personal recount essay sec 4

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How to Write a Personal Recount

Last Updated: January 17, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 134,792 times.

Writing a personal recount requires you to retell an activity or event that happened in your own life. You must structure your story in a way that makes sense while using language that matches the same purpose.

Considerations

• The first thing you need to understand is the writing prompt itself. If your teacher asks you to write about a favorite holiday memory, your recount needs to describe something that happened during a holiday. It should not describe a favorite memory that happened in school, after class on a normal school day, or during a normal weekend.
• Pay attention to requirements concerning length, as well. Your teacher may tell you how many words, pages, or paragraphs your recount needs to be. If these instructions are not included and you aren't sure about how long the piece must be, consider asking your teacher directly.

• Most recounts are meant to inform, entertain, or do some combination of the two. Personal recounts are generally written for entertainment, but if your teacher asks you to describe an event he or she was not present for—like what happened during your last sports game or during a time when a substitute teacher led class—you also need to make sure that you provide plenty of accurate information about that event.

• For classroom purposes, your recount will usually be written for either your teacher or your peers. Your teacher will want to see that you followed the instructions he or she provided. Your classmates will usually want to be entertained with a story they can enjoy or relate to.

• For example, if you need or want to write a personal recount about a fun summer memory, you probably shouldn't write about your best friend moving away. As a sad memory, describing the loss of your friend won't create the “fun” mood your recount is supposed to have.

• Choose something simple. For instance, a recount about your favorite pet might be titled, “My Favorite Pet.”

• Identify the participants. Even though a personal recount must retell a story from your own life, other people will probably be involved in your story, too. Mentioning these individuals early on will prevent the reader from being surprised or confused later.
• Explain when the activity happened and where it happened, as well. These details are crucial if you want your readers to understand the events of your story.
• For example, if you choose to write about a beach vacation spent with your family, consider starting with something like, “I spent the first week of July with my mother, father, sister, Uncle Eric, and Aunt Lydia. We stayed at a hotel on the beach.”

• For instance, if school was canceled for the day because of a major blizzard, you should mention the blizzard first, followed by the discovery that school was canceled. Write about what you did with your day off only after explaining why you had that day off.

• As a general rule, only describe events that the reader would not be able to predict. When writing a personal recount about your weekend, you could describe the games you played, the people you met with, and any special treats you may have enjoyed. You do not need to explain that you went to sleep each night or ate breakfast each morning, however, since those are things your teacher expects you to do every weekend.

• For personal recounts that cover an extended period of time, each paragraph might describe one easily separated portion of that time. A recount about your weekend might include one paragraph for Friday evening, one paragraph for Saturday, and one paragraph for Sunday. A recount about your summer might include one paragraph for May, one paragraph for June, one paragraph for July, and one paragraph for August.

• This is especially important when you are writing a personal recount about someone or something important. Personal recounts about your favorite pet should include a description of how your pet looks. Personal recounts about your grandparents should include descriptions of how your grandparents look and sound.

• Consider including a personal opinion about what happened. For instance, you might say conclude a personal recount about your Christmas with a statement like, “This past Christmas was very fun.”
• You may also need to conclude by describing the outcome of the activity. If you are telling a recount about your visit to the doctor, end with an explanation of what your doctor told you or what medicine he or she gave you. [3] X Research source

• For a personal recount, you need to describe how you felt and what you did. Doing this will be impossible if you do not tell the story from your perspective.

• The words “played,” “raced,” and “painted” describe the actions you and your cousin performed.
• It makes more sense to say that you performed these actions than to describe these events without saying anything about doing them. A description of the park you raced to won't make sense if you don't first explain that you raced to it.

