Paper 1 Q5 — Imaginative Writing (Single-Title Stimulus)

Question: Write a story with the title 'The Visitor'. (24 marks AO5 + 16 marks AO6 = 40 marks)

Mark Scheme — Level 5 AO5:

• Conceptualised interpretation of title (literal, metaphorical, ironic) — a 9 chooses metaphorical or ironic.
• Sustained crafting: focalised viewpoint; manipulation of time (analepsis/prolepsis); cyclical structure; symbolic motif tied to title.
• Indicative content: limit characters to two or three; one location; one moment in time stretched; sensory detail privileged over plot.

Mark Scheme — Level 4 AO6:

• Tense control (past or present, sustained); free indirect discourse; semicolons for shifting consciousness; minor sentences for impact ('Silence.'); dialogue punctuated correctly with new line per speaker.

Trap: writing a generic ghost story. Aim for the unexpected visitor — grief, memory, future self, the past.