O Level English Language (1123)
Composition Banker
40 questions · about 26% of the marks we indexed · examined in 9 of 9 sessions.
Practice questions
Original questions written by HomiLabs in the style of the exam, with answers and mark schemes. They are not
Cambridge past paper questions and have not been reviewed by Cambridge. Try each one before opening the answer.
Q1Descriptive (scene, place or event) · Core · Paper 2 style · 25 marksComposition title: Describe the scene at a busy railway station in a large city just before dawn and then at the height of the morning rush hour. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Structure: 1) the empty, quiet station before dawn; 2) first signs of life (stalls opening, first passengers); 3) the rush hour at its height; 4) a closing image that links back to the opening (e.g. the pigeons now scattered by the noise).Planning ideas: Before dawn (any three): a sweeper pushing a broom along an empty platform; a single tea stall hissing as the kettle boils; the hum of strip lights; a guard yawning; pigeons on the rafters; cold air and the smell of diesel. Rush hour (any three): crowds pressing towards the doors; porters in red shirts shouting; announcements echoing; the smell of fried snacks and sweat; trains screeching in; vendors calling prices.Example paragraph: 'At four o'clock the station belongs to the pigeons. They shuffle along the iron beams above platform three while, below them, a lone sweeper drags his broom in slow arcs, raising small clouds of dust that glitter under the strip lights. The only sound, apart from the buzz of the lamps, is the tea-seller's kettle beginning its thin whistle. The air smells of cold metal and yesterday's diesel.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe the scene in an examination hall in the ten minutes before an important exam begins and during the final ten minutes of the exam. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Structure in time: entering the hall; the paper handed out; (brief link through the middle of the exam); the final ten minutes; time called. Keep the focus on the scene and people, not on a story about one candidate's result.Planning ideas: Before: students whispering final facts; the scrape of chairs as candidates find their seats; an invigilator placing papers face down; nervous tapping of pens. Final ten minutes: frantic scribbling; a student staring at the clock; someone shaking a cramped hand; the invigilator's footsteps; a sigh as a pen is put down.Example paragraph: '"Stop writing, please." The words fall into the silence like a stone into a well. Pens freeze in mid-air. Somewhere behind me a chair creaks, and a long breath escapes from a hundred chests at once.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe a beach on a calm summer morning and then the same beach after a violent storm. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: calm morning (gentle waves, joggers, camel rides, warm sand, gulls); signs of change; the beach after the storm (debris, churned sand, darkened sky clearing, people returning to look). Ending could show the first sign of recovery.Planning ideas: Divide the piece into two halves of roughly equal length; use a linking paragraph (the storm arriving or its aftermath being discovered); repeat one feature (e.g. a fishing boat, a beach café, a line of footprints) in both halves to show how it has changed; change the sentence rhythm from long, smooth sentences to short, broken ones.Example paragraph: an upturned wooden boat with a split hull; a café sign snapped in half; seaweed draped over a lamp post; a child's sandal half-buried in grey sand. Model line: 'The ice-cream kiosk lies on its side like a tired animal, its striped awning ripped into ribbons that twitch in the wind.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe a night market in a foreign city you have visited or imagined, as it opens in the early evening and as it closes after midnight. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: preparation and opening (setting up, first customers, colours); peak crowds (briefly); closing (stalls folding, litter, cats, quiet). Sense of a foreign place: unfamiliar foods, languages, currency. Avoid copying a tourist brochure; select vivid particulars.Planning ideas: Sound: 'the clatter of metal shutters rolling up'. Smell: 'smoke from charcoal grills carrying the scent of lemongrass'. Light: 'strings of bulbs flickering on one by one above the stalls'.Example paragraph: 'The noodle seller wipes his last pan with a grey cloth, slowly, as if the movement belongs to someone else. His apron, crisp at seven, is now patterned with oil and chilli. He counts coins into a tin box, lips moving, then lowers the gas flame until the blue ring vanishes with a soft pop.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe a family home during the busy days of preparation for a wedding and then on the evening of the wedding itself. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: preparations (cooking, mehndi, tailors, relatives arriving, noise, lists, lights going up); the evening (music, colours, clothes, food, emotions of the bride's family); a final quieter moment. Challenge: keep it descriptive, convey mixed emotions (joy, tiredness, sadness at a daughter leaving) through detail rather than statement.Planning ideas: e.g. the front gate: first hung with a half-tied string of marigolds and blocked by a delivery van of chairs; on the evening, glowing with fairy lights and crowded with guests' shoes. Or a grandmother's charpai in the courtyard: buried under fabric samples, then empty and quiet as she sits watching the celebration.Example paragraph: 'Nobody in the house has sat down since Tuesday. The courtyard is a sea of folded chairs, cardboard boxes and rolls of golden ribbon, and my aunt stands in the middle of it, phone at one ear, giving orders to three people at once.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe the scene in a hospital waiting area late at night. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Structure could move around the room (entrance, rows of seats, reception desk, the doors to the wards) or through time (midnight to dawn). Show emotion through people's gestures. End on a quiet, resonant image such as the first grey light at the window.Planning ideas: Focus on small, telling details of different people waiting (a father clutching car keys, a child asleep across two chairs); use sound and light (the hum of a vending machine, a flickering tube light, the squeak of a nurse's shoes); slow the pace with long sentences broken by sudden short ones when a name is called.Example paragraph: 'The loudest thing in the room is the clock. Each tick lands on the silence like a drop of water on a tin roof. Beneath it runs the low murmur of the drinks machine, and every few minutes the double doors sigh open, letting through the rattle of a trolley and a voice calling a name that nobody here answers to.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Describe a mountain valley in two different seasons. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Structure: season one (wide view, then close detail); transition; season two (same features changed: the river, the fields, the people, the light); final image that unites both. Challenge: avoid clichés such as 'winter wonderland'; use precise colour and sound vocabulary.Planning ideas: Spring (e.g. in a northern valley): apricot blossom like pale smoke on the slopes; meltwater roaring in the river; farmers ploughing terraced fields; the smell of wet earth. Winter: snow muffling every sound; frozen waterfall; smoke rising from chimneys; villagers wrapped in woollen shawls; footprints on a white path.Example paragraph: 'By October the blossoms are a memory. The poplars turn gold, then bare, and one morning the first snow drifts down so quietly that the village wakes up to find the world has been rewritten in white.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear structure that moves through time or space; the two settings/moments are clearly contrasted; precise, focused detail rather than a list; a sense of atmosphere that changes; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = wide, precise vocabulary; varied sentence lengths and openings used for effect; imagery used sparingly and freshly (not clichés); accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; present or past tense kept consistent; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.Avoid turning the description into a story with a plot.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'The door had been locked from the inside.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content points: the sentence must be included word for word; it should be the turning point, not dropped in randomly; a believable explanation or outcome; a satisfying ending.Planning ideas: Example: 1) A boy visits his grandfather's flat after school and gets no answer. 2) Neighbours gather; worry grows. 3) The caretaker tries the key and finds the door won't open: 'The door had been locked from the inside.' 4) They climb in through the balcony and find the grandfather asleep with headphones on, after a fall that has hurt his ankle. 5) Relief; the boy decides to visit every day.Example paragraph: 'Mr Akram turned the key once, twice. It moved, but the door stayed shut, as solid as a wall. He bent down and peered at the gap beneath it. "The bolt," he said quietly. The door had been locked from the inside.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'It was only a small mistake, but it changed everything.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: ordinary situation; the mistake; growing consequences; the sentence used as a reflection (often near the start or the end); resolution showing how life changed.Planning ideas: e.g. sending a message to the wrong group chat; catching the wrong bus; writing down a phone number with two digits reversed; leaving a gate open on a farm. Reason: e.g. the wrong bus takes the character somewhere new where they meet someone important, giving room for development.Example paragraph: 'I was in such a hurry that I didn't look at the number on the front of the bus. Seventeen, forty-seven — what was the difference? I found a seat by the window, plugged in my earphones and closed my eyes.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'Nobody believed me until the lights went out.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: narrator notices a danger or strange event; is ignored; the lights going out proves them right; resolution (narrator helps, is thanked or learns something). Avoid an ending such as 'it was all a dream'.Planning ideas: Any reasoned choice. E.g. at the start as a hook that makes the reader ask what the narrator warned about; or at the climax, after the narrator's warnings are ignored, so that it marks the moment the danger becomes real.Example paragraph: 'Nobody believed me until the lights went out. For three days I had told them about the smell of burning near the fuse box in the school hall, and for three days they had laughed. Then, in the middle of the prize-giving, with three hundred parents in their best clothes, the hall went black.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'As the train pulled away, I realised I still had her bag.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the meeting; the mix-up; the narrator's efforts to return the bag (calling the station, getting off at the next stop, finding the address); a resolution with emotional payoff.Planning ideas: e.g. An elderly woman travelling alone asks the narrator to hold her bag while she helps her grandson down the steps; the whistle blows, the doors close and she is on the platform while the narrator is on the train.Example paragraph: 'The bag was heavier than it looked. Through the window her small figure grew smaller, one hand raised, whether to wave or to stop the train I could not tell. I fumbled with the zip. Inside, on top of a folded shawl, was an envelope with an address written in careful capitals.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'I had promised myself I would never come back here.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the place, the past event (as a brief flashback), the reason for returning, a moment of crisis, resolution showing change in the narrator.Planning ideas: e.g. Setting: a swimming pool where the narrator once panicked in a gala. Left: humiliated, gave up swimming. Return: their younger sister is competing and needs support. Ending: the narrator dives in during a practice session and overcomes the fear.Example paragraph: 'The smell hit me first: chlorine and damp concrete, exactly as I remembered. I stopped at the turnstile. I had promised myself I would never come back here. Behind me, my sister tugged my sleeve.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'The message on the screen read: "Do not open the box."' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: discovery of the box; the message (included word for word with correct punctuation); temptation and tension; the decision; the outcome. Challenge: control pace, use a limited number of characters, avoid unexplained supernatural endings.Planning ideas: e.g. the box was left by the narrator's late grandfather and contains letters that reveal a family secret; or the message was from a younger brother protecting a surprise birthday gift. It works because clues (a hidden key, the grandfather's habit of puzzles) were planted earlier, so the twist feels earned.Example paragraph: 'The parcel had no stamp. It sat on the doormat that Thursday morning, wrapped in brown paper and string, with my name written in green ink. When I picked it up, my phone buzzed in my pocket.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story which includes the sentence: 'For the first time in years, the old house was silent.' (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the house and family; changes over time (time-shifts handled clearly); a closing scene with the sentence. Challenge: managing a long time span in 450 words, using selected scenes rather than summary.Planning ideas: e.g. a large, noisy joint family lives in an old house; over the years the children move abroad or to other cities; the grandmother stays on alone; the story ends on the day the house is sold and she leaves: 'For the first time in years, the old house was silent.' The silence carries loss and the end of an era.Example paragraph: 'Mornings in the house began with a battle for the bathroom. My uncles shouted through the door, the pressure cooker shrieked in the kitchen, and the parrot on the veranda imitated all of them at once.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story about someone who is given a second chance. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the original failure; consequences; the second chance; how they use it (success, or a lesson learnt); a clear ending.Planning ideas: e.g. A cricketer dropped from the school team for missing practice is offered one more match after the captain falls ill; or a shopkeeper's assistant who lost money through carelessness is trusted again with the shop for a day.Example paragraph: '"Coach wants you on Saturday," Bilal said, not looking at me. "Don't make him regret it." I opened my mouth to thank him, but he had already walked away.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story in which a character becomes lost in an unfamiliar city. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: arrival; how they get lost; attempts to find the way; a helper or a clever solution; return to safety with a reflection.Planning ideas: Signs in a language the character cannot read; streets that all look the same; a phone with a flat battery; noise, crowds and unfamiliar smells; the character turning back to find a landmark has disappeared.Example paragraph: 'I turned the corner expecting the blue mosque and found a car park instead. I walked back. The bakery with the striped awning had gone too, or perhaps I had never passed it. My phone screen stayed black however hard I pressed the button.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story about a competition that did not go as planned. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the competition (debate, science fair, sports day, cooking contest, recitation); preparation; unexpected event; reaction; outcome (it may still end positively in an unexpected way).Planning ideas: Show the character's preparation and hopes; introduce a worry or rival; slow time down just before the event (heartbeat, crowd noise); hint that something could go wrong (a loose string on a sitar, a sore knee).Example paragraph: 'Halfway through the second verse my mind went white. The next line was simply not there. I could see the judges' pens stop moving, and in the third row my mother's hands rose slowly to her mouth.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story in which a misunderstanding between two friends is finally cleared up. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: friendship established; the event; growing distance; the moment of truth; reconciliation. Characters' feelings shown through actions, not only told.Planning ideas: e.g. Sana thinks Hira told their teacher about her copied homework; Hira thinks Sana has been ignoring her because of a new friend. In fact a third student overheard and reported it.Example paragraph: '"You think I told Miss Farah?" Hira's voice cracked. "Sana, I didn't even know you hadn't done it." For a long moment neither of us spoke. Then I saw Zoya, at the next table, quickly look away.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story in which a power cut leads to an unexpected discovery. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the power cut and its effect; the search for light or relief from heat; the discovery; its consequence; the power returns and something has changed.Planning ideas: e.g. finding an old torch and, with it, a box of letters in a cupboard; discovering the stars from a dark rooftop for the first time; hearing a sound that leads to a kitten trapped in a drain; realising a quiet neighbour is a gifted storyteller when families gather outside.Example paragraph: 'The fan slowed, groaned and stopped. In the sudden silence I could hear the whole street sigh. It was nine o'clock on the hottest night of June, and the electricity had gone again.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story told by an object that passes from one owner to another. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: first owner; transfer; second owner; transfer; final owner and a closing reflection. Challenge: keep a consistent first-person object viewpoint, handle time shifts smoothly, give the story a unifying theme (time, family, memory).Planning ideas: e.g. a wristwatch: owned by a railway worker who is never late, then his son who forgets to wind it, then a granddaughter who keeps it in a drawer until she needs courage before an interview. The watch notices things only a watch would (wrist warmth, how often it is checked), revealing character indirectly.Example paragraph: 'I have measured out sixty-two years of other people's lives. The first wrist I sat on was thin and brown and always warm from the engine sheds, and the man it belonged to looked at me so often that I came to think he could not breathe without my permission.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Write a story in which a character has to choose between loyalty to a friend and telling the truth. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your story on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the friendship; the incident; pressure to lie or tell; the decision; consequences for both characters. Challenge: avoid a simple moral lecture; let the ending show the cost of the choice.Planning ideas: The reader must feel the pressure of both sides so that the choice matters; otherwise the decision seems easy and the story lacks tension. Ways: internal monologue; a flashback to the friendship; physical signs of stress; a conversation with a parent.Example paragraph: 'The principal folded her hands. "I'll ask you once more, Daniyal. Who broke the lab window?" Behind her head the clock ticked. I thought of Omar at the bus stop that morning, saying, "You're the only one who knows."'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = a clear, well-paced plot with a beginning that hooks, a developed middle with tension, and a controlled ending; a small cast of convincing characters; events that are believable inside the story; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = varied sentences used for pace (short ones at moments of tension); precise verbs and description; dialogue used sparingly and correctly punctuated; consistent tense and viewpoint; very few errors; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Homework should be banned in secondary schools.' Do you agree? (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: 3–4 developed arguments for your side with examples; a counter-argument answered; conclusion. A balanced view is acceptable if a clear final judgement is given.Planning ideas: For: students already spend six or seven hours in school and need time for rest, family and hobbies; homework can increase stress and inequality (some have quiet rooms and tutors, others do not). Against: homework builds independent study habits needed for exams and university; it gives practice that consolidates class learning and lets teachers check understanding.Example paragraph: 'By the time the last bell rings, most teenagers have already worked a longer day than many adults. Piling two more hours of homework on top of that is not education; it is exhaustion. While some practice at home is useful, I believe compulsory daily homework should be replaced by optional, purposeful tasks.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Every young person should learn to cook.' What do you think? (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: health, money, independence, equality, family culture; counter-argument (busy timetables, cheap ready meals) answered; conclusion.Planning ideas: Healthier eating than relying on fast food; saves money, especially for students living away from home; independence and sharing responsibilities at home (fairer between boys and girls); a creative, relaxing skill; understanding of food waste.Example paragraph: 'Cooking saves money. A student living in a hostel who orders takeaway every evening can easily spend more than half of his monthly allowance on food. Learning to make simple dishes such as daal, rice and an omelette would cost a fraction of that and leave money for books.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Tourism does more harm than good to mountain regions.' What is your view? (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: clear position; developed points on environment, economy, culture; counter-argument answered; possible solutions (eco-tourism, limits on visitor numbers) in conclusion.Planning ideas: Harm: litter and plastic left on trekking routes; traffic jams and pollution on narrow mountain roads in holiday seasons; unplanned hotel building on river banks increasing flood risk. Good: income for local guides, porters and guesthouses; roads and phone networks improved; local crafts and culture find buyers.Example paragraph: 'Some argue that tourism brings jobs to remote valleys. This is true, but most of the money ends up with hotel chains and tour companies from the cities, while local families are left with the rubbish and the rising prices. A few seasonal jobs carrying luggage do not make up for a polluted river.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Online learning can never replace learning in a classroom.' Do you agree? (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: social skills, discipline and teacher feedback in classrooms; flexibility, access to recorded lessons and global resources online; problems of connectivity and power supply; blended learning as a possible conclusion.Example paragraph: 'Online lessons proved that learning can continue in a crisis, and they offer flexibility no timetable can match. Yet a screen cannot notice a puzzled face in the back row or teach a group to argue politely. Technology should support the classroom, not replace it.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Spending money on space exploration is wrong when there are so many problems on Earth.' Discuss. (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: moral argument about priorities; practical benefits of space technology; national pride versus spending; balanced but decisive conclusion. Challenge: avoid unsupported numbers; use concrete examples you are sure of.Planning ideas: For the statement: the money could fund clean water, hospitals and schools; space missions can add debris in orbit and use large amounts of fuel. Against: satellites developed through space programmes support weather forecasting, disaster warnings and GPS navigation; space research drives technology (materials, medical imaging) and inspires students into science.Example paragraph: 'How many farmers in flood-prone areas have been saved by a warning sent days before the water arrived? Those warnings depend on weather satellites, the direct children of space programmes. Cutting space research would not feed the hungry; it would blind the people trying to protect them.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: 'Social media has made people less kind.' To what extent do you agree? (Argument titles are no longer set as compositions in the current exam, but these skills are needed for directed writing.) (350–500 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 500 words. [30]
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- (a) Content: anonymity and online abuse; outrage culture and quick judgement; comparison and envy; kindness campaigns, support communities, fundraising; personal responsibility; a nuanced conclusion.Planning ideas: 'To what extent' invites a judgement of degree, not a simple yes or no: you should weigh the evidence on both sides and reach a nuanced conclusion (e.g. 'largely true for anonymous platforms, but less true for local community groups').Example paragraph: 'Yet the same apps that host cruel comments also organise kindness on a scale never seen before. When floods hit a district, it was a neighbourhood WhatsApp group that collected blankets within hours, and an online fundraiser that paid for a boy's surgery. Social media did not create the cruelty or the kindness; it amplified both.'
Top band (content and structure): a clear position stated early and kept throughout; three or four developed arguments, each with an explanation and an example; at least one opposing view fairly stated and answered; paragraphs linked logically; a conclusion that sums up and leaves an impression. Top band (style and accuracy): formal but lively register; discourse markers (furthermore, however, consequently); rhetorical devices used with restraint; accurate grammar and punctuation.Marked as a whole out of 30 (content and structure with style and accuracy): 25–30 = all top-band features above, consistently; 19–24 = a clear, organised argument with developed points and mostly accurate, varied writing; 13–18 = relevant points but thinly developed or one-sided, simple linking, some errors; 7–12 = a list of assertions with little development, weak structure, frequent errors; 1–6 = little relevant content, errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Describe an object that has special meaning for your family. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: physical description; where it is kept or used; memories attached; family members' attitudes; closing reflection.Planning ideas: e.g. a brass tiffin carrier: dented lid; three stacked tins held by a cracked wooden handle; the clink when it is carried; the faint smell of cardamom that never washes out.Example paragraph: 'My grandfather carried it to the textile mill every day for thirty-one years. The dents on its lid are a map of those years: the deep one from a bus door in 1994, the small round one from the day my father, aged five, dropped it on the stairs.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = focused description of the person or object (appearance, movement, voice, habits, setting that reveals character); a controlling impression; no narrative plot; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = precise, original vocabulary and imagery; varied sentences; accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Describe a street vendor who has worked in the same place for many years. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: the vendor's appearance; the stall/cart; daily routine; interaction with customers; how the street has changed around him while he has stayed. Keep description rather than story.Planning ideas: Appearance: 'a face folded into deep lines by forty summers of sun'. Movement: 'his hands flip the parathas with the speed of a card dealer'. Voice: 'a hoarse call that rises above the horns like a call to prayer'.Example paragraph: 'His cart is the cleanest thing on the street. Every morning he polishes the steel rim with a cloth until it flashes, lines up the jars of chutney in the same order, and props a photograph of his granddaughter against the gas cylinder where only he can see it.'
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = focused description of the person or object (appearance, movement, voice, habits, setting that reveals character); a controlling impression; no narrative plot; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = precise, original vocabulary and imagery; varied sentences; accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
Composition title: Describe two very different people waiting in the same place. (350–450 words)
- (a) Write your composition on the title above. Write 350 to 450 words. [25]
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- (a) Content: setting briefly; person one; person two; shared moment; closing image. Challenge: reveal personality through gesture and detail; avoid turning it into a story with a big plot.Planning ideas: Place: a bus stop in the rain. Person 1: an elderly man in a pressed grey sherwani, standing very straight, holding a closed umbrella he refuses to open; checking a pocket watch. Person 2: a teenage girl in a hoodie, sitting on the kerb, earphones in, tapping her foot, eating crisps.Example paragraph: e.g. alternate short paragraphs between the two people, linked by a shared event (a bus that does not stop, a sudden downpour) that shows how each reacts; or describe one fully, then the other, and end with a moment when their eyes meet.
Content and structure (10 marks): 9–10 = focused description of the person or object (appearance, movement, voice, habits, setting that reveals character); a controlling impression; no narrative plot; 7–8 = relevant and well organised, with mostly precise detail and some development; 5–6 = relevant but uneven: some detail is general or listed, structure is simple; 3–4 = thin or partly off the task, weak structure; 1–2 = little relevant content.Style and accuracy (15 marks): 13–15 = precise, original vocabulary and imagery; varied sentences; accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar; 10–12 = fluent and mostly accurate, some range of vocabulary and sentence types; 7–9 = generally clear, plain vocabulary, errors that do not obscure meaning; 4–6 = frequent errors, limited vocabulary and sentence control; 1–3 = errors often obscure meaning.
