 Hello, and welcome back to yet another GCSE revision lesson now. I put up on YouTube asking you guys Especially those of you in year 11 What aspect of English do you find most difficult? Okay, especially preparing and gearing up for your GCSE mock exams before the actual real thing during next summer What part of English do you find most challenging and an overwhelming majority of guys voted that the creative writing question? This is question five in language paper one is the most daunting and challenging part of English to prepare for now guys Well, I want to show you actually is even if it sounds like this really massive task right creative writing worth 40 marks Right worth half of the overall papers marks Actually, there were really simple ways to approach this part of the exam and as long as you know Literally these three steps It's actually really straightforward to become really really good in creative writing and actually maybe even enjoy Creative writing and find that as like your strongest part of the paper Okay, so guys I want to do firstly is to show you literally the three steps that to be honest I believe grade eight and grade nine students maybe know intuitively so they kind of follow it anyway But they just didn't quite know that they follow that when it comes to creative writing Just remember these steps and practice Okay, and you will literally find that creative writing becomes almost a walk in the park When you're preparing for creative writing, especially for your upcoming mock exams, okay? So let's go into how the easiest way to approach the creative writing question in language paper one Okay, and afterwards I will walk you through a model response that I've prepared from a past paper Just to show you how you can also apply it to a past exam question But let's begin. So when it comes to creative writing, this is the best way to prepare for this part of the exam Okay, firstly, I always tell all of my students always remember to start with the end goal in mind Know what exam there's a looking for know what your teachers are looking for Okay, always remember to start with the end goal Know exactly what you need to hit and what you need to be aware of Before even sitting and looking at this question so that you always are really really aware of okay I'm answering the question am I going off topic? Do I need to make sure that this story is answering what I've been asked to write about okay? Of course, the end goal is making sure you're demonstrating a 5 and a 6 a 5 assessment objective 5 simply means Number one is a story imaginative. Okay, so you're given a question You're given, you know a question write a story about bloody bloody blood. Okay When you are writing your response, is it actually interesting engaging and imaginative? That's a 05 also A 05 are using ambitious vocabulary rather than saying sad Are you using words like melancholy rather than saying happy overjoyed ecstatic? Okay, that's an ambitious vocabulary. Are you using enough literary techniques or similes or retropical questions your metaphors your alliteration are you also using Powerful structure. Are you starting the story and ending it in a similar way? i.e. a circular structure or for instance as even your story is progressing, right? Does it make sense? Are you jumping around right is the beginning? You know you start off on earth then you go to the moon then you go into the desert Is it just kind of jumping around everywhere? Or is there a really really nice solid structure that you're examiner your teacher when they're reading this a lot? Okay, cool. I'm literally following this protagonist as they're going along Okay, but also are you using a good mix of punctuations your commas? Your full stops your semi-colons, okay? That's also really powerful And of course a 06 simply means spelling punctuation and grammar and is it accurate? Okay, just make sure your spelling is good. Okay now that's step number one When you're doing any creative writing practice and especially at the start of the year, okay? So we're still really early on in the year always have the end in mind Okay, don't just write these stories. Just like oh, I'm just gonna go along writing this story Remember that you're writing these so that you can ultimately pass an exam Okay, so make sure you know what your examiners and your teachers are looking for that step number one step number two That therefore means you must Answer the question and have a solid structure as I mentioned You're not jumping around everywhere and the examiner is like okay Firstly this story is going from like the desert to the planet earth to this to that But also, you know, there's lots of protagonists. I don't I'm super confused No, have a really good structure, but equally make sure you answer the question the best way to avoid having like this confused writing framework this confused way of writing imaginatively is have a Story mountain to guide you story mountain is you start off your story with your beginning Introduce so setting introduce your character build up This is where your character and your protagonist goes in an adventure problem the obstacle they face Resolution how do they resolve this problem? Do they even resolve this problem ending is cliffhanger or circular structure? Or they're somehow changed at the end. Okay use story mountain That's literally the easiest way to make sure you're answering the question But also you're following a solid structure. However, also you need to make sure of course You have a mix of different types of sentences have a mix of long sentences But also short one word sentences. It changes the pace of your writing Okay, long sentences offer your reader lots and lots of detail But too many long sentences can get a little bit boring and the pace is a bit too