We are on the other side of SEA, and those who did the exam are now on their way to new adventures. May they face their days with courage and joy.
For those who are preparing for upcoming SEA exams, we’re here and ready to focus on our writing.
Let’s get started today with a note about what it takes to get 18-20 in Creative Writing.
- Understanding what the prompt is asking for.
- Identifying all the concepts and issues in the prompt
- Knowing if the prompt targets before, during, or after a situation
- Recognizing what to write about
- Exceeding the expectations for the task.
- Selecting a suitable response to the task
- Understanding what is the minimum requirement
- Knowing how to go beyond the minimum requirement
- Effectively developing setting.
- Deciding how much setting needs to be described
- Describing setting throughout the story, not just in one place
- Ensuring that characters interact with the setting
- Developing characters through dialogue and description.
- Paying attention to personality, attitude, and physical description
- Using dialogue to share information
- Making dialogue realistic but concise
- Expressing ideas in vivid description and figurative language.
- Giving details beyond narrating actions
- Working descriptions into the telling of the story
- Incorporating similes, metaphors, imagery, and other literary devices
- Skillfully developing the plot.
- Being confident about how the story unfolds
- Engaging with conflict that gets worse before it gets better
- Resolving the conflict in a reasonable way
- Demonstrating a strong command of the English language –
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Organization (paragraphing)
- Spelling
Over the course of the next few weeks I will discuss what is needed in each of these categories so that you will have an idea of how to help your child.
