Narrative Writing: How to Get Full Marks (CIE IGCSE English Language)

Section B requires you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific form. It is important that you write in the correct format and use the conventions of this form, as to get the highest mark you will need to adapt your tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. 

This means: 

• The tone (the sound of the narrator’s “voice”) is appropriate and convincing 
• The register (your vocabulary and phrasing) is suitable for the purpose
• The style of the writing (the sentence structure and the overall structure of your writing) is dynamic and engaging

When planning your response, it is a good idea to keep the tone, style and register in mind, as well as the conventions of the form. As with any extended piece of writing, planning is vital. You should spend 10 minutes mind-mapping your ideas before you start writing. Here, we will consider how you can produce an effective piece of narrative writing in the following sections: 

• How to structure your narrative writing
• Narrative writing techniques
• Steps to success

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 the exam, it is best not to plan a complex story which takes place over a long period of time, employs multiple characters or that has more than one setting or plot twist.  

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:
• The best way to do this is to plan one main event
• Ensure your plot is simple enough to be coherent and cohesive
• 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:
  • For example, black and grey or green and blue
• 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:

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:

Stage	Description of narrative structure
Step 1	Exposition (setting the scene)	Stick to one main setting and start at the location: 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 your story 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
Step 2	Rising action	This paragraph should build tension, drama or interest: It should directly lead to the turning point of the story (the 'climax') This paragraph should also develop your character(s): You could use dialogue, monologue, direct or indirect characterisation to create well-rounded, 3D characters
Step 3	Climax	This is the turning point of your story: It is the moment everything changes and your character(s) cannot go back Your protagonist could face an external problem, or an internal choice or dilemma: Their choice is made in this paragraph You should vary your sentence structure, length and language here for dramatic effect
Step 4	Falling action	What happens in this paragraph should be as a direct result of the climax paragraph: It shows the consequences It should also focus on your characters' thoughts and feelings as a result of the climax of the story This further develops a sense of characterisation
Step 5	Resolution or denouement	You can choose to resolve your story, or end on a cliff-hanger: 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 your opening paragraph: Or it could refer back to imagery you used in your opening paragraph to create a cyclical structure

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. 

 

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?”
• 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

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 narration The writer describes the character’s physical appearance, personality and the things that motivate them It is useful for giving broad details in a sentence or two, but if used too much direct characterisation will result in superficial characters that a reader is not able to relate to or engage with This is “telling”	The writer hints to the reader what the character is like An impression is formed of the character through their speech, thoughts and feelings, interactions with other characters and what other characters say or think about them It is useful for developing more complex, well-rounded characters that engage the reader 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 characterisation)	Your character’s appearance may not always be relevant: 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 Facial expressions or descriptions can convey character effectively. For example, “her tear-stained face” or “he frowned” 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 (indirect characterisation)	One of the most effective ways to describe a character is through 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 characterisation)	If you use the first-person perspective, a monologue helps readers 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 characterisation)	Dialogue can convey the relationships between your characters 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 Carefully consider how the dialogue conveys an idea: Do not include dialogue which does not progress the 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 technique	Explanation	Example
Repetition	Repeating a word, phrase, image or idea. This is much more effective if you think of repetition as a motif that you use throughout your piece of writing	Throughout life, I have learnt never to give up: never give up on my dreams; never give up on my hopes and never give up on myself.
Alliteration	Remember, the words starting with the same consonant sound do not have to be consecutive. Consider the effect you are trying to achieve through the use of alliteration	The swirling mist silently settled on the sleeping town.
Metaphor	Metaphors can be as simple as figures of speech, but are especially effective where they are extended and developed	She was the chief lioness among us, fierce, determined and strong. It was she who brought us all together.
Personification	A great way to create atmosphere at the start of your writing is by personifying the setting to your story or description	The weary old tree, its gnarled branches outstretched like weathered arms, whispered ancient wisdom to the breeze.
Onomatopoeia	The representation of sound on paper should be more sophisticated than comic-book terms such as “boom”. It is also not helpful to put onomatopoeic words all in capital letters. Consider sound as a way of evoking the senses in order to create atmosphere	The crackling fire whispered its secrets along with the gentle pop and sizzle of the logs as they surrendered to the flames.
Simile	A simple comparison using “like” or “as” should be used sparingly, as this creates more impact	Her smile was as radiant as the early morning sun on a summer’s day.
Imagery	Engages the reader’s senses by using vivid and detailed language to create an image in the reader’s mind	The sun-kissed waves crashed against the golden shore, their frothy white caps glistening in the morning light.
Juxtaposition	Places two contrasting ideas, images or concepts side by side to highlight their differences or to create a striking effect	Thе еlеgant ballroom was adornеd with еxquisitе chandеliеrs and finе artwork, whilе thе servants' quartеrs bеlow hеld nothing but barе walls.
Emotive language	Words or phrases that are intentionally used to evoke a strong emotional response in the reader	The devastating aftermath left a trail of destruction, sorrow and misery.
Power verbs	Verbs are doing, action or being words. Power verbs are the deliberate, interesting choice of verb to help the reader picture what you are writing. They can be especially useful for characterisation	The man stooped, bumbling slowly towards the entrance.
Pathetic fallacy	The ability to evoke a specific mood or feeling that reflects a character’s internal or emotional state	The lonely road beckoned him onwards with no end in sight.

1. Read the two task options carefully:
• Highlight which one you have a strong idea for
2. Spend five minutes planning your writing:
• Use a mind-map or a representation of Freytag’s Pyramid to plot out your story
• Plan your characters - who they are, what they represent and how you will convey this
• Decide on your narrative perspective - first or third person
3. Write down some reminders of figurative language or literary techniques to include to add interest and detail to your writing
4. Write your story, sticking to your plan
5. Try to leave five minutes at the end to re-read your writing carefully, correcting any obvious mistakes you have made