igcse imaginative writing coursework examples

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Edexcel English Language A iGCSE (4EA1/02) – Imaginative Writing Past Exam Questions

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We have collated the imaginative writing questions from past year papers and listed them here. If you are taking the Edexcel English Language specification A (4EA1/02) for your iGCSE, and need more practice for this part of the paper, you have come to the right place.

Imaginative Writing is in Paper 2 Section B. Answer one question out of three given prompts. You are advised to spend 45 minutes on this task. The total marks for this section is 30.

The assessment objectives tested in this section are:

AO4 communicate effectively and imaginatively, adapting form, tone and register of writing for specific purposes and audiences

AO5 write clearly, using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, with appropriate paragraphing and accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Table of Contents

• Exam Paper Format
• Anthologies Exam Questions Analysis
• Poetry and Prose Text Past Exam Questions
• Transactional Writing Past Exam Questions
• Imaginative Writing Past Exam Questions

Imaginative Writing Questions Extracted from Past Year Papers (2014 – current)

Current syllabus (4ea1/01) answer one question..

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, made something. Your response could be real or imagined.

Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Write a story with the title ‘My Greatest Memory’.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that begins ‘The festival was crowded that night’.

Your response could be real or imagined. You may wish to base your response on one of the images.

June 2022 Resit

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, had time away from school. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘A Lucky Escape’.

OR Look at the images provided. Write a story that ends ‘It looked so different at night’.

January 2022

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, had to be brave. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘Everything Had Changed’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided.

Write a story that begins ‘It was an unusual gift’.

January 2022 Resit

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, had an exciting experience. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Dark City’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story that starts ‘Was it really him?’

November 2021

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, felt proud. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Hidden Book’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story that begins ‘It was like a dream’.

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, needed help. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Accident’. Your response could be real or imagined.

OR Look at the images provided.

Write a story that begins ‘I was too excited to sleep’.

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, went on a long journey. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘A New Start’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story that begins ‘I tried to see what he was reading.’

June 2020 R

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, made an important decision. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘A Future World’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story that starts ‘I laughed out loud’.

January 2020

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, saw something surprising. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Meeting’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story that starts ‘Suddenly, without warning, there was a power cut.’

January 2020 R

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, did something by mistake.

Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Promise’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that ends ‘I’m glad I decided to help.’

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, visited a new place.

Write a story with the title ‘The Storm’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that ends ‘I decided to get on with it.’

Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation.

June 2019 R

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, met an important person. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Painting’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that starts ‘Everywhere was silent.’

JANUARY 2019

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, challenged an unfair situation. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘Bitter, Twisted Lies’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that begins ‘It was a new day …’.

January 2019 R

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, felt lonely. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘The Deception’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that begins ‘They found a diary… ’.

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, enjoyed success. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘A Surprise Visitor’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided (below). Write a story that begins ‘I did not have time for this’.

June 2018 R

Write about a time when you, or someone you know, felt disappointed. Your response could be real or imagined.

Write a story with the title ‘Lost’. Your response could be real or imagined.

Look at the images provided. Write a story that ends ‘He heard the door slam.’

Old Syllabus. Answer ONE question.

January 2018.

Write on one of the following: EITHER

(a) You have been asked to give to give a talk to a group of teenagers about a person who has made life better for others. This could be someone you know personally or someone who is well-known. Write the text of your talk.

(b) The magazine is publishing A series of articles called ‘where I live’. Write your contribution, exploring what you like or dislike about your local area.

(c) Write a story with the title ‘Memories’.

(a) ‘Cities are dangerous, dirty and crowded places. Why would anyone want to live there?’

Give your views, arguing either for or against this statement.

(b) Your Community Improvement Group has decided to put up a new building to benefit your local area.

Write a letter persuading the Group to accept your ideas about uses for the new building.

(c) Write a story beginning ‘I never thought such an amazing thing could happen to me’.

June 2017 R

(a) ‘Let’s make our world a better place!’

You have been asked to give a talk to a group of young people on this topic. Write the text of your talk.

(b) ‘A Hard Choice I Had To Make.’

A website is collecting contributions from people who have had to make difficult choices.

