The Difficult Choice — Narrative Writing — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 6 narrative writing writing prompt.
Year 6 · English · Narrative Writing
The Difficult Choice — Narrative Writing — Answers
The prompt
Write a story in which the main character has to make a difficult choice. It could be between two friends, between telling the truth and keeping a secret, between winning and doing the right thing, or between what they want and what someone else needs.
The most interesting choices are the ones where both options cost something.
A strong character-driven narrative has:
• A character who wants something, so the reader cares what they choose.
• A moment of decision that the whole story builds towards.
• Internal conflict shown through thoughts, hesitation and small actions, not just stated.
• A resolution that shows the consequence of the choice and how the character has changed.
• Deliberate craft: a strong opening image, varied sentence lengths, and a final line that lands.
Plan
Plan for five to seven minutes. Spend most of your planning time on the choice itself.
Answer: Marcus, 12, who wants to make the state swimming team to prove to his dad that moving towns was worth it.
Answer: Option A: swim the final and probably win. Option B: pull out so his best friend, Eli, who is second fastest, gets the last team place. Eli's family cannot afford club fees next year without it.
Answer: On the blocks at the regional final, in the three seconds before the starter's beep.
Answer: He keeps re-tying his goggles even though they are fine. He looks at Eli in lane five and Eli will not look back.
Answer: He swims, and wins, and finds Eli afterwards and tells him the truth about why. Last line: 'It was the first race he had ever won that did not feel like winning.'
Write
Model answer: Lane Four. The pool smelt the way it always did, chlorine and sunscreen and something metallic underneath, and Marcus had never wanted to be anywhere less. He pulled his goggles down, pushed them up, pulled them down again. In lane five, Eli was staring at the water as if it had said something to him. Three seconds, the starter would say. Three seconds was plenty of time to decide to lose.
Success criteria:
- The character's motivation is clear early in the story
- The story builds towards a single moment of decision
- Internal conflict is shown through actions, thoughts and dialogue
- Both options are shown to cost something
- The resolution shows the consequence of the choice and a changed character
- Sentence length and paragraphing are varied for effect
- The final line is deliberate and memorable
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: