introduction to the igcse english as a first language...

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Introduction to the IGCSE English as a First Language Exams

Paper 2 The Paper 2 exam is a reading and writing exam. The exam will last 2hrs. You will

have to read two passages and write a directed writing answer about the first passage (newspaper report, magazine article, review, speech, etc) and write about the effects the writer creates in the first passage. You will then have two write summaries of specified information in the two passages.

Paper 3 The Paper 3 exam is a directed writing and composition exam. The exam will last

2hrs. You will have to read one passage and write a directed writing answer about that passage (newspaper report, magazine article, review, speech, etc). You will then choose to write one essay: either narrative writing, descriptive writing or argumentative writing.

Speaking You should prepare a speech. You will deliver this speech to the teacher examiner.

The speech should be 3-4mins. You will then have a conversation, inspired by your speech, with the teacher examiner for 6-7mins.

Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Directed writing: Newspaper reports…………………………………………………….2

Directed writing: Reviews……………………………………………………………………...3

Directed writing: Magazine articles………………………………………………………..4

Directed writing: Dialogues…………………………………………………………………….5

Directed writing: Letters…………………………………………………………………………6

Directed writing: Diary……………………………………………………………………………7

Directed writing: Speeches or Talks………………………………………………………..8

Directed writing: Formal reports…………………………………………………………….9

Argumentative writing…………………………………………………………………………..10

Narrative writing…………………………………………………………………………………….13

Descriptive writing…………………………………………………………………………………16

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Directed Writing: Newspaper Reports

Introduction Newspaper reports are written about recent events that are significant or interesting

to the readers. A newspaper will not report on ordinary, everyday events; they will write about events that are unusual, strange or shocking. The main purpose of a newspaper is to inform readers about what happened recently, to provide the basic information about the events and the reactions of those affected.

Structure * Headline

Your headline could contain: o A pun (humorous use of words with more than one meaning). o Assonance (repetition of vowel sounds). o Alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds). o Quotations (famous sayings). o Misquotations (changing sayings slightly). o Hyperbole (exaggeration).

* 1st section: summary of the recent event

Briefly explain the basic details of what happened

Who? What? Where? When? * 2nd section: background leading to the event

Explain in more detail what made this event happened, what happened before?

Why? How? * 3rd section: return to the immediate situation

Explain what is happening now – e.g. you could say what the victims are doing now.

* 4th section: responses of those involved

Refer to what those involve think and feel, you could include direct (quotation) or reported speech here.

* 5th section: look ahead to the near future

Make a prediction about what will happen next – will the situation improve, will it get worse?

Language * headline (including pun, quotation, alliteration, etc.)

* summary (summarise the event) * simple / compound sentences * direct / reported speech * adjective strings (two or more adjectives separated by commas) * sensational vocab (dramatic or exciting words)

Common Students often make mistakes by:

mistakes * not including vocabulary that is dramatic or sensational, ie. not making the article

sound exciting or interesting. * reporting on aspects of the topic that are uninteresting or boring * just describing what happened, rather than explaining the background details and

information. * not including ideas from the reading text

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Directed Writing: Reviews

Introduction A review is a type of article that is might appear in a magazine, newspaper or on a

website. A review aims to advise readers about a movie, book, TV show, a product, etc., and it will inform readers about the good and bad aspects, so that they can make a decision about whether to watch the movie, buy the product, etc.

Structure * Title

include the title of the book, movie, etc, and include a star rating in brackets.

* 1st section: introduction and background

explain any background information about the movie, book, etc., such as when the movie was released, what awards it has one, etc.

* 2nd section: summary of reviewer’s opinions

briefly summarise what you think about the movie, book, etc., would you recommend it or not?

* 3rd section: summary of the plot

explain the key events of the movie, book, etc., or the key features of the product.

* 4th section: positive aspects

explain what is good about the book, movie, etc. * 5th section: negative aspects

explain what is bad about the book, movie, etc. * Conclusion

summarise your views and make recommendations as to whether the reader should read the book, watch the movie, etc.

