P6 Composition An Adventure : Ways to create an interesting plot

With the changes in the Paper 1 scoring system, the Composition writing component is now a total of 36 marks instead of 40. Is it easier to score? Not necessarily so.

Composition writing is one of those components with many variables, such as how strictly or leniently a teacher marks the scripts or how well a student develops a rather complicated composition theme (‘A shortcut’, for example). A student who has an excellent plot and a good selection of WOW words may have poor punctuation and spelling, which causes them to lose marks in both Content and Language.

As we head into the third term, our P6 students will start to focus more on how to handle different themes and how we can twist certain plots to fit the themes that they may get for their Preliminary exam and PSLE.

Below is a composition about the simple theme of An Adventure. The model comes from one of our past P6 students. The three things to take note of for the composition are :

Creating Suspense

Compositions such as ‘an adventure’ or ‘a dangerous situation’ require students to create suspense.

Use of WOW words

The student had used two creative similes and an idiom in her story

No Gaps in her Plot

The student had made sure that she had no gaps in her story. She explained why she had ventured into the forest alone, why there was a hunter nearby who rescued her, and how she lost track of time.

P6 Composition on the theme of An Adventure

I gazed up at the clear, starry Australian night sky. The moment everyone in my family was asleep, I grabbed my Canon camera, slung it around my neck , laced up my boots tightly, grabbed my walking pole, and heaved into the forest for an adventure. My parents had forbidden me to wander off into the forest on my own, and certainly never at night. Spurred on by my desire to show my friends that I was fearless, I had allowed my parents’ warning to dissipate like a cloud in the night sky.

            I wandered through the forest, snapping pictures of fireflies and other unusual plants and nocturnal animals. I wanted to show these aesthetic photos to my friends and keep them as a memory. The beauty of the forest at night awed me, and I lost track of time. When I was done with my photography, I turned around to head back to camp. I was tired and wanted to end my little adventure. However, looking around, I realised that I could not see our campfire anymore. Little did I know that my real adventure was just about to begin.

            I fumbled in my pocket for my compass. However, all I felt was nothing. I started to panic, realising that without my compass, I could not get back. The more thoughts that swirled in my mind, the more scared I got. I started to recall all the horror stories of people hiking alone, devoured by hungry animals. I could feel my heart beating like a runaway train against my chest. Calming myself down, I clenched the pole tightly and walked in the direction I thought was camp.

            I stopped and listened. The sound of the crickets chirping seemed louder than ever. I felt like every animal in the forest could pick up on my fear. Every time I heard a rustle, I would jump out of my skin. How long had it been since I walked into the forest? Half an hour? Or hours? Just then, I heard more rustling behind me. I looked around. Nothing. I shook my head and thought that I had been in the forest for way too long and that I was just imagining things.

“Hisss…”

I froze.

What was that? I looked around and tried to convince myself that it was a figment of my imagination. However, my eyes told me otherwise. A snake slithered from under a bush and sank its sharp fangs into my boots. Luckily, I had worn hard leather hiking boots that prevented its fangs from piercing my skin. Instinctively, I held my pole up and brought it down on the creature’s head. The moment the huge snake fell limp, I dropped the pole and dashed, determined to survive.

            My pounding footsteps did not seem as loud as my pounding heartbeat sounded in my head. Finally, I came to a stop to catch my breath. I had survived this adventure, I thought as I slumped against a tree, exhausted. I believed that the adventure was over, but nature did not believe likewise.

            Then, I heard footsteps in the distance. Thinking that someone was here to save me, I yelled to get their attention. However, the moment I saw its white tusks, I bolted.

It was a wild boar.

I scrambled over outstretched tree roots and ducked under overhanging tree branches, trying to lose the wild boar. Just then, I remembered a piece of advice.

“Climb up a tree if you encounter a wild boar.”

I dashed to the nearest tree and started to climb it. I turned and realised that the wild boar was almost upon me and that I would not make it out alive.

“Bang!”

A gunshot reverberated around me. I turned to see the wild boar dead, blood oozing from a gunshot wound. A person dressed in hunting clothes and rifle in hand stepped out. Realising that he had saved me, I thanked him profusely.

“What is a young boy like you doing out here in the wild alone? You were lucky that I was camping nearby,” the hunter asked me in surprise.  

I whispered hoarsely everything that had happened to me, and that I was in need of water and medical care. The kind hunter gave me some water and helped me find my way back to camp.

            My worried parents were there to greet me, and they chatted with the hunter, thanking him profusely for his help. He then advised me to follow the rules set by my parents and explained that the wildlife in the forests at night was not something to trifle with. Nodding my head, I prepared myself for a sterner lecture by my parents. After I was reprimanded, I lay in my sleeping bag, recalling the night’s events.

            I had ventured off the beaten path, and I was proud of myself for surviving my adventure in the forest. However, this would be something that I would never forget for the rest of my life. There are rules to follow in the forest, and I vowed never to venture in it alone again.