Write your contribution.

(c) Write a story beginning ‘I was only trying to help’

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Edexcel English Literature IGCSE (4ET1/01) Paper 1 – Past Exam Questions – Unseen Poetry

Edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – past exam questions – anthology poetry – comparison, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – modern prose past exam questions – to kill a mockingbird, harper lee, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – modern prose past exam questions – of mice and men, john steinbeck, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – modern prose past exam questions – the whale rider, witi ihimaera, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – modern prose past exam questions – the joy luck club, amy tan, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 1 – modern prose past exam questions – things fall apart, china achebe, edexcel english literature igcse (4et1/01) paper 2 – heritage texts past exam questions – romeo and juliet, william shakespeare, share your thoughts cancel reply.

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Unleashing your creativity: story structures for top-scoring igcse narrative writing.

As IGCSE students, you’re on a quest to master the art of narrative writing, and I’m here to be your trusted guide.

Today, we’ll explore the fascinating world of story structures that will help you craft captivating, engaging, and top-scoring narrative pieces. So, buckle up and get ready to unleash your creativity and embark on a journey to the land of A+ narratives!

We’ll start first with our recommendations for narrative structures that you can try out in your writing (more specific and targeted blog posts, examples, and templates will follow in the coming weeks), and also provide examples that take place in some books that you can consider reading; they are mostly classics.

While they won’t demonstrate the entirety of each one of these narrative structures in full, they will provide some valuable insight into what to look for and also provide examples that you can reference if you have the interest (and the time!) to pursue some reading. 🙂

In the final section, we will justify these recommendations with specific reference to the mark scheme.

Do know also that it is possible to combine this narrative structures with one another and that you most likely will do so as you utilise the techniques that you learn in this post in order to deal with the unseen prompts that you will encounter on the exam and write stories at large 🙂

Sounds good? Let’s go! 🚀

Narrative Structures

• The Classic Three-Act Structure: Tried and True

The three-act structure is like a reliable old friend, always there to guide you through the world of storytelling. This classic approach divides your narrative into three parts: the setup, confrontation, and resolution. By establishing a strong beginning, middle, and end, you’ll create a well-balanced and engaging story that is sure to impress your IGCSE examiners.

“Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a young girl named Cinderella who was forced to work as a servant for her wicked stepmother and stepsisters.” – Cinderella, Charles Perrault.

This opening line from the classic fairytale of Cinderella sets the stage for a story that follows the three-act structure. The first act introduces the characters and the central conflict, the second act chronicles Cinderella’s struggles and her magical night at the ball, and the third act brings about resolution and a happy ending as she marries the prince.

Note however that the Three-Act Structure does not necessarily entail a happy ending – it is just a framework for setting up your story, and definitely can and should be used in conjunction with some of the other narrative structures as well as intelligent discernment in order for you to construct a piece that will impress and wow your examiners! Thank you to Ms. Rani CK for discussing this with me 🙂

• The Hero’s Journey: Embrace the Adventure

The Hero’s Journey, inspired by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, is a story structure that revolves around a protagonist’s transformative adventure. Your hero (or heroine) will face trials, overcome obstacles, and ultimately return as a changed person. By incorporating this powerful structure into your narrative writing, you’ll create a compelling and dynamic story that captures the essence of human experience and captivates your readers (and examiners).

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” – The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s opening line in The Hobbit introduces the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, and marks the beginning of his Hero’s Journey. Throughout the story, Bilbo leaves his comfortable home, faces various trials and adventures alongside a group of dwarves, and ultimately returns transformed, having discovered his inner courage and resourcefulness.

• In Medias Res: Start with a Bang

Dive headfirst into the action by employing the “in medias res” (Latin for “in the midst of things”) story structure. This technique drops your reader right into the heart of the action, creating an immediate sense of intrigue and excitement. By starting with a gripping event, you’ll pique your reader’s curiosity and encourage them to keep reading as you gradually reveal the backstory and context. This bold approach will show your IGCSE examiners that you’re a fearless and innovative storyteller.

“Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested.” – The Trial, Franz Kafka.

