Creative and Persuasive Writing Prompts Set 2
Creative and Persuasive Writing Prompts Set 2 builds on choosing between prompt types by focusing on abstract or open prompts, a single theme word, an unfamiliar saying, or a "What if...?" question, which give no ready-made plot or argument and can waste a writer's first few minutes if not narrowed down quickly. It also covers hybrid prompts that combine formats, such as a persuasive letter written in the voice of a character, which need both genres' skills at once.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- When given an abstract theme word, such as "Freedom" or "Discovery", immediately brainstorm three or four very different, concrete situations the word could apply to, before choosing the one with the clearest story or argument.
- When given a saying as a prompt, restate its meaning in your own plain words first, then think of a specific, personal or invented situation that illustrates or challenges that meaning.
- For a "What if...?" prompt, treat it as a single change to ordinary life and work out its most interesting knock-on consequence, rather than trying to describe every possible effect.
- For a hybrid prompt, for example a letter from a soldier persuading their family not to worry, identify both genres involved and plan features from each, a letter's layout and address alongside a persuasive structure and rhetorical devices.
- Narrow your chosen angle down to one clear, specific idea within the first two minutes of reading the prompt, since a broad, unfocused idea is the main cause of vague, rambling responses to open prompts.
- Once narrowed, briefly note your chosen angle in a few words before planning in full, so the specific idea is not lost or drifted away from while you plan the structure.
Worked example
A pupil is given the single-word prompt "Courage". Decide on a specific angle and explain your reasoning.
- Brainstorm several different situations linked to courage: a soldier in battle, a child speaking up against unfairness, someone facing a fear such as heights, an athlete competing despite an injury.
- Reject the most obvious, generic option, a soldier in battle, since it is likely to be the most common choice and hardest to make original within a short response.
- Consider the child speaking up against unfairness, since it allows a smaller, more personal and detailed story that can be told convincingly in a short piece.
- Narrow the idea further to a single specific moment: a pupil who corrects a teacher's mistake in front of the whole class, risking embarrassment.
- Note the angle in a few words for planning: "quiet courage, correcting a mistake publicly, fear of embarrassment overcome".
- Final answer: choose the specific moment of a pupil correcting a teacher's mistake in front of the class, since it gives a concrete, personal and original take on "courage" that can be planned and written convincingly within the time available.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1A pupil is given the theme word "Discovery". Give one specific, concrete situation, not a general idea, that could form the basis of a story.Show answer
Answer: Any specific, concrete situation, for example a child discovering an old photograph hidden behind a picture frame that reveals a family secret (accept any single, focused idea).
Q2Explain in your own words what the saying "Actions speak louder than words" means.Show answer
Answer: What someone actually does matters more than, or proves more than, what they merely say they will do.
Q3A prompt asks: "What if it never got dark?" Give one specific, interesting consequence a pupil could focus a story around, rather than trying to describe every effect of endless daylight.Show answer
Answer: Any single, specific consequence, for example a town's residents can no longer sleep properly and start making dangerous mistakes from exhaustion (accept any focused idea).
Q4A hybrid prompt asks for a persuasive letter written in the voice of a character. Name two things such a response needs to include, one from letter writing and one from persuasive writing.Show answer
Answer: A letter feature, such as an address, a greeting and sign-off, or a suitable layout, and a persuasive feature, such as a clear one-sided argument, a rhetorical question, or a counter-argument answered.
Q5Why is choosing the most obvious situation for an abstract theme word often a weaker choice than a more specific, personal one?Show answer
Answer: Because the most obvious idea is likely to be the one many other candidates also choose, making it harder to write something original, whereas a specific, personal angle is easier to develop in convincing detail.
Q6True or False: for an open or abstract prompt, it is best to try to cover as many possible interpretations of the theme as you can within one response.Show answer
Answer: False - a single, narrow, well-developed idea is stronger than trying to cover many interpretations briefly, which tends to produce a vague, unfocused response.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A pupil is given the saying "Every cloud has a silver lining" as a writing prompt. Explain what the saying means, suggest one specific, original situation a story could be built around that illustrates it, and explain why a specific situation is a stronger choice than a vague, general one. (5 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
Explain why a hybrid prompt, such as a persuasive diary entry, needs planning time spent on two different things rather than one. (3 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the creative and persuasive writing prompts set 2 worksheet pack - 21 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 26 of 11+ English Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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