• This means converting all of your verbs to the past tense. Instead of saying that you “enjoy” eating at your favorite restaurant, you will need to write that you “enjoyed” eating at your favorite restaurant.
• For most verbs, you can change them to the past tense by add “-ed” to the end of the verb. Examples include: enjoyed (enjoy), played (play), visited (visit), walked (walk)
• For some verbs, several letters within the word will change and no “-ed” is needed. A few common examples include: ran (run), ate (eat), went (go)

• Transitions describe the order of events. A few examples include: first, next, later, meanwhile, then, finally
• First , I did _________.
• Next , we went to the ______.
• Later , I decided to ______.
• Meanwhile , my parents were ______.
• Then , all of us ______.
• Finally , we ended the day by ______.

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• ↑ https://englishonline.tki.org.nz/English-Online/Planning-for-my-students-needs/Resources-research-and-professional-support/Features-of-text-forms/Recounts
• ↑ https://www.ziptales.com/pdfs/scripts/write-recount.pdf

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• Aug 26, 2023

Personal recount Reflective model essay Secondary

Updated: Apr 27

Personal recount/Reflective model essay Secondary

Topic: write about a time when you did something to impress someone which you later regretted.

This is a common topic for secondary school students. Below you will find a Personal recount/Reflective model essay sample for secondary school students. You can use this as inspiration for your writing. Also, do not forget to download the FREE SAMPLE to our O'Level & Secondary Essay Writing Cheat Sheet .

I can never forgive myself for this. Till today, I regret this, and the memory haunts me. I was in Primary 5. It was the first day of school when Deaven waltzed into class. Her hair was unkempt, the buttons from her uniform were missing, and nobody liked her. Despite that, out of the kindness of my heart, I was drawn to her. She was lonely and often sat alone in the canteen. Soon, I would join her, and a friendship blossomed between us.

Fast forward a few months later, and things did not improve with Deaven. The bullying got out of hand, and Deaven was often the last one to be picked when it came to group projects. When she was finally 'forced' to join a group, she would be greeted with looks of disdain. Despite all that happened, I chose to hang out with Deaven until late August.

I was running for class president, and the support of my fellow classmates was important. I was pretty popular and doing well. However, one late Friday afternoon, things changed. As I was grooming myself in the bathroom, I was approached by a group of 'popular' girls from my class.

"Are you Deaven's friend?" Pricilia, the 'ringmaster' of the group, inquired.

"Yes!" I replied.

"Ew! I thought you were cool. If you are friends with her, I guess I'll just have to tell everyone not to vote for you!" Priscillia sneered at me. Soon after, they left. I did not think much about it. However, what happened the following Monday made me reconsider my friendship with Deaven.

The following Monday, I was given the cold shoulder by almost everyone in class. Whatever Priscillia was doing, she was succeeding. I was not popular, and I witnessed my votes dwindling. Feeling afraid that I would not be well-liked by everyone, I did something that I would regret.

During recess, Deaven approached to sit beside me. I did something awful. Before she could sit down, I pulled her chair away, and Deaven crashed onto the floor. While everyone started laughing, I joined in on the laughter. To add fuel to the fire, I pretended to drop my soda on her by 'accident.' Soon, the canteen was filled with hoots of laughter, but Deaven's face cascaded with tears. Eventually, I won the favour of my classmates back. I became the class president. I never really engaged with Deaven again. Months later, she left for another school, and I never saw her again. Though I became class president, my conscience pricked me. I can never forget the look of betrayal on her face when I pulled the chair from her. Years later, I am combing through different social media platforms to get a glimpse of Deaven so I can just tell her how much I regret hurting her. This is one regret I may have to carry for the rest of my life.

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Personal Recount: How to write an Introduction

Writing Practice

The introduction of your personal recount hooks your reader and sets the context for the rest of your essay. Here are two ways you can make an impression whilst orienting your reader to the key ideas of your story.

Set the stage of your story by telling your reader what your protagonist is doing, thinking and feeling.

Less Detail

I waited on the side lines for our final match to begin.

Moderate Detail

I waited anxiously on the side lines for our final match to begin. The stakes of this match were sky high.

Very Detailed

I adjusted my jersey nervously, pacing the side lines as I waited for our final match to begin. This was our chance to become champion and end a seven year silver medal streak.

Describe the setting and context of your recount to create anticipation and pique your readers’ curiosity.

