Ten 11+ & 13+ Creative Writing Tips For Excellent Exam Stories
When my students get the hang of these techniques, it makes an enormous difference to their creative writing – but it takes practice!
My advice for 11 plus stories in this article applies just as well to 8 plus, 13 plus or GCSE … in fact, although I have written with 11 plus creative writing in mind, my suggestions should be relevant at any level.
I’ve been teaching these things to young people for many years, and I hope you also find them useful. Please write a comment if you do!
The creative writing materials offered by 11 Plus Lifeline teach students to use all the techniques explained on this page.
Every writing paper has full example answers, as well as detailed step-by-step discussions, marking guidelines and story-planning advice. Papers are structured to help students develop high-level skills – and just as importantly, to enjoy themselves!
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1 – Before you write, daydream
If you can see your story’s world in your head, you will be able to describe it powerfully.
If you can’t, your descriptions risk being superficial and your writing uninteresting.
After a little daydream, your next step is to turn it into a simple plan:
THE STORY PLANNING PROCESS
1) The Main Event
The first thing to write in your plan is the main event in your story (see point 2, below). Keep this simple for now.
2) Your Main Character
Next, jot down a few notes about your main character (see point 3). What is interesting about them? Try to imagine them sitting in the place next to you. See them clearly in your mind. Who are they, really?
3) Getting There
Now note down some ideas for how you will get to the main event. Make this simple too: don’t write more than a couple of lines.
4) … And Getting Out Of There!
Finally, write a few thoughts about what will happen after the event: why does it matter, and – above all else – how does it affect your characters?
The reason I suggest this order of planning is that when you only have a short time to write, there are two important things which will hold your story together: the main event (what it is about) and your central character (who gives us a reason to care).
Everything else should be very simple, allowing you to focus on describing beautifully.
In fact, you can probably guess what the next of my 11 plus tips is …
2 – Keep things simple! In an 11 plus exam story, choose one main plot event & bring it to life.
If there are too many things happening, your descriptive skills may get lost.
What’s more, once there are lots of dramatic events in a story, many students struggle to write about all of them properly.
Look at this example:
As they walked through the forest a tree fell and nearly crushed them. That was close, thought Claudia. Then they sat down to scrutinise the map.
It’s good to describe the small details of life – and especially with an interesting verb like “scrutinise”.
But if you forget to fully describe big events, such as a tree almost killing your characters, the effect is very peculiar. It implies that a near-death experience is no more interesting than reading a map!
Either give dramatic events their due importance, by describing them powerfully and giving a clear sense of your characters’ reactions, or steer clear of them altogether.
This is often a problem in exam stories with too much action, or with too many plot events in general.
It’s best to structure your story around one main event, which isn’t too extreme. Spend the rest of your time building up to it and showing its after-effects.
3 – Focus on one character
Just as it’s best to focus your writing around one main event, it makes sense to have one core character.
You probably won’t have time to make more than one person interesting and believable in a thirty minute writing exam. If you try, you’re at risk of coming unstuck.
(If you feel really confident, you might manage to develop two characters: a brother and sister, for example. But in the exam itself, ask yourself: Is it worth the risk?)
Make your main character really interesting, and only refer to others in passing.
4 – Put a little dialogue in … but don’t write a play script!
“Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he said.
“That makes sense,” I said, “because otherwise I can’t explain why we’ve been chatting pointlessly for two full pages.”
Dialogue is excellent in an exam piece, and you should aim to include some in every story. However, there are risks, demonstrated by the example above!
Don’t let your story turn into a play script.
Use a little dialogue in 11+ creative writing, but focus on your descriptions of the setting, characters and events.
When you do write conversations, don’t stop describing. Avoid repeating “I said”, “she said”, “Mum answered”, and so on.
Instead, add little details which help the reader to imagine the scene as the characters talk.
Describe how people move around between saying things, the expressions on their faces, and so on:
“Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he replied, a hint of a smile twitching like a worm at the edge of his mouth.
