The Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Paper 2 is title Directed Writing and Composition. Section A tests both reading and writing skills. You can check out our previous post on genres to learn more about that. Section B, though, tests only the student’s writing skills.

Section B of Paper 2 gives the student four options to choose from: two descriptive prompts and two narrative prompts. Our last post covered descriptive writing. This post will give some suggestions for succeeding in the narrative writing.

Below are sample narrative prompts:

• Write a story that ends with the phrase ‘he couldn’t believe his eyes’.
  Write a story where one of the characters becomes ill.
• Write a story that involves solving a problem.
• Write a story which includes the words, ‘… this could not be the present …’.
• Write a story with the title, ‘Visitors’.
• Write a story which involves a mistake in the sending or receiving of a message.

Mark Scheme

24 marks are given for style and accuracy: The plot is well-defined and strongly developed with features of fiction writing such as description characterization and effective climax and convincing details.

16 marks are given for content and structure: Many well-defined and developed ideas and images create a convincing overall picture with varieties of focus.

Tips for the Narrative

• Write from personal experience, and make it interesting.
  • Makes it credible and engaging
  • Avoid zombies, aliens, and monsters
  • Make it believable
• Time and length are short
  • Structure and organize
  • Develop a plot: Beginning, middle, end
  • Allow to time to edit
  • Have a realistic but interesting ending–don’t just start strong
• Use narrative features
  • Setting (imagery, sensory details)
  • Characterization (2-3, and believable)
  • Conflict (main issue)
  • Dialogue (not too much)

• Style and Accuracy
  • Punctuation and grammar
  • Tense consistency
  • Spelling…proofread!
• Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
  • Appropriate vocabulary
  • Varied sentence structure (see next slide from descriptive writing)