delusion is maintained through Norma only communicating inwardly, refusing to face the reality of the outside world.

As ‘symbolises’ is a verb that is very commonly misused, it’s necessary here to provide a very simplified definition:

A symbol is something that contains levels of meaning not present at first glance or literal translation.  

In film, the most obvious symbols are often physical objects that reappear within the story, working to symbolise concepts that develop the text’s key themes. 

The Dead Chimp & The Organ

One of the more seemingly inexplicable parts of Wilder's film actually contains one of its most important symbols, with Norma’s pet monkey playing a key foreshadowing role from beyond the grave. The chimp, a pet owned and trained by Norma to amuse her, leaves a vacant role that Joe will gradually fill after having unknowingly interrupted its funeral. From this point in the film, Joe is manipulated, or ‘trained’, by Norma to entertain and provide companionship to her. Naturally, Joe also ends up dead within the bounds of Norma’s estate, with this symbol, therefore, foreshadowing the full trajectory of his character. All of this is directly alluded to through Joe’s description of the ‘mixed-up dream’ he has the night of the funeral, imagining ‘an organ [player]’ and the ‘chimp…dancing for pennies’ that he will soon become. 

This naturally brings us to the organ itself, which serves as a physical reminder of the unflattering parts of the new role Joe must play. Included after Joe wakes from his ‘mixed-up dream’, the shot above frames Max’s organ-playing hands as massive and overpowering, as the much-smaller Joe storms in demanding to know why his ‘clothes and things’ were moved to Norma’s house without his say-so. Crucially, Norma then reveals that she ordered this action and that Joe's apartment debts are ‘all taken care of’, hand-waving his attempt at grasping back some control and dignity by proposing it be ‘deduct[ed]...from [his] salary’. This scene reveals the symbolic role the organ plays within Sunset Boulevard, reminding Joe of the shameful and powerless role of the ‘pet monkey’ that he now fills, as well as what he will be ‘dancing’ for. 

Finally, we come to allusions, one of the techniques that Sunset Boulevard is most famous for. Allusions refer to anytime something from outside the world of the text is referenced, including other texts and real-world people, places, events, etc. Biblical and mythological allusions are commonly found in fiction, but references to something closer to our world can often bring a degree of realism to certain texts, working to strengthen their social commentary. 

Cinematic Allusions

Being a film about film, Sunset Boulevard naturally contains many allusions to other films. However, Wilder does not shy away from adding an extra level of realism to his references to the film industry. Central to this is the use of the real (and still functional) Paramount Pictures studio to which Joe attempts to sell his clichéd baseball script. Notably, this is the studio that actually released Sunset Boulevard , all of which adds a self-deprecating edge to the satire of the film industry these scenes contain. The scene where the cigar-chomping Paramount executive, Mr Sheldrake, cynically suggests that changing Joe’s film concept to a ‘girls' softball team’ might ‘put in a few numbers’, packs an extra punch due to the use of the real film studio, therefore, showing the effect of this allusion in strengthening the film’s satire. 

Allusions to specific films are additionally used for humorous purposes and character development. For instance, take Joe’s dry observation that the extravagance of the funeral for Norma’s pet means that he ‘must have been a very important chimp’, perhaps the ‘great-grandson of King Kong’. Here, Joe’s sardonic and witty character is revealed to the audience. Additionally, these kinds of references further place the film firmly in the world of real Hollywood , again working to strengthen the satire it offers of this industry. 

Literary Allusions

Similarly, allusions to the world of literature flesh out both the characters and the world of Sunset Boulevard . The most stand-out example of this is the allusion to Charles Dickens’ classic novel Great Expectations . Here, Joe muses that the ‘unhappy look’ of Norma’s house reminds him of ‘Miss Havisham’ from this text. This is a character, who, after being abandoned by her fiance, refuses to change her clothing and lives secluded in a ‘rotting wedding dress’. Havisham directly parallels Norma, being a tragic figure immovably stuck in the past, with Norma's excessive placement of young self-portraits being reminiscent of Havishman’s insistence on keeping her house’s clocks at the exact time she received her letter of marital rejection. Therefore, this comparison to the Dickens character, who engages in a more exaggerated version of Norma’s behaviour, seeks to highlight just how detached Norma is from reality through her attempts to live in the past, implying that what she is doing is just as deluded as refusing to remove a rotting wedding dress. Further, the eventual fate of Miss Havisham within Great Expectations, with her wedding dress catching fire and leaving her as an invalid, foreshadows Norma’s similar descent to invalidity through her madness.

Written by Milo Burgner

• Introduction to William Wordsworth and Romanticism
• Key Features of Romantic Poetry
• Poetic Analysis Examples

1. Introduction to William Wordsworth and Romanticism

William Wordsworth was a British poet and primary co-founder of the Romantic literary movement. He strongly believed that the poetry of the nineteenth century was much too fast-paced and too mindless to be able to evoke a meaningful message to the reader. Contending that ‘all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling,’ he wished to pioneer Romanticism to create a genre of poetry that reminded the reader of the very essence of humanity.

As such, Wordsworth and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge founded a new style of poetry through their co-written 1798 Lyrical Ballads , a collection of poetry which attempted to unite the human condition with the tranquility of nature. 

As a resident of England’s picturesque Lake District, Wordsworth enjoyed becoming one with nature by wandering through the neighbouring hills, moors and lakeside views, while mentally composing poems inspired by its glorious elements. 

