6.1 Part 7 Picture Story

6.1 Part 7 Picture Story

Quick Answer: In Writing Part 7 you see three pictures and write a short story of at least 35 words. Link the pictures in order so the story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Part 7 is worth up to 15 marks (Content, Organisation, and Language, each 0–5).

Writing Part 7 is the second writing task in the Reading & Writing paper. Part 6 is a guided email or note. Part 7 is a picture story. Both writing parts sit inside the same 60-minute paper with Reading Parts 1–5, so you must leave enough time for this short narrative. Many candidates who finish Reading slowly write a rushed three-sentence story that misses a picture—or write a long creative tale that never matches the images. Neither approach scores well. This section teaches the exact task, a reliable method, original model stories, and exam-day traps.

What the task looks like

You receive:

1. A short instruction such as: Look at the three pictures. Write the story shown in the pictures. Write 35 words or more.
2. Three pictures arranged in sequence (usually left to right, or top to bottom).
3. Space (paper) or a text box (digital) for your story.

There is no title to invent as a scored element, no bullet-point content list like Part 6, and no options to choose. The pictures are your content points. Every picture must appear in the story as a clear stage of the same event.

How Part 7 differs from Part 6

Part 7 rewards storytelling, not formal letter style. You still need control of simple grammar and vocabulary at A2, but the communicative job is to tell what happened.

The 35-word minimum

Cambridge states a 35-word minimum for the Part 7 story. Treat 35 as a floor, not a target. A safe exam range for most A2 candidates is about 40–60 words:

• Under 35 words: high risk of incomplete content and thin organisation even if the idea is correct.
• 40–55 words: enough room for three stages, a connector or two, and a simple ending.
• 70+ words: possible if accurate, but extra length often adds errors, runs out of paper time, or adds irrelevant detail that does not match the pictures.

Count words in practice until you can estimate length by eye. On exam day, do not spend two minutes counting every word if you already know your three-stage story is full sentences.

Reading the three pictures: beginning, middle, end

The pictures are always meant to form one story in order. Do not rearrange them. Do not write three unconnected captions.

How to “read” a picture at A2

For each image, ask four quick questions:

1. Who is in the picture? (names you invent are fine if consistent)
2. Where are they? (park, kitchen, bus stop, school, shop)
3. What are they doing? (use clear verbs: ran, bought, dropped, helped)
4. How do they feel if it is obvious? (happy, surprised, wet, tired)—optional but useful

Write only what the pictures support. If Picture 2 shows rain, do not invent a birthday party with no link. Small inventions that connect the sequence are fine (a name, a reason, a short line of speech). Large inventions that replace the sequence are not.

A practical 8-minute method

Inside the 60-minute Reading & Writing paper, many teachers reserve about 20–25 minutes for both writing parts. A workable split is 10–12 minutes for Part 6 and 8–10 minutes for Part 7, with a final check. For Part 7 alone:

1. 30–60 seconds — Scan all three pictures. Confirm the order and the main event.
2. 30–60 seconds — Name people and decide tenses. Usually past simple for completed story events.
3. 5–7 minutes — Write. Three short stages; use sequence words (First, Then, After that, Finally).
4. 1 minute — Check. Did you cover all three pictures? Is the story ≥35 words? Any missing past endings (walked, saw, bought)?

Planning notes (mental or tiny scribbles)

You do not need a long plan. One line is enough:

• Pic1: Mia at bus stop → bus leaves
• Pic2: starts raining → no umbrella
• Pic3: friend arrives by car → Mia happy

Then expand each line into one or two full sentences.

Original model story 1: The missed bus

Pictures (described for practice): (1) A girl at a bus stop waves as a bus drives away. (2) It rains hard; she looks wet and unhappy. (3) A car stops; a friend opens the door and smiles.

Model answer (52 words):

First, Mia waited at the bus stop, but the bus left without her. Then it started to rain and she got very wet because she had no umbrella. Finally, her friend Tom stopped his car and took her home. Mia was happy and said, “Thank you!”

Why this works:

• Picture 1 → missed bus
• Picture 2 → rain and problem
• Picture 3 → rescue and happy ending
• Clear sequence words; past simple throughout; over 35 words; simple dialogue optional but natural

Original model story 2: The shopping bag

Pictures: (1) A boy in a supermarket puts fruit in a basket. (2) Outside, the bag breaks and apples fall on the ground. (3) An older woman helps him pick them up; both smile.