Language * comparatives (+er or ‘more)

* superlatives (+est or ‘most’) * opinions expressed in third person (ie. “the movie is funny”, not “I think the movie is funny”) * parenthetical information (information in brackets – usually information like actor’s names) * summary * rhetorical questions * recommendations


mistakes * grammatical errors with comparatives (e.g. more funnier)

* not using parenthesis to add extra information * writing opinions in first person rather than third person * writing a review that is too biased, ie. all positive or all negative

* not including ideas from the reading text

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Directed Writing: Magazine articles

Introduction A magazine contains articles about topics of general interest, not recent events or

news. Often, a magazine article is discussion based, and will explain lots of different opinions and ideas about a topic. Commonly, a magazine article combines general topic discussion with the writer’s personal anecdotes and examples.

Structure * 1st section: introduce the topic

give a general introduction to the background of the topic * 2nd section: summarise different views about the topic

give a brief description about what different people think * 3rd section: for

explain the views FOR the topic, include personal anecdotes or examples * 4th section: against

explain the views AGAINST the topic, include personal anecdotes or examples

* 5th section: ending

summarise the different views, and end with a question.

do not make any conclusion or argument here.

Language * title, often a question

* rhetorical questions * include complex and compound sentences * personal anecdotes and examples in the first person * longer paragraphs * direct speech and report speech


mistakes * including conclusions or argument, rather than discussion

* not including personal anecdotes or examples, which makes this more like a general discussion essay, rather than a magazine article. * not including ideas from the reading text

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Directed Writing: Dialogues

Introduction A dialogue is a transcript of a conversation between two or more people, showing

exactly what the people said to each other. The trick with this kind of writing is to convey attitude, relationship and personality through the words you write. This means you should show us whether the characters are friends or just colleagues, whether they are angry or frustrated, etc. You may be asked to write a formal (e.g. a business meeting) or informal dialogue (e.g. friends chatting)

Structure The structure of a dialogue really depends on the question asked, but here are some

general principles: * a conversation should have some sense of progression, ie. starting with

pleasantries and greetings, introduction of a general topic, moving towards a specific and detailed discussion.

* a conversation should consist of the different people asking and answering questions, and could include interruptions, disagreements, etc. Don’t have a simple question and answer dialogue, vary who is asking and answering questions.

* ensure you cover all of the points specified in the question and include ideas from the reading text

Language * to express anger: (if informal) a few swear words, insults, exclamations, double-

exclamations, question-exclamations, short simple sentences, non-sentences. * to express confusion: hesitation sounds (errm, hmm, etc), questions, ellipsis (…),

repetition. * to express politeness: questions, please and thank you, indirect way of speaking,

no direct demands or requests * to express friendliness: slang, terms of endearment, nicknames, references to

shared knowledge or past experiences (ie. before the dialogue) * to express excitement: short sentences, non-sentences, exclamations, double-

exclamations.


mistakes * not appreciating if the task requires a formal or informal dialogue

* writing a boring question and answer interview – it should be a discussion between people, just one person asking questions and another person answering.

* not addressing the bullet points in the question, or only addressing the bullet points

* writing incorrect language (e.g. I wanna, not I want to) just because it is spoken English – this

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Directed Writing: Letters

Introduction A letter writing task might be formal or informal. A formal letter might be to a

university officer, a business, a professional person (e.g. a lawyer, a doctor, etc.). An informal letter might be to a friend or family member. If writing to a family member you should use informal terms of address (e.g. mum, granny, dad, bro, sis) and you can use slang terms for friends (e.g. mate, pal, buddy, sweetie). Always have an idea of a real recipient in mind when you’re writing a letter.

Structure * Salutation

make sure that you use an appropriate salutation, be it formal (e.g. Dear Sir/Madam) or informal (Hey mate!).

* 1st section: introduction

informal letter intro: greeting (How have you been recently?), thanks (Thanks so much for the birthday present!), refer to past experiences (Do you remember what happened on my tenth birthday? It was a real laugh!), update about your life (for the past year I’ve just been studying hard for my SAT test, it’s been like watching paint dry!).

formal letter intro: thanks (for a previous letter, for example), explain purpose of writing, short summary.