A quick note about paragraphing:
Examiners are likely to expect that a new speaker begins on a new line, if somebody else has already spoken in the paragraph.
This doesn’t happen in every book you’ll read, but it’s a convention – a normal way of doing things – which you are supposed to know about.
Look at this way of writing the example at the top, and think about where a sentence should begin a new line:
“Why are we still talking?” I said. “Because writing dialogue is easier than thinking,” he said. “That makes sense,” I said, “because otherwise I can’t explain why we’ve already been talking for two full pages.”
Now check the original again, to see whether you were right!
And now for the advertising break.
Time to run away and make a cup of tea …
RSL Creative Writing is the children’s writing course from RSL Educational, written by Robert Lomax.
It’s perfect for Key Stages 2 and 3 and for 11+ exam preparation, at home or in the classroom. It’s also ideal for anybody aged 9 or above who enjoys writing and wants to do it better.
Click on the covers to learn more and view sample pages from the books:
5 – Short stories don’t need an introduction
Robert was 33. He lived in a small flat with his cat and his wife. One day, he decided to go for a walk to the shops. The shops weren’t very far away: it took about ten minutes to get there. It was a cloudy day. It was the middle of February and it was a bit cold but not cold enough for a scarf. The road was in need of some repairs. He was wearing a blue jumper and black shoes and some fairly old jeans.
You don’t need to introduce your story as though it is a 300 page novel!
The reader doesn’t have to know everything about the main character, and especially not at the start. This way you waste a paragraph, when you might only have time for four or five in your whole story.
Anything that really matters about your characters can be mentioned along the way. In creative writing for 11 plus exams, everything else can be left out.
Get into the main business of your story from the very first line.
6 – Show, don’t tell … Whether you’re writing an 11 plus story, or whether you’re a famous novelist!
In real life, we can’t see what is in other people’s minds.
We have to work it out from what they do – and sometimes from what they say, although this can be very misleading!
For this reason, other people’s creative writing is often most interesting when we have to work out what characters are thinking and feeling.
This makes the characters seem like real people whose thoughts we can’t immediately know.
It also helps to get us – the readers – involved in the story by making us do some thinking for ourselves!
You might initially want to write this:
Simon looked up. He was angry.
But this is much more interesting to read:
As Simon looked up I could see his jaw muscles flexing.
Have a go at re-writing the following paragraph to make it more interesting. You can change things around as much as you like.
I admit: this is the sort of thing which you will sometimes read in a book. It isn’t necessarily always bad writing, in itself.
However, it is a missed opportunity to bring a character to life. In a time-limited 11-plus exam story, you need to take advantage of such moments.
The rule is:
Where possible, show me what a character is feeling … don’t tell me.
Have a look at my way of re-writing the paragraph above:
All Anna’s thoughts have gone.
Instead, there are some strong clues which steer you towards a particular idea about what she thinks and how she feels: but you still have to decide for yourself.
This forces you to imagine Anna clearly in your own mind.
How does my answer compare to your approach?
7 – Use a range of senses throughout your story
This is good writing. The trees may be “green” (which is a bit dull), but they are “swaying”, which is an effective detail and more than makes up for it.
The simile in the second sentence (“like wisps of cigar smoke”) is vivid and well planned.
The sandwich bag is “crumpled”, and “bag of bacon” is a nice moment of alliteration to emphasise this robust, commonplace item of food.
But imagine a story which continues in the same way, all the way through.
Everything is visual: a sight image.
For the reader, it is like being in a world without the ability to hear, smell, touch or taste.
Furthermore, the narrator seems to be looking around constantly, noticing everything. Is this normal behaviour?
It’s an unrealistic way of seeing the world, and after a while it becomes exhausting to read.
For a student, there are two simple but very useful lessons:
1) Always think about the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell).
2) Sometimes avoid the most obvious sense when describing a thing (see point 8 below).
These tips are easy to apply in your creative writing for 11+, but they make a huge difference.
