igcse english creative writing examples

Best A* IGCSE ESL writing samples for FREE

A* igcse esl samples.

May/June 2018 V1

May/June 2018 V2

October/November 2018 V1

October/November 2018 V2

October/November 2018 V3

February/March 2019

May/June 2019 V1

May/June 2019 V2

May/June 2019 V3

October/November 2019 V1

October/November 2019 V2

October/November 2019 V3

February/March 2022

May/June 2022 V1

May/June 2022 V2

May/June 2022 V3

May/June 2023 V1

May/June 2023 V2

May/June 2023 V3

May/June 2024 V1

May/June 2024 V3

Book review

Film review

New samples are added regularly, so don’t forget to come back!

64 responses to “Best A* IGCSE ESL writing samples for FREE”

The sample answers are really helpful. Thanks a lot.

Thank you for your comment! We’re glad you found them helpful!

Please I am in desperate need of review sample like the new article one

Hi Lathyfa, we have uploaded a book review and will be adding more samples in the future. We apologize for the late reply and appreciate your understanding.

Can u plz write the essay as a sample

Hi Ayesha, you can find an essay sample here .

Hi, I am not able to download the 2022 sample papers. Thanks

Hey, we have checked them and found no issues. Please submit the form on the Contact us page or email us at [email protected] to be able to assist you.

Hello, I wanted to ask what’s up with the marking service some kind of service for candidates to get there papers checked from the esl kings ?

Hi Abeer, thanks for your question! Our marking service provides the opportunity for IGCSE ESL students to get their writing marked and receive personalized feedback to help them improve their grades. More details will be available on 27 August, so stay tuned!

Okay, thanks for letting me know!

You’re welcome!

Dear ESL Kings, It’s me again, I wanted to ask when will you add more samples of year 2023 and 2024 may june as the syllabus has changed.I would also like to know when will you add the papers of students which you checked recently and add them as a sample just like before because It was really helpful. My exams are in the upcoming session so will you add new samples before oct? Warm regards,

Dear Abeer,

Thank you for reaching out! We’re currently working on adding the 2023 and 2024 writing samples, and inshallah, most of them will be available before the exam.

As for the marked samples, they’re actually past work from one of our team members, not from students using our marking service. Due to privacy reasons, we can’t share our students’ papers without their permission. We appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.

Good luck with your exam preparation!

Best regards, ESL Kings team

I appreciate your response so much. I do, however, truly appreciate your respect for students privacy. Although I was experiencing some inconvenience, I am really glad that the new samples will be added before the upcoming examinations. Nevertheless, I hope that once the samples are added, I won’t have any issues because your samples are truly remarkable. Thank you so much! Regards,

Thank you for your patience and understanding. The 2023 May/June samples are now available, and the rest will also be uploaded before the exam as mentioned previously inshallah. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Dear ESL Kings,

I find your samples really helpful for ESL students and has helped me to get higher marks.

Recently I have been struggling with review writing and report writing. So, it would be really helpful if you could add more of these samples according to the new syllabus. My examination is in October/November 2025.

Warm regards, Aashaa

Dear Aashaa,

Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad to hear our samples have been helpful!

We’ll definitely work on adding more writing samples according to the new syllabus. Good luck with your exams!

Dear ESL king, I just got done with my English exam and I wanted to express my profound gratitude toward your dedication and determination to help me to get from a D writing style to almost an A writing style you’re hands down the best source I could ever find to ameliorate my writing ; thank you and hats off to your team

Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re incredibly happy about the wonderful progress you’ve made! Keep up the amazing work! And good luck with your upcoming exams!

where can i find oct/nov 2023 candidate response?

Unfortunately, we haven’t released them yet. Please accept our sincere apologies for this.

hi, its me again. Trust me your sample emails are a game changer! My mind has expanded so much and I am gaining alot of confidence.

That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for your positive feedback!

Dear ESL KINGS,

I really love these samples! Really helpful, including the notes. However, reflecting this there is only one particular review which is helping us since the 2024 slyabus has changed and summary is no longer there so it makes it really hard to find A+ Samples. My exam is on May 8 for Reading & writing Paper. Please help me with this. One thing I also want to ask is that if you will be able to check my email as I am not sure if I will be able to score excellent marks in this. My highest I have received is 13/15 but I was wondering if you could check the same one and remark it as I really need this A+ in my english exam. Thank you

Warm regards, Ayaan Yousuf.

Dear Ayaan,

Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad you found them helpful!

There are actually four review writing samples available as of today: M/J 2019 V2, O/N 2019 V1, F/M 2022, and a film review.

