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11+ Creative Writing Prompts
Many independent schools, and some grammar tests, ask for a piece of writing. Here are twelve prompts in the styles they use, and what a strong answer usually shows.
Brightprep does not mark writing. These prompts are for practice at home, read through together with you, a teacher or a tutor.
Schools that set a writing task
- Kent Test (in part)
- St Olave's Grammar School
- City of London School for Girls
- St Paul's Girls' School
- Eltham College
- Colfe's School
- Bromley High School
- City of London School
- St Paul's School
- James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS)
- Dulwich College
- Alleyn's School
- Trinity School, Croydon
Each school guide says how its writing task works and how long children have.
How to use them
- One prompt a week is plenty. Short and regular beats long and rare.
- Five minutes to plan, then about 25 minutes to write, then five minutes to check.
- Afterwards, read it aloud together. Pick one thing that worked and one thing to try next time.
- Keep the pieces in a folder, so your child can see how far they have come.
Stories
The most common task. Schools want a clear story with a beginning, a problem and an ending, not a long one.
- The door at the end of the corridor had always been locked. This morning it was open. Write the story.
- Write a story that ends with: 'And that was the last time anyone saw the map.'
- A storm cuts the village off for three days. Tell the story of what happens.
- Write a story about a character who finds something that does not belong to them.
What a strong answer usually shows
- Starts in the middle of something happening, not with waking up.
- One main character the reader cares about, and a problem they must solve.
- Dialogue used for a reason, set out correctly.
- An ending that links back to the start.
Descriptions
Paint a picture of a place or moment. Little needs to happen; the senses do the work.
- Describe a busy market through the eyes of someone visiting for the first time.
- Describe a place at dawn, before anyone else is awake.
- Describe an old object in your home and the memories it holds.
- Describe the moment just before a race, a match or a performance.
What a strong answer usually shows
- Uses more than sight: sounds, smells, textures, temperature.
- Precise nouns and verbs rather than piles of adjectives.
- A clear order, such as moving from far to near or from quiet to loud.
- Varied sentence lengths, with a short sentence for effect.
Persuasive and discursive writing
Give a view and back it up. Some schools ask for one side, others for both sides and a conclusion.
- Should children be allowed to choose their own bedtime? Give your view.
- Write a letter to your head teacher persuading them to start a school garden.
- Is it better to grow up in a city or in the countryside? Discuss both sides.
- Write a speech to your class about one change that would make your town better.
What a strong answer usually shows
- States the view in the first paragraph.
- Two or three reasons, each in its own paragraph with an example.
- Answers the other side fairly before rejecting it.
- Ends by returning to the view, with a final thought for the reader.