Low Suspense

The atmosphere was cheery. Students from both schools had travelled down to support their schoolmates for this match.

Moderate Suspense

School cheers echoed across the stadium and flags fluttered near the stands. Students from both schools had gathered to witness the culmination of a years-long rivalry.

High Suspense

The loud cheers suddenly drew to an expectant hush as the referee signalled that the game was about to start. A years-long rivalry was at stake. Could today finally be a turning point for my school?

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• Aug 4, 2021

The Correct Techniques for Writing a Personal Recount Composition

Personal recount compositions depend on these factors.

Creativity and Style - Your ingenuity in building up a story that seems Original. (it may not be)

- And the way you interpret the Key Words.

Why do I think these are important?

1. For a personal recount essay, you really need to do STORYTELLING. The story must capture the imagination of the reader. I will share some tips below about how you can do this.

2. You need to think out of the box. Please reject those hackneyed plots. Examiners have seen too many of those. If you do want to use a common idea, make sure that you infuse it with some style. And that brings me to the next point.

3. Style is everything. You can use it to dress up an old story. You can create humour or you can make it nostalgic. Everything depends on your approach. The entire story can come to life and project different messages depending on your style.

4. The keywords are an indication of the path you should take. The question wants you to only use the ideas from the keywords and you need to expand it so that you may extract some points from it.

Let me expand on these ways of building up a composition that is attractive and follows the keywords stated in the question.

STORYTELLING

I mentioned that this is an important technique. What is that?

It is the ability to tell a story from the source point to the end. The ending should be a revelation of how the story projects morals or values. There should be wisdom to impart at the end and the way you perceive that you have changed. Of course, storytelling works best in personal recount, narrative and reflective essays. It is important to note that every composition tells a story and it is usually based on ‘you.’ You will reflect the way the wisdom is gleaned at the end.

In order to do this, you will need to start from the point where it all started. In other words, you will trace the story to the point when the entire pattern of trouble began. And the story should wind its way towards the end where the sole purpose of having told that story is revealed. It is to show that you had surpassed those obstacles to become the wiser young man or woman that you are today.

That is the entire purpose of storytelling.

THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

Why do you do this and more importantly, HOW?

i) You need to do this as your composition will be lacking in ideas and your organisation will be ineffectual. There will not be much to organise if your story does not have enough ideas.

Ideas are like the arteries in your story. The flow of ideas will reflect how appealing your story is.

How do you actually think out of the box?

There are a few ways of doing this.

Firstly, you may turn to many sources for your story. It is rather easy. Just turn to news articles, stories from books, or even tv stories. Then try to blend it in a way that it reflects the main purpose of the question.

Secondly, you may do this by thinking of something new on your own. You may be inventive. Of course, you may choose to combine a new idea with an old one.

You may even pick a theme from a popular movie. Just make sure that it relates to the question.

Take your pick. You decide which way the story will flow.

The style you choose to use is up to you. You will need to decide if you want to project it as something whimsical, moralistic or something verging on fantasy.

Always try to inject it with your own opinions. The way you narrate is important as it reflects your style. Feel free to offer your opinions. Be subjective and dare to drift from the way you have always written.

These are the bread and butter of your essay. If you did not examine the keywords, then you will probably get it wrong.

The keywords are like the guiding light. They ‘signal’ you and tell you where to go.

You will need to understand what it means and expand it. Once you have got the big picture, you may start writing your PEEL. All PEELs are related to keywords.

Once you follow this pattern of writing, your essay will be precise.

These are the tips for today and I hope you will use them well when writing a Personal Recount composition.

Following all 4 tips will certainly ensure that your composition will reach a much higher standard for your exams.

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7 Essay Types at the O Level

• Posted By Randall Chew

Hello everyone! I’m Mr Ng Guo Liang, an English Language Curriculum Specialist and Teacher at Lil’ but Mighty.