* 2nd section: body

include multiple paragraphs, making sure to address all of the points in the question

* 3rd section: ending

informal ending: conclusion, summarise, and make final demands / enquiries.

formal ending: look forward to the next meeting, ask questions. * Sign-off

make sure that you ue an appropriate sign-off, be it formal (e.g. Best wishes, regards, yours faithfully) or informal (thanks! Love from,).

an informal letter might include a postscript (PS. Extra information).

Language In informal letters:

* abbreviations (RSVP, ASAP) * slang In formal letters: * persuasive language (if relevant to topic) In both formal and informal letters: * questions, including tag-questions (…, isn’t it? …, don’t we?)


mistakes * not appreciating if the task requires a formal or informal letter

* not asking questions * using inappropriate salutations or sign-offs

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Directed Writing: Diary writing

Introduction Some individuals like to keep diaries. They will write regularly in a journal, describing

what happened to them, and exploring their inner thoughts and feelings. For this reason, the content of a diary entry will be very personal. There is often no intended reader for a diary, they are often private and confidential: the writer is the only intended reader.

Structure The structure of a diary entry will really depend on the task set. Here are some

general principles: * You will describe recent events that are significant or interesting to you. Because

you are the only intended reader, you won’t explain the background in detail. * You will explore your feelings and emotions in a self-reflective way. Don’t just state

your feelings, examine and assess them, ask yourself questions about them. * You will usually explore events in chronological order (the order that they

happened: ie., explain what happened in the morning first). * You can explore the past, present and future in a diary entry.

Language * questions

* first person * mainly past tense to describe events, present tense to discuss feelings, future tense to look ahead * similes * idioms or proverbs


mistakes * writing only about key events, not feelings

* writing in too formal a style * listing events rather than describing the interesting or significant events.

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Directed Writing: Speeches or Talks

Introduction A speech or talk is a monologue, ie. one person talking to an audience who do not

talk. A speech can be formal (e.g. a business presentation) or informal (e.g. give a talk to your friends about where you think you should all go on holiday), and it could have different purposes: to inform, to persuade, to explain, etc.

Structure Sometimes you are given the first sentence on the exam paper. If relevant, you can

follow the structure below: * Start with speech marks “. End your speech with speech marks, too.

* Greeting and thanks.

Greet the audience in a way that is appropriate to the context – formal or informal. For example, “Hi everyone!” or “Esteemed guests, parents, students and Principal, welcome to our school”.

Thank the audience for being there, thank them for their attention, etc. * Brief self-introduction

If relevant to the question, introduce yourself and explain why you are qualified to speak about this topic: “My name is Bob and I’m the headteacher of Green High School.”

* State the purpose of the speech

Explain why you are giving the speech: “Today I’m here to inform you about our new project idea”

* Outline your talk

Briefly outline what you will be talking about in your speech: “I will begin by discussing…, then I will explore…, and I will finish by…”

* Body of your talk

Discuss each of the question bullet points clearly and in turn, using information from the reading passage. Make sure you develop each point using the Point Explain Evidence structure.

* Conclusion

End your talk with an interesting conclusion: a summary, a question, a quotation, etc. Something that the audience will easily remember.

* Final remarks

Thank the audience for attending: “Thank you so much for your attention, it has been marvelous speaking with you.”

Language * if the purpose of the speech is persuasive, use the rhetorical devices from

argumentative essays: triple structures, rhetorical questions, non-sentences, etc. * asking your audience questions is very important in a speech

* you can use italics or capital letters to mark stress or intonation: “this is a REALLY important point.”


mistakes * including informal language in a formal speech, e.g. slang. This is wrong.

* writing incorrect language (e.g. I wanna, not I want to) just because it is spoken English – this is NOT correct.

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Directed Writing: Formal Report

Introduction A report is often written for a formal audience, for instance the board of directors of

a business, parents in a school, etc. It is usually about a serious topic, and the purpose of it is to inform others about what happened, what is happening, etc.

Structure * Explanation of situation

Explain what you are reporting on, and what the circumstances are. It might be presenting findings to a committee after evaluating options, giving an account of an event, etc.