We have unfortunately suspended our marking service since it requires a lot of time and effort which we can’t provide at the moment. Please accept our sincere apologies for this. 13/15 is actually a very good mark, and if you continue practicing, you will be able to sustain it and get that A* inshallah.

Good luck with your exam!

Hello there, is there a higher or lower possibility that this years June examination would ask ‘essay’ writing as part of the question?

Hi, it’s not possible to know for sure whether it will come in the exam or not, so it’s best to be well-prepared for all types of writing.

I was curious to know that would you add the speaking skills sections as mostly are not confident and scores the least in speaking skills it would be really helpful if you could add the transcript of the interview

Thank you for your question. While our website’s main focus is on the writing section, we will consider adding notes for the speaking section in the future. The “transcript of the interview” part is not clear though. What do you mean by that?

I meant that you can give an transcript of an A* speaking interview which means answer of the student but in text form not as audio

Ok, thank you for clarifying; we now understand what you mean.

Isn’t the word count between 150 and 200 words?

The word count used to be 150-200 words, but it is now only 120-160 words as per the new syllabus.

Will that be a penalty for writing too much?

As we mentioned before, exceeding the word count itself is not penalized; rather, it is the increased likelihood of students making mistakes and spending more time than required for this exercise that can affect their marks.

could you guys check the word count most example exercises go way past the word limit.

Hi Lan, these samples were written when the word count used to be higher than it is currently in the new syllabus. It is also important to note that exceeding the word count itself is not penalized; rather, it is the increased likelihood of students making mistakes that can affect their marks. Nonetheless, thanks for bringing this to our attention; we will make sure the word count of new samples aligns with the new syllabus.

Hi. Absolutely love the detailed notes. Eagerly waiting for review writing notes.

I am unable to access the A* samples. Do help me with this.

Hi Saeed, thank you for your kind words! We are glad you loved them! As for the problem, it has now been fixed. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Can’t access the A* sample

It’s now fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Can you please help me out with correcting a paper. at least one of them. because my style of writing is different than that in the sample papers you have been provided. i want to know if its ok and if my marking standards are correct.

Thank you for your comment. Please note that the formats we present in the notes and use in our samples are not the only correct formats; alternative formats may also be accepted in the exam. Regarding your request, please contact us through our email [email protected] or submit the form on the Contact Us page, and we will look further into your request.

Can you please upload speech writing samples?

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, we are not qualified to write speeches since they are not part of the IGCSE English as a Second Language exam. We apologize for that and appreciate your understanding.

where are the A+ sample writing ,please add them back because in a couple of days I will be examined

We are sorry for the inconvenience. The problem has now been fixed.

you’re welcome 🙂

please provide me with A* writing samples

Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, we might not be able to add more samples at the moment since we are busy with our studies, but we’ll make sure to add them as soon a possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Please upload more A* samples! I need them so bad.

We understand your need for more samples, but unfortunately, we might not be able to upload more at the moment since we are busy with our studies. On the positive side, we believe that the available samples along with the notes should be enough to gain an idea of what a high-band writing looks like. Nevertheless, we promise we’ll add more samples as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Are 2023 writing sample going to be added ?

Thank you for your question. Since our current focus is on completing the notes, there’s no definite date for the availability of the 2023 writing samples. However, we will make every effort to add them as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Thank you for reaching out. As of today, four review writing samples are available: M/J 2019 V2, O/N 2019 V1, F/M 2022, and a film review. And more will be added in the future. However, if you are looking for review writing notes, please note that we are currently working on preparing report writing notes, which will be available soon. Following that, we will prepare review writing notes. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Thank you for your sharing.

You’re welcome. We hope it was helpful.

Pls provide more sample as i think this is very useful for igcse students! Tq

We are working on adding new samples regularly. And thank you for your comment! We are glad you found them useful 🙂

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IGCSE English Language Tips and Tricks: Imaginative Writing

Challenges of acing imaginative writing in igcse english language, weaker igcse english response, why is this response considered weak for igcse english, improved igcse imaginative writing response, why is this response stronger.

Imaginative Writing is often seen as an easier section in the IGCSE English Language exams, but it is often neglected in the classroom. Effective imaginative writing, just like essay writing and analysis, requires a clear plan and structure and powerful use of creative writing techniques. While most IGCSE English students understand basic techniques such as similes and metaphors, more complex techniques like juxtaposition, personification and irony are important. Getting the right mark in the imaginative writing assessment requires candidates to produce a thorough and thoughtful response to the stimulus and can be harder than you think. 

Let’s take a look at a sample exam prompt:

“You return to your old school, to find it abandoned.”

