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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Your notes

Language
Assignment 3
Contents
Assignment 3: Narrative Writing
Model Answer: Narrative Writing

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Assignment 3: Narrative Writing

Your notes
Assignment 3: Narrative Writing
Assignment 3 of your coursework portfolio is a piece of narrative writing. To reach the highest levels of the
mark scheme you are required to create a developed, well-defined plot and include features of fiction
writing, such as characterisation and setting.

Overview
In this assignment you are only examined on your writing skills, and your piece of writing should be between
500 and 800 words in length. There are 10 marks available for content and structure, and 15 marks available
for style and accuracy, as follows:

Content and structure (10 marks) Style and accuracy (15 marks)

The writing contains many well-defined The writing contains precise, well-chosen vocabulary
and developed ideas and images and varied sentence structures chosen for effect
These images create a convincing Language and tone are suitable for the context
overall picture and have varieties of
focus Spelling, punctuation and grammar are almost
always accurate

Narratives may be written in any relevant form, such as the opening or closing chapter of a longer story, or a
short story in itself, but features of fiction writing should be evident. Your ideas should be explored and
developed imaginatively. Remember, a story that entertains is normally a successful one!

Assignment examples
You may be asked to write a story that creates suspense and atmosphere, or something that explores
relationships and emotions. Alternatively, you may be asked to write about adventure, achievement or
something that contains unexpected events. Any possibility that addresses specific readers and maintains
the reader’s interest and engagement are valid. The best short stories are based on a single plot idea, have
a maximum of two main characters and tend to be set in a place familiar to you.

How to write to narrate

Narrative story writing develops an idea to a conclusion. The way to achieve this in an exam is by planning an
ending with a resolution (you should plan whether your story will end happily or not).
In order to adhere to the conventions of story writing, it is best to:
Plan your writing in an order which takes your character (and reader) on a clear journey:
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The best way to do this is to plan one main event

Ensure your plot is simple enough to be coherent and cohesive Your notes
Consider employing structural techniques, such as a flashback:
This can give background information to the reader and provide context
Ensure you use past-tense verbs for this
Develop your characters:
Consider essential narrative character archetypes, such as “villain”, “victim”, “hero”, etc.
Decide on how your characters fit these descriptions
When describing people, focus on relevant details only:
You could focus on their body language or movements
If using dialogue, the verbs you use to describe how your characters speak can reveal more about
them than what they say, e.g. “shrieked”, “mumbled”, “whispered”
It is effective to repeat ideas related to colour
You can repeat ideas for emphasis:
For example, black and grey or green and blue
Narrative writing responses should be structured into five or six paragraphs. You should plan your response
carefully as you have limited time to create a cohesive plot. Writing a response which has not been planned
is likely to have an abrupt ending, or no ending at all, which will not get you high marks.
There are lots of different narrative structures or arcs that you could use to plan your story. Bearing in mind
you only have 15 minutes to plan, your story needs to be controlled and concise. One of the easiest ways to
achieve this is to consider a five-part narrative structure, such as Freytag’s Pyramid:

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Your notes

Stage Description of narrative structure

Step 1 Exposition (setting Stick to one main setting and start at the location:
the scene)
Do not include a lengthy 'journey' before the main action of your
story starts
Hook your reader:
Give them clues as to what will happen later, but do not give
everything away all at once
Decide which narrative perspective and tense you are going to write in:
First person 'I' and the past tense are easier to control
Stick to no more than two characters and introduce them
Employ the five senses to create an atmosphere:
The scene's mood should reflect your main character's mood
This paragraph could end with an 'inciting incident', which prompts the
rising action and moves the story forward

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Step Rising action This paragraph should build tension, drama or interest:
2
It should directly lead to the turning point of the story (the 'climax') Your notes
This paragraph should also develop your character(s):
You could use dialogue, monologue, direct or indirect
characterisation to create well-rounded, 3D characters

Step Climax This is the turning point of your story:

3
It is the moment everything changes that your character(s) cannot
go back
Your protagonist could face an external problem, or an internal
dilemma:
Their choice is made in this paragraph
You should vary your sentence structure, length and language here for
dramatic effect

Step Falling action What happens in this paragraph should be as a direct result of the
4 climax paragraph:
It shows the consequences
It also should focus on your characters' thoughts and feelings as a result
of the climax of the story:
This further develops a sense of characterisation