When I was still teaching in a secondary school, I often had to address many questions — from both parents and students alike — about the different composition or essay types being tested in the O Level examinations; chief amongst which were:

– What composition or essay types will appear in the O Level examinations? – What is the difference between a discursive essay and an argumentative essay? – What is the difference between a recount and narrative essay? – What is the difference between a descriptive and reflective essay?

There were (and are) of course, many other questions pertaining to composition writing for the O Level. The ones above however — those concerned with conceptualising the types of compositions — are the ones I have had to address the most. In this blog post therefore, I will list the various types of compositions that could be tested in the O Level English Language Paper 1, and attempt to very briefly describe each of them.

Before I continue, I must make a disclaimer. This post is not meant to be a comprehensive set of notes or guide detailing and explaining each individual essay type, their features, and nuances. I must make it very clear to my readers that what I write and elaborate on in this post should not be taken as the absolute and definitive word on the various essay types; we should note that different teachers, authors, publishers, and reference materials describe, explain, and conceptualise the various essay types differently (and very possibly with different terminology). That being said, the descriptions I’ll make in this post are meant only as a very brief explanation of the various types of essays so that you can better understand what they generally require students to address in the examination.

Should you wish to enquire about and discuss the individual essay types at a more comprehensive and deeper level than that provided in this post, you can do so with your English teacher in school, or contact us and we shall endeavour to address your queries!

In the O Level examination, the following essay types could be tested:

1. Narrative 2. Personal Recount 3. Descriptive 4. Reflective 5. Discursive 6. Argumentative 7. Two-Part Essays

1. Narrative Essays

Narrative essays, as the name suggests, are essays that narrate a story. Most students reading this post should, by the end of primary school, be familiar with narrative essays as this is perhaps the essay type that they see the most in primary school and in creative writing classes. These essays are generally fictional in nature, and adhere to how narrative stories are developed in terms of their plots (beginning —> build up —> climax —> events that lead to a resolution —> a resolution —> and a coda/conclusion). Although these essays are generally fictional, that is not to say that students cannot use their own experiences to address the question. As long as the experience is relevant to the question, and features a rising plot which leads to a resolution, students are free to use their own experiences to inspire the narrative essay.

Sample questions:

– Freedom. – A challenge. – Write a story about kindness. – ‘It was my proudest moment.’ Write a story based on this.

2. Personal Recount Essays

Similar to a narrative essay, a personal recount essay retells a series of events that should be written in a linear and sequential manner. A personal recount essay is not to be confused with a narrative one. Narratives are often fictional in nature, and generally adhere to a rising plot development structure (most often with a climax and resolution). Personal recounts however, are not fictional in nature, and often relate to an event or experience which is meaningful or memorable to you (in other words, you should have personally experienced or witnessed this event or experience taking place.) Depending on the question asked, it can, of course, include a plot structure with elements similar to a narrative. However, unlike narrative essay writing, it does not require students to adhere strictly to a rising plot structure.

Personal recount essays, by nature of the questions given, typically require students to include an element of reflection. This usually focuses on the impact and significance that an event or experience have on them, and their thoughts, feelings, changing beliefs and attitudes as the series of events unfold. Such reflections should be interspersed and woven in and between the paragraphs of the essay. This is different for narratives, where reflections typically appear in the coda.

– Write about an interesting day out with your family. – Write about a mistake you regret making. – Write about how you conquered one of your fears. – Write about a task which turned out to be more difficult than you initially thought. – Write about a time a great act of kindness took place.

3. Descriptive Essays

Descriptive essays contain and emphasise descriptive elements. That is to say, such essays are written to appeal to the five senses, and should create vivid mental images for the reader when it is being read. This genre goes beyond describing physical attributes, but abstract ones as well (e.g. feelings, ideas, or a situation), and often involves reflecting on why something or someone is special or important. Unlike narrative essays, descriptive essays do not require a plot structure or storyline. This essay type most typically require students to write about and describe in detail one of the following topics:

1. An object 2. A person 3. A place 4. An event or incident 5. An experience

– Describe an individual who has had a great influence on you. – Describe a memorable celebration. – Describe your typical day in school. – Describe an object which you hold dear.

