Common Assessment Task (CAT)

Year 8 English 2021

CAT Description & Task:

Horror Short Story Creative Response

Name:

Teacher Code: ____________

CAT Instructions

You are to write a short story in the horror genre for a young teenage audience.

Think about:
 Your character (s) including your protagonist and antagonist characters
 Who your narrator will be?
 Your structure: the orientation, complication, series of events, climax and resolution.
 Whether your story is going to have an unusual twist at the end?
 Using descriptive and figurative language and spooky images to heighten the scare
factor.
 How you will plan and develop your draft. Your teacher will read this and provide
some changes/editing assistance.

Remember to:
 Plan your story before you start, don’t just ‘wing it’.
 Include a ‘sizzling start’ to get the reader’s attention.
 Be original. Think about the clichés and try to avoid them.
 Pay attention to the words you choose, your spelling, punctuation, and paragraphs.
 Check, proof read and edit your writing when you have finished
 Look at and use the rubric to help you understand what you need to achieve.

Instructions:
 Use the planning template below to outline all of your ideas. Make sure you use the column on
the left to help you understand what needs to be included in each section.
 Your draft can either be handwritten or typed.
 Your CAT MUST be handwritten in class.
 You will have 2 hours to complete your Narrative Horror CAT in test conditions.

Possible prompts to get your started (these are optional and do not have to be used):

 A girl goes missing in the woods and her parents find only a decrepit and scary doll left behind.
They soon learn that the doll is actually their daughter. And she’s alive.
  A boy on a farm makes a scarecrow that comes alive.
 A young brother and sister find an old door in their basement that wasn’t there before.
  A girl wakes up to find a little boy sitting on his bed, claiming to be her younger brother — but she
never had one.

Word requirement: 800 - 1000 words.

 Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021

Creative Writing Planning Template

Form: A short story following the conventions of a typical
(insert genre) story
Purpose: (why are you writing your piece?)
Audience: (who are you aiming this at?)
Language features: the tone (funny or serious, warm or unfeeling) and the style (language choices) of
the text should suit the purpose and audience

Title: The awakening of the shadow

 Make sure your title
is intriguing!

Setting: The mysterious younger brother and the sister.

 Who is in the story?
 Where is the story In the woods in a run-down rustic cottage with a wild overgrown
happening? garden, the cottage is almost hidden in the tall trees covered with
 What does it look frosted leaves.
like? 1945 December in Russia
 When does the The shadow demon
story happen? A girl wakes up to find a little boy sitting on her bed, claiming to be her
younger brother – except she never had one.
The younger brother fears being in the cottage as he hears a metal
scraping sound coming from the basement constantly.
Boy keeps having nightmares!
The girl’s parents died but whenever she asked her uncle where they
went, he would avoid it
Protagonist:
 Background: Emma and Phoenix are siblings.
 Appearance:
 Role in story:

Antagonist:
 Background: The shadow demon – attempts to prevent the kids from discovering
 Appearance: what happened to their parents and kills to feed off other souls to take
 Role in story: over the world

Other/Minor Characters: Uncle, parents, dog

 Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021

 Background:
 Appearance:
 Role in story: Max (dog) – Companion to the kids and shows them to a haunted rock
with a mark on it, to then discover the answers to how the brother
came to be.

Uncle (Frank) – Guardian to the girl and does not tell her what
happened to her parents but warns her by making a deal with the devil
to help him put the girl under a trance.

Stays at home watching tv.

Parents – They try to escape going to their safe basement from the
shadow demon but only the father survives but must live undercover in
the light.

Hope is a nurse at a nearby hospital.

Griffin works in the police department.

The parents accidentally woke the shadow demon when the mother
finds herself working a nightshift and all the lights turn off and sees the
monster and comes closer.

Orientation: “SCRREEEECH!”
 How will you start The deafening sound of crashing metal woke the girl with a fright as she
with a bang (Sizzling bolted upright on her bed, heart hammering in her chest and what she
Start)? saw would traumatise her for life.
 Will you start in the
“No, this can’t be real!?” screamed the girl as she frantically tried to
present and then move out of her bed
move to the past or
something
different?

 The uncle does not tell the girl what happened to her parents.
Complication/Trigger:  Parents die.
 What goes wrong in  The boy and girl get lost in the woods.
your story?  The shadow demon kills everyone but the father and the girl.
 Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021

Development/Rising Phoenix and girl help each other out to find out what the sound is
Action: coming from the basement.
 What happens
next? She went to bed the next day but had a very vivid flashback. Emma
 How do your woke up in a hospital, confused but alert. She cries out for help, but no
characters one responds it was as if I was invisible, there were phone calls going off
develop/progress? like crazy, children giggling joyfully, patients, nurses and doctors
 What relationships frantically moving around. All this but she could not get any answers
exist? from anyone. All of a sudden, She hears 3 loud Clicking sounds
everything else was in bliss silence. “Click, Click, Click…!”

Climax
 This is the climax of
your story.
 What happens?