slow Okay, you want to also mix in some short sentences some one word sentences which speed up the pace of your narrative Usually the best place to pick your short sentences your one word sentences is usually in the problem paragraph Okay, where you're really building up the action equally make sure you have really solid Vocabulary and also as I've mentioned just before good literary techniques similes metaphors and so on the other thing You need to remember is the best way to ensure you are hitting a o5 is your story imaginative And are you answering the question is avoid? Memorizing stories and being like, okay, do you know what I'm gonna memorize three stories and whatever question comes up I'm just gonna use those stories. Don't do that. Okay firstly You are starting strong if you're watching this video You are super super, you know keen and you're starting off really really strong You've got the rest of the year to perfect your craft. Okay, try your best to expose yourself to a range of stories a range of good responses and then have general story ideas rather than saying I'm gonna stick to just these three stories of Memorize and that's it. What tends to happen is then you become very very tunnel vision when you're looking at a question And then you just write whatever story that you've memorized and that doesn't necessarily mean it's answering the question Okay, equally of course try and avoid using cliches third and final step before I show you guys my model response is How do you become amazing at creative writing? It's actually really easy and straightforward Let me show you guys how you become amazing. There's three parts to it. Okay. I love my threes Okay, so always have a checklist when you're writing any story when you're preaching any story or even approaching this part of paper one Always make sure you have a checklist. I'm gonna go over that read Rinse and repeat. Let me go over what I mean by checklist read rinse and repeat three parts Firstly have a checklist when you're looking at any creative writing question When you're approaching any type of imaginative writing firstly have this checklist Have a story mountain. Have I used a story mountain when I've looked at the question before me? Have I actually planned? Have I spent maybe five to seven minutes planning using a story mountain five parts to my story? That's number one in your checklist number two When you're especially reading back over what you've written or even as you're writing your story Am I using good ambitious and clever vocabulary as well as a mix and a range of punctuation? That's the second thing in your checklist to always make sure you're checking as you're going along and writing your story And the third thing in your checklist is have I use the mix of literature techniques as well as a mix of long and short sentences? That's the first thing the second thing which is read number one a lot of teachers will obviously tell you it's really really nice to You know to improve your creative writing actually through read different books and different stories. That's great because it's going to give you ideas However, I appreciate you might not have enough time You might also find kind of reading lots and lots of books a little bit boring And of course you're also trying to juggle this with your other Subjects and all the other things that you're doing. Okay, so guys, of course I always say, you know if you can read but Whilst reading books is nice the thing that's even better and Is a fraction of the time is actually reading model answers Okay, reading really really good creative writing stories written by the students written by teachers That's an even better way of exposing yourself to lots of different stories because number one Not only are you reading a different story but also number two You're reading story which an examiner teacher has seen that they like so you're now starting to really expose yourself to different ideas But equally you're seeing okay, actually from this model answer. I really like that paragraph I'm going to memorize some of these phrases from this other model answer I can see that they used you know These short sentences are this way or these rhetorical questions in that way I'm going to also apply that to my own writing. Okay, so reading books is nice But model answers are better. Okay, and of course These model answers help you get story ideas final thing. And this is what I mean by rinse and repeat as we're really early on in the year I would suggest guys when it comes to creative writing paper one question five Actually, you need to try and set yourself a goal of writing at least one story every two weeks Or every fortnight. Okay, if you're in year 11, you should be spending an average at least Three hours of revision time in English a week. Okay, you need to keep it consistent throughout the year Okay So this is not including the time that you spend in school outside of school Including your homework as well as your revision it needs to be a minimum of three hours And of that time block that you give yourself each week may be scheduled in every other week A good time to just write a creative writing story. Okay So for example, you've read all of these model answers. Maybe look and download a paper a pass paper and then practice one question Okay, so the final step in terms of rinse and repeat in addition to reading every fortnight guys just download my free phrase and Free creative writing phrases framework. Okay, so guys Especially if you're watching this and thinking okay, actually she's mentioned a few literary techniques I don't know what the other literary techniques are or actually story mountain You know what phrase is going to maybe use to get started download it I've put in the link within this video and you