4. Reflective Essays

Essays of this genre require the students to reflect on themselves. Despite the reflective element, this is not to be confused with a personal recount. Personal recounts require students to recount and reflect on an event or experience which actually took place. Reflective essays however, are not about an event or experience, but are more about the students themselves.

Reflective essays typically require students to reflect on and make observations about their own personality and character. As such, it is more philosophical and insightful in nature.

Sample Questions:

– What would you consider to be your best and worst qualities? – What is your idea of a perfect day? – What are the type of books you enjoy reading? – Write about some of the things you value most in life.

Expository Essays: Argumentative and Discursive Essays

The next two essay types fall under the category we call ‘expositions’. An expository essay is one that explores and considers in depth the different aspects and perspectives to a particular topic or subject matter. We typically see two types of expository essays appearing in the O Level examination: argumentative and discursive essays.

5. Argumentative Essays

In an argumentative essay, students are typically given an issue, topic, or subject matter on which they are supposed to take a clear stand, and argue for that stand they have taken. This essay type is ‘biased’ in that regard, and the aim of the essay is to persuade the reader, with the strength of their points and arguments, that the stand taken in the essay is the right one.

1. The key features of an effective argumentative essay are: 2. There must be a very clear stand taken on the topic/subject matter given in the question. 3. Points/arguments given are supported by facts, statistics, observations or examples. 4. Points/arguments appeal to logic and emotion. 5. Using a persuasive tone and register. 6. Considering the opposing views and being able to rebut or refute them – this makes an argumentative essay the most persuasive and effective.

–  ‘People can only be happy if they feel they are treated fairly.’ Do you agree (2019 O Level 1) –  Do you agree with the view that students should never engage in part-time work? –  ‘Social media has destroyed communication.’ What is your opinion? –  Who has more problems to deal with — adults or youths?

6. Discursive Essays

Like argumentative essays, a discursive essay focuses on and concerns itself with one particular topic or subject matter. Unlike the argumentative essay however, one is not required to take a stand on the subject matter. Rather than pushing for and validating only one particular perspective, students are required instead to discuss and explore the multiple perspectives regarding the subject matter in an unbiased manner.

What is important to note is that students can state a preference for a particular perspective or viewpoint at the end of the essay, but the tone and register of the essay should not be a persuasive one (i.e. the way the essay is written should not dominantly favour one particular perspective or viewpoint over others). It should be written in a manner which reflects that all the perspectives and viewpoints you discuss in the essay are equally valid (even if you do eventually state a preference for one at the end) — in essence, an effective discursive essay is one that achieves balance .

–  What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media? –  What are the qualities a good leader should have? –  Discuss the implications of making home-based learning a permanent mode of education. –  Discuss your views on discipline.

7. Two-Part Essays

As the name suggests, two-part essays are essays which could comprise features and elements of two different essay types. What you will typically see is a question which explicitly has two distinct and separate parts students would have to address. For instance, the question would not only require students to describe something or someone, but also require them to reflect on that particular thing they are describing in the essay; such that the essay becomes a ‘mixed-genre’ essay.

For two-part essays, students need to ensure that they address both parts of the question, and do not make the common mistake of devoting too much time and too many words to the first half of the question and neglecting the second half of the question.

– Write about a mistake you regret making. What lessons did you learn from it? – Describe an individual who has had a great influence on you. Why is this person so special to you? – Describe an object which you hold dear. Why is this object so important to you? – Write about a time you were misunderstood by others. How did you feel?

This brings us to the end of this blog post. Although there is much more to the respective essay types regarding their features and styles, I hope that I have managed to provide you with brief but lucid explanations that will make it a little easier for you to understand the various essay types that could be tested in the O Level.

Until my next post, and on behalf of the Lil’ but Mighty family, stay happy, stay safe, and stay healthy!