* First phase or aspect of report

Reports of an event, such as a school trip, have a chronological structure; others look in turn at several aspects of a proposition or several candidates for a job or award. These phases should be treated in separate paragraphs to show the change in time or topic. If evaluating people or venues, for instance, it would be logical to start with the least recommended.

* Second phase or aspect of report * Third phase or aspect of report

(It would be logical to mention last the aspect which is most important or memorable, or the thing/person which one has decided to give the decision in favour of or highest recommendation for.)

* Conclusion

The final paragraph of a report will make an overall evaluation of suitability or weigh up the final balance of advantages and disadvantages of a proposition. e.g. ‘Despite occasional lapses, the student overall showed great diligence in the workplace and aptitude for the profession, and we were pleased with his general attitude and the progress he made during the course of his week in our firm’; ‘Although there have been many school trips over the last few years, it was unanimously agreed that this was the best because of the attractiveness of the destination and the remarkable team spirit amongst the group.’

Language * formal language

* specific and precise vocab, complex vocab * a detached tone, in third person * use of passive voice * inclusion of evidence, examples and quotations * use of colons and semi-colons * use of conditionals to make predictions

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Argumentative Writing

Introduction An argumentative essay attempts to put forward an argument and to persuade the

reader. Such an essay will argue to a conclusion, presenting different reasons for that conclusion, and arguing against the opposite viewpoints.

Structure * Paragraph 1: Introduction

A. Hook – to get the reader’s attention o An unexpected claim o A provocative statement o A succinct summary of a situation o A famous quotation o A direct question

B. Topic introduction – what is the topic, why is it important?

C. Thesis statement * Paragraph 2: Alternate View – explain the opposite opinion

Point 1

Point 2

Point 3 * Paragraph 3: Criticisms of alternate view (rebuttal)

Point 1 Refutations

Point 2 Refutations

Point 3 Refutations * Paragraph 4: Personal View

A. Topic Sentence

B. Argument points with examples, evidence, etc. * Paragraph 5: Conclusion

A. Summarise points

B. Wrap-up o Refer back to an opening statement o Look into the future o Suggest a new angle o Quote a famous saying o Make a humorous comment o Make a recommendation

Language Include persuasive devices in your argumentative essay:

* Transitions

Use transitions between paragraphs (e.g. on the other hand), including some idiomatic transitions (e.g. ‘to play devil’s advocate’, ‘the icing on the cake is…’, ‘The bottom line is…’, ‘In a nutshell…’).

* Use personal pronouns * Exclamations (!) * Hyperbole * Imperatives * Juxtaposition * Modern idioms and trendy phrases

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* Non-sentences * Repetition * Rhetorical questions * Triple structures


mistakes * not including persuasive devices like rhetorical questions and repetition

* overusing one or two persuasive devices, e.g. too much repetition – sounds strange.

* not arguing to a conclusion, just discussing the for and against. This makes the essay discursive, not argumentative.

* just including general argument and counter-argument, not points and refutations of each of these points.

* not including an interesting hook and wrap-up.

Example Argumentative Essay Should the eating of McDonald’s by young people be encouraged?

What’s the most famous arch in the world? The Arc de Triomphe in Paris? The striking marble arch in London? Suzhou’s Gate of the Orient? Wrong! Surely, the most famous arch in the world is the beautiful golden arch of the McDonald’s ‘M’! McDonald’s was founded in the United States of America in 1940 when brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald stated a humble barbecue restaurant. In that short space of time this small-town BBQ joint has taken over the world: now McDonald’s serves around 68 million customers daily in 119 different countries. That’s almost every country in the world! The unprecedented domination of this restaurant has brought many benefits, to the extent that the eating of McDonald’s at least once a week should be made compulsory amongst young people.

Of course, to play devil’s advocate, the problems with McDonald’s are clear for all to see. Repeatedly eating McDonald’s undoubtedly poses a multitude of health risks: obesity, lethargy and heart pains would be three signs that you might be eating too many of those delicious beef burgers. We can’t deny the cost implications too. McDondald’s is, in a word, expensive. Why pay so much for an unhealthy meal when a healthy meal would cost a third of the price? Madness! Some would also argue that McDonald’s, by promoting a uniform and standardized restaurant format, is eroding the cultural diversity that makes our nations’ restaurants interesting.