What’s more, unlike a clumsy simile (see point 9), a sensory description rarely ends up harming your writing. It can be effective or ineffective, but that’s another matter!
Take the example above:
“The trees were green and swaying” could become: “The trunks were groaning, and overhead I heard the dull rustle of a thousand fresh leaves slapping against one another.”
There’s nothing startlingly original here, but because it is a slightly less obvious way of describing trees, it creates a much more powerful atmosphere.
If you want a metaphor as well, try turning “dull rustle” into “distant applause”, which makes the leaves seem like a mass of enthusiastic people.
Similarly, “I looked at the bag of bacon sandwiches crumpled on the seat next to me” takes on more life like this:
I smelt something like old sick; then I remembered the bag of bacon sandwiches crumpled on the seat next to me.
Notice how easily similes (“like old sick”) and metaphors happen, almost by themselves, when you focus on describing with a range of senses.
This is one of my most important 11 plus writing tips.
8 – Sometimes describe things using a less obvious sense
Using a range of senses, as I discussed in point 7, is really, really important.
But how can you come up with surprising, powerful descriptions – descriptions to make the marker stop ticking your work for a second, raise their eyebrows and smile?
Imagine that you are just about to write the following sentence:
It was a cold morning.
But you stop yourself, think for a second, and write this:
I could hear the crackle of thawing ice on car windscreens.
This is much more interesting. Rather than using the sense of touch (a “cold” feeling), you are using a sound: “the crackle of thawing ice”.
There’s a good chance that the reader will think: “Yes! I never considered it before, but you really do hear a sound when ice thaws quickly.”
This version also tells you much more about the weather:
The reader can work out that the night has been exceptionally cold, but also that the temperature is now rising quickly.
The thought process to produce descriptions like this is much simpler than it seems:
1) Think of the sense which is most obvious to describe the thing you are writing about.
2) Ban it!
3) Think of the second most obvious sense.
4) Ban that too!
5) From the three remaining senses, pick the one which is most useful.
6) Ask yourself how the thing would sound, feel, smell or taste – whichever three of these you have left (you’ve almost certainly banned sight!).
7) Write about it.
9 – Use similes and metaphors carefully in your creative writing
Similes and metaphors are useful (and can be impressive), but they have to make things clearer for the reader, not create confusion.
“She won the sprint like a racing car” asks more questions than it answers.
Was she noisy? Was she travelling at 150 miles per hour?
On the other hand, “She ducked her head and slipped across the line as cleanly as a racing car” helps me to picture the event exactly as intended.
Here’s another simile for speed, which I’ve seen a great many times (you’d hardly believe how many) in 11-plus stories:
Donald wrote like a cheetah.
Does this mean that Donald wrote savagely and meaninglessly, like a wild animal with a pencil jammed between its claws?
Or perhaps that he wrote largely about the themes of hunting and sleeping?
My guess is that Donald wrote quickly , but I’m not sure … because if that’s all you meant, WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SAY IT?
This sort of thing is not really the fault of a young writer, who after all is (hopefully!) doing their best.
It is the fault of those dastardly teachers who advise children to include, for example, “at least one metaphor and two similes” in each story.
The result of this, for most children, is a succession of poorly chosen descriptive tricks, which add nothing.
Indeed, we’ve seen how these things can end up making a story comical for all the wrong reasons!
The right approach to creative writing doesn’t start with the need to include a simile: it starts with the need to describe effectively.
To me, this means allowing the reader to imagine the situation fully, and helping them care what happens.
Let’s play around with the image of Donald writing “like a cheetah”.
What happens if we just get rid of the simile?
Donald wrote quickly.
OK, but it doesn’t tell us much: did he write quickly because he wanted to finish his story before Newsnight, or because he was really excited by his work?
Let’s say that it was the first reason: he wanted to get his work out of the way. Perhaps he was feeling annoyed, given that it might interrupt his favourite TV show.
When somebody is writing rapidly while annoyed, what might this look like?
I imagine Donald’s arm wiggling as the pen moves — especially the elbow. The movement is fast and constant because he is worried about getting the work finished, and because in his irritation he doesn’t much care about its quality.
