Area of Study
Paper 1 – Section II:
Imaginative Writing
Examination Rubric…
Section II
15 marks
Attempt Question 2
Allow about 40 minutes for this section
Answer the question in a SEPARATE writing booklet. Extra writing booklets are
available.
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:
______________________________________________________________________________
 express understanding of belonging in the context of your
studies
 organise, develop and express ideas using language
appropriate to audience, purpose and context
_____________________________________________________________________________
• express understanding of belonging in the
context of your studies
0 Show clear understanding of :
1. ideas,
2. attitudes,
3. beliefs
about belonging and not belonging, by “representing”
1. Social ideas, attitudes and beliefs
2. Cultural ideas attitudes and beliefs
3. Historical / location ideas attitudes and beliefs
of individuals – groups – communities – places and events
“representing”
Social ideas, attitudes and beliefs
Cultural ideas attitudes and beliefs
Historical / location ideas attitudes and beliefs
of individuals – groups – communities – places and events
0 DON’T describe ideas about belonging
0 DON’T write a recount about “belonging” and “not belonging”
0 DON’T use essay-style analytical language / words (which you
would use in Paper 1 Section III)
0 DO “show” the ideas about belonging (dialogue / language style /
0
0
0
0
metaphors / similes / personification… )
DO “show” the character’s and their respective attitudes to belonging
DO write in the text type set by the exam.
DO USE LANGUAGE – STRUCTURES – FORMS which achieve the
purpose set by the exam
DO USE LANGUAGE – STRUCTURES – FORMS which will work for the
audience set by the exam
Notes from the Board of Studies marking centre 2010
Section II
Question 2
Candidates presented responses in a variety of forms, though narrative was the dominant choice.
In better responses:
0 candidates used language appropriate to their chosen form of
imaginative writing.
0 They explored the challenges of belonging and not belonging with
insight, complexity and/or subtlety.
0 These responses displayed originality and artistry and the mechanics
of language were applied skilfully.
In sound responses, candidates tended to be more literal in their use of one of the
quotations. They tended to be predictable, linear or clichéd in their examination of the
challenges of belonging and not belonging. In these responses, the mechanics of language
was controlled and writing structure was appropriate to form.
Weaker responses tended to lack structural direction, were simplistic and inconsistent in their exploration
of the challenges of belonging and not belonging. These responses lacked credibility, with limited
appropriateness to audience and/or purpose. Flawed mechanics of language were usually a feature of
these responses.
Paper 1 Section II – 2010 exam
Question 2 (15 marks)
Select ONE of the quotations as the opening for a piece of
imaginative writing that explores the challenges of belonging
and not belonging.
‘I am outside the door.’
OR
‘We want to believe this is how it was . . .’
OR
‘I felt expelled and exiled . . .’
Paper 1 Section II – 2009 exam
Question 2 (15 marks)
“Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in
the atmosphere of rejection.”
“When someone prizes us just as we are, he or she confirms our existence.”
Drawing on the ideas in ONE of these quotations, write an
imaginative piece that celebrates the ways relationships
contribute to a sense of belonging.
write an imaginative piece…
0 An imaginative piece can be in your choice of:
0 Feature article
0 Script
0 Newspaper article
0 Short story
0 Journal entry(s)
0 Diary
0 Narrative
0 Motivational Speech
Choose the texttype that you know best…
(if you are given a choice…)
0 If you’re best at formal and factual writing – try a feature
article or a newspaper article
0 If you’re best at short stories and narratives – make sure you
develop character and attitudes in a way that grabs (and
holds) the readers’ attention
0 If you prefer informal, conversational writing – try a blog… a
journal… a diary… an email “conversation”… etc.
0 Whichever text-type you choose – focus on developing and
maintaining the “tone” of voice which is most suitable for that
particular text-type.
Short story?
0 Have a clear theme. What is the story about? That doesn't mean what is the
plot line? It means… what is the underlying message or statement behind the words.
Get this right and your story will have more importance in the minds of your readers.
0 A good short story covers a very short time span. It may be one
single event that becomes a “life-changing” moment in the life of the character
0 Don't have too many characters. Have only enough characters to show
the theme. Two contrasting characters will do the trick.
0 Make every word count. There is no room for wordy explanations in a short
story. If each word is not working towards putting across the theme, delete it.
0 Focus… on developing your theme – your main character – and resolving a conflict /
issue / problem
Show vivid imagery in short stories…
0 Use specific, concrete details / names:
An example from Upon a Mystic Tide:
“Sitting in her old, red rocker, Miss Hattie turned on the large, antique
radio behind her. Big band era music drifted through the kitchen, and she
softly hummed along with it. Her head bowed, she studied the embroidery
in her lap. She was sewing the Seascape Inn logo onto a new batch of
crisp, white napkins.”
In this example, the specific and concrete details are: the red rocker, the
large, antique radio, embroidering napkins, the big band music and
humming.
0 More specific and concrete details…
0 Don't write tree. Write oak.
0 Don't write emotion. Write fear or sorrow, guilt or shame.
0 Don't write dog. Write Doberman, or Yorkie.
0 Don't write chair. Write rocker.
0 Write cinematically. Write vivid images that create pictures in the
reader's mind just like the scenes you see in a film
Stay tuned…
0 More tips in the next chapter of…
Area of Study
Paper 1 – Section II:
Imaginative Writing