Despite these well-argued problems, we must keep eating McDonald’s. Stop denying yourself that juicy beef! You might argue that McDonald’s is unhealthy, but anything in moderation is fine. There’s absolutely no health risks with eating McDonald’s as a treat, maybe once a week after work on a Friday. What’s so evil about that? And as for the argument that McDonald’s is expensive: nonsense! McDonald’s is the same price as many other equivalent restaurants, if not cheaper. To prepare your own burger and fries would certainly be more pricy. Likewise, to argue that McDonald’s erodes cultural diversity is irrelevant: people around the world want McDonald’s, so

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we should give them McDonald’s (that’s market forces, after all) whatever their culture.

The benefits of McDonald’s are so great that we should promote weekly consumption by making it compulsory for youngsters. It’s quite obvious that children and teenagers love the taste of McDonald’s food, they can’t get enough of it. Rather than making our children lead miserable, frugal and repressed lives, for once let’s allow them a taste of the high life, a sample of fun, a sachet of happiness. Life shouldn’t be all about health, health, health, let’s enjoy life. By giving youngsters food they enjoy they will grow up with a healthier attitude towards dining out and towards eating. Furthermore, how much time do you waste cooking meals or waiting for food to be prepared in restaurants? McDonald’s is a much quicker alternative. When a burger can be prepared in just a few seconds, there’s a reason why it’s called fast food!

In a nutshell, McDonald’s provides a fast and fun way to dine out and it would be good for everyone if eating it was made obligatory. With clear benefits to young people, their parents and to the director’s of McDonald’s, we would all be “loving it!”

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Narrative Writing

Introduction Narrative writing is story writing. Any story you write should have a plot (ie.

interesting or exciting things should happen), tension, characters (and you should show, not tell, us what they are like) and dialogue (formatted correctly – be careful with this). You must have a clear and obvious climax in your story – that is an important or exciting moment that the whole story leads up to. Imagine your story is like a rollercoaster – the climax is the most exciting and scary moment on the rollercoaster. Often the character in a story faces a problem, which becomes obvious at the climax before the problem is solved.

Structure * Section 1: Opening

Set the expectations. Mention one character, give the setting and describe what it is like there. You could suggest what the PROBLEM might be.

* Section 2: Now

Say what is going on NOW in the story. Introduce the PROBLEM here, if you have not already

* Section 3: Background

Say what events, the BACKGROUND, led to the current situation * Section 4: Return to now

Return to what is happening NOW and add more events to lead to the CLIMAX. This moment should be a scene which has specific details, happens in real time, and contains dialogue.

* Section 5: Resolution

Write a RESOLUTION, where you resolve the conflict and create an ending. If possible, you can connect it back to the start or title.

Language * Similes

* Metaphors * Personification * Alliteration / assonance * Onomatopoeia * Hyperbole * Euphemism * Symbolism * Interesting descriptions using interesting verbs, adjectives, adverbs. * Dialogue – formatted correctly

* It easiest to write in a story third person past tense * Create tension and suspense with -- short sentences -- non sentences -- exclamations -- single-word paragraphs


mistakes * formatting dialogue incorrectly – review this!

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* having a very boring plot with no creation of tension or suspense * including no figurative language (e.g. personification, metaphors, etc) * don’t include a clear and obvious climax – this is essential!

Example Narrative Writing The Worst Day Ever

Janice couldn’t bear the deafening screams any longer! The sound made her want to die. Of course, she loved her baby boy lots, but she just wanted to sleep for one night, one night’s uninterrupted sleep. The storm outside wasn’t helping either. The thunder crashed and the rain hammered at the windows like a mad-man wanting to break in. The baby had been crying all night.

“What’s wrong with you?” she screamed at him, immediately feeling guilty for her outburst.

She had no food to feed her baby, the cupboards and fridge had been emptied by her poverty. She had no more milk – the government had poisoned all the city’s supplies. At least, that’s what people suspected. What kind of government poisons milk? Milk should save us, keep us alive, not kill us. No freedom. Just like they had banned them from leaving their houses after dark. She didn’t know what to do.

