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The Photograph

Story Writing

Advanced

30 minutes

Independent

FSCE

The Prompt

“Write a story inspired by finding an old photograph.”

Planning Hints

4 tips to help you plan your response

Who or what is in the photograph? Where does the character find it?

The photograph should trigger a memory, a mystery, or a journey.

Use the photograph as a way to move between past and present.

End with the character understanding something new about themselves or their family.

Starter Sentences

Suggested opening lines to get you started

“It fell from between the pages of a library book — a photograph no one had claimed.”

“The faces in the photograph were smiling, but their eyes told a different story.”

“I found it in the pocket of a coat at a charity shop: a photograph of a girl who looked exactly like me.”

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

I found it in the pocket of a coat at a charity shop: a photograph of a girl who looked exactly like me. Not similar. Not vaguely resembling. Exactly. The same dark eyes, the same gap between the front teeth, the same way the left eyebrow arched slightly higher than the right. She was standing in front of a school I didn't recognise, wearing a uniform I had never seen, holding a netball trophy. On the back, in pencil so faint I had to hold it to the light: "Amira. Sports Day. 1985." Amira. My mother's name. I bought the coat. I didn't even try it on. The photograph sat in my school bag all afternoon, its edges pressing against my notebook like a heartbeat. That evening, I placed it on the kitchen table without a word. Mum was chopping onions. She wiped her hands on a tea towel, picked up the photograph, and went very still. "Where did you find this?" Her voice was quiet. Not angry-quiet. The other kind — the kind that means something important is about to be said. She sat down. I sat down. And for the first time, she told me about the life she had lived before I was born — a different city, a different school, a girl who loved sport and hated maths and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Her eyes were bright, and not from the onions. I looked at the photograph again. The girl grinning back at me was my mother, but she was also someone else entirely — someone I had never met, someone I was only just beginning to know. I pinned the photograph to my bedroom wall, next to my own. Two Amiras, forty years apart, with the same eyes and the same crooked smile. Some things, it turns out, run deeper than names.

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

Techniques Used in This Answer

Short Sentences

Simile

Show Dont Tell (x2)

Voice

Reflection (x2)

Ready to Write?

Practice this prompt under timed conditions, just like the real exam. You have 30 minutes.

Planning Templates

Suitable for story writing

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