can get started using that So with that being said and with you now understanding actually creative writing is fairly straightforward to actually improve in Now what i'm going to do is show you a model response that i've already written and i'll walk you through how i apply These different elements to this past paper question So let's look at model response that i've prepared for this particular paper I specifically will go over the response and the story I wrote for the june 2020 exam as i mentioned I have pre-prepared it. Okay. I've already written it out Now i'm going to walk you through how the model answer is set out I went for the story question write a story about an event that cannot be explained The first thing you should notice about what i've done Especially on this page is i began by highlighting the keywords in the question to ensure that i am Absolutely understanding the assignment and i know what my examiner and my teacher is looking for okay So of course it has to be a story creative writing Using the story mountain framework beginning build up problem resolution and ending However, the story can be about an event It's really nice and open-ended and the setting can be lots of different places like a cave A city a mountainous area a beach or forest or desert I decided to have as my setting a beach, okay? However, so this story is an event That cannot be explained. Okay an inexplicable event now guys Hopefully you can see that my plan using my story mountain is actually not that detailed Okay, lots of students when I tell them. Oh, make sure you plan your story before you go into it Think that it's got to be the super elaborate plan 10 minutes, you know, really really nice neat handwriting No, the plan is just to guide you so that you don't go off in one direction And then out some point get lost in writing your story not knowing what to write next, okay? The plan is just a very simple guidance for yourself. Okay. I'm going to start off like this I'm going to develop with this But here's my problem resolution ending it can be literally a five minute plan But try and plan what you're writing before you dive into it. Okay So let's have a look at the modal response starting off with my beginning paragraph. Okay, so this is my beginning A glanced up at the brooding sky The grey clouds glumly covered the skies It was my first day on vacation and what should have been a sunny paradise yet It seemed like it may be a tempestuous hell It was unseasonably rainy for the Maldives My heart sank as I clutched onto my azure kayak pondering on the afternoon ahead Should I test my luck? My toes sank into the pearly sand which massaged my toes I begin by having a very strong sense of setting I don't immediately tell my reader from the start that I'm in the Maldives Okay, this really nice, you know, paradise destination on holiday I first give hints as to where I am the sky is brooding the clouds are glum Okay personification also short and long sentences I'm also saying that I'm on vacation and what should be a paradise a metaphor, right? But then I contrast this using oxymoron with the fact that this is a hell Then I say I'm in the Maldives. I've created a slow build up and This is a really really powerful technique to use. We call it cataphric reference where you don't immediately show Exactly where you are or what the main character is or the setting is you kind of add some description and then later state Okay, this is where I am. Okay. That's what I've done And also of course pay attention to the fact that I've also started off with an interesting, you know Rhetorical question. There's lots of mix of language and structure from the start to really captivate my reader Okay. So that's my beginning paragraph done. Now. I'm going to move up my story mountain to my build up I heaved my paperweight kayak onto the salt water I'll watch as it bobbed up and down inhaling deeply. I squeezed into my seat and paddled forward Nothing would stop me not even malignant weather I felt a heady feeling of adventure as I dipped my oars into the dark misty depths of the ocean The water relented The sea lapped and gently linked to the sides of my minute kayak A sliver of white light shone through the coal colored clouds Was this a sign that things would be well? I grinned as I gained speed paddling along so now I'm going up my story mountain. I'm creating an adventure However, hopefully this shows you that the adventure doesn't have to be something super dramatic with lots of fireworks Okay, you can create a gentle and gradual build up I talk about how my kayak, you know, I'm putting that onto the salt water Also, I am use ambitious language like malignant, which means evil. Okay Misty depths of the ocean you want to make sure you're weaving in that ambitious language and vocabulary. Okay Also, of course, I'm using lots and lots of you know personification to establish So start off with this dark pathetic fallacy, but then I'm basically saying here. Oh actually the sea it's it's giving way It's relenting. Okay. It's you know part into let me go through and actually it's lapping and gently Licking at the side of my kayak. So it's almost like, you know, this soothing kind of imagery that I'm giving to maybe show my reader Oh, actually things might not be that bad. Okay, but now I'm going to go into my problem paragraph paragraph number three in my creative writing story mountain I ventured further and further into the ocean It's waves welcomed me as I swished and swayed inching my solitary turquoise kayak along My eyes widened as I noticed a long formation of caves ahead of me My oars dipped and dipped into the dark depths of the ocean as I quickly traversed the distance towards the caves Jagged rocks jutted out of the entrance into the largest cave I glimpsed