She tried to hold her baby close, singing him songs from her own childhood. Nothing worked. The wails and crying continued. She was desperate. In her desperation she considered something quite horrific, something so terrible should told herself she would never think about it again. Until next time. She thought about killing her beautiful son. She actually considered murdering the only person left in this world who loved her, and who she loved. Feeling shame, she held him closer. She whispered into his hear, “I’m so sorry. I’ll love you forever. I’ll protect you forever.”

But maybe forever wouldn’t be very long…

Because then, it happened. The thing she had dreaded for years. People talked about it all the time. She feared that one day it would happen to her. Now it did.

There was a knock at the door. She felt sick as she pulled it open, her hand shaking as it held the door-knob. The door gave an ominous creak. There, standing in the dark, soaked from the rain, was an agent. He wore the clean black uniform. She knew it immediately.

“Do you know why I’m here?” he said, as if this were some ordinary daily business.

She didn’t reply. She kept silent. He waited for her response.

“Answer me! Do you know why I’m here?” he yelled, his face turning red with anger.

She didn’t reply.

She knew what would happen to her if she stayed silent. What her punishment would be. When she was a child she had been caught stealing bread from the market by an agent, and when confronted, she had denied it. She lied. She still has the scars running down her back from when the agent beat her. She nearly died that day, and she thought

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she would die now. In some ways, it would be a good thing, she thought to herself. The government had become more controlling over the last 30 years, to the extent that now, they had no freedom, no rights, no safety. What’s more, about five years ago, the agents had realized that they could raise money – more money than drug dealing, even – by stealing babies and selling them to lonely rich Americans. Since then, you never celebrated a birth. You never told anyone – even your own parents – that you had a child. You had to raise your baby silently, without being noticed. She had been noticed. Perhaps, it was her baby’s screaming that gave them away.

The agent pulled out his stick, rubbing it between his hands, preparing to beat her. Preparing to kill her, if necessary.

“I don’t have a baby,” she whispered too quietly to be heard.

“Speak up. Show respect!” he screamed.

“I don’t have a baby!” she shouted back.

He pulled the stick up and slammed it down on her head. She felt the blood dripping from her skull down her face. She could taste the sweetness of her own blood. She slammed the door shut, but he jammed his foot between the door and the wall. She kicked his foot and luckily, it became loose. As the door closed the agent was thumping it loudly, yelling angrily, “Open up! Open Up! I’m here on government business! You are ordered to open up!”

She knew what to do. She had planned it before.

“Open up! Bring me your baby. This is government orders!”

She ran to the kitchen. Her baby was there, still crying, and she held him in her arms. For one last time.

The agent had smashed the window at the front of her house. He had climbed in. He was shouting, “Where are you? Reveal yourself!”

She kissed her baby’s cheeks. It would be the last time she could kiss her beautiful boy. The only person she loved.

She whispered, “This is only because I love you. Only because I want to protect you forever.”

She went to the highest cupboard and brought down some milk she had hidden there. She fed her baby the milk. For the first time in hours he stopped crying. She drank the milk herself. It tasted sour. Her mouth went dry. She tasted blood again. It went silent.

The agent ran towards the kitchen. He punched open the locked kitchen door.

“Give me the –” he started to shout.

But then he saw it. A sight that made even him sad. There, on the kitchen floor were mother and child. Both dead. Killed by the poisoned milk. Or maybe saved by it.

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Descriptive Writing

Introduction In a descriptive writing piece you should only describe, don’t explain or summarise.

Imagine you are part of the scene or event, what can you see, hear, smell, touch, taste and what are your emotions? Imagine you are describing something to a blind person, your description should be as detailed and vivid as possible, so they get a clear image. You must make sure that your descriptive writing does not sound like a story – don’t include an exciting events, don’t give any background information about characters, don’t have developed dialogue. It must be clear that this is not a story.

Structure You should use either time or distance to structure descriptive writing: either

imagine you are stationary in one place as time passes, or you move from far away to close to the object/scene being described.

