FCE Writing : Story

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.
Heres an example: It was raining. (Past continuous) Billy hadnt 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 hadnt 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 hadnt eaten for two days, so he was wet, hungry
and miserable. He saw some delicious red apples and quicklydecided to steal them.
4. Direct speech: Hey, you! shouted the shopkeeper, I know you, Billy Brown! Ill 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 hadnt eaten for two days, so he was soaking wet and very
miserable. Passing a greengrocers, 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! Ill tell your mum!
Billy ran to the park where he found a dry place to sit and eat. He wasnt worried about
the shopkeeper telling his mum. He didnt 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 didnt 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 youd 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.