Franz Kafka’s The Trial starts in medias res, as the protagonist Josef K. is arrested without any prior explanation. This opening plunges the reader right into the action and establishes a sense of immediacy and confusion, setting the stage for a narrative that will gradually reveal the circumstances and consequences of this arrest.

• Nonlinear Narrative: Play with Time

Who says stories need to follow a chronological order? By experimenting with a nonlinear narrative, you’ll weave a tale that jumps between different time periods, creating an intricate and thought-provoking story. This structure requires skillful planning to ensure your reader can follow the story’s progression, but when executed well, it can lead to a captivating and memorable piece that will undoubtedly impress your IGCSE examiners.

“All this happened, more or less.” – Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is a prime example of a nonlinear narrative. The novel tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, who becomes “unstuck in time” and experiences events from his life in a disjointed order. This opening line acknowledges the narrative’s unconventional structure, as the story will jump back and forth in time to explore Billy’s life, war experiences, and encounters with extraterrestrial beings.

• Frame Narrative: Stories within Stories

Unleash the full power of your storytelling abilities with a frame narrative. This structure involves a story within a story, where an outer narrative “frames” an inner one. By employing this sophisticated technique, you’ll create depth and layers to your writing, offering your reader multiple perspectives and a rich, immersive experience.

“You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings.” – Frankenstein, Mary Shelley.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a frame narrative, as it begins with a series of letters from Captain Walton to his sister, chronicling his Arctic expedition. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation is relayed to Walton, who then recounts the tale to his sister through the letters. This structure adds layers of depth and multiple perspectives to the narrative, enriching the overall storytelling experience.

Why do these work?

In this section, we’ll delve into how each of the story structures we’ve discussed can help students achieve top marks in their IGCSE narrative writing, specifically addressing the marking criteria for content, structure, and style.

• The Classic Three-Act Structure

Content and Structure (W1 & W2): The three-act structure’s clear beginning, middle, and end ensures that your narrative is well-balanced and organized. By establishing a strong setup, confrontation, and resolution, you can create complex, engaging, and effective content, satisfying the requirements for the highest marks.

Style and Accuracy (W3 & W4): A well-executed three-act structure also allows for precise vocabulary and varied sentence structures, as well as a consistent, well-chosen register that aligns with the context of the story. These elements contribute to a high-scoring narrative in terms of style and accuracy.

• The Hero’s Journey

Content and Structure (W1 & W2): The Hero’s Journey offers a strongly developed plot that features character development, trials, and a satisfying climax. This story structure enables you to create engaging, complex, and effective content that demonstrates a deliberate and well-managed narrative flow.

Style and Accuracy (W3 & W4): The adventurous nature of the Hero’s Journey allows for the use of precise, well-chosen vocabulary and varied sentence structures. The story’s context also lends itself to an appropriate and consistent register, further contributing to a high-scoring narrative.

• In Medias Res

Content and Structure (W1 & W2): By starting your narrative in the midst of action, you immediately create engaging, complex, and effective content. The suspenseful nature of this structure requires careful management, which, when done successfully, demonstrates a secure and well-balanced narrative flow.

Style and Accuracy (W3 & W4): In medias res encourages you to use precise vocabulary and varied sentence structures to convey the excitement and tension of the story. The structure also allows for a consistent, well-chosen register that aligns with the high-stakes context, ultimately contributing to a top-scoring narrative.

• Nonlinear Narrative

Content and Structure (W1 & W2): A nonlinear narrative enables you to create complex, engaging, and effective content by challenging traditional storytelling conventions. Skillful planning is required to maintain a well-balanced and carefully managed narrative flow, which, when executed well, will satisfy the highest marks’ requirements.

Style and Accuracy (W3 & W4): The intricate nature of a nonlinear narrative demands precise vocabulary and a range of sentence structures to convey the story’s progression effectively. By demonstrating a consistent, well-chosen register suitable for the context, you’ll create a high-scoring narrative in terms of style and accuracy.

• Frame Narrative

Content and Structure (W1 & W2): A frame narrative provides depth and layers to your writing, allowing you to create complex, engaging, and effective content. This sophisticated structure requires careful management to ensure a secure, well-balanced, and deliberate narrative flow, satisfying the top marks’ requirements.