* Paragraph 1 TIME: establish the setting. Set the general scene of location,

surroundings, atmosphere, time of day, week, month, season, weather, temperature.

DISTANCE: establish the setting. Set the general scene of location, surroundings, atmosphere, time of day, week, month, season, weather, temperature.

* Paragraph 2 TIME: Establish the positioning and time. The observer takes up a position in

relation to the object being described, and make it clear that time is starting.

DISTANCE: Take up positioning. The observer takes up a position in relation to the object being described. Describe sight and sound in this section

* Paragraph 3 TIME: Time has passed, small changes have occurred. Time is now just

beginning to pass, and some small changes to the scene have occurred.

DISTANCE: Approaching. The observer moves closer to the object, so more detail is visible, and also smells can be described here.

* Paragraph 4

TIME: Time has reached its climax, larger changes occur. now more time has passed and a lot has changed.

DISTANCE: Arriving. The observer is now part of the scene, so minute details can be described, and so can taste (if relevant).

* Paragraph 5

TIME: Time ends. Time comes to a natural end, e.g. the shop closes or the sun sets. Events end naturally.

DISTANCE: Farewell. The observer leaves the scene, and may look back

Language * Second person and present tense

* Describe all relevant senses * Interesting verbs, adjectives (including compound adjectives) and adverbs. * Similes and metaphors * Personification * Onomatopoeia

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mistakes * including an exciting plot, developed characters, detailed dialogue, etc., which

makes this too much like narrative writing – you will lose marks. * writing explanations instead of description – don’t explain why things are

happening, don’t explain the background, etc. Just describe what you can experience directly with your senses.

* writing summaries. Don’t summarise events, describe the events in real time as they happen.

Example Descriptive Writing Describe what happens as someone makes their way to a shelter during a heavy storm.

The September night is colder than any you remember from your childhood. The air is so heavy it crushes your body and the murky clouds hang ominously in the sky like suspicious assassins ready to commit gory murder. The whirling wind drags decaying leaves along the filthy mud track, whipping the dust into a frenetic, threatening war dance.

You feel like your heart will freeze with fear as the thunder crashes, causing birds with panicked chirps to flee from the branches of trees like screaming children escaping an horrific earthquake. Will someone die in this storm? At the start of this long mud track you feel trapped as you, wanting to escape this Hell, look down along the path into the heart of darkness, into nothingness.

Eventually, the assassin clouds launch their deadly attack as rain as hard as stones plummets from the dark, lonely sky. You begin to run along the path, your feet pounding the slippery mud, with each step you almost stumble, running with desperation to find some safe shelter from this violent storm. As you trudge forward through the mud you glance towards a tree, creaking as it leans manically in the wind, as it is struck suddenly by sparkling, viscous lightning. Your body almost collapses in relief as you spot an ancient, abandoned shed in the distance. One side of the wooden structure has collapsed, and the rest of the primitive building only just survives, like a patient struggling to stay alive.

You crouch beneath the secure covering of the damp wooden structure and gag as you can almost taste the mould and mildew from the rotting wood. You sigh with relief as you sit on the damp leaf-laden ground. In the far right corner of the shelter are some charred twigs piled neatly in a pyramid, surrounded by dusty ash, the signs that a fire had previously been lit here. Taking off your shoes, the smell of damp socks overwhelms and you nearly vomit, then you are squirming and fidgeting in frustration as an army of ants bites your now bare feet. Feeling like the last person in the world after the apocalypse, you sit in the shelter, sobbing with fear, as the thunder bangs and cracks outside, the darkness dispelled only for seconds by flashes of lightening. Not out of relief, but feeling complete and utter exhaustion, you eventually fall into a deep sleep.

The sweet song of the birds awakens the sun from his drowsy slumber. A complete transformation: the hell has become heaven. The grass is green and smells as fresh as if it had just sprouted from the ground. The clouds have left the perfect clear sky a peaceful shade of blue. You are overcome be a sense of calm as you look back down the mud track towards your shelter from last night and hope you will never return to that hellish place.

introduction to the igcse english as a first language...

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