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The Train Journey

Story Continuation

Intermediate

20 minutes

CSSE

Independent

The Prompt

“Continue the following story: "The train pulled away from the platform and I pressed my face to the window, watching the station shrink behind me. I was travelling alone for the first time. My ticket said London, but the journey felt like it was heading somewhere much further than that." Write what happens next.”

Planning Hints

4 tips to help you plan your response

Match the tone — reflective, slightly nervous, observational.

Keep the first-person voice consistent.

Something should happen on the train — a conversation, a discovery, a change in plan.

Use the moving scenery outside as a backdrop for internal thoughts.

Starter Sentences

Suggested opening lines to get you started

“The carriage was almost empty.”

“I unfolded my sandwich and stared at it without eating.”

“A woman in the seat opposite smiled at me over the top of her newspaper.”

Key Techniques to Demonstrate

Techniques the examiner will be looking for in your response

Annotated Model Answer

A high-quality example response with techniques highlighted

The carriage was almost empty. A businessman in a grey suit tapped at his laptop without looking up. A woman with silver hair and paint-stained fingers read a paperback, turning pages with the slow certainty of someone who had nowhere to be. The seat opposite me was empty, its table scattered with crumbs from a previous passenger's journey. I unfolded my sandwich and stared at it. Cheese and pickle — Mum's default. She had wrapped it in foil so tightly it looked like a small, shiny brick. The foil crinkled in my hands, and the sound felt enormous in the quiet carriage. Outside, the city had given way to fields. Green and brown squares stitched together like a patchwork quilt, interrupted by clusters of houses and the occasional church spire rising above the hedgerows. The sky was wide and pale, the kind of sky that makes you feel both small and free at the same time. I pulled the envelope from my bag. Gran's handwriting on the front — shaky now, but still unmistakably hers, each letter formed with the deliberate care of someone who had learned to write with an ink pen and never quite forgiven the world for inventing biros. "Open on the train," it said. So I did. Inside was a photograph — black and white, creased at the corners — of a girl about my age standing outside King's Cross station, a suitcase in one hand and a grin so wide it seemed to spill off the edges of the picture. On the back: "My first solo trip. 1962. Terrified. Best day of my life." I smiled. The cheese and pickle suddenly tasted better. The fields scrolled past, the train rocked gently, and somewhere ahead, London was waiting — not as a destination on a ticket, but as a beginning.

Hover or tap the highlighted phrases to see the technique and explanation

Techniques Used in This Answer

Show Dont Tell

Simile (x2)

Personification

Hyperbole

Contrast

Ready to Write?

Practice this prompt under timed conditions, just like the real exam. You have 20 minutes.

Planning Templates

Suitable for story continuation

Story Mountain

The classic 5-part narrative structure. Perfect for story writing prompts where you need a clear beginning, middle, and end.

5 steps|3-5 minutes

4-Paragraph Plan (CSSE Style)

A focused structure for shorter writing tasks (15-20 minutes). Ideal for CSSE where you only write 2 compulsory paragraphs, but this plan gives you 4 strong ones if time allows.

4 steps|2-3 minutes

Marking Focus Areas

organisation

vocabulary

sentence variety

More Story Continuation Prompts

Continue practising with similar prompts

Story Continuation

intermediate

The Door in the Wall

“Continue the following story: "I had walked past the wall a hundred times before. It ran along the edge of the park, covered in ivy and graffiti, unremarkable in every way. But today, something was different. Today, there was a door. A small, arched door, painted green, with a brass handle that gleamed as though it had just been polished." Write what happens next.”

20 min

Story Continuation

foundation

The New Neighbour

“Continue the following story: "The removal van had been parked outside number 14 since early morning. We watched from the upstairs window as furniture was carried in: a desk piled with books, an enormous fish tank (no fish), and what looked like a telescope. 'Interesting,' said Dad, in the voice he uses when he actually means 'weird.'" Write what happens next.”

20 min

Story Continuation

advanced

The Fog

“Continue the following story: "The fog rolled in just after three o'clock. It came from the sea, slow and silent, swallowing the harbour, the high street, and the school playground in a thick, grey blanket. By the time the bell rang at half past three, you couldn't see ten steps ahead." Write what happens next.”

20 min