William Wordsworth: Poems Selected by Seamus Heaney is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

2. Key Features of Romantic Poetry

The Romantic movement of poetry was founded during the Industrial Revolution, a period in which people were growing farther from the serene comfort of nature and closer towards modern mechanisation and mass manufacturing. As such, a primary characteristic of Romantic poetry is nature, as poets attempted to remind humanity of its meditative respite, and the comfort it could provide in the backdrop of the pollution that accompanied the growing industrialisation of England. 

Wordsworth was a pantheist and believed that God was within every aspect of the natural world. In addition to this, he categorised himself as an ardent ‘worshipper of nature’. Thus, much of his poetry explores nature in a sacred and religious sense, presenting goodness and naturalness as synonymous - aptly displaying his belief of nature as a living, divine entity that could only to be ignored at humankind’s peril. 

Emotionalism 

Romantic poetry subdues reason, intellect and the scientific truth in order to place more focus on the ‘truth of the imagination’. As a result of the harsh rigidity and rationality of the Enlightenment era, all human sentiments, from melancholiness to hopefulness, were celebrated by Romantics as important instruments in poetry to remind the common people of sentimentality in a modern and intransigent era. 

As Romantics believed that these feelings allowed one to look deeper into one’s self, the theme of powerful emotions constructs the very essence of Romantic poetic poetry. As a result of this, rather than placing much importance on sense or sensibility, much of Wordsworth’s poems scrutinise his own effusion of feelings and the universal truths that these help him discover, speaking as the characteristic Romantic poet occupying a sentimental place of alienation.

Rebellion and Individualism

The Industrial Revolution oversaw the creation of distinct class differences between the extremely wealthy class of businessmen, and financially struggling workers and entrepreneurs. Poets, like all other artists, were forced to become increasingly independent and needed to rely on their unique vision and style in order to succeed in their gradually declining line of work. The Romantics subsequently began to view themselves as heroes who challenged and overcame the social challenges that arose; as champions of independence and self-awareness. As such, Romantic poetry often features characters or symbols of valiant heroism, as the poet acts as a visionary figure in his work, like a prophet telling of poetic self-awareness. 

The Sublime

In accordance with their celebration of human emotions, Romantics also became fascinated with the literary conception of ‘the sublime’, a mental state that Classical authors such as Longinus defined as ‘physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic greatness’ that is of such magnificence that it cannot be measured. 

The Romantics explored these extraordinary experiences in their poetry, describing the power of such sublime experiences on one’s senses, mind and imagination. Wordsworth expressed in his essay that a sublime experience is what occurs when one’s mind attempts to attain ‘something towards which it can make approaches but which it is incapable of attaining’. For example, his biographical poem, The Prelude recounts his ascent of Mount Snowdon and the sublime emotions he experiences as a result of its powerful atmosphere. 

Many have viewed Wordsworth’s view of the sublime as the Romantic standard, as his poetry focuses equally on both the alluring and devastating aspects of such sublime experiences. His work focuses on the intertwined pleasure and terror that is generated as a result of such experiences, and how either end of the spectrum is ultimately beautiful and inspiring.

Context is really important when engaging with a text in VCE English, so be sure to read Context and Authorial Intention in VCE English .

3. Poetic Analysis Examples 

Example passage 1.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife: Come, hear the woodland linnet, How sweet his music! on my life, There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings! He, too, is no mean preacher: Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.

This passage, taken from Wordsworth’s Tables Turned; An Evening Scene on the Same Subject , is a primary example of a poem displaying the Romantics’ propensity and reverence for the natural landscape.  

Thematic Analysis

The speaker of the poem contrasts the ‘endless strife’ of book-learning to the spontaneous and liberal method of learning through interacting with nature. The description of the ‘woodland [linnet’s]’ song as ‘sweet’ music evokes an image of heavenly bliss associated with the charms hidden within nature. That ‘there’s more of wisdom in’ such nature works in tandem with this, as the speaker asserts that the natural landscape is able to teach a lesson of a magnificence incomparable to the monotony of the ‘dull’ studying thorough book-learning. 

The speaker’s evocation of ‘blithe’ emotions through sound is continued in the second stanza, in which ‘the throstle’ delivers another divine ‘song’ in an attempt to entice the reader. The speaker furthers his advocation for natural learning through a condemnation of route learning, as he attacks teachers of such as ‘mean preachers’. The directly following use of a pun emphasises this contrast, as the ‘light of things’ symbolises both the enlightenment that will accompany nature’s teaching, as well as the literal ‘light’ of nature underneath the sun. 

The final line of the passage summarises the speaker’s persuasion aptly, as the phrase, ‘let nature be your teacher’, rings similar to a passage which can be found in the Bible; the speaker thus implies that the natural world is the all-superior entity and source of knowledge that one should take lessons from. 

Stylistic Analysis

The rhyme and the rhythmic beat of the poem give it a sound comparable to a nursery-rhyme. This works in tandem with the Romantic viewpoint that great poetic language should be simple, accessible and conversational; as understandable to the common people as a nursery rhyme is to a child. This similarity also works in accordance with the authorial message of the poem, that nature should be a universal ‘teacher’, as nursery rhymes are often employed as enjoyable sing-songs that educate children on a moral level. As such, Wordsworth here strengthens his viewpoint through his poetic words; that nature should be a mentor to all. 

Example Passage 2

‍ For thou art with me here upon the banks  Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend,  My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch  The language of my former heart, and read  My former pleasures in the shooting lights  Of thy wild eyes. Oh! yet a little while  May I behold in thee what I was once,  My dear, dear Sister! and this prayer I make,  Knowing that Nature never did betray  The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege,  Through all the years of this our life, to lead  From joy to joy… Therefore let the moon  Shine on thee in thy solitary walk;  And let the misty mountain-winds be free  To blow against thee: and, in after years,  When these wild ecstasies shall be matured  Into a sober pleasure; when thy mind  Shall be a mansion for all lovely forms,  Thy memory be as a dwelling-place  For all sweet sounds and harmonies; oh! then,  If solitude, or fear, or pain, or grief,  Should be thy portion, with what healing thoughts  Of tender joy wilt thou remember me,  And these my exhortations! Nor, perchance—  If I should be where I no more can hear  Thy voice, nor catch from thy wild eyes these gleams  Of past existence—wilt thou then forget  That on the banks of this delightful stream  We stood together; and that I, so long  A worshipper of Nature, hither came  Unwearied in that service: rather say  With warmer love—oh! with far deeper zeal  Of holier love. Nor wilt thou then forget,  That after many wanderings, many years  Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,  And this green pastoral landscape, were to me  More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!

This passage is taken from the final section from Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey , a critical work in Wordsworth’s poetic career. Tracing the growth of his mind in different periods of time, the poem is a condensed, spiritual autobiography of Wordsworth himself as it views his younger self from the perspective of his older self, weighing the sense of ‘loss’ suffered against the belief that the years have brought him ‘abundant recompense’. 

After recalling his experiences with nature over his formative and adult years, the speaker now addresses his younger sister Dorothy, as he gives her heartfelt advice about what he has learnt. Here, Dorothy becomes a ghost of his former self, as he hears ‘the language of his former heart’ when she speaks and perceives his ‘former pleasure’ in the ‘soothing lights of [her] wild eyes’. 

The speaker depicts his loyalty to nature and its reflective loyalty to him, by the expression that ‘nature never did betray [his] heart’ that loves Dorothy, and this is the reason they have been living from ‘joy to joy’, lending nature a role of salvation. 

The speaker then directly addresses the moon as a kind of separate entity, in order to ask it to bless his sister by shining on her ‘solitary walk’, so that when she is an adult her mind may become a ‘mansion for all lovely forms’. This is an ode to the harshness of the society at the time, in which the privileged businessmen and factory owners possessed a monopoly over British wealth, and accompanying prejudices clouded social judgement. As such, the speaker expresses his desires for his beloved sister to be exempt from such hardship that he was once subjected to, so that she can enjoy ‘sweet sounds and memories’ without experiencing the vexations of an unrelenting human society. 

The conclusion of the poem is cyclic, as it takes the speaker back to the ‘green pastoral landscape’ of the beginning of his meditations. This symbolises the omnipresent timelessness of nature. As the speaker muses upon his ‘past existence’, he wishes to convey his own reverence for nature to his beloved sister, as he expresses that she will not forget the ‘steep woods and lofty cliffs’ upon which he first understood and respected nature. 

The language utilised in this poem is lucid and natural, characteristic of Romantic poetry. The simplicity of the words chosen by Wordsworth effectively communicate the honesty of his own emotions towards nature. The elevated blank verse structure furthers this simplicity, as its familiar and easy tone is like that of a comfortable heartbeat or pulse that runs throughout one’s body in a serene state of mind. 

Ultimately, the unconstrained and liberating tone of the poem, in accordance with its free blank verse structure emphasises Wordsworth’s belief that nature is within our very selves. Just as the poem runs smoothly and continuously, akin to a human pulse, Wordsworth suggests that nature too runs within everyone as an incessant heartbeat, necessary in order to experience a ‘warmer’ and ‘holier’ love for this universe.

For a detailed guide on Language Analysis, what you're expected to cover, how to prepare for your SAC and Exam and more, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Language Analysis .

Today we're going to go through the 2019 past VCAA English Exam ( grab a copy of the exam here so you can analyse with me). As you probably know, if you've watched my videos before, you always want to make sure you read the background information when it comes to Analysing Argument. 

I'm going to use Analysing Argument and Language Analysis interchangeably by the way, but I'm talking about the same thing okay? 

Background Information

The background information is pretty important because it gives you context for what is happening in this article. Without reading the background information, you might just head in there and possibly even come up with an entirely different context altogether, which might screw over your actual analysis and the author's intention. So, never skip the background information. Make sure that you read it and also pick out the gems that you find in it. 

What I've always found is background information is great for picking keywords - words I might want to use throughout my own Language Analysis. It also has really good details about the article. In this case, you can see that there's a member of the public who has responded, which tells us a little bit about the author; it's a 'response' as well, so there's going to be two articles; it's an advertorial - an advertorial is a paid advertisement that looks like an article (I'll use the word advertorial as I'm describing the article in my introduction), and, I also know where it's been published. This is already really good information for you to start using in your introduction. 

Finding Your Own Interpretation

Let's move into the analysis itself. By the way, this is my first time doing this analysis, so we're doing it together. What you'll find is that I come up with particular interpretations that you might not have come up with. I might miss something, you might miss something, and what you'll find is my interpretation is not the only interpretation out there. If you come up with something else, it's totally fine for you to go ahead and analyse it, as long as you can back it up. This is what English is all about, so don't stress if I haven't matched up with you in exactly what I'm saying. You can also use my interpretation as a double interpretation. So, what you could do is go into your essay, write your interpretation and if mine compounds on top of yours pretty well, if it's a great addition to what you're saying, add it in and bam! You're showing your examiner that, you're somebody who can look at one particular technique from several different perspectives and that's kind of cool.

Moving on to the Analysis

So, 'A Better, Faster Shopping Experience'. From what I can already see here is there's this sense of convenience already being brought up. Now, at this point in time, I don't know what the point of that convenience is, but I know for me as a shopper, if I can get something for a better experience and I can get it done faster, then hells yeah, I am all for that. Think about yourself in the reader's shoes, after all, you really are the reader reading this article. Think about how it's starting to impact you. 