Model answer (48 words):

Last Saturday, Leo went to the supermarket and bought some apples. When he left the shop, his bag broke and the apples fell on the street. Then a kind woman helped him pick them up. Leo thanked her and they both smiled.

Why this works: time phrase (Last Saturday), three stages, problem–help–result, no picture left out.

Original model story 3: The football match

Pictures: (1) Two friends put on football boots in a park. (2) One player kicks the ball toward the goal. (3) The ball goes in; both friends jump and cheer.

Model answer (45 words):

Yesterday Sam and Alex played football in the park. First they put on their boots and started the game. Then Sam kicked the ball hard toward the goal. Finally the ball went in and they both cheered. It was a great afternoon!

What “linking the pictures” really means

Linking is more than listing three actions. Your reader should feel one continuous event:

• Same characters across all three stages (unless a new person clearly appears in a later picture).
• Logical cause and effect where the pictures suggest it (bag breaks → fruit falls → someone helps).
• Connectors so the order is explicit (Then, After that, Suddenly, Finally).
• An ending that matches Picture 3, not a new story that starts after you finished describing Picture 1 only.

Weak vs strong openings

Do not write “In the first picture…” in the exam story unless you are truly stuck; native-style narrative sounds more natural and usually organises better: First… Then… Finally…

Content coverage checklist (before you stop writing)

Ask yourself:

1. Can a reader who cannot see the pictures still understand the main event?
2. Is each picture represented by at least one clear action or fact?
3. Are the events in the same order as the pictures?
4. Does the last sentence feel like an end, not a sudden stop mid-action?
5. Is the text 35+ words of real sentences (not a word list)?

If you answer “no” to any of these, add one sentence—do not start a completely new story.

Common Part 7 traps

1. Caption style: Girl. Bus. Rain. Car. — not a story; Organisation and Language collapse.
2. Wrong order: Ending first, then the problem — confuses the reader.
3. Missing middle picture: Beginning and happy ending with no link — Content falls.
4. Present tense only when past is natural: She waits… it rains… can work if consistent, but most stories of completed events are clearer in past simple. Mixing randomly (She waited… then it rains…) hurts Language.
5. Ignoring obvious objects: If Picture 2 clearly shows a broken bag, do not write only about sunny weather.
6. Copying Part 6 email style: Dear friend, How are you? is the wrong genre for Part 7.
7. Over-long fantasy: Dragons and time travel when pictures show a bus stop — Content suffers because the reader is not informed about the pictures.
8. Leaving Part 7 blank after a slow Reading paper: Zero marks on 15 available writing marks is an expensive time-management error.

Paper vs digital notes

• Paper-based: Write clearly; crossed-out words are fine if still readable. Do not waste time decorating.
• Digital: Type full sentences; use the on-screen word area; re-read for missing past endings and repeated words.
• In both modes, the assessment criteria are the same.

How Part 7 fits the paper marks

Remember the balance inside Reading & Writing:

• Reading Parts 1–5: 30 marks
• Writing Part 6: up to 15 marks
• Writing Part 7: up to 15 marks

Part 7 is not a tiny “extra.” A strong picture story can protect your Writing skill score even if Part 6 is only average—and the reverse is also true. Practise both.

Mini practice routine (home study)

1. Find or sketch three simple sequential images (lost bag, rainy walk, kitchen accident, sports win).
2. Spend one minute planning names and verbs.
3. Write one story in 8 minutes.
4. Check against the five-point content checklist above.
5. Rewrite once using better sequence words (next section of this chapter).

Exam-day confidence line

If you freeze, use this skeleton and fill it from the pictures:

Yesterday, [name] [verb] [place]. First, [Picture 1 action]. Then, [Picture 2 action]. Finally, [Picture 3 action]. [Name] was [feeling].

That skeleton alone, completed with real picture detail, usually clears 35 words and covers beginning–middle–end. Expand it with one extra detail if you still have time.

Master the picture-story job first: three images, one ordered narrative, 35+ words, clear end. The next section builds the language tools—past tenses, sequence words, time phrases, and light dialogue—that make the story sound connected and A2-ready.