Development/Falling
Action:
 What happens
next?
 How do your
characters
develop/progress?
 How do you begin
to work towards the
resolution of your
story?
Resolution: All survive except the girl and the father
 You need to begin
to provide a
resolution to your
story.
 How can the
characters
overcome the
problem?
 Are there further
developments with
the characters?
 You can leave your
story open ended.
Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021

VC Criteria Very High (10-9)
Coherent paragraphs relating to
Narrative
selecting language to influence audience response. When creating and editing
a central event are crafted to
Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for
Elements/
create effects such as suspense
texts for specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the
Text Structure  Title, Orientation, Series of Events,
or tension and follows the
particular purposes and effects. They create texts for different purposes
needs and interests of audiences. They demonstrate understanding of
narrative structure: Title,
Organisation Orientation, Series of Events,
Complication, Resolution.
Trait
A range of complex narrative
(10) structures have been used to
effectively create a sense of
tension or anticipation in the
reader.
Trait Ideas and Ideas are mature, sophisticated
Author’s and well developed and selected
Purpose to develop horror genre
Setting maintained and well
Ideas Trait detailed. Setting may be used
(10) symbolically.
Details of characters are selected
to create believable, rounded
characters.
Literary Sustained and consistent use of
Devices and sophisticated vocabulary that
Word Choice builds and sustains the mood
and narrative
Voice and Vivid and evocative imagery and
Word Choice descriptive and sensory
details used to enhance mood
Trait
and meaning
(10)
Purpose and effect of all literary
devices and word choices has
been fully considered
High (8-7)
Logically organized with the correct
use of paragraphs and follows the
narrative structure: Title, Orientation,
Series of Events, Complication,
Resolution.
Text experiments with structural
narrative features to create a sense of
tension or anticipation in the reader.
Ideas are detailed, well elaborated and
crafted to explore horror genre.
Setting is clearly established and
details selected to create mood and
atmosphere.
Characters are shown through
actions, thoughts and dialogue.
Sustained and consistent use of
precise and effective words.
The response includes a range of
specific descriptive and sensory
details enhance mood and meaning.
The author “shows” character
emotion.
Narrative is consistently engaging for
the reader.
Medium (6-5)
Consistently follows the narrative
structure:
Complication, Resolution.
Considered pacing of plot events
and literary devices phrase to create
a sense of tension or anticipation in
the reader.
Ideas are substantial and clearly
elaborated.
Ideas effectively contribute to a
central storyline and are reflective
of horror genre
Characterisation emerges through
descriptions, actions or speech.
Setting emerges through the
elaboration of time and place
Use of precise words, descriptive
phrases.
Mostly relevant descriptive or
sensory details, may “tell”
character emotion instead of
“showing” the emotion.
Efforts have been made to make the
story interesting and engaging for
the reader
Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021
Low (4-3) Very Low (2-1) Limited/Not
Shown (1-0)
Predominantly follows the Script is less than one Short script of
narrative structure: Title, page in length. approximately
Orientation, Series of Events, Paragraph use is one paragraph
Complication, Resolution. inconsistent.
Organises information into Requires some support
paragraphs. in identifying how and
Paragraphs are grouped where to begin a new
paragraph.
relating to information.
Requires assistance
when grouping together
information for
paragraphs.
Ideas are relevant to horror Ideas are few, not Ideas appear
genre and show some elaborated, simplistic or unrelated to topic
development or elaboration predictable.
All ideas relate coherently to Only names characters
a central storyline. or gives their roles. Only
Brief description of a names the setting
character and/or setting
Some precise words and Mostly simple adjectives, Basic vocabulary,
simple adjectives used to add adverbs and nouns to simple nouns and
detail to story describe. adjectives.
Minimal descriptive or
sensory details have been
used.
Few attempts made to
bring the story to life for the
reader.
 Common Assessment Task (CAT)
Year 8 English 2021

Uses simple and some

vocabulary for effect and

Written Controlled use of sentence structure Sentences (simple, compound and Uses simple and compound Requires
with a variety of lengths and complex) are correct, sentences. Complex compound sentences. significant
Expression Few spelling errors in all simple
use accurate spelling

and and difficult words. Challenging beginnings creating pace and demonstrating some variety in sentences are correct. Some simple words support to
Structure and complex words are used atmosphere. length and structure. Most common and simple spelled correctly. construct basic
and punctuation.
grammar, select

frequently for increasing Spelling is accurate throughout, Simple words are spelled correctly, words used and spelt Some simple sentence sentences.
sophistication of text. attempts to use challenging and some errors may be made with correctly. Reader can still used. Few examples of
Conventions & difficult words to enhance text. more challenging and difficult understand the meaning. conventional
Uses complex punctuation for
Sentence words. All simple punctuation used spelling.
effect. Uses a range of complex punctuation Simple punctuation used
Fluency Traits correctly. Includes some attempts at
for effect. correctly on most occasions.
(10) punctuation for effect.

A+ A B+ B C+ C D+ D E+ E F
90-100% 80–89% 75-79% 70–74% 65-69% 60–64% 55-59% 50–54% 45-49% 40–44% 0-39%

Total After Demonstrated a very high level Demonstrated a high level of Demonstrated a satisfactory level Demonstrated an adequate level Demonstrated a basic level of Unsatisfactory – did not meet the
Deductions
of knowledge and skill in all knowledge and skill in all areas. of knowledge and skill in all areas. of knowledge and skill in all areas. knowledge and skill in all areas. criteria for the award of a result.
/40
areas.