• Fine Out More

Mr Ng firmly believes that there is a strong correlation between effort and eventual success, and that finding success in English is something that is attainable by all of his students regardless of their background and starting point. He has a strong love and passion for the language and hopes to inspire that same passion in his students through his lessons. That being said, he looks forward to bringing out the best in his students and guiding them to fulfil the potential they all have.

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[O Levels] English Sample Essay Outline Personal Recount

hi there!! you might remember me from my post yesterday about sample essays. to pay it forward(?), here is the outline of my essay story that i think is quite creative and out of the ordinary. feel free to use in your exams! (with caution tho as it might not fit into the essay question --- make sure it does!)

main story outline: • interclass competition of a Recycle-it-Right fashion show • make an outfit out of recyclables • found it extremely weird, but the competitive spirit sparked in our Singaporean mindsets • got to work and planned the design or the dress • classmates and i went out after school to collect recyclables, went to fabric stores (gather scrap fabric), went to supermarkets to collect egg cartons and cardboard (give eg. like giant and cold storage for localisation points, not ntuc tho unless u know the full name and unabbrieviated ver. of ntuc) • problem arose: not enough materials, had to rummage through recycling bins at school • found a problem: people mix unrecyclables with recyclables (give eg) and throw wet recyclables (this will link to your reflection later) • but there was one problem with award-winning dress ------ we didn't have an award-winning model to show it off! • by a unanimous vote, i was voted to model our dress • the day had finally come. stepped into dress (give descriptors of dress) mine was: train made out of scrap fabric, repurposed primary school shirts as the dress, and a newspaper crown decorated with aluminium soda can "gems" • modelled dress, everyone gave standing ovation, my class won • personal reflection: class developed esprit de corps (teamwork), learnt about resilience • LINK TO WORLD ISSUE: this experience highlighted an even bigger issue: many people in singapore do not know how to recycle, the wet recyclables will affect the whole batch of recyclables, what can and cannot be recycled, a lot of generation of waste, convenience in man's biggest problem (explanation of why people dont recycle) • etched in my mind forever

some useful details and good phrases you can use:

2019 was singapore's year to zero waste

"one man's trash is another man's treasure"

"all that glitters is not gold"

we felt like the cardboard collectors that roamed the void decks of our flats

gave a rapturous ovation

please take my ideas with a pinch of salt! i hope i can get a mid 20 as ive been getting low 20s all my sec sch life. hope these ideas help! another tip is to link your reflection to a world view! all the best for exams!! you can do it :-)

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15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Recounts and Personal Narratives can often be a dry and dreaded writing task for teachers and students as far too frequently we recount menial and boring events such as what happened over the weekend. 

These fifteen personal narrative topics / or recount prompts will encourage your students to think deeply and allow them to learn more about themselves and each other.

Here are 15 excellent recount and personal narrative topics that will engage your students and foster self-reflection and connection within the classroom. These prompts aim to alleviate the common perception of recounts and personal narratives as monotonous by encouraging students to explore meaningful and captivating experiences.

These topics allow students to delve into their own lives and share significant stories with their peers.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE TOPICS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

• Looking back on our childhood, we often refer to key events that significantly impacted us. Tell about one of those defining events from your childhood.
• It has been said that parents are our first and most important teachers. Describe a time when you learned a valuable lesson from one of your parents.
• Recount a time when you found yourself in a perilous situation. Tell the story of how you got into that situation and survived it.
• Far too often, we take nature for granted. Describe an experience that made you appreciate our natural world.
• We have all heard the saying, “You should never judge another person until you walk in his or her shoes.” Tell about an experience that enabled you to understand another person better.
• We all possess phobias and things we are afraid of, and sometimes we find ourselves in situations that force us to face our deepest fears. Tell about a time when you had to face one of your greatest fears.
• Sometimes, something negative turns out to be positive—a “blessing in disguise.” Describe a time in your life when something bad was good.
• We often put people we admire so highly on a pedestal that we forget they’re human. Describe a time when you realized that someone you admired was imperfect.
• Have you ever forgotten something of extreme importance? Tell about your experience.
• Sports are a big part of some people’s lives, either as spectators or participants. Describe a memorable sporting event.
• Describe a time when you performed or witnessed a random act of kindness.
• Describe a time when you witnessed something unbelievable.
• Some unexpected experiences can help us mature from children into young adults. Describe one of those key experiences in your life.
• It is an amazing experience when we create something beautiful. Tell about a time when you created something.
• Rich experiences can take place when we travel. Tell about a memorable experience you had when you were traveling.