I've done a video about the TEE rule previously that goes through T echnique, E xample and the intended E ffect on the audience. Make sure you're familiar with that because I will use a lot of that in today's analysis.

'An open letter to our valued customers. As you know, Hailey's Local Store is not your average grocery store.'  

Interesting. The 'As you know' is pretty familiar. It's this familiarity that this person is sharing with us (the author's name is Hailey, so I'll just say Hailey). She says 'As you know, Hailey's Local Store is not your average grocery store' and repeating that familiar 'As you know' reminds the audience - us - of our long-term relationship with the store. So, in a sense, she's drawing upon our good will and our trust in the local shop, which creates this differentiation between herself (as somebody who's more proactive and customer-centric) and your bigger grocery stores. 

'We're a little bit different - we always put our customers first.' 

At this point, we start to feel valued. We know that we are her priority. Her priority isn't about profits, which a lot of stores are about, it's about the people, and as a result, we're more inclined to look at her in a favourable way.

'We offer lots of healthy meals, many specials, locally source food and, as you know, we abolished plastic carry bags four years ago - long before the big stores.'  

This whole sentence is pretty good because it shows us that she is somebody who is forward-thinking and she has actually carried through with her claim that she puts her customer first. We know that because she follows it up with:

'Why did we do those things? Because you told us that was what you wanted and needed.' 

She's got historical proof of putting customers first, which again, serves to build this rapport and relationship between Hailey and us as her customers.

If I look at the first paragraph as a whole, I see that she's building this up, she's setting this up in a particular way and whatever direction she's going to head in next, we're more inclined to follow her, to believe in her and to support her because she's shown us that she has supported us first. She's helped us out, so why can't we help her out? Again, I haven't read the rest of this article yet so these are just the thoughts that are going through my mind as I'm reading this first paragraph - just to give you a little bit of insight into my brain.

In this first paragraph, I can see that she's using a pretty welcoming and warm tone. If you have a look at the photograph that's been placed at the top of this article - and remember that with particular images they're strategically placed, so if it's placed at the start of the article versus at the end, think about how that impacts your perception of the photograph - for me, the first thing I see when I look at this article is the photo and I see a smiling happy owner. As you can see, the first paragraph serves to back up this photograph as well, with what she's talking about in terms of prioritising customers and valuing customers. You can also see products behind her, which look fresh and full and her shelves are full, so in that sense, it furthers this impression of the local and grounded nature of the store. It feels homey and this invites that comfort and trust from us.

Then, as we move into our second paragraph, I'm seeing a lot of exclamation marks, which gives me the sense of this upbeat, exciting environment, or even tone you could say. I think she's doing this because she wants us to jump on board with cashless payments as well, and to not see them as something that's a burden for us. She ties the advantages of cashless payments directly to the customer’s experience of the store by frequently repeating personal terms, such as 'you' and 'your' throughout these first couple of paragraphs. By the way, I'm not going to write down all the language analysis, because I think there's just not enough space, but me chatting about it with you is good enough. Let's move onto the next paragraph.

'you won't need to go rummaging through your bags for coins. You won't ever have to worry that you don't have the cash to cover your essential food supplies - your card will ensure that you do'.  

Not only is she highlighting the advantage. Here, she's arguing for the advantages of cashless payments by showing you the inconveniences of having cash in phrases like 'you won't need to' and 'you won't ever have to'. I also like the phrase 'rummaging through your bags for coins'. It gives this sense of how cumbersome the nature of physical money is in comparison to cashless payments.

In the next paragraph, she highlights cashless payments with the words 'Simple!' which reiterates her point (from the previous paragraph) about how cumbersome coins can be. She finishes off this paragraph with a 'Welcome to the twenty-first century.', so there's this sense of being forward in her decisions and that we should be as well - because nobody wants to be left behind in history. A lot of us like to think of ourselves as people who are open-minded, open to change and will take up things that are better for us, things that are more convenient for us.

So, she's saying that this is it for twenty-first century, join us over here rather than way back when, when we had to use coins. She also highlights 'mobile phone[s]', 'smart watch', 'smart ring' - many things that a lot of people have and this just compounds that idea of, 'yeah, this is a no brainer' essentially. Why shouldn't you move to cashless payments if you're already immersed in this tech world of having mobile phones, smart watches, smart rings, etc.?

She moves into talking about the wider economic context of Australia in this next paragraph. That sense of time I was talking about, comparing the now - the twenty-first century - with a decade ago, you can see that link right here. It's very obvious now. She creates a strong impression of societal inevitability of this technological change, especially because she cites statistics - '70 per cent of household spending was in cash; now it's half of that.' I can see in the next paragraph that she uses expert opinion as well - the 'Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia'. This all connects to this main phrase that we are in a ‘turning point’ now, that cash will be rapidly phased out until we become a cashless society and we should join her; we should make moves on this otherwise we're going to get left behind. 

I like that she's bringing in Australia because it also brings in this additional sense of pride on our behalf. We're Australians, we're proud that we've been one of the biggest users of electronic payments in the world, we're the ones who are making waves, we're the ones who are putting our feet forward first. So, you could talk about appeal to patriotism here as well. It's interesting because here she says that she's a leader, or 

'We've always tried to be a leader in our community and respond to our customer's needs.'

What do you think when you think of a leader? Typically for me, I admire leaders. They're somebody I look up to and I want to follow in their footsteps essentially. So by positioning herself as a leader, I think that's pretty interesting because she's telling us, ‘Hey, I've done all this thinking, I have initiative, I am forward-thinking, so come with me, join with me on this cashless payments movement.’

