Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B (option 1)

Test yourself

Section B: Descriptive Writing

In Section B of Paper 1, you will be given two options - a written scenario and a picture stimulus - to choose from.

Use the picture

Read the questions carefully. Usually, the first option asks for a story or description suggested by or based on the picture.
This leaves loads of room for you to write about things which aren’t actually visible on the picture, but could be in the background.
- For example, if you are given a picture of a stormy sea, you could imagine a boat on the water and write about the storm from their point of view, or you could consider who is taking the picture from the shore and write about their experience.

Imagination

Actually, you can choose not to use the image at all and base the description entirely on your imagination.

Use sophisticated vocabulary

You get marks for attempting to use more complex/sophisticated vocabulary, even if you spell it incorrectly, so don’t be afraid to try!

Use sophisticated punctuation

You also get marks for a range of punctuation so, at the very least, try to put an exclamation mark, a semi-colon and a pair of brackets into your writing.

Make mistakes and edit

Don’t worry about getting things wrong at first – you are allowed to cross out in your exam. As long as you leave some time at the end to correct your work, it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes to begin with.

Do NOT use writing used before

Some students try to write a perfect piece of writing before going into the exam and then just adapt it to any question in the exam – this is a bad idea! Examiners can tell that you have done this, and this type of strategy generally means you end up with lower marks because your prepared piece doesn’t quite match the task in the exam.

Always plan your creative writing. Students who create some sort of plan before they start writing always score more marks. It doesn’t matter what your plan looks like – your plan will not be marked. Here are some examples:

Bullet points

You could simply jot down your ideas as they come to you, and then number them in the order you're going to write about them.
Example question: Write a description of a stormy sea.
- Zoom out – colour of stormy sky and sea. Add metaphor. (5)
- Zoom in – on small boat in the middle of the waves. Add personification. (2)
- Sound – waves crashing against the rocks. Use onomatopoeia. (1)
- Feeling – people in boat being soaked and feeling scared. Use emotive language. (3)
- Sight – people in boat can only see the waves – adds to fear. Use simile. (4)

Spider diagrams (or mindmaps)

Spider diagrams (/mindmaps) are great for mind mapping your initial ideas about a picture or storyline.
An example spider diagram is on the next slide.

Question: Write a description of a sunset

1Key Terms

1.1Key Terms

1.1.1Nouns

1.1.2Verbs

1.1.3Sentence Types

1.1.4Words

1.1.5Sound

1.1.6Language

1.1.7Images & Symbols

1.1.8Phrases

1.1.9Mood

1.1.10Key Terms - Other Techniques

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Key Terms

2Language Techniques

3Paper 1: Reading

3.1Paper 1: Reading - Section A

3.1.1Paper 1: Reading - Overview - Section A

3.1.2Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 1

3.1.3Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 2

3.1.4Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

3.1.5Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 3

3.1.6Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 4

3.1.7End of Topic Test - Section A

3.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

3.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q1

3.1.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q2

3.1.11Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q3

3.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q4 1

3.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q4 2

4Paper 1: Writing

4.1Paper 1: Writing - Structuring Your Answer

4.1.1Paper 1: Writing - Overview - Section B

4.1.2Paper 1: Writing - Descriptive Writing

4.1.3Paper 1: Writing - Narrative Writing

4.1.4Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B (option 1)

4.1.5Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B (option 2)

4.1.6Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B - Checklist

4.1.7End of Topic Test - Writing Section

4.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Writing

4.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q5 1

4.1.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q5 2

5Paper 2: Reading

5.1Paper 2: Reading - DAFORESTER

5.1.1Paper 2: Reading - Direct Address

5.1.2Paper 2: Reading - Alliteration

5.1.3Paper 2: Reading - Facts

5.1.4Paper 2: Reading - Opinions

5.1.5Paper 2: Reading - Repetition

5.1.6Paper 2: Reading - Exaggeration (Hyperbole)

5.1.7Paper 2: Reading - Statistics

5.1.8Paper 2: Reading - Triples (Rule of 3)

5.1.9Paper 2: Reading - Emotive Language

5.1.10Paper 2: Reading - Rhetorical Questions

5.1.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER

5.2Paper 2: Reading - Structuring Your Answer

5.2.1Paper 2: Reading - Overview - Section A

5.2.2Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 1

5.2.3Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 2

5.2.4Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 3

5.2.5Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

5.2.6Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 4

5.2.7End of Topic Test - Section A

5.2.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

5.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q1

5.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q2 1

5.2.11Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q2 2

5.2.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q4

6Paper 2: Writing

6.1Paper 2: Writing - Structuring Your Answer

6.1.1Paper 2: Writing - Overview - Section B

6.1.2Paper 2: Writing - Answering Section B

6.1.3Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 1

6.1.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 2

6.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 3

6.2Types of Writing

6.2.1Paper 2: Writing - Article

6.2.2Paper 2: Writing - Essay

6.2.3Paper 2: Writing - Leaflet

6.2.4Paper 2: Writing - Letter

6.2.5Paper 2: Writing - Speech

6.2.6Paper 2: Writing - Review

6.2.7Paper 2: Writing - Travel Writing

6.2.8Paper 2: Writing - Diaries & Journals

6.2.9End of Topic Test - Types of Writing

6.3Writing to...

6.3.1Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Inform

6.3.2Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Inform - Example

6.3.3Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Explain

6.3.4Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Explain - Example

6.3.5Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade

6.3.6Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade - Example

6.3.7Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Argue

6.3.8Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Argue - Example

6.3.9Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade vs Writing

6.3.10Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Advise

6.3.11Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Advise - Example

6.3.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...

6.3.13Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Writing

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