Narrative writing is a key component of the CIE IGCSE English First Language examination. While challenging in its own right, through this task students are afforded the opportunity to showcase their creativity, storytelling abilities, and command of the English language. This blog will give insight into narrative writing’s place in the CIE IGCSE English exam, as well as offering tips, strategies, and insights to help students approach this task. 

Narrative writing is prose commonly defined by the presence of setting, characters, and conflict. Narrative writing features in Paper 2, Section B of the CIE IGCSE English First Language exam. CIE IGCSE candidates are presented with four prompts, two narrative and two descriptive, and must select one. After doing so, students must complete a 350 to 450 word composition based on their chosen prompt. 

Paper 2 of the CIE IGCSE English examination is worth 50% of a student’s total exam grade. Section B, in which narrative writing appears, is itself worth half of the total marks for Paper 2. Consequently, success in the narrative writing task—if a student selects one of these two prompts over the descriptive writing options—is essential for overall success in the Paper 2 and the CIE IGCSE English exam as a whole.

1. Engaging Plot 

This is a narrative writing assignment, so any composition must present a cohesive narrative. The produce a functional, coherent, and rewarding narrative, students should make use of the plot pyramid, or story mountain, represented below: 

1. Exposition – the setting and character(s) are introduced

2. Inciting incident – an event sets the plot in motion 

3. Rising Action – tension is built through conflicts or challenges.

4. Climax –  the most emotionally fraught moment of the story

5. Falling Action – the aftermath of the climax, where conflicts are solved

6. Resolution – the conclusion of the story

2. Well-Developed Characters 

A story should have well-developed and compelling characters. Considering the relatively slight wordcount, it should be clear from the beginning of the narrative who is who—which character is the protagonist, or main character with whom the reader identifies with, and which character is the antagonist, or the opposing force that creates conflict. 

Students should attempt to develop their characters through their actions, thoughts, and dialogue. This is the superior method to revealing a character’s personality, rather than simply stating it. While declaring outright the personality traits of a character may be easier, it is far less satisfying for the reader. 

3. Vivid Setting 

Setting is another crucial component of all narrative writing. CIE IGCSE English learners should be clear in their writing. The reader should be able to understand with ease where and when any action is taking place. This is especially important when transitioning from one setting to another. 

To best engage a reader, students should make use of descriptive language, with an emphasis on the five senses, and literary devices when describing settings. Moreover, consider what mood or atmosphere would best suit the narrative and use the setting to express this. 

4. Descriptive Language 

CIE IGCSE English students should make liberal use of figurative language in their writing. This means employing devices like metaphor, simile, personification, and so on, to develop an immersive and engaging narrative. 

Additionally, there should be a focus on showing, rather than telling. Do not simply declare the state of mind of a character; instead, show it through their actions or dialogue. The show, don’t tell method is one of the most crucial components of successful narrative compositions. 

Students should also make sure to keep their vocabulary varied. In doing so, CIE IGCSE candidates will avoid repetitive writing that may cause the reader to lose interest. 

5. Clear Structure and Coherence 

A clear and cohesive structure is crucial for a highly marked narrative writing composition. Students can employ the 6 part story structure outlined above to help with this. Also bear in mind that smooth transitions between these story components will assist in the reader’s enjoyment and result in higher marks. Candidates should also have a clear understanding of what it is that characterises a paragraph. A new paragraph should be introduced for each new idea or action that is being presented. So, when characters change location, begin a new paragraph, or when a new character is introduced, mark this with a new paragraph. 

1. Plan Before You Write 

It is vital that students plan before they write anything. To begin, it can be useful to think of a narrative in its simplest form. So, CIE IGCSE English students should aim to write a one sentence summary of their story that touches on the major plot points. This one sentence outline can be expanded using the 6-point plot pyramid, with each point representing roughly one paragraph. Adhering to this structure will ensure that a clear beginning, middle, and end is present in the narrative. 

2. Develop Compelling Characters 

As part of planning, it is critical to sketch out character profiles. Consider what it is a character wants—every character should want something, even if it is something relatively mundane. This desire is what creates conflict and the extent of a character’s desire and how it fluctuates can dictate their temperament across the narrative. If it helps, students are encouraged to draw from real life experiences. Think of people you know and blend their personalities, mannerism, and idiosyncrasies together to form original characters. 

3. Use Effective Dialogue 

Dialogue can be a useful tool for narrative writing. However, it should be used sparingly. An overreliance on dialogue can result in a flat and repetitive narrative. Dialogue should be employed to reveal aspects of character and to gently progress the plot. When writing dialogue, think of how people speak in real life. Make sure that the way a character speaks reflects the type of person they are. Most importantly, punctuate all dialogue correctly. 