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF TEACHING RESOURCES

A MASSIVE COLLECTION of resources for narratives and story writing in the classroom covering all elements of crafting amazing stories. MONTHS WORTH OF WRITING LESSONS AND RESOURCES, including:

7 Great Narrative Lesson Plans Students and Teachers Love

How to Write a Fantastic Fairy Tale

Top 7 High School Writing Skills for Students and Teachers

IIf you are looking for an incredible free resource for teaching how to write recounts, be sure to check out innovativeteachingideas.com It has complete guides to teaching all major styles of writing.

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• Secondary 2 English

10 Common Secondary 2 Composition Topics And How To Achieve Good Grades?

• March 26, 2021
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Table of Contents

What are some of the most used topics? For secondary 2, the genre is always in descriptive and narrative writing with a hybrid.

Students are expected to write on a variety of descriptive/ narrative topics with hybrid topics comprising of reflective and personal recounts.

Below, we will explore some common topics which require the Secondary 2 student to write confidently and subjectively on several topics which are of personal interest.

Writing on all of these requires one to delve into personal experiences or imagining a personal experience that is relevant.

Secondary 2 Topic #1: What is the importance of honesty?

This topic is a narrative composition about an important value.

For this topic, the student needs to write a story that denotes how a situation evolved to reveal that the honest method was the only way to deal effectively with it.

It should show that to choose to be dishonest would lead to undesirable consequences and how the honest choice was the best as it was the most truthful.

Virtues, principles and the need to be truthful should be revealed as being important character accomplishments.

Secondary 2 Topic #2: Your first day in secondary school

This topic is a descriptive composition. The first day is all about observing important activities, encounters with people and learning within the education spectrum.

It should be informative, lively and above all, reflect one’s own engagement with others on different levels. There should also be observations made about learning some fundamental principles which will make an impact on oneself.

Secondary 2 Topic #3: A friend who helped you when you were in trouble

This topic is a narrative topic and it should have a well developed plot. A friend helping oneself is about providing a back story and tracing the path to a climax where something of great urgency developed.

Then, the gradual realisation of the great truth in finding that the friend was such an important and valuable person. All these should be reflected in the narrative story.

Secondary 2 Topic #4: How did a community event teach you important values

This topic is about a community event teaching one values. This is a hybrid topic where the community event is descriptive but the teaching of values is very subjective so it becomes reflective.

Describing a community event means to find a useful topic where the event can actually help one to realise these values. It can be a learning experience through active participation.

Eg. Learning how teamwork is very useful or realising that one’s neighbours can be very kind and helpful people.

Secondary 2 Topic #5: How an act of kindness affected you

This topic is a learning event. This is a narrative and reflective topic about an act of kindness shown by someone to you which made you realise something of great value.

It should reflect a truth and display how you matured and became more insightful. Compositions like these are some of the best ways to score really well if you choose to write on an original sounding story with a twist.

This will create that moment of realisation and sinking in of that truth.

Secondary 2 Topic #6: Write about a time when you experienced a difficult challenge

This topic is one of the most common topics. Practising this narrative composition topic really well will be of great use as it usually appears in examination papers even up till the ‘O’ levels.

The trick in this question is to choose that difficult challenge. It should not be too common or too easy to accomplish. Neither should it be too difficult or out of the bounds of the ordinary.

The challenge should reveal how it caused you moments of anguish when you had to work hard to overcome it.

Secondary 2 Topic #7: Write about losing something of value to yourself

This topic is a narrative topic and it should be all about that ‘thing’ of value. This should not be too simple and it most certainly should be a sentimental object.

