How to pass FCE writing …..

Part 3 :STORY
February 26, 2013 - 21:40 | English Connection

(To find FCE Writing Part 1 – General advice /FCE Writing marking system
and Part 2 REPORTS - look in the "exam" section of my blog posts - on the
right in the purple box.)

If you enjoy writing stories, you have a good imagination and lots of
ideas, writing a STORY in part 2 of the FCE writing exam is a good
choice for you.

Your story will be better and will get more marks if you include…

1. Three different tenses. You want to show the examiner that you know
the story telling tenses, which are:- a) Simple Past b) Past Continuous c)
Past Perfect.
Here’s an example: It was raining. (Past continuous) Billy hadn’t eaten for
two days. (Past perfect) He saw some apples. He decided to steal them.
(Simple past).
Of course, in order to use these tenses you absolutely MUST know all your
irregular verbs!

2. Adjectives: It was raining. Billy hadn’t eaten for two days, so he

was wet, hungry and miserable. He saw some delicious, red apples. He
decided to steal them.

3. Adverbs: It was raining hard. Billy hadn’t eaten for two days, so he was
wet, hungry and miserable. He saw some delicious red apples
and quickly decided to steal them.

4. Direct speech: “Hey, you!” shouted the shopkeeper, “I know you, Billy
Brown! I’ll tell your mum!”

5. Rich vocabulary, good grammar, detail and idiomatic

expressions:Examples: Quick as a flash – soaking wet – starving hungry –
to grab – to pass away – an idea popped into his head – to go straight (to
hospital) (home) – to have a little chat

EXAMPLE QUESTION & ANSWER:

Write a STORY in an appropriate style. Your story must start or finish with
the words: Grandpa Jo would be proud of him.

It was raining hard. Billy hadn’t eaten for two days, so he was soaking wet
and very miserable. Passing a greengrocer’s, he noticed some delicious,
red apples . He quickly decided to steal them. He grabbed two and started
to run.
“Hey, you!” shouted the shopkeeper, “I know you, Billy Brown! I’ll tell your
mum!”
Billy ran to the park where he found a dry place to sit and eat. He wasn’t
worried about the shopkeeper telling his mum. He didn’t care about his
mum, his teachers or the police. He only cared about Grandpa Jo, and
Grandpa Jo had passed away last week leaving Billy to face the world
alone.
Billy didn’t know what to do. He was 17 and had no money, no
qualifications, no family – except his mother who he rarely saw. He closed
his eyes and thought about his granddad. Suddenly an idea popped into his
head. He walked back into town and went straight into a small office where
there was a Union Jack in the window. “Can I help you?” asked the man in
uniform at the desk. “Yes”, said Billy, “I want to join the army.”
“I see” replied the officer. “I think you’d better sit down, then. We need to
have a little chat.”
Billy sat down and smiled. He knew that, wherever he was, Grandpa Jo
would be proud of him.

So – to recap – 3 tenses/adverbs/adjectives/direct speech/idiomatic

expressions/rich vocabulary ……and always double check your grammar &
spelling.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE EXAM!