IGCSE FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH PAPER 2: NARRATIVE WRITING

The Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Paper 2 is Directed Writing and Composition. Section A tests
both reading and writing skills. Section B, though, tests only the student’s writing skills.

Section B of Paper 2 gives the student four options to choose from: two descriptive prompts and two narrative
prompts.
Here are some suggestions for succeeding in the narrative writing.

Below are sample narrative prompts:

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

Mark Scheme

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

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

Top tips for the Narrative

 Write from personal experience, and make it interesting.
 Makes it credible and engaging
 Avoid zombies, aliens, and monsters
 Make it believable
 Time and length are short
 Structure and organize
 Develop a plot: beginning, middle, end
 Allow to time to edit
 Have a realistic but interesting ending–don’t just start strong
 Use narrative features
 Setting (imagery, sensory details)
 Characterization (2-3, and believable)
 Conflict (main issue)
 Dialogue (not too much)
 Style and Accuracy
 Punctuation and grammar
 Tense consistency
 Spelling…proofread!
 Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
 Appropriate vocabulary
 Varied sentence structure