Here is an example of what some IGCSE students might produce for this imaginative writing task:

The school was huge. I stared at its empty front as I walked towards it and through the gates. I pushed open the big doors and made my way into the reception. It was filled with papers, mess and dust. The piles of paper looked like old parchment in a forgotten castle. I could smell stale coffee and the dust as I crept through the corridor, not wanting to make a sound.  

What this response is missing:

Though there is some use of basic linguistic techniques such as simile and sensory imagery, and structural devices such as short sentences, these will have to be considerably more sophisticated for top marks in imaginative writing. 

The narrative lacks inner monologue and has no indication of depth of setting and connection to history and subject matter.

The sentence structure is mostly repetitive with ‘I’ starting lots of sentences, indicating that the writer struggles with sentence structure. 

Now consider this alternative imaginative writing response:

The grand, old, Victorian façade gazed down at me as I tottered, shrinking before it. It was both imposing and inspiring. It reminded me of times past, the ring of the school bell and the chatter of children chasing memories down the halls. The prodigious double doors creaked open as I pushed my way through into the reception foyer. Stacks of office paper spilled over the edge of the reception desk and seemed crammed haphazardly into drawers beside a trophy cabinet long since last locked. The dim gleam of an old trophy whispered of glories gone, and of students long since signing their names on their final exam papers. A waft of burnt coffee, dry and earthy, seemed to crawl, tingling up my nose. As quietly as a mouse, I crept through the deserted corridor, the paintings of old headmasters and mistresses gazing at my intrusion disapprovingly.

How this response succeeds:

This response to the imaginative writing task uses a wide and effective variety of creative writing techniques, both linguistic and structural (including the use of a varied vocabulary and evocative verbs). 

There is an emerging connection to the subject matter and history for the character outside of the story, including some characterisation: “as quietly as a mouse, I crept”.

There is a variety of sentence structures with little repetition unless for effect, such as through alliteration which works well in imaginative writing. 

In summary, the Imaginative Writing section of IGCSE English Language is not the cakewalk that it is often made out to be, but it is not impenetrable either. Filling a well-structured response with a variety of sentence structures and creative writing techniques will get you the marks you need for brilliance in the IGCSE exam. To find out more about BartyED’s expert IGCSE English Tutors and their mentoring for imaginative writing excellence, contact us today. You can also check out our website for more information on IGCSE English Language tutoring programmes here . 

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Writing skills - creative and narrative writing

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Imaginative or creative writing absorbs readers in an entertaining way. To succeed with this kind of writing you will need to write in a way that is individual, original and compelling to read.

Responding to Prompts

Imagine you’re in an exam and you are asked to write a creative piece called ‘The Party’. What does this title make you think of?Before you decide what you’d write, it’s useful to remember that you do whatever you want with the prompt as long as it’s somehow connected to a party.

• It doesn’t have to be something that really happened
• It doesn’t have to be based on exactly what the title says or is
• It can be as abstract or as mundane as you want it to be.

So this means that for the title ‘The Party’, you could write a lovely descriptive piece about your dream birthday party, or a personal account of a party you attended that was very good – or very bad. You could write a story about a political party, or a doll’s tea party, or a party held by fans to watch the final episode of a TV show everyone is very excited about, or a party that didn’t actually happen because no one turned up. The most important thing is that you choose a story you can write well, showing off your skill in using language effectively and keeping your reader entertained.

Original ideas

There is no formula for having a great idea – but to begin your writing, you do need, at least, some kind of idea. Then you need to find ways to turn your idea into something a reader would enjoy reading. This is the creative part, taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary.

For example, think about writing a description of a coastline. You might start to think straight away about a crowded beach - children playing, deck chairs, sun shining, happy sounds; but, if you stop for a moment, you’ll recall that that's been done before. It's okay, but it's hardly original.

The 'plot hook' in this example is 'What could possibly go wrong?'.

Establish the time and place, as well as the general situation. This can also be used to help develop a suitable mood or atmosphere. It can sometimes help to use a familiar place that your reader can relate to in some way. At this stage, you need to 'set up' the story and begin to introduce the main character(s).

Fiction trigger (or inciting incident)

Use your narrator to tell of an incident or event that the reader feels will spark a chain of events. This helps make the reader feel that the story has really started. From this point, life cannot be quite the same for your main character (that is your protagonist). There is a problem that has to be faced and overcome.

The fiction trigger can be an event that really starts the story. It will develop from the 'plot hook'. If the story is about a day out at the zoo, then maybe an animal has escaped. If it is about a robbery, it might be the event that makes a character consider carrying out a robbery; and if it is about an accident, it will be the event that causes it to happen.

