Topics · Primary English · Continuous Writing
Continuous writing: composition
A composition is marked on content, language and organisation together. The pictures and the topic are given — and the commonest way to lose marks is writing well about something the question did not ask for.
- 159 exam papers analysed
- appears in 48% of P6 English papers
- ~3 min read
01 Answer the question you were given
Singapore compositions give a topic and usually three pictures. You may use one, two, all three, or your own idea — but whatever you write must fit the topic.
A beautifully written story that does not match the topic scores badly on content, and content is the largest part of the mark.
Underline the topic words before you start, and check your ending still fits them.
02 A shape that works
Four paragraphs, each with a job. This is not the only structure, but it is one that never goes wrong.
| Paragraph | Job |
|---|---|
| Beginning | set the scene — who, where, when |
| Build-up | what was happening before the problem |
| Problem | the main event, described in detail |
| Ending | how it was resolved, and how you felt |
03 Show, do not tell
I was scared tells. My hands shook and I could not swallow shows — and shows is what earns language marks.
Use the five senses. What could be heard, smelt, felt? A scene with sound and smell in it reads as real.
Vary sentence length. A short one lands hard after two long ones. Every sentence the same length is what makes writing flat.
Use dialogue sparingly, and punctuate it properly. Two or three lines of speech lift a composition; a page of it is a script.
Choose stronger verbs rather than adding adverbs. Sprinted beats ran quickly.
04 Time, and what to do with it
The plan matters more than the extra sentences it costs.
- 5 minutes planning. Topic underlined, idea chosen, four paragraphs sketched in a few words each.
- Most of the time writing, keeping to the plan.
- 5 minutes checking. Tense consistent, full stops and capitals, paragraphs actually separated, spelling of words you know you get wrong.
- Do not start again halfway. A finished flawed composition scores far better than a brilliant unfinished one.
- Keep one tense. Drifting between past and present is the most common language error, and it is easy to catch in the last five minutes.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. Capitals mark the syllable you lean on. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- compositionsaykom-puh-ZISH-uhnmore than onecompositions
A piece of continuous writing, usually a story.
- paragraphsayPA-ruh-grafmore than oneparagraphs
A block of writing about one part of the story. Start a new one when the time, place or focus changes.
- dialoguesayDY-uh-log
Words characters speak, in quotation marks.
- climaxsayKLY-maks
The most exciting part, usually the problem paragraph.
- descriptivesaydi-SKRIP-tiv
Writing that shows what something looked, sounded or felt like.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P3
Simple stories with a beginning, middle and end.
Practise P3 Continuous Writing — 10 questions →18% of P3 papers
- P4
Paragraphing, and describing what happened in order.
Practise P4 Continuous Writing — 10 questions →23% of P4 papers
- P5
Showing rather than telling, and stronger vocabulary.
Practise P5 Continuous Writing — 10 questions →23% of P5 papers
- P6
Full compositions marked on content, language and organisation, planned and finished in the time given.
Practise P6 Continuous Writing — 10 questions →48% of P6 papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“I wrote a great story but it was not really about the topic.”
Content is the largest part of the mark, and content means the given topic. Check your ending still fits it.
“I did not plan because I wanted more writing time.”
Unplanned compositions wander and often have no ending. Five minutes of planning buys more than it costs.
“I wrote I was very very scared.”
Show it instead: hands shaking, a dry mouth. Repeating very adds nothing.
“I started in the past and finished in the present.”
Keep one tense throughout. This is the most common language error and the easiest to fix while checking.
“I ran out of time so it stops in the middle.”
An unfinished composition loses organisation marks. Better to shorten the ending than to leave none.
Now try it
40 questions across 4 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.