Learning Outcomes
After reading this article, you will be able to plan and structure descriptive and narrative writing effectively for AQA GCSE English Language. You will write engaging openings and endings (AO5), use structural features to organise your ideas clearly, and apply linking devices to link your content (AO6). You will practise writing clear, purposeful paragraphs and select sentence forms and vocabulary for maximum impact under timed exam conditions.
AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Syllabus
For AQA GCSE English Language 8700, you should be able to:
- Structure descriptive and narrative writing with clear openings, endings, and purposeful sequencing (AO5)
- Use a range of structural and linking features to guide the reader through your text (AO5)
- Employ paragraphs, topic sentences, and linking words to organise material logically (AO5)
- Demonstrate technical accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar (AO6)
- Apply a varied range of sentence forms and vocabulary for clarity and effect (AO6)
Test Your Knowledge
Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.
- Name three different ways to open a narrative or descriptive piece that grab the reader’s attention.
- How can you create a strong ending to a story or description?
- What is a topic sentence? Why is it important for coherence?
- List two different linking devices used to link ideas between paragraphs.
Introduction
Strong descriptive and narrative writing is consistently well-structured, with clear beginnings, developed middle sections, and impactful endings. AQA examiners reward writing that takes the reader on a clear journey, using paragraphing and linking devices precisely (AO5). This article explains how to craft openings, develop plot or description logically, and finish with endings that leave an impression. You will learn to use structural features and linking devices to communicate ideas clearly and hold the reader’s interest.
Key Term: structure
The way ideas, events or details are organised and sequenced within a text to guide the reader.Key Term: opening
The introduction to a story or description; sets the scene, tone and often introduces character, setting, or a key idea.Key Term: ending
The conclusion of a story or description; brings events or ideas to a close and often creates a lasting effect on the reader.Key Term: linking
The use of techniques, such as connectives, pronouns, or repetition, to link ideas within and between paragraphs for smooth flow.Key Term: paragraph
A group of sentences organised around a single main idea or topic, signalling a new point or step in the writing.Key Term: topic sentence
The opening sentence of a paragraph, introducing its main idea.Key Term: discourse marker
A word or phrase (e.g. however, next, finally) used to guide the reader and indicate connections between ideas.
Writing Engaging Openings (AO5)
The opening of your narrative or description must attract the examiner’s interest immediately. Choose an approach that suits your theme or task:
- Start with action to drop the reader into a critical or strange situation.
- Use sensory description to create a vivid setting.
- Introduce a mysterious character or dialogue.
- Pose a question to make the reader curious.
Worked Example 1.1
Write the opening sentences for a description of a deserted street at dusk.
Answer:
The street glowed in the last orange shimmer of the day. Shutters clicked in the wind, and the only footsteps were my own. Windows blinked empty; not a single car passed. For a moment, it felt as if the world had been paused just for me.
Exam Warning
Never open with phrases like “My name is…” or “Once upon a time.” Avoid clichés and vague generalities. The opening must be original and focused on the given task or image.
Developing Structure and Maintaining Clarity (AO5)
Organisation is essential. Each paragraph should move the story or description forward. Use clear topic sentences that match the planned structure and point to the paragraph’s main idea.
Maintain a logical progression:
- In narrative: sequence events logically, using time markers (e.g., “Later that evening,” “Suddenly,” “The next morning”).
- In description: zoom in from wider setting to small details, or move from one sense to another (e.g., from sight to sound).
Key Term: chronological order
Presenting events in the order they happen in time for clear progression.
Worked Example 1.2
Transform the plan below into an outline for a story:
- Storm begins as character arrives home.
- Character hears an unusual sound from the attic.
- An unexpected discovery changes the evening.
Answer:
The story begins as the rain batters the windows, and Eliana unlocks the front door. Moments after shedding her coat, she hears something creaking above—the attic floorboards moan beneath unfamiliar weight. When she dares to look, she finds an envelope tucked beneath the dusty rafters, its contents revealing a secret about her family she could never have imagined.
Revision Tip
Plan each main stage of your story or description before you start. List the sequence of events or ideas, leaving a line after each to remind you to start a new paragraph.
Writing Powerful Endings (AO5)
Endings can be surprising, neat, emotional, or open-ended. You must provide closure, even if not every question is resolved.
Techniques for strong endings:
- Resolve the plot/conflict with a twist or realisation.
- Echo or reflect the opening image, sentence, or motif.
- End with a thought-provoking description or question.
- Return to the mood or place where you began, showing change or development.
Worked Example 1.3
Write a two-sentence ending for a description set in a forest at night.
Answer:
The trees stood taller now, their shadows stretched across the silent path. I paused at the forest’s edge, finally breathing freely, sure I would return again.
Exam Warning — Endings
Never finish a story with “And then I woke up, it was all a dream.” Avoid abrupt, lazy conclusions or drifting off-topic. Your ending should feel planned, not rushed.
Linking Features and Linking Ideas (AO5/AO6)
Coherence helps the reader to follow your ideas and see them as connected. Text reads smoothly when sentences and paragraphs are linked sensibly.
You can achieve coherence through:
- Discourse markers (e.g. “Meanwhile,” “Eventually,” “However”)
- Repetition of key words, motifs, or imagery
- Pronouns to refer back to earlier ideas (e.g. “this,” “they,” “she”)
- Consistent tense, point of view, and style
- Returning to key images or phrases from the opening
Key Term: motif
An image, symbol, idea, or phrase repeated within a text for emphasis or structure.
Worked Example 1.4
Explain how you would link the opening and ending of a description for AQA Paper 1, Question 5, to create coherence.
Answer:
If the description opens with the image “A single yellow lamp flickered at the crossroads,” you might end with “As I left the square, the same yellow lamp still flickered—a small promise that some things endure, even as night fell.” This returns to the original image and creates a sense of continuity between the opening and ending.
Revision Tip — Linking
Use a checklist as you proofread: Each new idea in a paragraph? Topic sentences present? Linking words between paragraphs? Is tense consistent? Motifs or key images repeated?
Exam Warning — Linking
Neglecting paragraphing and linking devices will lower your AO5 mark. Examiners look for evidence that ideas flow logically and are easy to follow. Disorganised writing cannot be awarded top marks.
Summary
To succeed in AQA English Language descriptive and narrative writing, always plan a clear structure: a compelling opening, logical progression (with effective paragraphing), and a satisfying ending. Organise ideas using clear topic sentences and link them with linking devices. Adjust your structure to suit your purpose and audience, always checking for technical accuracy.
Key Point Checklist
This article has covered the following key knowledge points:
- Open stories or descriptions in an original, engaging way linked to the task or image.
- Plan and sequence events or ideas logically, moving through paragraphs clearly (AO5).
- Craft endings that resolve, echo openings, or leave a deliberate impact.
- Use topic sentences, discourse markers and repetition to achieve coherence between paragraphs.
- Apply appropriate paragraph structure and check technical accuracy (AO6).
Key Terms and Concepts
- structure
- opening
- ending
- linking
- paragraph
- topic sentence
- discourse marker
- chronological order
- motif