Narrative Writing

Narrative writing — telling a story — is the most common type of writing task in the SET Stage 2 exam. Whether the prompt gives you a title, an opening line, or a picture, you will almost always have the option to write a story. The examiners at Sutton Grammar, Wilson's, Wallington County Grammar, Nonsuch, and Wallington High are looking for stories that are well-structured, emotionally engaging, and carefully crafted. In this lesson, you will learn how to write a narrative that stands out.

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What Makes a Good Narrative?

A good narrative has five essential ingredients:

Ingredient	What it means	Why it matters
Character	A believable person the reader cares about	Without a character to root for, the story falls flat
Setting	A vivid sense of place and time	Setting creates atmosphere and mood
Conflict	A problem, challenge, or tension	Conflict drives the story forward and keeps the reader interested
Structure	A clear beginning, middle, and end	Structure shows the examiner you are in control
Resolution	A satisfying conclusion	A strong ending leaves a lasting impression

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The Narrative Arc

Every strong narrative follows an arc — a shape that builds and resolves:

Stage	What happens	Example
Exposition	Introduce the character and setting	Mia arrives at her grandmother's empty cottage for the first time since the funeral
Rising action	Tension begins to build	She finds a locked room upstairs and a key hidden inside a book
Climax	The most dramatic or emotional moment	She opens the room and discovers her grandmother's secret art studio, full of paintings of Mia as a baby
Falling action	The aftermath of the climax	She sits among the paintings, crying and laughing, understanding for the first time how much she was loved
Resolution	The story reaches a satisfying close	She locks the room again, puts the key in her pocket, and whispers "Thank you"

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Creating a Believable Character

In a one-hour exam, you do not have time to describe your character in detail. Instead, show who they are through:

• Actions: What they do reveals who they are
• Reactions: How they respond to events shows their personality
• Dialogue: What they say (and how they say it) tells the reader about them
• Thoughts: A brief moment of internal thought can reveal a lot

Weak character introduction (telling):

Tom was a shy, nervous boy who did not have many friends. He was twelve years old and had brown hair.

Strong character introduction (showing):

Tom pressed his back against the wall and watched the other children stream past. Someone bumped his shoulder and he flinched, mumbling "sorry" even though it was not his fault. His lunchbox sat unopened on his lap. He was not hungry. He was just waiting for the bell.

The second version never tells you Tom is shy — but you can feel it in every detail.

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Building Tension

Tension is what keeps the reader turning pages. In the SET Stage 2, you want the examiner to be genuinely interested in what happens next. Here are five techniques:

1. Short sentences at key moments

She reached for the handle. Stopped. Listened.

Short sentences slow the reader down and create a sense of danger or anticipation.

2. Sensory details