Writing About a Time When… Flashcards
All 12 cards in this deck
What does 'Your response could be real or imagined' allow you to do?
Invent freely. You can write a true memory, a made-up one, or a true one improved for effect. Nobody checks; the marks are for the writing.
What's the difference between a recount and a story, for a 'write about a time when' task?
A recount tells what happened, often looking back with some reflection. A story shapes the events for drama, with tension and a turning point. Both fit, but a flat list of 'then… then…' events won't reach the higher levels.
How do you choose what to write about for 'Write about a time when someone helped you'?
Pick one specific moment you can see clearly (a stranger holding an umbrella over you at a bus stop), not a general topic (all the people who have helped you). A small, vivid moment gives you depth.
The task says '…when you, or someone you know, made a mistake'. What does that let you do?
Write in the third person about someone else if you prefer, or in the first person as yourself. Choose the viewpoint that gives you the best material and keep to it.
How can first-person reflection lift a "write about a time when" answer?
Looking back lets you show what the moment meant: 'I didn't know then that it was the last time we would…' A brief reflective thread, especially at the end, gives the piece shape and depth.
How should you open a "write about a time when" piece?
Close to the moment that matters, with a detail that makes the reader curious, not 'One day I woke up and had breakfast'. Get to the heart of the episode within the first paragraph or two.
How should you end a "write about a time when" piece?
With a change or a realisation: what the moment taught you, how something was different afterwards, or an image that echoes the opening. Avoid 'and that was the best day ever' or 'it was all a dream'.
How can you use one of the two images in Question 6?
As a starting point for a setting or a moment: step into the scene, imagine what happened just before or after, or tell it from the viewpoint of someone in it. You still have to answer the 'write about a time when' task.
Can a "write about a time when" answer be a monologue?
Yes. Pearson's mark schemes accept monologue. A sustained single voice speaking to someone (or to themselves) can be very effective, as long as it's organised with a clear opening, development and ending.
Why shouldn't you assume the reader knows your characters?
Examiners report answers that mention 'Jess' and 'the incident' as if the reader already knows them. Introduce people and places briefly through telling details, so the reader can follow and care.
A student plans 'a time when I went on holiday to Spain: the flight, the hotel, the beach, the trip to the waterpark, the flight home'. How could they improve the plan?
Choose one moment from it, such as being separated from the family in the crowd at the waterpark, and build the piece around that, with the rest as brief background.
Which tense should a "write about a time when" piece use?
Usually the past tense, as a memory. The present tense can make it feel immediate. Either works if you stay in control: drifting between tenses by accident is a common AO6 weakness.