The lighthouse on Gull Point had been dark for forty years, so when its lamp blinked on one Tuesday night, the whole town came down to the harbour to stare.
Who, or what, switched the light back on, and why? Your story can be realistic or imaginative, but it must start with the line above.
Write a story that begins with the line above.
explain who switched on the lamp and why it matters now
show one character who goes closer while everyone else just watches
end with how the town, or one person in it, is changed
30
It copies the given first line exactly and makes the rest of the story answer the question that line raises.
It follows one character who acts, rather than describing a whole crowd that only watches.
It builds to one tense moment at the lighthouse and ends with a clear change.
The lighthouse on Gull Point had been dark for forty years, so when its lamp blinked on one Tuesday night, the whole town came down to the harbour to stare. I stood at the very end of the jetty, pyjama pants tucked into my gumboots, and counted. Three long flashes. One short. Three long again. The adults muttered about faulty wiring, but I wasn't listening. Pop had tapped that same pattern on the kitchen table every morning of my life.
开头保留了题目给出的句子，然后把镜头从全镇的人收拢到站在码头尽头的一个孩子身上，让读者有了跟随的对象。它还用一个具体线索埋下悬念：爷爷每天早上在餐桌上敲出的正是同样的节奏。"Three long flashes. One short."这样的短句放慢了节奏，让读者也跟着一起数。
讲解示例 2
In Charge of the Stall
Every Saturday your grandmother sells homemade jam and pot plants at the local market. Today she had to drive home to collect more stock, and for one whole hour she left you in charge of the stall, the cash tin and a very long queue. When she came back, she noticed that something about the stall had changed.
Write a diary entry about your hour in charge of the market stall.
describe the busiest or most surprising moment of the hour
show how your feelings changed from the start of the hour to the end
explain what had changed when your grandmother came back, and what she said
30
It stays on the one hour at the stall instead of retelling the whole Saturday.
It shows feelings through actions and body details rather than just naming them.
It explains what had changed when the grandmother came back and what the writer made of it.
文体：日记。读者：自己，所以语气要真诚、私人化。目的：记录难忘的一天以及它的意义。
5分钟构思
写日期和"Dear Diary"，第一句就直接点出当时的心情。
快速交代场景：奶奶离开，队伍越排越长，自己开始紧张。
按时间顺序写两三个片段，比如第一笔生意、找错零钱、一位让你意外的顾客。
奶奶回来时发现摊位有什么变化，她有什么反应。
结尾写一句感想：这一小时让你明白了什么。
两个语言技巧：通过身体感受来表现情绪，而不是直接说"我很紧张"（例如"my hands were sticky with nerves and jam"）；叙述事情用过去时，写今晚的感受时转用现在时。
I have been a shopkeeper for exactly one hour, and I am exhausted. Nana's car had barely turned the corner when a man in a cycling helmet asked for "whatever's cheapest". I panicked and sold him a fern for fifty cents. Fifty cents! The label clearly said eight dollars. My cheeks burned the colour of the strawberry jam, and the queue behind him kept growing, like a snake that had eaten too much breakfast.
第一句就像真正的日记：私人、有趣，直接写出感受。接着它没有写"I was nervous"，而是通过一个具体的失误表现慌乱：把标价八元的蕨类植物卖了五毛钱。把长队比作"a snake that had eaten too much breakfast"，既有幽默感，又让读者感受到压力。
说服读者
两道要孩子说服别人的题。先想清楚读者是谁，选定一方，每个理由单独一段。
题目为英文原题
讲解示例 3
A Bus for the Weekend
Your town council will vote next month on whether the community bus should also run on weekends. Here are some facts.
The bus runs Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm, linking outer streets to the shops, the pool and the sports fields.
Weekend runs would cost the council about $40,000 a year.
In a survey, 6 out of 10 residents asked said they would use a weekend bus at least once a month.
Many children and older residents in the town do not drive.
Write a letter to the mayor persuading the council to vote for or against running the community bus on weekends.
choose your side and state it clearly in your opening
use at least two of the facts as evidence, and explain what they show
answer the strongest point the other side would make
30
It takes one side in the first paragraph and keeps it to the end.
It uses at least two of the facts as evidence and explains what each one shows, without stretching them.
It answers the $40,000 cost, or the other side's strongest point, in a calm, formal tone.
I am writing to ask the council to vote yes to running the community bus on weekends. I am eleven, and my Saturday netball games are on the far side of town, but both my parents work weekend shifts. A recent survey found that six out of ten residents asked would use a weekend bus at least once a month. That is more than half of the people asked. Many children like me, and many older residents, do not drive, so on weekends we depend on someone else for a lift.
开头第一句就提出请求，这正是忙碌的市长需要的。接着它如实引用问卷结果，并且没有夸大：说的是"more than half of the people asked"，而不是"全镇的人"。随后如实使用第四条事实（许多孩子和老人不开车），再加上一个个人理由（周六去打无板篮球比赛），让论点更有温度，同时保持了正式的语气。这是说服文的严谨写法。
讲解示例 4
Keep Going or Let Go?
