11+ Creative Writing

Many of the writing tasks in the 11+ exam have no equivalent in any other test. Students may be asked to retell a scene from a well-known novel through the eyes of a minor character, or to draft a personal account of their own life. This guide from Accolade Press takes candidates through these challenges one by one. Each chapter pairs practical advice with model answers, and every model is followed by close commentary explaining why it works.

The book covers a wide range of task types. These include stories built from spoken prompts and from pictures, continuations and adaptations of passages from existing fiction, and descriptions based on words or images. It also addresses reflective pieces drawn from personal experience and persuasive, argumentative writing.

The guide was written by Hugh Foley, a poet who has taught at Oxford University, Queen Mary University of London and the University of Liverpool. Where many books on creative writing concentrate on technique alone, his aim is to show students how to combine those techniques into a finished piece.