a golden light inside it beckoning me. I ventured into the cave and glanced an awe at this Which hung from its high ceiling My heart raced I knew it was a risk to go deeper yet the golden light which gilded the first this edge of the cave was Irresistible, okay so In my problem paragraph I basically i'm stating that i'm going into the ocean I see this cave and then I basically put myself in the way of danger I'm seeing this you know glimmering golden light at the end of the cave and i'm like, oh I really shouldn't do this. I can get trapped, you know But I kind of want to right so of course the reader when they're now here in the problem paragraph They're like don't do that the ocean is really really bad already right So the weather the last thing you want to do when the weather is really terrible And when you're out in this open ocean when it seems quite dark is put yourself in a place where you know The water could come in and trap you right, but that's exactly what i'm doing And of course that that's the problem i'm creating for myself So how do I resolve this this is my resolution paragraph As I enter deeper and deeper into the cave I heard a crackling A storm was brewing I looked back at the mouth of the cave Can I just inch closer to this light and get out quickly? Paddling and paddling its irresistible force pulled me forward It was as if an invisible rope was pulling me into the cave Yet my heart began to race The water around me grew choppy my kayak began to dance and sway I had to get out Now here paragraph number four I'm going closer to this light right i'm going closer to this light in the cave that is just really just You know attracting me And firstly that could be something that's kind of that can't be explained okay thinking about the keywords and the question But also equally i'm trying to resolve this issue You know i'm trying to satisfy my curiosity, but then possibly maybe try and turn around However, of course in my resolution paragraph i'm basically saying the water right is growing really really unstable My kayak is dancing around now. I actually really really need to leave okay resolution Here's the ending do I manage to get out? So now my reader is like what okay? Let's see whether they're actually going to get out of this really super dangerous position that they've put themselves in The watery path was narrow I strained and strained as I tried to turn my kayak around the caves jagged walls seemed to stop me Why couldn't I leave sweat formed around my temples my pupils dilated my breath left my body in short rasps I had to leave the glimmering light suddenly snuffed out in golfin mean darkness the ocean grew tempestuous as my kayak rocked violently Just then a massive gargantuan wave swept into the cave pushing me in I shrieked as I held on to the side of my boat It felt like a flimsy paper in the face of a malicious mother nature another wave of oily black water than another Suddenly there were vibrations I looked back in time to see a vast boulder heading towards me It looked like a gargantuan whale A large wave swept forward carrying the colossal boulder My body tensed as it crashed into the mouth of the cave sealing it shut I was in complete silent darkness How did this happen? So of course the event that can't be explained is me finding myself inside this cave Trapped with this boulder that's literally gone into the mouth of this cave. Okay, so obviously something that you know Super can't be explained. I shouldn't obviously have put myself in that position But I probably didn't envision that you know, this boulder is going to go to the mouth of the cave and trap me in and of course What i've done to speed up the ending of this story. Okay to create even more tension I've used a range of short sentences My pupils dilated my breath left my body in short ross. I had to leave okay Equally, I've also added lots of descriptive language glimmering light sibilants suddenly snuffed Okay, gargantuan massive lots of adjectives to really create firstly A sense of panic for my reader But equally number two to really paint this vivid image of this sudden turn of events The sea has gone from being like kind of dark moody to then helping me along You know kind of been like oh come into this cave to suddenly mother nature being malicious turning against me and Throwing this colossal border into the mouth of the cave and this is my vent that cannot be explained. Okay, so Just to be clear I've written my response in five separate paragraphs to make my life super easy Just use the story mountain structure beginning build up problem resolution and ending and of course i've made constant reference to this kind of you know event that i'm going through that can't be Explained okay, so of course the first kind of mysterious aspect to be honest is that i'm being drawn into this you know Dangerous i'm putting myself in this dangerous position right that's inexplicable That's hard to explain But then the second and the major event that can't be explained is the fact that i find myself in this cave And then suddenly out of nowhere this boulder comes in which is pushed along by the sea and it traps me in so guys Try your best to kind of you know read and rewatch this video. Okay, especially the model answer section Select phrases and descriptive language and you know things like rhetorical questions that work for you And then try and apply it to your own writing. That's the best way to really improve in creative writing read model answers Write out your own responses rinse and repeat rinse and repeat Okay, so i hope that helps when it comes to thinking and looking at creative writing And remember you're at the start of the year so you've got the rest of the year to improve and perfect your craft Thank you so much for listening