Keeping up the momentum (plot development or rising action)This section builds the tension – keeps the reader absorbed and guessing where it will all lead.

This is where you will move the story forward and will use lots of techniques to keep the reader guessing, 'What will happen next?!'

The problem reaches a head, with suspense creating lots of tension for the reader– showing the reader the possible result of what has come before.

This is not the end of your story – not quite. It will be the key event but your protagonist will, somehow, overcome it and all will be well.

Conclusion (the resolution)

This must leave your reader with a sense of satisfaction, or it could be a twist in the tale leaving questions that linger in the mind.

This is the ending of your story – where all loose ends are tied up to the satisfaction of the reader. A good story will cause the reader to go, 'Hmm – I liked that' or even 'Wow'

By following this story structure, and planning under each of the above headings, you should be able to come up with a tense plot for your own story, one that will engage and absorb your reader.

Writing techniques

Throughout your own story, you will also need to use writing techniques that will work to keep your reader engaged and absorbed. An important skill is to put clear images of the setting and characters in your reader’s mind, as well as to create a sense of atmosphere that suits each part of the story.

• Narration - the voice that tells the story, either first person (I/me) or third person (he/him/she/her). This needs to have the effect of interesting your reader in the story with a warm and inviting but authoritative voice.
• Description - describing words such as adjectives close adjective A word which describes a noun or pronoun. , adverbs close adverb An adverb gives more information about the verb, an adjective or another adverb. , similes close simile A literary technique where a comparison is made between two things using ‘as’ or ‘like’. and metaphors close metaphor Makes a direct comparison by presenting one thing as if it were something else with the characteristic. For example describing a brave person as a lion. that add detail. This is told by the narrator. It helps engage readers by creating vivid pictures and feelings in their 'mind’s eye'.
• Dialogue - the direct speech of characters, shown inside quotation marks. We all judge characters by what they talk about and by the way they speak. This makes dialogue a key technique for creating interest and realism.
• Alliteration - repetition of the same beginning sounds in nearby words.This can create a useful emphasis, maybe to highlight a sound or movement, or to intensify feeling or even to bind words together.
• Connotation - a word’s meaning can be literal, as in 'It looked like a cat', or it can create connotations as in 'As soon as the food reached the table, the boy pounced on it like a cat.' A connotation is a meaning created by a special use of a word in a particular way or context. It works by adding some kind of emotion or a feeling to a word’s usual meaning. All literature depends upon using language that creates connotations. They engage the reader because they evoke reactions and feelings.
• Pathetic fallacy - personification is a kind of metaphor and when nature is described in this way, it is called a use of pathetic fallacy. This can help suggest a suitable atmosphere or imply what the mood of the characters is at a certain point, eg in a ghost story, the storm clouds could be said to 'glower down angrily upon the group of youngsters'. A pathetic fallacy can add atmosphere to a scene. It can even give clues to the reader as to what is to come, acting as a kind of foreshadowing close foreshadow Hint at something that will happen later and have greater significance .
• Personification - this is a technique of presenting objects as if they have feelings, eg 'the rain seemed to be dancing merrily on the excited tin roof.' This creates a sense of emotion and mood for the reader.
• Repetition - the action of repeating a word or idea. This can add emphasis or create an interesting pattern of sound or ideas.
• Onomatopoeia - use of words which echo their meaning in sound, for example, 'whoosh' 'bang'. Using this can add emotion or feeling that helps give the reader a vivid sense of the effect being described.
• Simile - a kind of description. A simile compares two things so that the thing described is understood more vividly, eg 'The water was as smooth as glass.' (Hint - 'like' or 'as' are key words to spot as these create the simile). A simile can create a vivid image in the reader’s mind, helping to engage and absorb them.
• Symbolism - we grow up learning lots of symbols and these can be used in stories to convey a lot of meaning as well as feeling in a single idea or word, eg a red rose can symbolise romantic love; a heavy buckled belt can hint at the power held by the character; an apple can even symbolize temptation if it is used in a way that the reader links to the apple that tempted Eve in the biblical Garden of Eden.
• Impact - symbols help writers pack a lot of meaning into just a single word. They work to engage the reader, too, for the reader automatically gets involved in working out the meaning.

Examples of narration

First person narrator.

I held on to the tuft of grass and slowly looked down - I was too shocked to speak. One moment I had been strolling along the cliff with Vicki, the next I was hanging over the edge. And where was Vicki?

The only thing you shouldn't do is swap the narrative point of view during the story - don’t start with 'I' and then switch to 'he', as it is likely to confuse your reader.

