Stage 2: Extended Writing 2

This is your second Stage 2 Extended Writing practice. Remember, the examiners are looking for quality of ideas, organisation, vocabulary, sentence variety, and accuracy. Plan before you write.

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Instructions

• Time allowed: 1 hour
• Choose ONE of the following tasks
• Spend 10 minutes planning
• Write in clear paragraphs
• Aim for at least two sides of A4
• Model answer at the end — do not read until you have finished!

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Task Options

Option A: Descriptive Writing

Describe a busy market.

Your writing should:

• Appeal to at least three senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)
• Use a range of descriptive techniques (similes, metaphors, personification)
• Create a vivid sense of place
• Include varied sentence lengths for effect
• Move through the scene in a logical order

Option B: Discursive Writing

"Children spend too much time on screens."

Write a balanced discussion of this statement. You should:

• Introduce the topic and explain why it matters
• Present arguments FOR the statement (at least two)
• Present arguments AGAINST the statement (at least two)
• Use linking words to connect ideas (however, on the other hand, furthermore)
• Give your own conclusion and opinion at the end

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Planning Template

Paragraph 1: Introduction — set the scene or introduce the debate

Paragraph 2: First main idea — develop with detail and evidence

Paragraph 3: Second main idea — contrast or build

Paragraph 4: Third main idea — add depth or a different perspective

Paragraph 5: Conclusion — final impression or balanced verdict

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Assessment Criteria

Criteria	What it means
Content	Interesting ideas, well-developed points
Organisation	Paragraphs, logical flow, clear structure
Vocabulary	Varied, precise, ambitious word choices
Sentences	A mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences
Accuracy	Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar

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Model Answer: Option A (Descriptive)

The Market

The market woke before the town did. By six o'clock, the stallholders had already laid out their wares on trestle tables draped with bright cloth — reds and yellows and greens that turned the grey square into a patchwork of colour.