'you'll breeze through a check-out'  

I like the word 'breeze through', or just 'breeze' because it connects again, back to this idea of convenience with a faster shopping experience, and it is juxtaposed against that cumbersomeness of 'rummaging through...bags for coins'. Something to think about is: as you analyse an article, you don't just have to analyse it chronologically or talk about it chronologically in your essay either. If you see things that connect later on, connect them in your essay and put them together, because what you're showing your examiner is that you can see not just the minor details - i.e. language techniques in each sentence - but you can actually zoom out and see the overall picture, how the arguments are coming together and how she's structuring her piece so that we walk away with a certain perspective. Think about that in a two-step method. There's the zoom in where we're looking at sentence by sentence and what techniques are there, which is basically what we've been doing, but at the same time, you can zoom out and have a look at how the different techniques all come together and work as a whole. If this is something that you're not too comfortable with just yet, just stick with the chronological order and working through the sort of minor details. And then on your next read, you can read through with the focus of, 'okay, what if I was to look at this from a more holistic perspective?' 

We talk about this 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' technique in How To Write A Killer Text Response .

Ahh! I didn't even look ahead enough, there are more words and more phrases that connect to the idea of convenience and ease. It’s 'faster', ‘will save you time', 'safer' as well?! There's a new appeal. It's not necessarily new, it's just a different angle you could come from. If you wanted to talk about the sense of security, that appeal to safety, then you could do that as well. 

'it means not having to spend hours sorting, storing and securing cash'

So, more cumbersome notions. And then in comparison,

'more time', 'We understand the concerns a minority of our customers may have.' 

I love when they do this, acknowledging the opposition essentially is what she's doing. She's saying, ‘yup, like, I can hear you, not all customers want this. Some of you don't.’ And my assumption is that she's going to back it up with her own rebuttal. This not only pulls along the people who are already supportive of her, but she's also trying to pull along those who are a little bit more sceptical of this idea of cashless payments. So let's see, she says, 

'What if you prefer cash, don't feel comfortable using credit or debit cards, or don't have a mobile phone or smart watch? We don't want to leave anyone out. For the next three months we will offer cashless payments, but still accept cash to people to give people time to adjust.' 

It's interesting because she is again, building up this position of hers, where she is friendly, she is helpful, she is thoughtful and she cares about her community. Something you could also say, and this is if you're looking at things more pessimistically, is that she's doing this more so for herself. By saying that these people have three months, there's this unspoken pressure that's happening as well. She's putting pressure on the minority and emphasising the supposed inevitability of a cash-free shopping experience. Even by just saying 'minority' that's in a way applying pressure as well, because it's saying that you are part of this smaller group, the smaller group of people who won't come with us or have not yet come with us, so join us. There's a very clear expectation that these customers need to adapt and catch up. 

Want to see these ideas and annotations turned into a full A+ essay?

If you want more, I have also got a fully written up 2019 essay based on the articles that we're analysing today in my How To Write A Killer Language Analysis study guide. In that study guide, not only do I have the essay for 2019, I also have a fully written up essay for the 2017 & 2020 VCAA English Exams , and we're always working on adding ones from future years as well. Plus, there's heaps of sample A-plus essays in there already and heaps of information that I think will be super helpful for you before you move into your SAC. So please, go ahead and check that out! It's loaded with value and I know it'll be worth your money.

Here are over 20 Oral Presentation Ideas for you if you're presenting a speech on Australian issues in the media.

• Should gay couples have the same adoption rights as straight couples?
• Should businesses be required to have a sex quota?
• Should political parties be required to run a certain percentage of women candidates?
• Gender workplace diversity
• Treatment of refugees on Manus Island
• Should there be a temporary ban on all immigration into Australia?
• MP citizenship
• Should the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency?
• Homelessness in Australia
• Obesity in Australia
• Sexual harassment in the TV/movie/hollywood industry
• Should gender identity be added to anti-discrimination laws?
• Should universities provide ‘trigger warnings’ and ‘safe spaces’ for students?
• Should workplaces provide ‘trigger warnings’ and ‘safe spaces’ for staff?
• Informed consent with online data
• Religious freedom
• Same sex marriage freedom
• Adani coalmine
• Political donations
• Penalty rates in Australia
• Wage theft in Australia
• Indigenous recognition in the constitution
• Should we invest in public interest journalism?

See last year's Oral Presentation Ideas here . You might also be interested in Advice for A+ oral presentations here too! Best of luck!

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Helping children with creative writing.

Most tuition centres are not set up to help children effectively because they don’t have the time to mark a whole classroom of scripts and sometimes don’t employ staff who can mark work. Equally its very difficult for parents to know where to start as to a large degree the books that are available don’t deliver a step by step process.

For more information about the creative writing aspect of 11 Plus exams please continue reading. For more general information on 11 Plus exams, including the types of exam and their structures,  please follow this link . If you want more information about the English aspect of the 11 Plus please follow this link .

There are some core guidelines that will help children to improve

Practice and revision of work is very important. Whenever children write a piece they must then, a couple of days later, revisit it critically and think about how they could improve it. This process of self-criticism and correction allows children to naturally develop their skills. Their stories naturally become better first time out.

Creative writing books and resources for 11 Plus preparation

It is really difficult to find the right resources to help children at home. Our guidance below will help you to understand what you could focus but even then it is a difficult task. There are also very few books out there which attempt to do the job and even fewer that we would recommend.

Descriptosaurus- supporting creative writing ages 8-14

What areas of creative writing should children focus on?