4. Enhance Descriptions 

Vivid descriptions make for engaging reading. CIE IGCSE English students composing a piece of narrative writing should employ sensory imagery. This means appealing to the five senses. However, be aware that not all sense should be used in every description. Pick the most fitting one or two senses and explore those. Additionally, make sure descriptions are specific. Avoiding generalisations and broad statements to focus on precise descriptions that enhance the reading experience. Similarly, steer clear of cliches. While cliches function to communicate meaning quickly, they are not beneficial to narrative writing and only cause the work to come across as unoriginal. A good rule is to never use an expression that you have heard before, because if you have heard it then so have other people. 

5. Maintain Appropriate Tone and Style 

As much as it is important to present a vivid setting and dynamic characters, CIE IGCSE English students must also be able to maintain an appropriate style and tone throughout their writing. This means first considering what kind of story they want to tell and writing with this in mind. Candidates should also be aware of shifts in mood. If a scene is changing from lighthearted to somewhat serious, this too should be reflected in the writing style. 

6. Edit and Revise 

Time should always be left for proofreading. Proofreading is essential for success in any easy-based examination. It allows for students to make corrections to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, which are all areas they examiners will be assessing. Moreover, it allows for writers to eliminate any redundancies present in their text, and offers them a chance to simplify any unnecessarily complex aspects of their story, paring it down to absolute necessities only. 

There are a number of common mistakes that students make when completing their narrative writing compositions. For example, overcomplicated plots are a regular occurrence. Students should aim to keep their stories as simplistic as possible. Limit the number of characters to an absolute minimum and avoid multiple settings. Rather than being barriers to creativity, these limitations allow students to explore nuance and focus on producing high quality writing rather than action-packed plots that traverse the globe. 

Another common error is inconsistencies in writing. This regularly expresses itself in a fluctuation between past and present tense. Writing in the past tense is typical for narrative writing and is often the easiest for students. It is possible to write in the present tense but candidates must stick to this throughout if they make this stylistic choice.  

Finally, each year students complete pieces of narrative writing that, while good in and of themselves, have ignored the original prompt. In doing so, only so many marks can be awarded. The prompts are given for a reason and should be adhered to.

Below is the opening paragraph from a student response to the following CIE IGCSE English narrative writing-style prompt, ‘write a story with the title “The First Day.”’

It was my first day in a new school and I was really nervous. It took a long time to get to my classroom because the hallways were long and confusing. It felt like everyone was looking at me and laughing at me too so I felt really self-conscious as well as being nervous because I had never been to this school before. When I got to my classroom the door was shut and I don’t know why, but I opened it anyway and went inside. 

Although only a short piece of writing, it is clear to see a number of issues. The student, rather than showing the reader, tells the reader. There is little descriptive writing employed at all here. Instead, the student has focused on declarative statements that leave little room for imagination and do not foster any real engagement with the text. Moreover, the writing is somewhat repetitive, with multiple sentences beginning with the word it. Lastly, sentences have a habit of running on for too long, creating an awkward pace. 

Now, examine an improved version of this same paragraph. 

The hallway stretched out endlessly before me. Lining the walls towered enormous blue lockers scrawled with names of musicians I had never heard of. I clutched a crumbled timetable as if it were a life preserver and staggered down the corridor, my eyes darting from one classroom door to another. I jolted at every snicker and giggle that passed my way, catching snippets of conversations and fragments of inside jokes all alien to me. As I reached my destination, I paused for a gentle moment to breathe before reaching my shaking hand to the doorknob.

There is a far greater focus on description in this version. The reader does not need to be told explicitly what the character’s mental state is, but understands based on the descriptions the writer presents. The writing is far more varied in terms of sentence length, sentence starters, and vocabulary. Moreover, the author makes use of literary devices to create a more immersive experience.  

The CIE IGCSE English narrative writing task can often be a challenge for students. While there may have been time spent on narrative writing in the earlier years of their schooling, as students move through the upper reaches of secondary school, less and less focus is paid to this. Consequently, CIE IGCSE English candidates can struggle with narrative writing exercises. 

At BartyED, our expert IGCSE tutors craft personalised lessons to fit each individual student’s needs. In addition to developing the necessary writing skills to produce high quality narrative pieces, our tutors coach young learners in exam techniques like time management and planning. Our experienced IGCSE tutors also offer students individualised feedback to improve all aspects of their English writing. 

If you think that you or your child could benefit from the guidance of a BartyED tutor, contact us today by phone (+852 2882 1017) or email (enquiries@bartyed.com).

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