1.2 Paper 1 Writing: descriptive and narrative — AQA GCSE English Language revision notes

The task and how it is marked

Section B gives you a choice of two tasks on a theme linked to the reading extract — typically "write a description of… as suggested by this picture" or "write a story about…". You answer one, and the paper advises spending about 45 minutes on it.

The mark split is printed on the paper and it decides how you should spend those minutes:

• 24 marks for content and organisation (AO5) • 16 marks for technical accuracy (AO6)

That second figure is the one students underestimate. Technical accuracy is 40% of the task, so spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and paragraphing are worth almost as much as the ideas. Five minutes checking at the end is worth more than five minutes of extra plot.

Figure: What each half of the marks rewards

	Content and organisation (24)	Technical accuracy (16)
Rewards	Ideas matched to audience, purpose and form; vocabulary chosen for effect; structural features used deliberately; coherent paragraphing	Sentence demarcation; a range of punctuation; a range of sentence forms; accurate spelling including ambitious words; correct Standard English
What gains marks	A convincing, sustained piece with a clear shape and varied, precise vocabulary	Writing that is consistently accurate and deliberately varied in sentence length and type
What loses them	A rambling plot, a rushed ending, or vocabulary that is ambitious but used wrongly	Comma splices, missing full stops, inconsistent tense, one paragraph for the whole piece

The safest way to protect the technical marks is to write a little less and check it — accuracy is easier to gain than a better idea.

Choosing, and planning

Choose description if you find plotting difficult, and narrative if you find it easy to invent events. Description is often the safer choice, because there is no plot to resolve — a description that goes nowhere is fine, whereas a story that runs out of time before its ending loses organisation marks badly.

Spend five minutes planning. For a description, choose four or five things to focus on and decide the order you will move between them. For a narrative, decide the ending first and work backwards, which is what stops a story sprawling.

Keep a narrative small. The strongest stories in this exam cover a few minutes of one event with one or two characters. An entire life, a war, or a twist ending where it was all a dream will not fit into 45 minutes and rarely earns what a small, closely observed moment does.

A typical picture prompt. The task is to write a description suggested by the image — not to explain what is in it, and not to invent a story about who left.

Writing the piece

Structure is assessed, so the piece needs a deliberate shape rather than just a beginning and an end. Techniques that supply one:

• A cyclical structure — end where you began, with the same image seen differently • A shift in focus — open wide on the whole scene, narrow to one detail, then pull back out • A shift in time — a flashback, or a jump forward • A one-sentence paragraph at a turning point, which slows the reader down

For language, the useful advice is narrower than "use lots of techniques". Aim for precision first: a specific noun and a well-chosen verb do more than three adjectives. Then use the senses beyond sight — sound, smell, temperature and texture are what make description feel inhabited.

Vary sentence forms deliberately, because it is explicitly rewarded. A long, layered sentence followed by a short one creates emphasis. Starting occasionally with a subordinate clause or a participle changes the rhythm.

Use a few techniques well rather than many badly: a metaphor that is developed, some personification, and controlled repetition will outscore a piece that fires off a simile, an oxymoron and alliteration in consecutive lines.

Common mistake

A description is not a list of what is in the picture, and not an explanation of it. Write the atmosphere of the place rather than an inventory of its contents — and no examiner needs to be told what the image shows, because they can see it.

Leave five minutes to check. Read for full stops first, since missing sentence demarcation is the single most expensive technical error, then for tense consistency, then for any ambitious word you are not certain how to spell — replace it rather than risk it, unless the effect is worth the risk.

Cyclical structure: a structure that ends where it began, with the same image seen differently
Shift in focus: a structural technique that opens wide on a whole scene, narrows to one detail, then pulls back out

Before you practise

One task from a choice of two, 40 marks, about 45 minutes.
24 marks for content and organisation, 16 for technical accuracy.
Technical accuracy is 40% of the task — protect it by checking.
Description is usually the safer choice; a narrative that runs out of time loses organisation marks.
Plan for five minutes: four or five focuses for a description, or the ending first for a story.
Keep a narrative small — a few minutes, one or two characters.
Give the piece a deliberate shape: cyclical, shifting focus, or a shift in time.
Precision beats decoration — a specific noun and verb beat three adjectives.
Use senses other than sight.
Vary sentence forms and lengths on purpose.
A description is not a list of the picture's contents.
Spend the last five minutes checking full stops, tense and spelling.

Now practise it

Reading is the easy half. Answer questions on 1.2 Paper 1 Writing: descriptive and narrative and find out which parts you actually know.

Written questions Multiple choice