The common areas where most children could improve are as follows:

1/ Spelling and punctuation – Getting the basics right is very important. Children should read through their work critically and correct errors. The better an impression they can make (few mistakes) the greater their scores will be. It is also the case that demonstrating their knowledge of punctuation also helps (e.g. Correct use of direct speech).

2/ Simplicity of plot –   Children often have a limited amount of time to write. Examiners do not expect them to come up with a complicated plot with numerous characters and lots of action- children who attempt this always fail. Simplicity is essential, children need to get used to the idea that a very simple plot with a limited amount of action and very few characters is the right way forward. They will then find they have something they can deliver properly in the time that they have.

3/ Descriptions, descriptions, descriptions – Having grasped the idea that simple plots with limited action work best children will then find that most marks can be gained by describing characters and action well. Children who think through a number of descriptions as a sort of descriptions bank often do very well in these test. They automatically have some good vocabulary or turns of phrase to describe people or situations or emotions or the environment and they can use these naturally as they tell their story.

4/ Using accurate language – Naturally as part of developing their descriptions children will think about interesting vocabulary and turns of phrase and also about using literary devices ( such as similes). Additionally though they should steer clear of obvious such as like or said or good- they will find more accurate vocabulary exists should they give it some thought.

5/ A sensible ending – Children sometimes fall foul of this by using endings such as ‘and then I woke up’ . Examiners will be marking lots of scripts and so this sort of ending will naturally attract poor marks. Children will find that if they develop a simple story and describe it well then they will have the time to naturally bring a story to its conclusion without needing to revert to odd endings.

A  final word – handwriting – With increasing screen time sometimes children lack well developed handwriting skills. Children either write illegibly or cannot write quickly enough to get a story out in the time available. There’s no easy way to resolve this other than practice. If children are writing practice stories and revising them then they will find this allows them to naturally develop their handwriting.

11 Plus Creative writing example topics and tasks

Tasks vary by area. In Essex for instance currently they ask for circa ten sentences on two topics. One tends to be more factual, the other more descriptive. Other areas like Kent or schools like St Olaves or Henrietta Barnet ask for more extensive writing- while tasks can change year to year this could be a creative writing task lasting 40 minutes.

Whatever the task or length children will benefit from focussing on the six areas (above) that we have identified above.

We have developed a list of sample creative writing topics and tasks which you could you to start writing at home.

11 Plus areas asking for creative writing, essays or extended writing

Kent – set a  40 minute creative writing task for all pupils but it is only marked where they need to decide on the last few students to take.

Kent Medway  – As Kent, 40 minute creative writing task but only marked in a few cases.

Essex (all schools apart from Chelmsford county high school for girls)  – 2 Extended writing tasks. One factual – how to make toast as an example and one more creative  such as describe your pet or your favourite animal. They ask for a few sentences on each.

Devon –  The following schools ask for creative writing as part of their 11 Plus test- Colyton, Torquay Boys, Torquay Girls, Churston Ferrers, Devonport Girls

Surrey –  Tiffin Boys and Girls schools, Wilsons and Sutton Grammar school, Nonsuch and Wallington schools

St Olaves School

Henrietta Barnet School

Trafford  – Altrincham Grammar School for boys

Wirral – St Anselm’s College

Yorkshire – Crossley Heath and North Halifax School

To review the books that we suggest you use during your preparation, then try some of these links:

• CEM 11+ Verbal Reasoning Resources and Preparation
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• 11+ English Resources and Preparation
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3 Simple Ideas for Your Creative Writing Final Exam

Creative Writing is usually a fun class that allows students to be more inventive and imaginative with their writing. How, then, do you possibly assess students’ growth at the end of the class? In this post, I will share three ways you can give students a Creative Writing final exam or summative assessment. 

( Looking for more Creative Writing teaching tips? Try this post! )

Creative Writing Final Exam Idea #1: Portfolio

With a portfolio, students will determine which of their writing pieces from the class were their best. Then, they’ll assemble them together. 

The pros of this final exam? 

Theoretically, you won’t have to read any student writing for the first time. This will save you invaluable grading time during those last, precious few days of the year. 

A portfolio will also force students to reflect on their own learning. Make them justify or explain each piece in their portfolio. This will show you what concepts students have learned and what skills they’re proud of having mastered. 

This is also a final exam that should be difficult for students to fail. If they’ve done the work throughout the class, they’ll have plenty of pieces from which to choose. However, if they’ve slacked the entire class, it will obviously show in their final product–or lack thereof. 

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Creative Writing Final Exam Idea #2: Literary Terms Test

Giving a test is certainly a final exam classic. For a Creative Writing class, you can give one that focuses specifically on literary terms. 

Throughout your class, you’ve no doubt covered and reviewed many terms as you’ve read and written with your students. Now’s the time to see what stuck. 

If you give a test online through a tool like Google Forms, it can be graded instantly. 

You won’t have to waste much time reading–which you might not have if you’re required to give an exam on the last day of school. 

If you choose to do a test as a final exam because you’re short on time, try to make as much of the test multiple choice (or matching, fill-in-the-blank, or other easy-to-grade question styles) as possible. 

This Literary Terms test is entirely multiple-choice for quick and easy grading. 15 questions are simple multiple choice. 20 questions are matching. And 15 are questions based on excerpts from texts. 

The entire test is editable, and it also comes with a Google Forms version which can grade itself. 

If you’re only giving a final exam because it’s required of you, a simple test might be the way to go. 

Creative Writing Final Exam Idea #3: A Larger Writing Assignment

This is for Creative Writing teachers who don’t have to give a final exam on a specific day or who want a general summative assessment. Having students tackle a larger writing assignment might be the best way to assess and challenge students. 