So I ask myself: What moves to and fro constantly, performing a task in an unimaginative way?
And the first thing I think of is a machine in a factory:
Donald hunched over the page, his arm jerking to and fro with the quick, regular movements of a factory robot.
This sentence by itself would go some way to making your story the best in the exam room.
I hope I’ve persuaded you that with a well-organised thought process, a good simile isn’t too difficult to write!
Because children have been taught to work in this way, a story will often contain the required two similes, a metaphor, a personification, even an interesting alliteration …
… but everything in between is lifeless.
What students need is a different sort of checklist, to help them make the rest of their writing interesting.
I hope this article will give you some ideas!
10 – Stephanie was writing a beautiful story in the 11-plus exam hall. Or was she …?
Suspense is good if it’s appropriate to the story, but don’t jack-knife it in clumsily!
“It was a calm, sunny day. Or was it?” doesn’t really make me curious.
It makes me think that you’re trying to pester me into being excited, rather than persuading me to feel that way through your excellent writing.
If you write in a way that builds suspense by making me interested in the characters and events in the story – while keeping some important information hidden from me, just out of sight – this will speak for itself.
However, not every piece of creative writing needs it!
If you found these story writing tips useful or if you have a question, please leave a comment below! I’d love to have your feedback. (Tick the “Receive email updates” box to receive an email when I reply.)
For the most comprehensive range of resources to help with preparation for the 11+ exam, you might like to try 11 Plus Lifeline (with a money-back guarantee in the first month). Every practice paper has full example solutions, with a detailed discussion and explanation for every question – like being taught by an excellent private tutor. There’s lots of material to help develop creative, high-scoring exam stories!
According to Tutorful, it’s “the gold standard for independent and grammar school 11-plus preparation”.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here. I’ll do my best to help you out!
Hi, I’m preparing my son for 11+. His story ideas are good but he needs to add more details/depth. How can I encourage that? Thanks
That’s a very difficult question to answer, because there is so much that I could say! Many of my suggestions are in the article above. The sample at http://digioh.com/em/27284/164929/84za5s4g4u may offer more ideas. If this is useful, then 11 Plus Lifeline offers many further resources.
What’s the syllabus of creative writing for 11plus. I understand there is no definitive one, it varies with target school as well, but still I’d like to know the min types of writing children should be knowing end of year 6 e.g. story writing, descriptive writing, poetry writing, persuasive writing, diary, reconnect, fiction, non fiction writing, script writing, book/film review, blog writing etc. Really confused with the list of categories and subcategories under each. I just need a good structure with every details. Please help with a detailed table of contents.
Hi Jay. I’m afraid I don’t have such a list – because there isn’t one. Schools can set anything that they like! However, I think getting children used to responding to a range of formats is more important than covering everything.
The most common formats are probably:
1) A story based on a title or topic
2) A continuation of a passage (usually the passage already used as a comprehension text)
3) A story based on a picture
You provide excellent tips that we can use to guide our children. Done in a very simple but effective way. Even more – as times are hard and money is tight your generosity shows you truly do wish to help children and not just make money out of them. Thank you
Thank you Alison. I’m glad you found the article useful.
Robert
Hi Robert,
Thank you ever so much for your very useful tips. Would you have some advice (or a sample essay) on writing a descriptive essay based on a given image?
Hi Aparna,
There is some relevant content in 11 Plus Lifeline. For more along these lines, keep an eye on the website in the autumn …
Hi Robert, I found the article above very helpful. My daughter is in year 5 and we have just started our 11 plus journey. She seems to be struggling air with creative writing. She has such great ideas and an amazing imaginative mind, however she struggles to express this on paper as compared to her peers also studying for the 11 plus. How can I help her become a better writer?
Speaking as she writes might help: perhaps she will write more fluently if she just thinks of it as a way to record her verbal ideas.
My RSL Creative Writing books might help her to develop her ideas.