"Practice makes perfect." (a well-known saying)
Many children start an activity such as piano, swimming squad or a language class, and after a while they want to stop. Some adults say children should keep going, because skills take years to build. Others say children should be free to quit and try something new. Your class is holding a speech day on this question.
Write a speech for your class arguing whether children should have to keep going with an activity after they want to give up.
open with a question, a short story or a surprising idea to win your audience's attention
give two or three reasons, each with an example your classmates will recognise
finish with a line your audience will remember
30
It sounds like a speech, with a greeting, direct address to the audience and a strong final line.
It takes a clear position on whether children should keep going, rather than saying it depends.
It backs each reason with an example classmates would recognise.
Good morning, everyone. Hands up if you have ever begged to quit something. Now keep your hand up if, years later, you were glad you didn't. "Practice makes perfect," the saying goes, but I would change one word: practice makes possible. Today I will argue that children should keep going with an activity for at least one full year, because the hardest part of learning anything is the part just before it starts to get good.
The sky above Harbour Park became a patchwork of colour last Saturday, as 312 kites flew at once to set a new town record at the first Harbour Park Kite Festival.
Flyers aged from four to 87 crowded the grassy foreshore from early morning. "I haven't flown a kite since I was a boy," said Ivan Petrov, the oldest flyer. "My great-granddaughter had to show me how to untangle the string."
Next year, every Year 6 student at your school will be paired with a Kindergarten buddy. Year 6 buddies will meet their buddy at the start of the year, read with them each week and help them at assemblies and on sports day. Many Year 6 students have never looked after a five-year-old before, and some of them are a little nervous.
Write an advice sheet for next year's Year 6 students on how to be a great Kindergarten buddy.
give a short introduction that explains why buddies matter
group your advice under clear headings, such as First meeting or Reading time
include a tip about what to do if your buddy is shy or upset
30
It gives specific, practical tips, such as kneeling to eye level, not general advice like "be nice".
It organises the advice under clear headings that follow the buddy year.
It speaks to fellow Year 6 students in a friendly voice and gives a reason for each tip.
Remember your first day of school? The buildings seemed enormous, the big kids looked like giants and you had no idea where the toilets were. Your buddy will feel exactly the same. The good news is that you don't need to be a teacher to help. You just need to be patient, friendly and ready to listen.
Your first meeting
Kneel or sit so you are at your buddy's eye level. Tell them your name, then ask theirs.
Thank you for your email. Our class loved raising silkworms, and I'm happy to share what we learnt so your Year 3 students can enjoy it too.
What you will need
The most important thing is a steady supply of fresh mulberry leaves, because silkworms will eat almost nothing else. Before you start, find a mulberry tree you are allowed to pick from. You will also need a shallow box with small air holes and some paper towel to line the bottom.
开头先感谢Mr Tran，并说明邮件要讲什么，让读者心中有数。接着在清楚的小标题下回答他的第一个问题，并为关键做法给出理由（"because silkworms will eat almost nothing else"）。"a tree you are allowed to pick from"这样的实用细节，说明作者心里装着真实的读者。
反思
一道写重要时刻的题。得分靠的是孩子从中学到了什么，而不是事件本身。
题目为英文原题
讲解示例 8
The Story in a Photo
"Every picture tells a story." (a saying)
Think of a photograph that matters to you: one on a wall, in an album or on a phone. It might show a celebration, a trip, a person or an ordinary day. Think about the moment behind the picture, what the camera did not show, and what the photo means to you now compared with when it was taken.
Write a reflection about a photograph that matters to you and the story behind it.
describe the photo so clearly that the reader can see it
tell the story of the moment, including something the camera did not show
explain what the photo means to you now, and why that has changed
30
It describes one photo with a few sharp details instead of a long list.
It tells the story behind the picture, including something the camera did not show.
It reflects on what the writer understands now that they missed at the time.
文体：反思文。读者：一位用心的读者，比如阅读周记的老师。目的：探讨一个被记住的瞬间有什么意义。
难点：孩子不能只描述照片，而要进行反思，把当时的感受和现在的理解作比较。
5分钟构思
开头描述照片：抓住一两个鲜明的细节。
照片背后的故事：按下快门前后发生了什么。
镜头没拍到的东西（一种感受、画面外的某个人）。
感悟：现在你注意到或明白了什么，是当时没发现的。
结尾说说你为什么一直保留这张照片。
两个语言技巧：有意识地在现在时（照片里有什么）和过去时（当时发生了什么）之间切换；用"Looking at it now"、"What I didn't notice then"这类反思性表达，而不是在结尾硬加一句道理。
In the photo on our fridge, I am seven years old and dusted with flour, holding up a birthday cake that leans like a tower about to topple. Everyone in the picture is laughing, including me, although a minute earlier I had been close to tears. Looking at it now, I notice what my seven-year-old self missed: Dad's hand steadying the plate, just at the edge of the frame, and my sister licking icing off her thumb as if nothing had gone wrong at all.
开头用一个准确又有趣的比喻描述照片（蛋糕歪得"like a tower about to topple"），接着揭示照片没有呈现的东西：一分钟前作者差点哭出来。"Looking at it now"表明这是真正的反思；作者注意到画面边缘的小细节（爸爸扶着盘子的手），暗示接下来的感悟。这是一篇好反思文的写法。