This larger writing assignment could be almost anything and will depend on the kinds of writing you’ve done in class already. 

Students will learn and practice more writing while completing a new writing project. 

(This version will, however, take you longer to grade. If you can’t give your final exam until the last day of class or have to turn grades around quickly, avoid this.)

While your final writing project could be anything, I’ll present two that work well.

First, an Author Study can be used for poetry or short story writing. If you really want students to focus on literary terms, analyzing literature, and examining mentor texts, this is the project for you. 

Learn more about structuring and teaching an author study project here . 

Another classic writing project is the Fairy Tale Retelling Project . This project has some built-in differentiation and scaffolding making it a great choice if you have some struggling writers in class. 

You can learn more about structuring and teaching a fairy tale retelling project here.  

If you decide to go with a larger writing assignment as a final exam, start early. Students will probably need more time to finish than you think. 

Also, give students an early due date. If you have to read entire short stories before the end of the year, you’ll want to make sure you have at least a week to do all of that grading. 

For a Creative Writing final exam, be realistic about how much time your students will have to complete it and how much time you’ll have to grade it. 

If you have to give a test and turn in grades within forty-eight hours of one another, a simple test will be your best option. Even if it’s not the most exciting assessment option for you or your students. 

However, if you want students to end class engaged in something meaningful, a larger writing project might be the perfect capstone for your course. 

Be realistic and make the choice based on your schedule. 

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Insight: Engage

Vce english: preparing for the creative writing sac.

This week, English teacher and Insight writer Kate Macdonell provides tips on how to prepare for the creative writing SAC.

The creative writing SAC is a challenging but rewarding task where you can bring something original to the text you are studying. While you need to demonstrate your knowledge of the world of the text in your response, you must also craft a creative piece that does not repeat the original narrative.

This task is a great way to deepen your understanding of the elements of your chosen text (themes, characterisation, style, language use, structure, perspective etc.), and can be a great help when it comes to preparing for the end-of-year examination.

Guidelines of the task

Each school may run the creative writing SAC differently, so the format of the task may vary (e.g. a written piece, an oral presentation, an in-class task or an authenticated take-home task). While some schools will provide a list of topics for you to choose from, others will leave the topic selection up to you.

If you are given free rein to write a short story or a section of the narrative, you could choose from a number of possible directions, including writing from the perspective of a minor character, filling in a gap in the narrative, imagining a prequel or sequel to the narrative or writing an alternative ending.

Show your knowledge of the world of the text

Regardless of the focus of your creative piece, it is important that you capture the world of the text. To do this, you will need to consider more than just the key ideas and characters. Pay careful attention to the following and make notes before you start writing.

• Dialogue: Look at how dialogue is used in the original text. Is it used sparingly or frequently? Is it spliced with passages of internal monologue? In addition, pay attention to how the characters speak in the original text. If a character regularly uses contractions (it’d, he’ll, could’ve), malapropisms (‘cutting off my nose despite my face’), grammatically incorrect terms (‘could of’) or colloquial expressions (‘dude’, ‘bummer’), then you should incorporate these language features into your own writing.
• Narrative point of view: If you are responding to a novel or a collection of short stories, look at whether the original text is written in first person, second person, third person limited or third person omniscient. You should adopt this narrative point of view unless you have a strong reason for using a different type of narration.
• Verb tenses: Pay attention to the tenses used in the original narrative. In a text response essay you should use the present tense, but do not assume that that should be the case in your creative response.
• Symbols: If the original text you are writing on uses elements of imagery with particular connotations (e.g. mingling breaths as a form of connection, a blue light as a sign of clarity), then it is worth considering the use of similar symbols in your own work. However, remember that your word limit is relatively short (around 1000 words), which means there might not be enough scope to build in a motif or recurring symbol in your response.
• Setting: Be mindful of the geographical, historical and social settings of the original text. Do some research to ensure that the elements that make up the daily lives of your characters, such as the prevailing moral codes, are realistic for the time period. (You can’t just apply your own moral compass to the characters in your work; their moral values need to link to those in the original text.)
• Narrative structure and crisis points: Pay attention to the shape or arc of the original narrative. It is particularly important to note where the climactic/crisis points appear. Your narrative also needs to build to a crisis point, in order to be interesting and engaging.
• Language and style: Look at the rhythm of the language, the style (is it formal or informal?), the use of adjectives (are there many or few?), and the vocabulary (are the words familiar to you, or do they belong to an earlier decade or even to a futuristic world?).

Stay true to the original

Your work needs to stand on its own, but it also needs to pass for the original. Below are some tips on how you can achieve this.

• Do not introduce magical elements into your own narrative if they are not in the original text.
• Model your dialogue on the speech in the original text.
• A series of letters or journal entries can be written if they are relevant to the original text, but they are usually more effective if they appear within a short story.
• If you are fleshing out a minor character, be sure that you have a clear sense of who they are based on the information in the original text.
• Test different voices to capture the one that best suits your character.

The written explanation

The explanation is an important component of the task, as it helps your assessor understand what you have attempted in your creative piece and how well you understand the original text.

Your school will advise you on exactly how to produce the written explanation. Some schools will provide a template for you to complete, and others will ask you to write a series of paragraphs that reflect on the different elements of your creative piece (e.g. purpose, intended audience, form, narrative point of view, language use and how your text links to the original).

The creative writing SAC is a unique task that allows you to immerse yourself in the world of the text and bring something original to it. Enjoy this opportunity to engage creatively with your chosen text. Good luck!

Are you a budding author? Do you love to write? Enter the 2019 Insight Creative Writing Competition now for the chance to have your story read by award-winning Australian authors, and be in the running to share in over $3000 of cash prizes.

