Writing for impact - imaginative writing techniques

What is the purpose if the following piece of writing? We are a father and two sons living in a household without women. We are like an experiment in a satellite, free of normal earthly influences (like guilt, and bleach and sock drawers). We've lived for years now in a whole new all-male institution. Given its inadequacies as a child-rearing unit, I like it. It's so different from a household run by a woman. It's home alone except there are three of us. Here are a few characteristic gender moments.

Which of the following are the typical features of writing to imagine? Tick all that apply.

Complete this piece of writing to describe by choosing the most powerfully descriptive words and phrases from the drop-down menu. It is the opening of a story about one soldier's experience on the battlefields during the First World War. The [blank_start]muddy field[blank_end] was [blank_start]empty[blank_end] and the [blank_start]cold[blank_end] wind was [blank_start]blowing on my[blank_end] face. I was [blank_start]alone[blank_end] and [blank_start]felt tired[blank_end]. I hadn't slept [blank_start]for a long time[blank_end]. My legs ached and my [blank_start]worn-out[blank_end] boots were [blank_start]heavy because of the mud.[blank_end] I could still hear the [blank_start]deafening sounds of fighting[blank_end]. Smoke [blank_start]rose slowly[blank_end] from the [blank_start]places where the bombs had fallen[blank_end]. I saw the [blank_start]broken remains[blank_end] of tanks that had been [blank_start]hit[blank_end] by shells. All around [blank_start]lay dead people in their uniforms.[blank_end] The frozen faces [blank_start]looked at[blank_end] me as I [blank_start]walked[blank_end]. I searched for my friend among the dead. I continued [blank_start]looking for hours[blank_end]. It [blank_start]got dark and cold[blank_end]. I had to go because [blank_start]it would have been dangerous to stay.[blank_end]

Writing to describe just means writing a fictional story.

Which of the following is NOT a form of writing to imagine?

Complete the sentences by dragging and dropping the correct causal connectives in the spaces. 1) Water expands as it freezes, [blank_start]so[blank_end] ice takes more space than water. 2) Sales are down [blank_start]because of[blank_end] high prices. 3) As a [blank_start]result of[blank_end] overnight rain, the pitch is not fit to use and [blank_start]therefore[blank_end] the match has been cancelled.

The two tasks in section B are optional. You can prepare your response to the imaginative writing task ahead of the exam and just reproduce it in the exam room; you will get just as much credit for this as a response which addresses the focus of one of the set tasks.

Which of the following techniques could you use when writing to describe? Choose all that apply

In any piece of writing, whatever the purpose, it is important to be able to use punctuation for effect. See if you can remember how to use the 7 most common punctuation marks by choosing from the drop-down menus to complete the explanations. 1) A full stop (.) is used to [blank_start]indicate that you have finished a point[blank_end] and are about to make a new one. 2) Commas (,) can indicate [blank_start]a pause[blank_end], [blank_start]separate clauses,[blank_end] allow the use of more than one [blank_start]adjective or adverb[blank_end], [blank_start]separate items on a list[blank_end] 3) Exclamations marks (!) should be used sparingly at the [blank_start]end of sentences[blank_end] to convey [blank_start]emotions such as surprise, anger, fear[blank_end] etc. . 4) Questions marks (?) are used to [blank_start]turn sentences into questions[blank_end] which can be [blank_start]direct or rhetorical.[blank_end] 5) A colon (:) is used to make a [blank_start]very definite pause[blank_end] and is most often used [blank_start]just before a list.[blank_end] 6) A semi colon (;) is used instead of [blank_start]a full stop[blank_end] so that two sentences which [blank_start]are linked by theme[blank_end] can be joined. 7) The apostrophe (') has [blank_start]two[blank_end] main uses. It can be used to [blank_start]indicate possession[blank_end] or to show [blank_start]when a letter is missing.[blank_end]