Cambridge IGCSE · 0500

First Language English

Narrative and descriptive writing — Paper 2

Name: ____________________Date: October 4, 2026

1.
Write the opening paragraph of a descriptive composition about a busy market at the end of the day, after most stalls have closed.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses specific sensory detail (sight, sound or smell) rather than generic description.
- Creates a clear, consistent atmosphere appropriate to a market winding down.
- Uses varied sentence structure for deliberate pacing or effect.
Examiner tip: Choose one or two senses to focus on in detail rather than trying to describe everything at once.
2.
Write a short paragraph introducing a character through their actions and speech, without directly stating their personality traits.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Reveals a personality trait indirectly through a specific action.
- Reveals character further through dialogue or manner of speech, consistent with the action shown.
- Avoids simply stating the trait directly (e.g. ‘she was kind’).
Examiner tip: ‘Show, don't tell’ means revealing character through what a person does and says, not through a direct label.
3.
Write an opening sentence for a narrative that immediately creates a strong hook, making the reader want to continue.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Creates genuine intrigue, tension or an unanswered question in a single sentence.
- Avoids a flat, purely factual opening that gives away too much too soon.
Examiner tip: A strong hook typically withholds information, raising a question the rest of the story will answer.
4.
Write a short passage building tension as a character waits alone for important news, without revealing what the news will be.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses the character's physical reactions or small actions to convey anxiety.
- Uses pacing, such as short sentences or repeated small details, to build a sense of mounting tension.
- Withholds the content of the news itself, maintaining suspense.
Examiner tip: Tension is built through what a character does while waiting, not through the narrator explaining that they feel tense.
5.
Write a short, satisfying ending to a narrative in which a character finally succeeds after several earlier failed attempts, without explicitly stating the moral of the story.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Shows the character's success through a concrete action or image rather than simply stating it.
- Connects this ending back to the earlier struggle, giving a sense of resolution.
- Avoids stating a direct moral or lesson, trusting the reader to infer it.
Examiner tip: A satisfying ending echoes an earlier detail or struggle, showing change rather than announcing it.
6.
Write a short descriptive paragraph about a thunderstorm, using at least two different senses (for example sight and sound) to create atmosphere.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Includes a specific visual detail appropriate to a thunderstorm.
- Includes a specific detail from a second sense, such as sound, smell or touch.
- Combines these details to build one consistent atmosphere rather than a disconnected list.
Examiner tip: Combining two senses in the same image (for example, a sound that also implies a feeling) is more effective than listing senses separately.
7.
Write a short passage in which a recurring image or object (such as a clock, a photograph, or a key) is used to suggest a controlling idea about memory or time.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Introduces a concrete, specific object or image rather than an abstract statement.
- Uses the object's recurrence or description to suggest a theme (such as memory or the passage of time) indirectly.
Examiner tip: A controlling image works through suggestion and repetition, not through the writer stating the theme outright.
8.
Rewrite the following flat description using varied sentence structure for effect: ‘The room was dark. It was cold. Nobody was there. It was silent.’
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Combines some of the short, repetitive sentences into longer, more fluent ones.
- Retains at least one short sentence deliberately, for emphasis or pacing, rather than lengthening everything equally.
- Preserves the cold, empty, silent atmosphere of the original.
Examiner tip: Varying sentence length is most effective when it is deliberate — a short sentence after longer ones can land with real impact.
9.
Write a short descriptive passage about a forest at night, using sound as well as sight to build an unsettling atmosphere.
[3 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses specific visual detail appropriate to darkness, such as shifting shadows or faint moonlight.
- Uses specific sound detail, such as unexplained rustling or a sudden snapping twig, to build unease.
- Maintains a consistently unsettling atmosphere throughout the passage.
Examiner tip: Unexplained sounds are often more unsettling than things that are clearly seen, since they leave their source to the reader's imagination.
10.
Write a short dialogue exchange between two characters that reveals a growing conflict between them, without the narrator directly stating that they are arguing.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses the characters' word choices and tone, shown through dialogue, to reveal rising tension.
- Avoids the narrator directly stating that a conflict or argument is happening.
Examiner tip: Let short, clipped responses, interruptions or a change in how characters address each other imply conflict instead of stating it directly.
11.
Write a short passage that smoothly transitions from a character's present moment into a flashback of a relevant memory, then back to the present.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses a clear trigger (such as an object, smell or sound) to signal the transition into the flashback.
- Signals the return to the present moment clearly, avoiding confusion about which timeframe the reader is in.
Examiner tip: A sensory trigger (a smell, a sound, an object) is a natural and common way to move a reader smoothly into a character's memory.
12.
Write a short narrative ending that includes a genuine, believable twist, without it feeling random or unconnected to the rest of the story.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Introduces a twist that recontextualises something established earlier, rather than introducing a completely new, unconnected idea.
- Maintains a consistent tone and voice through the twist, so the ending feels earned rather than arbitrary.
Examiner tip: The strongest twists reveal a new way of understanding details the reader already saw, rather than relying on completely new, unforeshadowed information.