Third person narrator

Steve held on to the tuft of grass and slowly looked down - he was too shocked to speak. One moment he had been strolling along the cliff with Vicki, the next he was hanging over the edge. And where was Vicki?

Ending a short story

The ending of a story doesn't necessarily have to be happy but it has to make sense in a way that ties up what has happened.

There are different types of story endings, for example:

• The cliff-hanger - this isn’t an ending as such, it’s a way of tempting the reader to read the next chapter or instalment. Charles Dickens wrote his chapters like this as they were originally published in magazines in serial form. For example, does the spy manage to stop the bomb in time?
• The twist-in-the-tale - the reader will feel fairly sure about the ending, but in the final part everything changes and we are surprised. For example, we learn that it isn’t a bomb after all, it’s a birthday present!
• The enigma ending - the story stops, but the reader is left a little unsure what will come to happen, yet is intrigued by the possibilities - and still feels satisfied. For example, the bomb is defused and everyone is safe, but then an army commander reports the theft of another bomb… only this time twice as powerful.

There are many possibilities; but there are two endings you should try to avoid:

• The trick ending - a bomb will inevitably explode and as it does, the narrator wakes up - it was all a dream. This is too clichéd and unsatisfying for modern readers.
• The disconnected ending - the secret agent suddenly stops worrying about the bomb, retires, and goes off to play golf. Readers don't like this because the ending has nothing to do with the story – very unsatisfying.

Whatever kind of story you write, work out a satisfying ending and include it in your plan.

Writing that is creative and imaginative needs to be entertaining. You need to experiment a little and not be frightened to try something new.

What might you write about if the following tasks came up in an exam? Take a few minutes to think about different ways you could interpret the task, and maybe sketch a quick plan for your best idea.

• The Best Day of My Life
• The Mysterious Door
• Never Again
• Stormy Weather
• How to be a Hero
• Sunday at the Beach
• My Life as an Expert
• Greetings from the Future
• What I REALLY Learned at School

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Life of Elisha

Creative writing with igcse english prompts.

I had ran dry of writing ideas and needed a decent prompt to get me started. But all the ‘prompt generators’ didn’t seem to inspire me. Then I thought about the IGCSE English narrative/descriptive writing prompts and had the idea to utilise them. Then I spotted this golden prompt:

Describe the scene and atmosphere when you visit a theme park, fairground or carnival.

This was the result:

The entrance to the carnival should have been enough to keep any wandering souls away. The pillars that once supported the colourful billboard crumbled down — perhaps during a lightning storm or from old age. Remaining white patches on the fences show that this carnival had once been a place well cared for. The clouds began to mourn the death of vibrant colours. For a while, the gentle raindrops seemed to play a joyful melody on the rusty iron bars, but soon the soothing drumming turned into aggressive thrashes.

The grass, already a dull yellow, now had mud plastered onto them as it drove them into non-existence. They lied limp under the rain, much like the carnival itself. A woeful gust of wind pried its way through the circus tent, opening the flaps to the ethereal hangout for outcasts. Before it could cry out, the wind dispersed and its remnants, intertwined with the droplets, shattered onto the ground.

If there had been any other creature lurking in the tent, they would go unseen; all colour was muted. However, like a wound on a beast’s skin, a jagged gash bore light into the tent. The shy beam of light shined down, forming a spotlight. For a while, the tent seemed to grow lively as the shadows took their places and applauded as the forgotten remnants of the show played out. From a faded memory, a tune started to soak the tent with bliss. Whiffs of heavenly caramel swirled through with smells of fiery passion and euphoria. Melodic laughter and radiant chimes gave flavour to the atmosphere. But just like dust settling on windowsills, the show of the past came to an end. Darkness seeped in, and with it, took away the life of the carnival once again.

All was golden. All was good. But all was for naught.

I enjoyed writing about this prompt — though it turned out to be a little short — and will probably revisit the IGCSE writing prompts.

• Creativity, Unbound

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Creative Writing - IGCSE New Curriculum - Sample Argumentative Essays

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Other

Last updated

9 November 2021

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The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. It differs from expository essay with regards to pre-writing (invention) and research involved. It is an essential part of English Writing for IGCSE (O, AS and A levels students).

This resource includes 2 samples of argumentative writing structure. Both word and pdf versions are there in case you need to edit it. If you downlad this resource, kindly provide feedback.

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Letter writing - Story writing - Persuasive text and argumentative essay sample

Creative writing is taught to all English language students. It is typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary devices This is a bundle resource for different writing genres such as story writing, letter writing, persuasive text and sample argumentative essays.

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