English Second Language·Writing skills · NSSCO 5.7
The narrative essay
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A narrative essay is simply a story — and in Paper 1, Task 6 you write one of about 200 to 250 words for 20 marks. In this lesson we learn the shape of a good story (the story mountain), fill it with characters, a setting and a real problem, then use the writer's tricks — a strong hook, past-tense narration, time connectives, showing instead of telling, and correctly punctuated speech. We finish by planning a focused story from a title and staying inside the word limit.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO English Second Language 5.7):
- Explain what a narrative essay is and identify first-person and third-person narration
- Describe the five stages of a story's structure: orientation, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution
- Use the key elements of a narrative — character, setting, conflict, a strong opening hook and a satisfying ending
- Apply narrative techniques: past-tense narration, time connectives, descriptive and figurative language, and showing rather than telling
- Punctuate direct speech (dialogue) correctly
- Plan a focused narrative from a title, telling one main event within the 200–250 word limit
- Recognise and avoid common pitfalls such as too many events, weak endings and muddled time order
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Miss Veronica and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.