English Language GCSE Paper 1 Section B Creative Writing

English Language GCSE

Paper 1 Section B

Creative Writing

Key Writing Techniques

Adjectives - describing words that describe a noun. Used to help create a more vivid picture in our minds about the named object. Adverbs - words used to describe verbs. They help to create a more vivid picture in our minds about how something is being done. Alliteration - repetition of connected words beginning with the same letter. Used to highlight the feeling of sound and movement, or to intensify feeling or to bind words together. Connotations - an idea or feeling that a word invokes for a person as well as its literal meaning. Connotations evoke reactions in the reader based on their experience of certain words. For example, words like ghost and death can evoke strong negative connotations. Pathetic fallacy - where the weather in the story mirrors the emotion of the scene or the people in it. For example, when it is very hot the characters are agitated or when it is foggy, mystery is evoked. This adds atmosphere to the writing and gives clues to the reader as to what is to come, especially if the weather is described before the event. Personification - the technique of presenting things which are not human as if they were. This can make inaminate things seem as if they are alive and able to do the things that a person can. Repetition - the action of repeating something. This will either add emphasis to the words being repeated or create a rhythm within the writing.

Onomatopoeia - use of words which echo their meaning in sound. For example, 'whoosh' or 'bang'. This techniques can give the reader a real sense of the noise that is happening within the writing.

Simile - a comparison based on a similarity between two things, which suggests one object shares features with another but is not identical. This technique helps to create an image in the mind of the reader so that the reader can identify with how things appear or may be happening. Hint - 'like' or 'as' are key words to spot.

Symbolism - when a word, phrase or image stands for or evokes a complex set of ideas. For example, a red rose can symbolise romantic love. Writers will sometimes use symbols in their writing so that they can suggest things without actually explaining them.

Appealing to the senses Writers often use descriptive language that appeals to the five senses when they describe a setting.

The five senses: 1. what a reader might see

2. what a reader might hear 3. what a reader might smell

4. what a reader might feel 5. what a reader might taste

Gothic Horror Conventions

1. Setting in a castle. The action takes place in and around an old castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes occupied. The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections.

2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The story contains a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. This atmosphere is often developed when characters see only a glimpse of something--was that a person rushing out the window or only the wind blowing a curtain? Is that creaking sound coming from someone's step on the squeaky floor, or only the normal sounds of the night?

3. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armor or painting) coming to life.

4. High emotion. The characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror.

Descriptions to include:

wind, especially howling rain, especially blowing doors grating on rusty hinges sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds footsteps approaching clanking chains lights in abandoned rooms gusts of wind blowing out lights characters trapped in a room doors suddenly slamming shut ruins of buildings baying of distant dogs (or wolves?) thunder and lightning crazed laughter

Gothic Word Bank:

Mystery: Diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins, haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous, portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre, spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision

Fear, Terror, or Sorrow: Afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish, apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay, dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief, hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified, terror, unhappy, wretched

Surprise: Alarm, amazement, astonished, astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder

Haste: Anxious, breathless, flight, frantic, hastened, hastily, impatience, impatient, impatiently, impetuosity, precipitately, running, sudden, suddenly

Anger: Anger, angrily, choler, enraged, furious, fury, incense, incensed, provoked, rage, raving, resentment, temper, wrath, wrathful, wrathfully

Largeness: Enormous, gigantic, giant, large, tremendous, vast

Darkness: dark, darkness, dismal, shaded, black, night We cannot be too rigid in our suggestions about the length of answers, but responses which are very short will be self-penalising. Be prepared for the unexpected approach.

The total mark for Section B (/40) will be given by awarding two marks:

communication and organisation (24 marks); vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation (16 marks)

It is presumed that candidates attaining Band 2 and above will have achieved the criteria listed in the previous band(s). Fine tuning of the mark within a band will be made on the basis of a 'best fit' procedure, weaknesses in some areas being compensated for by strengths in others.

AO5 (60% of the marks available):

Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences

Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts

AO6 (40% of the marks available):

Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. This requirement must constitute 20% of the marks for each specification as a whole.

Paper 1 SECTION B: 40 marks In this section you will be assessed for the quality of your creative prose writing skills.

24 marks are awarded for communication and organisation; 16 marks are awarded for vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation.

You should aim to write about 450-600 words. Choose one of the following titles for your writing: [40 marks] Either, (a) Making a Difference. Or, (b) The Choice. Or, (c) Write about a time when you were at a children's party. Or, (d) Write a story which begins: I didn't know if I had the courage to do this ...

Making a Difference

The space below can be used to plan your work.

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