Fully scaffolded answer booklet for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 Question 5 (40-mark creative writing question). Covers BOTH options - Description AND Narrative - with three levels of structured support for SEND and Alternative Provision learners. Aligned to 2026 AQA specification.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Both creative writing options are fully supported across all three scaffold levels:

OPTION A - DESCRIPTION
Write a description of a place that feels threatening or dangerous.

OPTION B - NARRATIVE
Write a story about a time when someone had to make a difficult decision.

LEVEL 1 - FULL SUPPORT (Grades 1-3)
Option A Description:

• Five-row sensory planning grid (Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell, Mood) with example ideas
• Vocabulary bank - powerful verbs, atmospheric adjectives, figurative language starters, sentence form ideas
• Three structured writing sections (Opening, Development, Ending) with sentence starters

Option B Narrative:

• Story planning grid (Character, Decision, Setting, Key moment, Ending)
• Show-don’t-tell vocabulary bank with dialogue and tension-building tips
• Three structured writing sections with narrative-specific sentence starters

Both options include a shared AO6 Technical Accuracy Checklist and success checklist.

LEVEL 2 - PARTIAL SUPPORT (Grades 3-5)

• Planning grids for both options - no pre-populated examples
• Open writing frames without sentence starters
• AO5 and AO6 guidance visible throughout
• AO6 self-check list

LEVEL 3 - MINIMAL SUPPORT (Grades 5+)

• AO5 and AO6 objectives with mark allocations
• 5-minute planning frame
• Open writing frame
• Independent self-assessment checklist

TEACHER / TUTOR NOTES

• Full AQA AO5 mark band guidance (Levels 1-5, 24 marks)
• Full AQA AO6 mark band guidance (Levels 1-5, 16 marks)
• Timing guidance - 5 minutes planning, 35 minutes writing, 5 minutes AO6 check
• Scaffold deployment guide by target grade

SPECIFICATION ALIGNMENT
Fully aligned to the 2026 AQA Paper 1 specification.

ACCESSIBILITY
Formatted with SEND accessibility in mind - Arial font, colour-coded scaffold levels (green / amber / orange), structured planning grids, vocabulary banks and writing frames to reduce cognitive load.

Created by Joe Lebovitch - 25+ years as a SEND specialist educator in Alternative Provision settings.