What is a good range for the word count for a “continue the story” creative writing task at 10+? I see suggestions of 4-5 paragraphs, but paragraphs vary hugely in length. My son is only writing around 150 words, and I fear this is taking “quality not quantity” to the extreme!
It really depends! Sometimes you’ll be given an 8-10 line answer space, in which case that would be appropriate. On the other hand, if you have 30-40 minutes, you should be pitching for 1 to 1.5 pages.
Robert
Thank you so much!
Very informative
I’m glad to help!
how much your fees for creative writing, and how many lesson?
please let me know
hrp_2886310@yahoo.co.uk
Hello Hemang. I’m afraid I don’t work as a tutor these days. However, you might be interested in my creative writing books at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/rsl-creative-writing. These will take your child through their skills step by step, much as I would if I was teaching them. Good luck! Robert
Hi Sir!
Sir, you suggestions are greatly useful.
Sir, can you assist me on how to incorporate Strong Verbs in my writings as I do not know many and I struggle on account of it ?
There’s no easy answer, but the best starting point is to look for specific ways of describing things. For instance, instead of “he talked”, you might say “he muttered”, for example. You’ll learn more verbs if you look out for them as you read things, and perhaps note interesting ones down in a book.
Good luck!
Dear Robert
Hope you are doing well , my son is in year 5 and he is going to set for 11 plus exam for very highly competitive grammar schools , he need help for is creative writing .
I advice that you are the best , I’m seeking help from you ,please .
Yours sincerely
Saha Mcewan
Hello. Have a look at 11 Plus Lifeline, perhaps, and my RSL Creative Writing books. I do intend to release some new things for creative writing in the future: watch this space!
Hi Robert. These are great tips. My question is how to come with effective descriptions that vary. When I do descriptive writing, I describe with only the five senses and often run out of ideas. Also, how can we write in a way that will make a clear image in the readers mind. Thanks for the time
Hi Yatharth! My video at https://youtu.be/LKnvrad6jpw is all about this, so why not have a look at that? If that’s useful, look at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/product/rsl-creative-writing-1
I completely agree with your article, and as a teacher who prepares children for GCSE and the 11 tests, I employ a lot of the ‘strategies’ you mention. What children need ultimately is time to read, digest and above all enjoy stories and poems and then to talk about what they’ve read and in some ( or maybe a lot of cases) relate the themes and ideas etc in what they have read to their own lives. This I feel, can give a greater sense of ‘reality’ to what they can eventually write; and then we as teachers (and parents) can model how to write ‘good’ creative stories (and include all the SPAG) which can go a long way to ensuring children actually begin to feel that they themselves can be imaginative and write great stories.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Molly. I very much agree with you.
The only thing I’d add to this is that it works both ways: reading informs writing, but the very best way to develop critical reading skills is to become more sophisticated as a writer!
Hi Robert,l am a Creative Writing teacher for 8+
Do you think 6+ can be taught Creative Writing that will yield excellent result?
I asked this question from my experience of teaching Creative Writing,I observe that more 6+ struggle with understanding and implementing Creative Writing stages than 8+
Also,I teach Creative Writing easily because I believe I have the skills to teach it but how can I come up with a special syllabus to teach my colleagues how to teach Creative Writing in the class that will be result oriented.
Hello Soremi.
I would not think too much about results, if by that you mean percentage scores, when children are 6 or so and developing their writing. I would focus on their enjoyment and on encouraging them to explore their imagination, creating interestingly described characters and environments. It’s a different situation in 11+ exams, where children must demonstrate certain skills and perform well in comparison with their peers.
However, it is very important to encourage the development of accurate and clear English from an early stage. Creative writing is a good opportunity to uncover and address problems.
I found this very useful and straightforward, and also very funny… The tips will take me flying in my writing!
Thanks Lily-Grace. The work you sent for me to look at this week was very impressive: you’re already flying!
Thanks Robert this description is very helpful
I’m very glad it’s useful. Thanks for commenting!
