How to write a story

How to write a story in 2023

Summary

Mandatory task: no Word count: around 100 words Main characteristics: interesting/engaging language, clear structure, specific language Structure: beginning, main part, ending Language: interesting adjectives & adverbs, past verb forms, direct speech, time expressions

Part 1 of the the Writing exam in B1 Preliminary is always an email. You can’t choose this task, but in the second part of the test you can decide if you want to write an article or a story.

In every story task you get one sentence which has to be the first sentence of your story and the text has to be related to this. Your language should be neutral to informal.

As I came out of the supermarket, I saw someone I had wanted to see for a long time.

This is the situation you have to start your story from and everything you write has to be related to this beginning.

You can pretty much write about anything you like. The only restriction, again, is the first sentence and the situation that comes with it. You can make your story funny, sad, full of action or fantasy and include whatever you can imagine, but connect it to the first sentence.

A good story usually has a beginning, a main part and an ending.

The main part is the most important one so you want make it longer than the other parts.

Most of the time, we get to a structure that looks like this:First sentence / BeginningMain part paragraph 1Main part paragraph 2Ending

Boost your creativity!

+info

You always have to start with a sentence that you get directly from the task. Don’t change this sentence in any way, but simply copy it onto you answer sheet and begin your story from there. You can add one more sentence to complete the beginning of your story. For our example task this could look like this:

As I came out of the supermarket, I saw someone I had wanted to see for a long time. It was my childhood friend, Emily, whom I hadn't seen since we graduated. + who+ childhood friend+ the Past Perfect Tense

• Emily was talking on the phone and didn't notice me.
• I came to her and said, '' Emily, is it you? I can't believe my eyes!''

• Give some background information (past continuous) to introduce the main character(s). Add some adjectives and adverbs as well as direct speech because this makes the reader feel more interested in your story and they want to keep reading.

Useful TIPS

We were both happy to meet again. We had coffee, remembering the fun times we had as kids. Emily moved back to our hometown, and we decided to restart our friendship.

Walking along the familiar streets, it felt like we had never stopped being friends. The reunion was a lovely surprise, bringing back good memories.

But there was more: Emily had an unexpected gift; she gave me a letter I wrote to myself in high school, something I thought was lost. It was an incredible and touching discovery, a special gift from the past.

Thank you

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Got an idea?

Use this space to add awesome interactivity. Include text, images, videos, tables, PDFs... even interactive questions!Premium tip: Get information on how your audience interacts with your creation:

• Visit the Analytics settings;
• Activate user tracking;
• Let the communication flow!