Style and Accuracy (W3 & W4): The multiple perspectives offered by a frame narrative enable the use of precise, well-chosen vocabulary and varied sentence structures. A consistent and appropriate register that aligns with the story’s context further contributes to a top-scoring narrative in terms of style and accuracy.

By carefully applying these story structures to your narrative writing, you can address the mark scheme’s criteria for content, structure, and style, putting you on the path to achieving the highest possible grades in your IGCSE narrative writing exam.

Conclusion: Your Path to Narrative Greatness

Remember, aspiring storytellers, the key to crafting an outstanding narrative piece lies in your choice of story structure and your ability to execute it masterfully. By exploring these various structures and aligning them with the highest IGCSE grade requirements, you’ll be well on your way to creating captivating, engaging, and top-scoring narratives.

So, go forth and weave your tales, for the world of narrative writing awaits! May your pen be mighty, your imagination boundless, and your stories unforgettable. With dedication, creativity, and a little guidance from these story structures, you’ll soon be the author of narratives that will not only impress your IGCSE examiners but also leave a lasting impact on all who read them.

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Narrative Writing: Structure

Introduction: Setting the Scene

• The introduction is where you establish the setting, tone and the main characters of your narrative.
• Set the stage by constructing your narrative world and introducing your readers to it.
• Draw your readers into your narrative by starting with an action, a reflective question, or interesting dialogue.

Rising Action: Building Up Your Story

• The rising action should introduce the conflict or the problem that will become the central focus of your narrative.
• Increase the tension and suspense in your narrative gradually through these early sections to keep readers engaged.
• Introduce minor subplots, if applicable, to enhance the richness of your narrative without losing focus on the main plot.

Climax: The Turning Point

• The climax is the crucial turning point in your narrative, where the protagonist faces the conflict at its greatest intensity.
• This moment should arrive from the gradual buildup of tension in the rising action.
• Make sure your climax is dramatic and emotionally stirring but believable within the context of your story.

Falling Action: Unwinding the Tension

• The falling action immediately follows the climax and starts to resolve the main and sub conflicts.
• This section should gradually reduce the tension while still maintaining the reader’s interest.
• Use this part to start tying up the loose ends of your narrative and characters’ arcs.

Resolution: Wrapping Up Your Story

• The resolution effectively concludes your narrative by unravelling all conflicts and providing closure for your characters and plot.
• Reflect on the journey of the characters and how they’ve changed or grown due to their experiences.
• Craft a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t necessarily have to be happy or ideal, but it should be fitting and wrap up your story in a coherent manner.

In a narrative, keeping a strong and clear structure is crucial to maintaining the flow of your story. Every element from introduction to resolution serves as a piece of the puzzle, fitting together to narrate a clear, engaging, and satisfying story. Remember, a good narrative not only tells a good story but tells it in an engaging and coherent way.

Life of Elisha

• Oct 21, 2019

Creative Writing With IGCSE English Prompts

I had ran dry of writing ideas and needed a decent prompt to get me started. But all the ‘prompt generators’ didn’t seem to inspire me. Then I thought about the IGCSE English narrative/descriptive writing prompts and had the idea to utilise them. Then I spotted this golden prompt:

Describe the scene and atmosphere when you visit a theme park, fairground or carnival.

This was the result:

The entrance to the carnival should have been enough to keep any wandering souls away. The pillars that once supported the colourful billboard crumbled down — perhaps during a lightning storm or from old age. Remaining white patches on the fences show that this carnival had once been a place well cared for. The clouds began to mourn the death of vibrant colours. For a while, the gentle raindrops seemed to play a joyful melody on the rusty iron bars, but soon the soothing drumming turned into aggressive thrashes.

The grass, already a dull yellow, now had mud plastered onto them as it drove them into non-existence. They lied limp under the rain, much like the carnival itself. A woeful gust of wind pried its way through the circus tent, opening the flaps to the ethereal hangout for outcasts. Before it could cry out, the wind dispersed and its remnants, intertwined with the droplets, shattered onto the ground.