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7 Plus English: Creative writing prompts explained!

April 26th, 2021 Last updated: July 6th, 2023

In this blog, the second in a series of 'Types of...' 7 Plus preparation posts, Meredith outlines a range of different creative writing prompts that can appear in the English paper and offers some useful insight and handy tips for preparing for each one.

The ‘composition’ aspect of the 7 and 8 Plus entrance exams can include a variety of different prompts for writing. Getting familiar with the different types of prompts that can appear and practising how to relate back to what is being asked is a crucial skill to practice ahead of the exams. 

Students will usually be given an option of two prompts to use with the words ‘either’, ‘or’. All types of prompts come with some bullet points ‘things / questions to think about / try to include’ that students should read and refer to in their writing. 

Continue the story 

Most often, students are given an option to continue the story from the comprehension passage they have read. This requires that students ensure they know the characters in the story, continue using the correct names and write in ‘third person’. They will also need to use consistency of tense e.g. if the story is written in the present tense, they will need to continue with the same tense and not switch to the past tense. Using clues from the text about the setting and characters are also important – for example, if the comprehension passage describes ‘Lucy’ as ‘quiet and shy’, it would be inconsistent to have Lucy ‘yelling at her friends to hurry up’ in the next part of the story! The same goes for the setting. If the story in the comprehension passage is set in an old, haunted house, it makes sense to keep it there! Another key point about continuing the story is to start where the passage left off, so it is helpful for students to read the last paragraph or few lines again before writing to think about what just happened and what will happen next. 

Write a story about a time when you… 

This is usually connected to the comprehension passage too. For instance, if the comprehension story involved a storm, students may be asked to write about a time when they were in a storm. Key to this is knowing to write in ‘first person’ rather than ‘third’. It is important that students get to practice the skill of writing stories from their own experiences. This can bring the added benefit of using first-hand memories and their own senses. Some students find it easier to rely on their experiences and memories rather than use their imagination so plenty of first-hand experiences of the world is crucial! 

Write a story entitled/ with the title… 

With this kind of prompt, it is essential to really use the title and refer to it somehow throughout the story. For instance, if the title is ‘The Magical World Beyond the Wardrobe’, students will be expected to use the title to write about a relevant setting e.g. a bedroom wardrobe / magical world, a relevant possible problem e.g. getting lost, relevant characters e.g. explorer children, magical creatures and a relevant resolution e.g. finding their way back. The key here is making reference to the title throughout and creating relevant story elements. This kind of prompt may also include a picture to use to spark imagination. 

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Picture prompt

Less often (but it does come up) is a prompt that is a stand-alone picture. This prompt may ask students to describe what they see in the picture or create a story from it. Either way, students should examine the details of the picture closely for a minute or two and let themselves note down any relevant words, phrases or ideas that begin to form in their minds. Describing the picture requires plenty of descriptive writing practice using adjectives, expanded noun phrases and figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification etc.) as well as drawing on the senses to bring the writing to life. If students are creating a story from the picture, they should let it spark their imagination and include the character and/or setting they see in the picture in their story. An excellent resource for practice with this prompt is the website https://www.onceuponapicture.co.uk/ which has a wealth of amazing and inspiring pictures! 

Character description  

A lesser-seen prompt is that of a character description. Brief character descriptions are important to include in stories (a sentence or two about a character e.g. ‘Imran had dark brown eyes and jet-black hair that was as dark as the night. He was the kind of boy who never seemed to get scared, or at least that’s what it looked like.’ However, this kind of prompt is asking students to write entirely about a character. Important elements to include in a character description are: appearance, personality, likes and dislikes. It is essential students know what these words mean and that they have a range of vocabulary they can draw on to describe a character’s appearance and personality (there are plenty of vocabulary sheets for this purpose). Practising writing character descriptions is hugely helpful, not only for the exams but for a student’s writing journey. 

Recount 

This is similar to writing a story about a time when… but slightly different! A recount is an autobiographical piece that should appear as non-fiction. That is, the student should write about their real experiences rather than using their imagination. However, one’s imagination can of course be useful to draw on if the student finds they have not had an experience such as ‘A day you spent at the fair’. Recounts should be written from a ‘first person’ perspective and in chronological order using ‘time’ connectives and sentence openers such as ‘First’, ‘Then’, ‘After that’, ‘Later on’, ‘Finally’ etc. 

Diary entry  

I have only seen diary writing once as a prompt in a 7 Plus paper referring to the comprehension passage but it is a useful skill to practice. If the student doesn’t already keep a diary it is helpful to get into the habit of asking the student to write a couple/ few sentences at the end of each day. I personally think keeping a diary/ journal is a wonderful practice for writing in general and helps children to see that writing can be purely for personal pleasure rather than for any external validation or grade. Get students into the habit of writing the date on the top line, beginning ‘Dear Diary’ and signing off with their name. A standard element of diary writing is to include one’s feelings. 

Letter writing 

I have never seen being asked to write a letter as a prompt before but it could come up! Students may be asked to write a letter to one of the characters in the comprehension passage or imagine they are one of the characters writing a letter home etc. Old-fashioned though it may sound, get students to practice writing letters to their friends or family to see the real-life benefit and enjoyment of sending and receiving letters! Personally, I see letter-writing as a beautiful life-skill to develop and enjoy. Ensure students are familiar with the structure and vocabulary for writing both formal and informal letters. 

Creative writing prompts can come in many forms so having some practice ahead of the exam at recognising and writing using the above range of prompts will ensure students feel confident and prepared for whatever appears!

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