13.
Write a short passage using first-person internal monologue to show a character silently talking themselves out of a decision they actually want to make.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Establishes a clear internal, first-person voice distinct from external narration or dialogue.
- Shows a genuine internal tension between what the character wants and the reasons they give themselves not to pursue it.
Examiner tip: Internal monologue works best when it shows real back-and-forth conflict within a character's own thoughts, not a simple, settled statement.
14.
Write a short descriptive passage about a garden, using pathetic fallacy (where the weather or setting reflects a character's emotional state) to suggest the character feels hopeful.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses weather or natural imagery (such as sunlight breaking through clouds, or new growth) to reflect the character's emotional state.
- Conveys hope specifically, rather than a different or opposite emotion.
Examiner tip: Pathetic fallacy works by matching the external setting's mood to a character's internal feeling, without stating that feeling directly.
15.
Write a short descriptive passage capturing the chaotic energy of a crowded marketplace.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses multiple quick, varied sensory details to convey the sense of a busy, overwhelming scene.
- Uses sentence structure (such as short, rapid clauses or lists) to mirror the chaotic pace of the scene itself.
Examiner tip: Let sentence rhythm imitate the scene: short, rapid clauses can mirror chaos, just as long, flowing sentences can mirror calm.
16.
Write the opening of a story narrated by a character whose account the reader should gradually come to doubt, without the narrator ever admitting they might be wrong.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Establishes a confident, seemingly reasonable narrative voice at first.
- Includes a subtle detail or inconsistency that a careful reader might question, without the narrator acknowledging it.
Examiner tip: An unreliable narrator should sound fully convinced of their own account — the doubt should come entirely from details the reader notices, not from the narrator's own admission.
17.
Write a short narrative in which the final line deliberately echoes the opening line, giving the piece a sense of closure. State both lines clearly.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Writes an opening line that could plausibly be echoed later.
- Writes a closing line that clearly echoes the opening line's wording or imagery, but in a way that reflects how the situation has changed.
Examiner tip: An echoed ending works best when the repeated words now carry a different meaning because of what happened in between.
18.
Write a short descriptive passage capturing complete stillness and silence in an abandoned building, without simply stating ‘it was silent’.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Conveys silence indirectly, such as through the sound of the character's own footsteps or breathing becoming suddenly noticeable.
- Avoids directly stating that the building was silent or still.
Examiner tip: Silence is often best conveyed by describing a small sound becoming suddenly, noticeably loud by contrast, rather than simply naming the silence itself.
19.
Write a short passage showing a character's internal conflict between loyalty to a friend and telling the truth, without the narrator stating the conflict directly.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Shows hesitation or a physical reaction (such as a pause before speaking) that implies internal conflict.
- Conveys both competing pressures (loyalty and honesty) through the character's thoughts or actions, without the narrator naming the dilemma explicitly.
Examiner tip: Show internal conflict through hesitation, contradictory small actions, or unfinished thoughts, rather than the narrator simply explaining the dilemma.
20.
Write a short passage in which a recurring image of a closing door is used as a controlling metaphor for a character's sense of missed opportunity.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Introduces the image of a closing door in a concrete, specific moment in the narrative.
- Uses this image to suggest the theme of missed opportunity indirectly, rather than stating the theme outright.
Examiner tip: A controlling metaphor works through a concrete, recurring image standing in for an abstract idea, rather than the idea being stated directly.
21.
Write a short passage building suspense using sound alone, as a character listens to footsteps approaching from somewhere unseen.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses specific, escalating sound detail (such as footsteps becoming gradually louder or closer) to build tension.
- Withholds the source of the sound, maintaining suspense rather than revealing it immediately.
Examiner tip: Suspense through sound works by giving the reader incomplete information — just enough detail to imagine danger, not enough to know for certain.
22.
Write a short descriptive passage about an autumn forest, using colour imagery as the main descriptive technique.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses specific, varied colour imagery appropriate to an autumn setting, rather than a single generic colour word.
- Uses this colour imagery to create a clear, consistent overall mood or impression of the scene.
Examiner tip: Specific, unexpected colour words (amber, rust, copper) are usually more effective than generic ones (red, brown, yellow).
23.
Write a short passage that smoothly transitions a narrative forward in time by several years within a single paragraph.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Uses a clear time marker or transitional phrase to signal the jump forward in time.
- Avoids confusing the reader about how much time has passed or what has changed.
Examiner tip: A clear time-jump transition (such as ‘Three years later’) prevents the reader from feeling lost when the story suddenly moves forward.
24.
Write a short narrative ending that resolves ambiguously, leaving the reader genuinely uncertain about what happens next, without the ending feeling unfinished or unsatisfying.
[2 marks] · no calculator
Marking points
- Resolves the immediate emotional or narrative tension of the scene, even though the longer-term outcome remains unclear.
- Leaves the specific future outcome genuinely open, rather than strongly implying one clear answer.
Examiner tip: An open ending still needs to feel complete in the moment — resolve the scene's immediate emotional beat even while leaving the larger question unanswered.