If there had been any other creature lurking in the tent, they would go unseen; all colour was muted. However, like a wound on a beast’s skin, a jagged gash bore light into the tent. The shy beam of light shined down, forming a spotlight. For a while, the tent seemed to grow lively as the shadows took their places and applauded as the forgotten remnants of the show played out. From a faded memory, a tune started to soak the tent with bliss. Whiffs of heavenly caramel swirled through with smells of fiery passion and euphoria. Melodic laughter and radiant chimes gave flavour to the atmosphere. But just like dust settling on windowsills, the show of the past came to an end. Darkness seeped in, and with it, took away the life of the carnival once again.

All was golden. All was good. But all was for naught.

I enjoyed writing about this prompt — though it turned out to be a little short — and will probably revisit the IGCSE writing prompts.

• Creativity, Unbound

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Your Complete Guide to IGCSE Coursework

This guide includes everything you need to know about all the IGCSE coursework.

Like many of our other Complete Guides this article is not meant to be read in its entirety – just skip to whichever section is most relevant to you.

By Rebecca Lally, Saoirse Boyle, Hazel Fricska, and Nina Hopley

English Language

What do you need to do?

You need to submit 3 pieces of work, each of 500-800 words: a descriptive and/or narrative piece; an informative, analytical and/or argumentative piece; and a response to a text. Our teacher got us to write multiple practice pieces for each of the three text types during year 10 so that we could pick our favourites to redraft at the start of year 11. Your coursework portfolio is worth 50% of the total marks, which can help make up for lower scores in the exam if you know that is where you will struggle.

You need to pick different topics for each piece; this will allow you to create contrast through the portfolio and showcase different styles of writing. The descriptive piece offers the most creative freedom, although your teacher should offer some general guidance. We wrote pieces restaurants for our informative writing coursework and, for the media response piece, we wrote open letters to Wayne LaPierre, an American gun rights lobbyist.

Any advice?

• Don’t use a thesaurus. Switching out every other word for a supposedly better synonym is not what will make your work good! Your writing will come across as stilted and pretentious.
• Channel your efforts into creating fluidity and a consistent voice. Read through your work in your head and then out loud. Whilst reading ask yourself some questions: Where do the words start tripping over each other? Are you repeating anything?
• Try to show, rather than tell. Don’t fill your work with fluffy adjectives. Take the restaurant review as an example. You can say the food was “great”, “scrumptious”, “delicious”, “incredible”, but this doesn’t give  the reader any new or important information! Instead, describe the different textures, the different colours on the plate and the flavours of the food.
• Listen to your teacher. Your work will be internally assessed by a panel of teachers. You are allowed one draft – make it count. Make it as good as you can before you hand it in; once you have received feedback make sure to take all their advice on board.
• Let others read your work. Friends, parents, classmates. Tell them to be brutal, to pick it apart. A fresh pair of eyes can provide valuable insight and notice little things that you won’t. This can be especially helpful to do with students from other English classes! Their teacher may have approached a requirement in a different way and this may help you see aspects of your work from different perspectives.
• Your creative piece is an opportunity to show off your beautiful writing and rich descriptive language. Don’t worry about the plot. You will not be able to write an entire story in less than 800 words without sounding rushed. Focus on creating atmosphere and providing insight into your character(s).
• Be as specific as possible in your informative piece. Again, no fluffy adjectives! What information is most important to the reader and how will you relay this to them?
• In your media response piece, acknowledge every single point the text makes, explicit or implicit.  These points must be analysed and evaluated.  You must show that you understand the general tone of the text and the opinion of the writer. Do you agree with the journalist? Follow these pointers to write a cohesive and well-developed argument.

You need to produce a detailed essay, up to 2000 words in length, answering a question set by the school. You will need to do your own research from a variety of sources, evaluate different information and form your own opinion/argument. This year, we were asked to evaluate the significance of Gustav Stresemann, a chancellor and foreign minister from Germany’s Weimar years.

