TRUCS & ASTUCESStory

Copy the first sentence exactly

Your story must begin with the sentence in the task, exactly as it is printed. Don't change a name, a tense or a single word: copy it carefully as your first line. The app checks it before your story is evaluated.

Then build on it. If the sentence mentions a journey, a knock at the door or a strange noise, that is the start of your plot, not a detail to forget.

Keep the plot simple

At 100-120 words there is room for one main event, not three adventures. Plan a beginning (who, where, what's happening), a middle (a problem or a surprise) and an ending that solves it or adds a twist.

Two or three characters are plenty. Every extra person needs words you don't have.

Mix your past tenses

Tell the main events in the past simple (I opened the box). Use the past continuous for background (It was raining) and the past perfect for things that happened earlier (I had forgotten my key).

Stay in the past from start to finish. Slipping into the present halfway through is one of the most common mistakes.

Move the story along

Time linkers show the order of events and build suspense: when, as soon as, suddenly, after that, a few minutes later, in the end. A short line of direct speech ("Who's there?" I whispered.) brings a character to life.

Make it vivid

Swap plain words for precise ones: shouted or whispered instead of said, terrified instead of very scared. Describe feelings, not just actions. A few well-chosen adjectives and adverbs make the reader care about what happens next.

How you are marked

Examiners look at Content (it starts with the sentence and follows on from it), Communicative Achievement (is it clear and enjoyable?), Organisation (events in a logical order, with linking) and Language (tenses, range and accuracy).

Classic traps: a story with no real ending, a switch into the present tense, too many characters, or a plot that has nothing to do with the first sentence.

Structure

1. 1OpeningThe given sentence, copied exactly, plus one or two sentences that set the scene.
2. 2Build-upWhat happened next, in order, leading to a problem or a surprise.
3. 3Main eventThe most exciting moment: what happened and how the characters reacted.
4. 4EndingHow it all turned out, how the character felt, or a twist the reader didn't expect.

Strategy

1. 1Read the given sentence (1 minute). Who is in it? Where are they? What could happen next?
2. 2Plan the plot (4 minutes). Note one problem or surprise and how it ends. Decide on the ending before you start writing.
3. 3Copy the first sentence exactly. Check every word and punctuation mark against the task.
4. 4Write the beginning (2 minutes). Add a sentence or two that sets the scene: time, place, feelings.
5. 5Write the middle (6 minutes). Build up to the main event with time linkers, and add a line of direct speech if it fits.
6. 6Write the ending (2 minutes). Solve the problem or add a twist, and show how the character felt.
7. 7Check (3 minutes). Is the first sentence identical? Past tenses throughout? Then check spelling, punctuation and the word count.

Expressions utiles

Modèle de réponse

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story. Your story must begin with this sentence: "The phone rang just as I was about to leave the house."

The phone rang just as I was about to leave the house. It was my grandmother, and she sounded worried. "Can you come quickly?" she asked. "Something strange is happening in my garden." I jumped on my bike and cycled there as fast as I could. When I arrived, she was standing at the gate, pointing at the apple tree. Something was moving in the branches and making a terrible noise. I climbed up carefully and, to my surprise, found a grey kitten. It had got stuck and was too frightened to come down. In the end, Grandma decided to keep it. She called it Lucky, and from that day on it followed her everywhere.

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