Step Resolution or You can choose to resolve your story, or end on a cliff-hanger:
5 denouement
However, a cliff-hanger is not a sudden ending; it is a suspenseful
ending
It is also important to avoid cliches, such as 'I woke up and it was all
a dream'
Your setting and atmosphere could reflect a change from the setting or
atmosphere you established in the opening paragraph:
Or it could refer back to the imagery you used in your opening
paragraph to create a cyclical structure

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Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length. In fact, better answers vary the lengths of
their paragraphs for effect. What is important is to develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph, and
to avoid repeating the same descriptions throughout your response. Your notes

Narrative writing techniques

Once you have planned out the structure of your narrative, it’s a good idea to consider how to incorporate
methods and techniques into your response. Below we have included some guides to help you when
thinking about setting, characterisation and other linguistic techniques to make your narrative as
engrossing as possible.
Setting
As this task assesses the ability to communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, it is important to
consider how to use language constructively in a short story to convey an atmosphere or mood. Building an
effective setting is key as it contributes to atmosphere and mood.
Your setting should reflect your main character’s mood:
You may know this as pathetic fallacy, which reflects the character’s mood in the environment,
e.g., “the lonely road”
As your setting reflects your character’s mood, your setting may change as the story progresses:
Contrasting scenes is an effective way to convey ideas and to engage your reader:
For example, your story may have started on a sunny afternoon, but may end as the sun sets or
as a storm approaches
Whatever way you decide to contrast the scenes, ensure it reflects your character’s mood
The best answers build a clear setting before introducing other information, such as introducing
character:
Describing setting is best done with sensory language as we experience places with all of our five
senses
This means you could describe the dark, light, colours, sounds, smells and weather
The best way to clearly create setting is to allow an entire paragraph to describe the scene without
confusing readers with other information like who is there
Ensure all of your descriptive language builds the same mood and avoid mixing ideas. For example:
“The graveyard was dark, cold and smelled like fragrant flowers” is confusing for your reader
However, do not give too much away all at once!
Keep your reader guessing and asking questions, such as “What is going on?”, “Why is this like
this?” and “Who is this?”

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Think of establishing a setting a bit like the game “Taboo”, in which you have to describe something
without stating explicitly what it is
Characterisation Your notes
This question asks you to create a short story and therefore you will need to build some elements of
detailed characterisation. This means you need to consider what your character(s) represent. They may
represent an idea, such as hope or strength or abandonment, or you could include a villain to represent
injustice or evil. It is best to limit yourself to two characters in the time you have.
Well-rounded characters are taken on a journey: a character should undergo some form of development or
change. The mark scheme rewards answers which clearly and effectively convey ideas, meaning that you
need to consider the most effective ways of building a character in a short piece of writing. Ideally, you
should focus more on indirect characterisation than direct characterisation:

Direct characterisation Indirect characterisation

The writer describes the character through The writer hints to the reader what the
narration character is like
The writer describes the character’s physical An impression is formed of the character
appearance, personality and the things that through their speech, thoughts and
motivate them feelings, interactions with other characters
and what other characters say or think
It is useful for giving broad details in a sentence or about them
two, but if used too much direct characterisation
will result in superficial characters that a reader is It is useful for developing more complex,
not able to relate to or engage with well-rounded characters that engage the
reader
This is “telling”
This is “showing”

Here, we will consider how to plan your character(s) effectively to engage your reader. This is what the
examiner is looking for in your answer:

Characterisation

Appearance (direct Your character’s appearance may not always be relevant:

characterisation)
It is worth considering if it is necessary to describe the colour of
your characters’ hair, for example
Usually appearance is important if your character represents
something, for example, a king, a soldier or someone in trouble

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Facial expressions or descriptions can convey character

effectively. For example, “her tear-stained face” or “he
frowned” Your notes
If you choose to write in first-person, remember that it is rare
that we describe our own appearance
Third-person perspective can describe appearance more
effectively

Movements and body language One of the most effective ways to describe a character is through
(indirect characterisation) their movements:
This is the way we judge people most accurately
Consider how you can describe your characters’ emotions or
circumstances using movements, e.g., “His head dropped”
Verbs and adverbs can be used to effectively build
characterisation
If you are including dialogue, think about alternative verbs to
“said”, such as “whispered” or “bellowed”

Monologue (indirect If you use the first-person perspective, a monologue helps readers
characterisation) engage with the character:
This creates a personal tone and engagement with the
character
You can create a character’s “voice” using punctuation, such as
short sentences or questions:
A short sentence indicates your character may be nervous,
for example
Using emotive language will help your reader understand your
character better