Hola me gustaria hacer unas infografias mas dinamicas
Gracias!
Thank you for the topic
It’s a pleasure. I hope the advice helps.
I thought that this was a brilliant summary. Thank you very much. Engaging and thoughtful. Very much appreciated.
I’m delighted to hear it. Thank you!
I found your creative writing tips very insightful, a real shame for us it was right at the end of our 11+/13+ preparation.
Thank you Sara. I hope they made some difference, even at a late stage.
Very useful tips! I like the way you have broken down the advice into bite-sized chunks! Thanks Robert
I’m glad you found them helpful! Thanks for commenting.
Great tips, thanks Robert. Do you have tips on non fictional writing as well? E.g. how a child can do a stellar job when asked to write a suggestion letter to the council.
My child struggles with writing on everyday things that she deems uninteresting like describing everday things but is flying when writing on imaginary topics.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Tolu. I have some resources for less creative subject matter in 11 Plus Lifeline.
I think the best way to add interest to potentially unexciting things, like letters, is with examples. “I think you should do more to reduce bullying, because it discourages children from studying” is not interesting. “Last week, a boy trudged towards me across the playground, clenching and unclenching his fists, with the dead-eyed look of meaningless aggression that I’ve come to know so well. This is happening too often in our school!” is much more impressive.
Thanks for these tips .
Would you suggest any topics for DS to practice .
There are a great many writing topics with fully explained example answers in 11 Plus Lifeline. I might add a blog post with some suggested topics in the coming months. Robert
These SPECTACULAR tips helped me a lot when I was planning and writing a story. I think that these AMAZING tips will help me a lot when I am doing the exam. THANKS Robert!!!!
Thanks Raon! I hope you’ll share the link.
Good luck in your exam.
Robert
Thanks for the tips to improve the writing skill for the content writers and the students.
Thank you Nihal – I’m glad my advice is useful.
What can I Say?
My son is about to take the 11 + and part of the material is creative writing,
Can you recommend any good material please?
The key is reading and I don’t think he reads as much as he should do
Please advise
Fazal
Hi Fazal. I would of course recommend my own creative writing material in 11 Plus Lifeline. There’s a free sample here.
Reading is certainly important, but it won’t do any magic without good writing practice alongside it.
If your son isn’t keen on reading, trying to push him to read more may not work. However, you can help to improve the quality of the reading he does do, by discussing it whenever possible in a way that encourages him to think about it in more depth. You can also introduce new vocabulary into your conversations, and so on.
Also, the reading list here may help him to find books that he does want to read!
Hi, my son 11, is really struggling with creative writing, the main problem being he can’t think of anything to write about. he’s a clever boy but more into science and computers. He thinks he can’t do it and I’m worried he’s going to freeze in the exam. how can i get him to access his imagination and not panic. Thanks
Practice is certainly the main thing. If he can start to “access his imagination” (a nice phrase) without exam pressure, he is more likely to be able to do so in the test.
When you say that he can’t think of anything to write about, you’re describing a problem that I can relate to. However, it should not be a big concern at 11+, for the simple reason that the best stories tend to be about very little! If he can construct a simple plot, focused on one event – even something very ordinary and apparently dull – then he has what he needs. From that point, all his effort should be focused on describing well, so that the story creates atmosphere and has a believable main character.
The real problem at 11+ is when children have too many creative ideas. They construct complex, overwhelming plots, about which it is impossible to write well – or even plausibly – in the time available.
Hi Robert
Have you got any tips for the CSSE style quick 10 mins Continuous Writing tasks please. These have included instructions, descriptions and this year the exam paper included a picture to write about- what’s happening- story /description?
Many thanks for your help.
This is very difficult to answer in a brief comment. I do have some specially designed resources for these CSSE writing tasks in 11 Plus Lifeline, if that is of interest.
If writing creatively, keep the plot to an absolute minimum. Imagine that you are describing a ten second scene from a movie – not writing the plot for a whole film. Focus on effective use of the senses, in particular – very much as I outline in this article. Don’t waste any space introducing your writing.
If describing a picture, the same applies. Focus on details from it, and try to find a logical structure. For example, a character might move around the image, finding things; or you might imagine the scene changing over a period of time.
For instructions, try to visualise the activity as precisely as you can, then use words to convey your thoughts exactly. This will lead to good vocabulary. Rather than saying “Screw the lightbulb into the socket”, say something like this: “Steadying the socket with your spare hand, twist the bulb gently in a clockwise direction until you encounter resistance.” This doesn’t come from trying to be fancy: it comes from very clearly imagining the action before I write.
There is a great deal more to be said, but I hope these pointers are useful.
Great tips and advice here. I have 4 boys, all at different levels of education. This has helped me to help them. Thanks!
That makes me very happy. Good luck to your sons!
Anybody who found this useful might like to read more of my creative advice at https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/creative-writing-less-is-more.
This article is very helpful.
Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to say so!
I found this very helpful, thank you
I’m glad!
Hello Good Afternoon and thank you very much for my help. I am a young child preparing the eleven plus. I don’t necessarily have any questions i just don’t have any questions. Good luck on your educative journey.
Good luck to you, Lukas! Well done for taking the initiative and researching your exams.
I am a 8 years old child and I am doing your 11+ RSL comprehension, do you have any tips that might help me improve my writing? Thank you for your help!
Hi Kate!
I’d like to help, but I’m not sure how to. You’ve written this under an article about improving your writing, and you’re working on a book that also helps with this. I don’t know what tips to add here. If you could be more specific, perhaps I’ll be able to say something.
Good luck with your work!
Robert
Hi Robert!
I really like your tips and they did improve my daughter’s writing!
Thank you so much!
I’m so glad! Well done to her.
Hi Richard,
Does cursive or printed handwriting affect the writing score a 11+ level? Thanks in advance.
No, it shouldn’t make any difference. All that matters is that the writing should be easy to read, and that the student can write reasonably quickly.
Hi there, I am doing 13+, My tutor says that I should not use metaphors or similes, but I think I should. Do you have any advice for me on descriptive writing?
And can you explain what a metaphor is?
Thx
I think you are probably misinterpreting your tutor. A good simile or metaphor, in the right place, is a good thing, but I would guess that your tutor is concerned that you are over-using these things and that this is distracting you from simply writing well. An alternative is that you haven’t quite understood how to use them effectively. A misjudged simile can look odd: using no simile (or metaphor) is better than using a bad one!
For a good explanation of what a metaphor is, see https://www.grammarly.com/blog/metaphor/.
Hi, I’m currently helping a student prepare for entrance exams, and I just wondered if you could help me with a question. He was struggling with the timed element of creative writing and wanted to know if he DID run out of time, what would a marker prefer? To just leave the piece unfinished, or to quickly make an ending for the story, even if it meant it was quite an abrupt ending that didn’t necessarily do the story justice?
I think it depends on the marker. I’d prefer an unfinished piece to one with something actively bad in it, like a bad ending. However, can they leave an unfinished ending that nonetheless has something final about it: for instance, zoom out and describe the trees swaying in the distance, or the waves, so that there’s a sense of the world rolling on, despite the events in the story? If this is done well, it might even appear that they intended to finish this way.
great work, keep it up.
Thank you!
Amazing website! The content is wonderful. Highly informative indeed.
That’s brilliant to hear. Thank you!
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Thanks!
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Thanks!
Nioce job
Do you have to pay to get your work marked?
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Hello
Hello!
My daughter is not good at creative writing and I am apprehensive as she writes her pre-tests on 11th November . How do I help her with the following formats?
1) A story based on a title or topic
2) A continuation of a passage (usually the passage already used as a comprehension text)
3) A story based on a picture
Hello! I cover all these things in my RSL Creative Writing books – see https://www.rsleducational.co.uk/rsl-creative-writing
You will also find creative writing videos covering these things at https://go.easy11plus.org/VIDEOLIST
Good luck!
Robert