Checkpoint 6 · Paper 1 writing (non-fiction)

Biography

How to write the life story of another person for Paper 1: features, the teacher's sub-heading structure, formal phrases, vocabulary, a strong sample and a practice task.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 6 English (Cambridge Primary 0058)

1. What is a biography?

A biography is a true account of someone else's life, written by another person. It tells the reader the important facts: when and where the person was born, their childhood and family, their education, their work, their achievements and why they are remembered. The purpose of a biography is mainly to inform, but a good one also shows why the person is worth admiring.

Question	Answer
Purpose	To inform readers about another person's life (and often to show why we should admire them).
Audience	Readers who want to learn about the person: a school booklet, a class display, a website, a magazine.
Voice	Third person: he, she, they, his, her. Never 'I' (except inside a quotation).
Tone	Formal, clear and respectful.
Where in the exam	Paper 1 (Non-fiction), Section B Writing, 25 marks, about 30 minutes. A biography can be asked for directly ('Write a biography of…'), or as a profile of a person for a booklet, website or competition. It is also a common text in the reading section.

	Biography	Autobiography
Who is it about?	Someone else	The writer
Person	Third person (he/she)	First person (I)
Tone	Formal	Personal, can be semi-formal
Focus	Facts, dates, achievements, legacy	Memories, feelings, reflection
Example opening	Hassan Abdelrahman was born in 1955…	I was born on a rainy morning in 2015…

What earns marks in a biography

Criterion	Marks	What a top answer looks like in a biography
Creation of texts	5	Every bullet or stage of life covered with real detail (dates, places, events). Third person and formal tone throughout. The reader understands why the person matters.
Vocabulary and language	3	Precise, formal words (renowned, determined, established, inspired, legacy) instead of 'good' and 'famous' again and again.
Structure of texts	7	A title, an opening statement, sub-headings in time order, time connectives and a closing statement with a quotation.
Grammar and punctuation	7	Past tense used accurately (present for people still alive today). Some passive sentences. Formal connectives (however, furthermore). Correct punctuation of dates and quotations.
Word structure (spelling)	3	Names, places and ambitious words spelt correctly and consistently.

2. Features of a biography

Feature	Example
Title with the person's name	Hassan Abdelrahman: The Teacher Who Built a Library
Opening statement: who and why famous	…the retired teacher who turned an empty cupboard into a village library.
Third-person perspective	He was the eldest of six children.
Chronological order with dates	born on 3 May 1955 · In 1978, … · By 1990, …
Time connectives	After finishing primary school, … · Later, … · At first, … · Soon, …
Past tense (present for today)	He studied… / Today, he still visits…
Formal language and advanced connectives	However, … · Furthermore, … · Moreover, … · As a result, …
Passive voice	The library was extended by the local council.
Sub-headings	Childhood and Early Life · Education · Work · Achievements
Direct and reported quotations	As he often says, 'A book is a door.' / His pupils say that he never gave up on anyone.
Facts and numbers	more than three thousand books
Closing statement: legacy	He will always be remembered as…

Formal connectives: replace the simple ones

and → Furthermore, / In addition, / Moreover,
but → However, / Although…, …
so → As a result, / Therefore,
then → Later, / Soon afterwards, / After some time,

3. How to structure a biography

This is the teacher's structure: an opening statement, four sub-headed sections in time order, and a closing statement. If the task gives you bullet points, match each bullet to a section.

Part	What to write	Tips
Title	The person's name + what they are known for	'Name: The [Job] Who [Achievement]' works well.
Opening statement	Introduce the person and say why they are famous or admired	Two or three sentences. Answer: who, what for, why should I read on?
Sub-heading 1: Childhood and Early Life	Date and place of birth, family background, early interests, any challenges	Give one detail that hints at the future (for example, a love of books).
Sub-heading 2: Education	Schools, university, important teachers, skills learned	Show effort and determination.
Sub-heading 3: Work	Jobs and roles, a problem they noticed, what they did about it	Use time connectives and one or two dates.
Sub-heading 4: Achievements	Awards, things they built or started, people they helped	Use numbers and the passive voice ('was awarded', 'was opened').
Closing statement	Why they will always be remembered + a famous quotation (direct or reported)	End on the quotation or on their legacy.

Real or invented person?

