Writing Prompts

During the entrance exam, speed is of the essence! You don't want to waste too much of your time for the writing part of the test and not have enough time to complete the grammar or reading sections.

We suggest you write for 20 minutes only! Please use a timer to practise this!

Use a maximum of 1 side of A4. The best way to do this is to practise, practise, practise!!

Top Tips

• Be creative as you can! Even if you think the writing prompt is dull and unimaginative, think about how you can get the best piece of writing possible... In the past, the writing prompts have been about what job you want to do in the future; describing a haunted house; talk about your family... 
• Remember: it does not have to be factual and true! If you think you can create a better piece of writing by describing your brother as a hidden alien from outer space, then do it!

Structure:

• Powerful opening - engage the reader into the writing
• Problem - set a task or challenge for your character
• Resolution - how are they going to solve the problem?

Content:

• High level vocabulary
• Range of sentence types and sentence lengths - you want a range of longer and shorter sentences
• High level punctuation (including ;  :  ( )   - )
• Figurative language (similes, metaphors etc.)
• 'Showing' your character's feelings rather than 'telling' (ie. 'Crouched in the corner of the room, he felt the room closing in on him as his vision became blurred with the tears that filled his eyes.' - This suggests that the character is sad or scared, rather than saying 'He was really upset'.)