How did losing it affect you so much that you could not bear to be without it? The topic says losing something of value to ‘yourself’. This means that it is personal.

Therefore, choosing a suitable item is very important.

Secondary 2 Topic #8: How did advice from a parent teach you something of value?

This topic is a reflective and narrative topic. It is about parental advice which was valuable.

A story should be written to show the flow from how it all began to the culmination of the climax where the realisation of that usefulness of that advice is seen.

The advice should reflect how useful it was to oneself and how that became such a help in the future. There should be gratitude and a sense of accomplishment by the end of this story.

Secondary 2 Topic #9: An unforgettable holiday

An unforgettable holiday is another very popular topic. It could be transposed with another unforgettable type of experience such as a birthday or trip.

Choosing that destination and ‘who’ goes along with oneself should be given careful thought.

A sketch of the outline of this narrative story should be done to avoid going out of point as is commonly done. It should not be too descriptive as the key word is ‘unforgettable’.

That means something of value happened which resonated with oneself. This means care should be taken to explore this.

Secondary 2 Topic #10: Write about some of the most important qualities you admire

This topic is also very common. Some of the qualities you admire are narrative and reflective. Why you admire it should be very subjective and therefore, narrative.

The reflective part is about the person or people who possess these values. Learning from them is a reflective experience and should prove to be a learning point.

It could be that one person or more but they should be in a ‘role model’ position or a place one could aspire to reach.

This concludes the subject of the most common secondary 2 compositions. These have surfaced time and again in tests, school exams and final exams.

Practising these will ensure that you have a firm control of the writing paper and your grades will be at the top range.

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Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E04: Hybrid writing

Following Tr Rachael previous lessons about  analysing your essay questions ,   narrative writing  and  expository writing , here is a new lesson for you showcasing the Hybrid Writing technique.

Hybrid writing technique

In this lesson 4, the learning objectives are:

1. Be familiar with the structure of a hybrid essay 2. Know how to signpost your essay to show you have addressed both genres

What is a hybrid essay?

It refers to combination of 2 genres of writing in 1 essay.

What are the two types of hybrid essay?

Descriptive and reflective (expository).

• Describe some school-wide events that are held in your school. What are some lessons you can learn from them?
• Describe your experience of working with others. How has it helped develop you as an individual and team player?

Personal recount and reflective (expository)

• Write about a conflict you had with a close friend or loved one. What are some lessons you learnt from the experience?
• Write about a time someone inspired you to be courageous. In what ways did this experience grow you as an individual?

How do you organise/structure a hybrid essay?

Detailed explanation & hybrid essay example

In the video below, Teacher Rachael gives more details about this technique and shows an hybrid essay example (Option A).

DOWNLOAD THE LESSON’S HANDOUT (PDF FILE)

Hybrid writing assignment

If you would like more practice on narrative writing, download the assignment below.

DOWNLOAD THE ASSIGNMENT (PDF FILE)

Check the other articles from this section

• Tackling the Situational Essay (Part 3): Making Your Feature Article an Engaging Read
• Taking the Leap from Primary to Secondary English with Confidence!
• Secondary English Paper 1 components: Diagnosing your strengths and weaknesses
• Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E05: Avoiding writing pitfalls
• Tackling the Situational Essay: Using persuasive speech techniques
• How to write a good Situational Essay: Analyse, Amplify and Apply the appropriate tone
• Narrative Writing: Tips and Tricks
• Post-Exam Reality Check in 3Rs
• From primary to secondary English: What’s new and challenging?
• Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E03: Expository writing
• Discursive essay: Writing a well-developed body Paragraph
• 3 tips for tackling the summary Question
• Secondary 1 English: An introduction on how to create interesting characters
• Secondary 2 English – Editing through clue-finding
• A Sneak Preview of the Secondary English Writing in the Sec 2 class
• Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E02: Narrative writing practice
• Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E02: Narrative writing (or how to write good essays)
• Lower secondary Writing Series 1 – E01: How to analyse essay questions
• Sec 2: 5 tips to help you write great English expository essays

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