Dialogue (direct and indirect Dialogue can convey the relationships between your characters
characterisation) and provide insights into what other characters think about each
other:
It is best to limit dialogue in your story, especially if you are not
absolutely certain how to punctuate it correctly
Use speech marks and punctuation accurately

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Carefully consider how the dialogue conveys an idea:

Do not include dialogue which does not progress the Your notes
characterisation or plot

Linguistic devices
When considering your choice of language and the techniques you wish to employ, you must always
remember that you are making deliberate choices for effect. It is important to consider the connotations
of words and phrases, and how these may add depth to your writing. For example, do your word choices
evoke certain emotions or feelings in the reader, or do they reveal aspects of a character’s personality,
background or emotions? You should employ the principle of “show, not tell” in order to bring your writing
to life in the reader’s mind.
Below you will find a brief explanation of some of the key techniques you could employ in your narrative (or
descriptive) writing:

Device or Explanation Example

technique

Repetition Repeating a word, phrase, image or idea. This is Throughout life, I have learnt
much more effective if you think of repetition as a never to give up: never give up
motif that you use throughout your piece of writing on my dreams; never give up on
my hopes and never give up on
myself.

Alliteration Remember, the words starting with the same The swirling mist silently settled
consonant sound do not have to be consecutive. on the sleeping town.
Consider the effect you are trying to achieve
through the use of alliteration

Metaphor Metaphors can be as simple as figures of speech, She was the chief lioness
but are especially effective where they are among us, fierce, determined
extended and developed and strong. It was she who
brought us all together.

Personification A great way to create atmosphere at the start of The weary old tree, its gnarled
your writing is by personifying the setting to your branches outstretched like
story or description weathered arms, whispered
ancient wisdom to the breeze.

Onomatopoeia The representation of sound on paper should be The crackling fire whispered its
more sophisticated than comic-book terms such secrets along with the gentle

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as “boom”. It is also not helpful to put pop and sizzle of the logs as
onomatopoeic words all in capital letters. Consider they surrendered to the flames.
sound as a way of evoking the senses in order to Your notes
create atmosphere

Simile A simple comparison using “like” or “as” should be Her smile was as radiant as the
used sparingly, as this creates more impact early morning sun on a
summer’s day.

Imagery Engages the reader’s senses by using vivid and The sun-kissed waves crashed
detailed language to create an image in the against the golden shore, their
reader’s mind frothy white caps glistening in
the morning light.

Juxtaposition Places two contrasting ideas, images or concepts Thе еlеgant ballroom was
side by side to highlight their differences or to adornеd with еxquisitе
create a striking effect chandеliеrs and finе artwork,
whilе thе servants' quartеrs
bеlow hеld nothing but barе
walls.

Emotive Words or phrases that are intentionally used to The devastating aftermath left
language evoke a strong emotional response in the reader a trail of destruction, sorrow
and misery.

Power verbs Verbs are doing, action or being words. Power The man stooped, bumbling
verbs are the deliberate, interesting choice of verb slowly towards the entrance.
to help the reader picture what you are writing. They
can be especially useful for characterisation

Pathetic fallacy The ability to evoke a specific mood or feeling that The lonely road beckoned him
reflects a character’s internal or emotional state onwards with no end in sight.

Top tips
Ensure that your response is a well organised and thoughtful interpretation of your title
Demonstrate your ability to shape a narrative, including incorporating moments of tension and drama
Use characterisation to create believable protagonists and characters
Avoid cliches or over-used narratives, such as abandoned cabins in the woods

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Do not just “tell” a series of events:

Consider imaginative ways to tell your story, apart from just a chronological account Your notes
Include your characters’ thoughts and feelings, not just what happens
Do not over-complicate your language unnecessarily:
Do not underestimate the power of simple words and sentences to create significant impact
Start at your story’s main setting, not in the journey or build up
Ensure that all of the words you choose contribute to the overall atmosphere and effect you want to
create
Vary your sentence and paragraph lengths to keep the style and tone dynamic
Do not over-use dialogue:
Only use dialogue if it drives forward the plot and you are able to punctuate it correctly
Consider the “message” of your story and how your characters represent this
Consider the narrative perspective which will work most effectively for your story

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Model Answer: Narrative Writing

Your notes
Model Answer: Narrative Writing
For your IGCSE English Literature coursework you need to complete three assignments, and Assignment 3
is the narrative writing assignment. The following guide will provide you with a narrative writing model
answer.

Planning your narrative writing

Let’s take this narrative writing task as an example of a suitable task for Assignment 3:
‘Write a story which involves an injustice.’
We can use a five-part narrative structure to plan our response:

Step 1 Exposition/setting A house that nobody has lived in for a long time
Atmosphere is silent and uncared for

Step 2 Rising action Background information - grandparents’ house

Light, laughter and joy
Narrator and sister playing in a treehouse

Step 3 Climax Accident involving the narrator’s sister

Narrator gets the blame

Step 4 Falling action Aftermath - leave the house and return to the city
Family crumbles

Step 5 Resolution Present day - narrator returns to the house

Narrative writing model answer

The following model answer demonstrates how to structure, and what techniques to include in, a top-mark
response to the above task:

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Your notes

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Your notes

Unannotated model answer

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The house had been the epitome of life and joy, and yet it was now dead. It was merely a shadow of its
former glory, for the house was no longer alive, and never would be again.
Your notes
Sunlight no longer danced through the windows and sounds of laughter were no longer heard; all that
was left were the remains of a long since dead house. Cobwebs littered the wooden slats and broken
walls. Dusty light-fittings stared down miserably at a table that would never again be laden with food and
fun, and chairs that had not been warm for years stood redundantly, forgetful of their original purpose. As
I stood in the hallway, the quiet crept through the empty rooms towards me, mocking me with its
oppressive silence.
The house was not always dead. I can wistfully recall all of my visits to this once beautiful place. Every
summer holiday, my parents brought me to this house, where my grandparents lived, and their parents
before them. Living in the city, I urged for this escape: my summers spent in nature were filled with joy and
laughter. The bright sunshine, the gentle winds and the peace that had been introduced to me in this
wonderful place were the things I now treasured. My sister and I would spend hours climbing the trees
surrounding the house, building dens and having endless adventures, before returning, wild and weary,
for our family meal and the analysis of the day. Our favourite spot was our treehouse, lovingly made by my
grandfather and decked out by my grandmother with cushions, toys and books. There was a ladder for
climbing up and a rope to swing down. My sister, not as confident at climbing as me, was only allowed to
climb up and swing down under my supervision.

But one summer I had grown weary of supervising her. I wanted some time alone, to listen to music, mope
about and generally be a teenager. My sister became a pest; a fly to be regularly swatted away with an
irritated flick of my hand. I resented having to be the responsible older brother. That was why I was
slouched on the sofa with my headphones on when my mother rushed past me, swiftly followed by my
grandparents. The sun was still bright; the wind still gently grazed the trees, but now it was different. One
moment, without supervision, and a slip of a foot meant that our favourite tree would never be scaled
again.
In his grief, my grandfather cut the tree down, the treehouse collapsing into a pile of firewood at its base.
My parents could not watch, nor could they bear to look at me. The blame was placed squarely on my
shoulders. The injustice of it, mixed with my own guilt and grief, was too much for us all to bear. I was just
fourteen. Hardly capable of being responsible for my own life, let alone someone else’s. But that did not
seem to matter.
It was twenty years before I returned. At first, I thought I had arrived at the wrong house. I could not match
the ruin standing before me with the bright, happy place I had known. Flowers of all colours had filled the
elegant front garden, but now there were just weeds. In that one simple house, birthdays had been
celebrated, fireworks were launched and laughs were shared. Now, it was a mere shadow. It was no
longer alive, and never would be again. And the blame and sense of unfairness - well, that will stay with
me forever.

Commentary

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The first paragraph uses personification to set the scene

The story then shifts to the past, with ambitious word choices Your notes
The climax of the story indicates a shift in tone, with indirect characterisation used to make it believable
Nature imagery is repeated throughout the story
The falling action describes the aftermath and links to the focus of the story’s title: “injustice”
The story finishes by returning to nature imagery and personification

Summary
Remember, plan the order and the “flow” of your story
Stick to one setting and no more than two main characters
Vary your sentence and paragraph lengths
Employ imagery and literary devices to bring your story to life
Use indirect characterisation to make your characters realistic and believable
Consider your story as a “scene” in a film:
It is not necessary to know everything about your characters
It is better to immerse the reader with vivid “showing” techniques, such as sensory imagery and
interesting vocabulary, rather than “telling” them with direct description and characterisation
Write with technical accuracy

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