If the task lets you choose a person you know (a grandparent, a coach, a neighbour), you can make up realistic details. If you choose a famous person, only write facts you are sure of. A wrong date or a wrong prize will not win marks. When unsure, write 'In the early years of his career…' instead of a precise date.

4. Useful phrases and sentence starters

How to start (opening statements)

[Name] is one of the most admired [job] in [place], famous for…
Born in [year] in [place], [Name] became known for…
From humble beginnings, [Name] rose to become…
Few people have changed [place/field] as much as [Name].
[Name] is best known for…, but the story of how it happened began many years earlier.

Childhood and early life

[Name] was born on [date] in…
Growing up in…, [he/she] was surrounded by…
Born to a family of…, [he/she] developed an early interest in…
Although the family had very little money, …

Education

[He/She] attended…, where…
At university, [he/she] studied…
It was during this time that [his/her] love of… grew stronger.

Work and achievements

In [year], [he/she] began working as…
Soon, [he/she] noticed a serious problem:…
[His/Her] greatest achievement came when…
In [year], [he/she] was awarded…
By [year], [he/she] had…

How to end (closing statements)

[Name] will always be remembered as…
[His/Her] legacy lives on in…
[Name]'s life shows that…
As [he/she] once said, '…'
Today, thanks to [Name], …

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
renowned (adj.)	famous and admired: a renowned surgeon
admired (adj.)	respected and liked by many people
pioneering (adj.)	one of the first to do something new
determined (adj.)	refusing to give up
devoted (adj.)	giving a lot of time and love to something
tireless (adj.)	working hard without stopping
humble beginnings (phr.)	starting life with very little money or importance
establish (v.)	to start something that lasts: She established a free clinic.
dedicate (v.)	to give your time and effort to something: He dedicated his life to teaching.
overcome (v.)	to succeed in dealing with a difficulty
inspire (v.)	to make others want to do something great
achievement (n.)	something done successfully after effort
award (n./v.)	a prize: He was awarded a medal.
hardship (n.)	a very difficult time
legacy (n.)	what someone leaves behind for the future

5. Strong sample

Sample: 'Hassan Abdelrahman: The Teacher Who Built a Library'311 words · Strong answer: Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: Your school is making a booklet called 'Heroes Near Us' about people in your community who have made a difference. Write a biography of a person you admire. Think about: • their childhood and family • their education • their work • their achievements and why they will be remembered.

Hassan Abdelrahman: The Teacher Who Built a Library

Hassan Abdelrahman is a retired teacher who turned an empty cupboard into the first library in his village. He is admired by hundreds of families, and many of his former pupils say that he changed their lives.

Childhood and Early Life

Hassan was born on 3 May 1955 in a small farming village in Beheira, Egypt. He was the eldest of six children, and his father grew cotton and rice. Although the family had very little money, his mother believed that education was the key to a better life. Every evening, by the light of an oil lamp, she listened to him read aloud.

Education

After finishing primary school at the top of his class, Hassan walked five kilometres each day to reach the nearest secondary school. Later, he won a place at Alexandria University, where he studied Arabic literature. During those years, he worked in a bookshop at weekends; this was where his love of books grew even stronger.

Work

In 1978, Hassan returned to his village as a teacher. He soon noticed a serious problem: his pupils had no books at home. As a result, he collected old books from friends, neighbours and shops in Alexandria. At first, they were kept in a single cupboard in his classroom.

Achievements

By 1990, the cupboard had become a real library with more than three thousand books. The building was later extended by the local council, and a reading club for children was started. In 2010, Hassan was given an award for his service to education. Furthermore, many of his former pupils have become teachers, doctors and engineers.

Hassan Abdelrahman will always be remembered as the man who brought books to children who had none. As he often tells young visitors, 'A book is a door. All you have to do is open it.'