• Define the question clearly. Take significance: what does ‘significance’ mean? How is it different from importance? How will you measure it? Are there different kinds of significance? Answer these questions in your introductory paragraph.
• Read widely on the topic before you start writing, or even planning. This is the phase which should take the longest. It is really, really hard to write or plan an essay until you are totally familiar with the topic. By developing an opinion before you start writing, you can be consistent through the entire essay and really drive your point home.
• Read from a variety of reliable sources. Read any and all sources put on moodle by your teacher, check out books from the MMC, use JSTOR. This will set you apart from other candidates.
• You don’t need to mention every event in a period of time, or a person’s life.  Decide what is most important and what adds substance to your argument.
• Keep your ‘background information’ concise. The assessor is a History teacher – just assume they already know the details of the Weimar constitution, or the state of Germany at the time. The point of this essay is not to say what happened, but to evaluate events and develop your own argument.
• Keep referencing the question! You literally cannot use the keyword of the question, in our case, ‘significance’, too many times.  You defined your criteria at the start of the essay, you should use these criteria and explain how information fits into it.
• Don’t just organize chronologically. Organise chronologically and, within that, thematically. Reference events that happen later or earlier if it backs up an assertion that you have made.
• Compare and contrast similar events. What was different about the handling of situation A and situation B? What was the significance of each event? How much did each event impact the following years?
• Acknowledge both sides of the story, the role played by other figures and surrounding circumstances.
• Listen to your teacher’s advice. Like in English it is your teacher who will be assessing it and they have your best interests at heart.

Geography coursework is worth 27.5% of your overall geography grade. You will be taken on a field day to collect data and, after that, you have the summer to write it all up.

2017’s topic: “ An Investigation Into the Impact of Skiing on the Natural Environment” , carried out at Col de la Faucille.

2016’s topic: “ An investigation into River Processes on La Promenthouse”, carried out at La Promenthouse river.

Before going on the field trip, you will be given class time to prepare your investigation. You will come up with a research question, hypotheses to test and you will write out justifications for these hypotheses. The data collection will occur in groups and you can share results with students from other classes. But, you will be on your own when it comes to writing up your final report.

• Don’t leave it all to the end of summer, or the night before it is due! Especially if you did not finish your introductory work at the end of the year. It was a lot more time consuming than anyone expected.
• Focus on the analytical part of the coursework – this is what you should spend the most time and effort on. Any analysis or assertion you make is fine, as long as you can back it up with data and/or geographical theory.
• Use at least 4 types of graphs. Don’t just use the same scatter graphs or bar charts over and over again. Your teachers will have suggestions for other types. Building a GE graph may be more time-consuming, but it is more interesting than an excel column graph and will help you stand out from the other candidates.  
• Make your draft count. This is your only chance to get feedback, so make it as good as it can be. Your teacher is there to help.
• Don’t stress about the word count. Even our teacher admitted it would be very difficult to get an A* in 2000 words. You shouldn’t write a thesis, but it’s totally ok if you end up with 4000.
• Follow any checklist or rubric you are given. Make sure you are fulfilling every requirement. Don’t miss out on easy marks!

You will complete up to 8 prep sheets; it is preferable you make 8 to the best of your ability, as this will show the examiners you have a wide variety of skills. You will then do a final piece of work based on 2 of your prep sheets. You do have the option to do two exams, rather than coursework and one exam. While the coursework is more work overall, you will be under less time pressure than if you were taking an additional exam.

To score highly, you will need to perfect your technical skill. It is also crucial to demonstrate your artistic development – you can do this by including small mind maps based on a theme/unit, and by doing small ‘test’ sketches exploring various arrangements for a more detailed piece. In addition, your prep sheets should be aesthetically pleasing, as presentation does count. Bluetack your pieces of work to the sheet when you first hand it in, so you can rearrange the layout, or remove/add/improve any work. Use a variety of mediums to show versatility. Fortunately, the course will force you to create large projects and use different media (batik, lino, still life, collage).

It is okay if you feel that you need to redo almost every prep sheet that you handed in during year 10 – with time and patience, you will improve. When you have time away from the art class, during the holidays, reflect on the work that you have finished and try to perfect it. This way, when the deadline comes around in year 11, you will have finished and will be ready to focus all your artistic energy on the exam!

The most daunting thing about coursework is how many weeks you have to complete it! The themes are open ended and you have a lot of freedom. Unfortunately, this can paralyze rather than inspire. Art is time-consuming, and you are juggling it with 8 other subjects which each have their own homework and tests. You might push art to the side in order to tackle more imminent deadlines, dreaming of the great work you will produce when you have the time to sit down and devote yourself to it… but this will not happen. There is never going to be a ‘good time’ to do it. I ended up spending 6 days solid over the Christmas break drawing my final piece, and by day 3 I had started to despair, but I am so glad I finished it.

You should be prepared to fail: allocate time to hate your work, feel frustrated by your work and then pick yourself up and start again. Grab a black sharpie and title all of the documents that you are given by the department, such as, “ Year 11 coursework requirements” and, “Art unit planner”, with PLAN TO FAIL. This will remind you to get your head out of the clouds and make you start work immediately. Coursework is composed of prep sheets and a final piece (that has its own prep sheet as well): it is a lot of physical work to produce.

• Plan to fail! It will go wrong, take a direction you did not intend or even want! You must factor in time to start over.
• C ommit to ideas. Brainstorm your theme exhaustively in the first week of the assignment to find an idea you really love, then commit. Don’t start over halfway through.
• Don’t start year 11 with incomplete prep sheets. Finish them all before the coursework final is due.
• Finish every drawing. You may hate it, but if you don’t finish it, you won’t learn anything from it.
• Use the guidelines the art department gives you. Pin them up on a notice board and share them with your parents – keep those deadlines firmly in sight.
• Use the Art room at lunchtime , consult your teachers regularly for advice and guidance.

You need to complete*:

• Two stylistically different compositions
• Two solo performances
• A group performance

*There is also set work covering the work of one artist (for us, Felix Mendelssohn), World Music, and the music of one particular region (for us, Latin America). These are not part of the coursework component but are part of the syllabus.

It is ok if you have never played an instrument or studied music theory – as long as you love the subject. It may be wise to take private lessons in music theory and an instrument from the beginning of year 10. If you already play an instrument and know some music theory, you are ahead of the game!

In year 10 you are informed about the coursework, but class time is not devoted to it until year 11. Because the deadline is so far away, it is rare anyone starts working on it. Many of my peers decided to take the internal exam after realising they wouldn’t have the time to acquire the skills needed. Get started immediately. Record your performance to the best of your ability in year 10, even if you find it disappointing. In year 11 you will have the opportunity to listen to it again and re-record, challenging yourself further on the content. Same for compositions – experiment with melodies and sounds even if you are not confident. When Year 11 begins you will have a starting point to build from.

For compositions, as they have to be very different, listen to music from a variety of genres. In doing this you will find out what you like and it will be easier to create something you enjoy. If you find using Garageband difficult, talk to Mr. Aram. He always makes himself available to help, so don’t be shy or insecure about your work. He is not expecting you to be a musical prodigy!

When you are happy with your compositions in Garageband you then have to transpose everything into note form, using software like Sibelius. This is time-consuming  and challenging, especially if you are not confident with musical notation. So, plan to learn and ask for help before it’s too late. Go to the music department at lunch or work on your score with your classmates so that you all struggle together and can help each other.

Music is such an enriching subject that allows insight into different cultures and can lead to global understanding and communication. You want your compositions to reflect this exposure – which is very challenging because you need a certain level of skill. You can acquire these with help from teachers and extracurricular lessons but it all takes time as you still have 8 other subjects with equal demands. Ultimately, plan to fail and to experiment so that you have the time to achieve your best.

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Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Paper 2 Imaginative Writing Tasks

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

18 November 2021

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Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Paper 2 Imaginative Writing Tasks This resource includes a series of questions in the style of Edexcel’s English Language IGCSE Paper 2 Imaginative Writing exam paper. I have added some extra creative tasks with images which are my own and which colleagues are welcome to use.

More Edexcel English Language Resources Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Imaginative Writing Unit This unit of work is designed with a particular focus on Component 2 or 3 Imaginative writing. It explores descriptive and narrative writing within the context of gothic fiction, and includes a superbly presented 104 slide teaching PPT plus all 19 student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes.

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Austenfan72

So many questions. Thank you so much

RoseandMay101

Pleasure - pleased they are helpful. Take care, Sam

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