Building Suspense and Tension in Narrative Writing — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 11 narrative writing worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 11 · English · Narrative WritingBuilding Suspense and Tension in Narrative Writing — Answers
Part A: Spot the techniques
Answer each question.
- one-line paragraph
- withholding information
- sensory detail
- slowing time
- a dry joke to break tension
- Thirteen.
- counting the steps under her breath. Eleven. Twelve.
- Pipes do not, as a rule, sigh.
- The air smelled of damp cardboard and something sweeter, something she could not name.
- Behind the water heater, something shifted.
Answer: one-line paragraph → Thirteen.; withholding information → Behind the water heater, something shifted.; sensory detail → The air smelled of damp cardboard and something sweeter, something she could not name.; slowing time → counting the steps under her breath. Eleven. Twelve.; a dry joke to break tension → Pipes do not, as a rule, sigh.
- AIt is too long
- BIt tells the reader what happens and how Jess feels, so there is no suspense
- CIt has no main character
- DIt uses too many sensory details
Answer: It tells the reader what happens and how Jess feels, so there is no suspense
Version A names the emotion ("was scared") and reveals the answer ("only the cat") immediately, so the reader never wonders.
- AThey forgot
- BTo let readers work it out from the green eyes, keeping a little mystery and trusting the reader
- CBecause cats are not allowed in stories
- DTo make the scene longer
Answer: To let readers work it out from the green eyes, keeping a little mystery and trusting the reader
Suggesting rather than stating keeps readers engaged until the last moment.
- Amake the writing vague and weak
- Bcreate unease by refusing to name the threat
- Cshow Jess has a poor vocabulary
- Dspeed the story up
Answer: create unease by refusing to name the threat
An unnamed threat lets readers imagine the worst.
Part B: Craft practice
Answer in full sentences.
Answer: The first sentence shows Jess's hope; the short second sentence flatly denies it. The contrast increases her helplessness and the reader's anxiety, and the personification gives a sense that the house is not on her side.
Answer: Through physical reactions and actions: "Jess stopped breathing", "a hand that would not stay still", counting the steps under her breath, and telling herself it was the pipes.
Answer: Slowing the pace makes the reader live through every second with the character. The delay before the reveal builds anticipation, just as slow motion does in film.
Answer: False relief is when a character (and the reader) is briefly reassured before tension returns. Jess tells herself "it was the pipes" and that "Pipes creak. Pipes settle", but then "The sound came again, closer now".
Answer: Model: "Leo turned the envelope over twice before he opened it. His name was typed neatly across the front. He slid one finger under the flap. Dear Leo, it began. Thank you for trying out. He did not need to read the rest." (Slowing time, withholding, short sentences.)
Answer: Model: "The old bridge groaned under the weight of the bus, and a few small stones dropped into the river far below."
Answer: A time limit that raises the stakes and forces the character to act quickly. Example: a character must find their lost passport before the plane leaves in forty minutes.
Part C: Your turn
Model answer: The knock came at 11:42. Ari knew the time because she had been staring at the oven clock, waiting for her parents' car to turn into the driveway. It had not. Three knocks. Slow. Polite, almost. She muted the television. The sudden silence made the house feel bigger, as though every room had stepped back to watch. Somewhere upstairs, a window she was sure she had closed rattled in its frame. She did not move. Maybe they would go away. People knocked on the wrong doors all the time. People got lost. The handle turned. Just a little. Just enough to test it. Then it stopped, and the knocking began again, softer now, as if whoever was outside had all the time in the world. Ari crept into the hallway, keeping to the wall where the floorboards did not creak. Through the frosted glass she could see a shape: tall, dark, perfectly still. In its hand it held something long and thin. She reached for her phone. Her thumb hovered over the screen. Then the shape leaned closer to the glass, and a familiar voice said, "Ari? It's me. I've locked myself out again, and this umbrella is useless."
Success criteria:
- Builds tension gradually and controls pace, slowing at key moments
- Withholds information so the reader must wait or wonder
- Uses short sentences and at least one one-line paragraph for effect
- Shows fear through action and sensory detail rather than naming it
- Uses at least four techniques from the worksheet
- Satisfying reveal, twist or cliffhanger; accurate punctuation of any dialogue
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.