Why this gets the marks

Word count: the figure counts the whole piece, including the title and the four sub-headings.
Creation of texts 5/5: all four bullets are covered in their own sections: childhood and family (Childhood and Early Life), education (Education), work (Work), achievements and why he will be remembered (Achievements + closing statement). The task allowed a person from the community, so realistic invented details are fine. Third person and a formal, respectful tone are kept throughout.
Text-type features: title with name and achievement, opening statement saying why he is admired, sub-headings in time order, dates (1955, 1978, 1990, 2010), facts and numbers (six children, five kilometres, three thousand books), a reported quotation (pupils 'say that he changed their lives') and a direct quotation at the end.
Vocabulary and language 3/3: formal, precise words ('admired', 'retired', 'extended', 'service to education', 'former pupils') · a strong image ('by the light of an oil lamp') and a metaphor in the final quotation ('A book is a door').
Structure of texts 7/7: opening statement → childhood → education → work → achievements → closing statement. Time connectives guide the reader ('After finishing…', 'Later', 'During those years', 'In 1978', 'At first', 'By 1990'). The ending returns to the opening idea of books for children who had none.
Grammar and punctuation 7/7: past tense for his life, present tense for today ('is admired', 'often tells') · passive voice ('is admired by', 'were kept', 'was later extended', 'was started', 'was given') · formal connectives ('Although', 'As a result', 'Furthermore') · a colon to explain the problem · a semicolon joining two closely related sentences (Education) · commas in a list and after fronted adverbials · dates written correctly · quotation punctuated correctly.
Word structure (spelling) 3/3: 'kilometres' (British spelling), 'literature', 'neighbours', 'engineers', 'secondary', 'education' all correct.

6. Common mistakes

Switching to 'I' halfway through ('I think he is amazing'). Keep to the third person. Show admiration through facts and strong words instead.
Telling the events out of order. A biography must follow time order.
No dates or numbers at all, so it sounds like a story, not a factual text.
Using informal language ('He was super cool and got loads of prizes').
Only 'and', 'but' and 'then' as connectives. Use furthermore, however, as a result, later.
Forgetting the opening statement and jumping straight to 'He was born…'.
No closing statement or quotation, so the piece just stops.
Writing invented 'facts' about a famous person. Choose someone you know well, or someone you can describe accurately.

Biography checklist

Title with the person's name and what they are known for.
Opening statement: who they are and why they matter.
Four sub-headings in time order: childhood, education, work, achievements.
Third person and formal tone all the way through.
Dates, places and numbers in every section.
Formal connectives and at least two passive sentences.
A quotation (direct or reported).
Closing statement about their legacy.

أسرار الدرجة النهائية في السيرة الغيرية (Biography)

اكتب عن شخص آخر بضمير الغائب (he / she) ولا تستخدم I أبداً. رتّب حياته حسب الزمن: البداية (من هو ولماذا هو مشهور) ثم الطفولة، ثم التعليم، ثم العمل، ثم الإنجازات، ثم الخاتمة باقتباس. استخدم تواريخ وأرقاماً، وكلمات رسمية مثل However و Furthermore، وجملاً بالمبني للمجهول مثل was awarded. وإذا اخترت شخصاً مشهوراً فلا تكتب معلومة لست متأكداً منها.

Timing (30 minutes)	Task
5 min	G.A.A.P. + plan: title, opening line, four sub-headings with 2–3 facts each, closing quotation
3 min	Opening statement
15 min	Four sections (about 4 minutes each)
2 min	Closing statement + quotation
5 min	Check third person, tenses, dates, spelling of names

Practice task

Practice: "A website for young readers is collecting biographies of people who help others. Write a biography of a person you know who helps others, for example a doctor, a coach, a teacher or a volunteer. Consider: • their early life • how they started helping others • a difficult moment they faced • what they have achieved." Write a short plan.
Show answer
G.A.A.P.: biography (title, third person, sub-headings, dates, quotation) · audience = young readers online → formal but clear · 'Consider' → use at least 3 points, use all 4 · purpose = inform + show admiration. Title: 'Coach Tarek: The Man Who Opened the Pitch to Everyone'. Opening: a football coach who trains 200 children for free every Friday. Early Life: born 1980 in Giza, played in the street with a plastic ball, family could not pay for a club. How it started: 2005, saw children with nowhere to play, cleaned an empty piece of land. Difficult moment: 2012, the land was going to be sold → he campaigned and neighbours signed a letter. Achievements: pitch officially opened in 2015, three players now in junior teams, he was awarded a local prize. Closing: legacy + quotation: 'Every child deserves a place to play.'
Rewrite in the style of a biography: "I think my uncle is great. He went to uni and then he got a job and he helped loads of people."
Show answer
"Ahmed Mostafa is a respected engineer from Tanta. After studying engineering at Cairo University, he began working for a water company in 2006. Furthermore, he has helped hundreds of families by designing clean-water pumps for villages." (third person, formal, facts, a formal connective)

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction