Checkpoint 6 · Paper 2 writing (fiction)

Myths and Legends

How to write an original myth or legend for Paper 2: the difference between the two, the features, a five-stage quest plan, openings and endings, phrases, vocabulary and two strong 250-350 word samples with notes.

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

1. What are myths and legends?

Myths and legends are grand, ancient-feeling stories about heroes, magical beings and fantastic creatures, set in a distant, mysterious past. People told them aloud for hundreds of years before they were written down, so they sound like a storyteller speaking to a crowd: “Long ago, when the world was young…”

	Myth	Legend
Main purpose	To explain how something in the world came to be: why the moon changes shape, why the sea is salty, where rain comes from	To tell the story of a hero and an amazing deed, so that people remember it
Characters	Gods, spirits, the Sun, the Moon, the Wind — and humans who meet them	A human hero or heroine, often helped or challenged by monsters or magic
Setting	The very beginning of the world, or a magical time long ago	A real-sounding place (a mountain pass, a city, a river) long ago
Is it true?	No — it is a story people told to explain nature	It may be based on a real person or place, but the events are exaggerated
Typical ending	…and that is why the moon changes her shape to this very day.	…and travellers still touch the stone lion’s paw for luck.

Purpose: to entertain, to amaze and to explain or teach a truth. Audience: the examiner — and, in the story world, the people who will pass the tale on. Point of view: usually third person, past tense, in a grand storyteller’s voice.

Where it sits in the exam

Any story you write goes in Paper 2 (Fiction), Section B Writing — 25 marks. The paper lasts 1 hour, and about 30 minutes is suggested for the writing.
Myths and legends are not often named in the writing task. But the reading extract in Section A can be a myth or legend, and the writing task can ask you to continue it or to write your own story on a similar theme. Then you must keep the genre’s features.
Themes such as a journey, a brave character, a special place, a difficult challenge or a problem that needs solving can all be written as a legend if you choose.

Myth, legend or fable?

If the task asks for a short story with a clear lesson and talking animals, a fable fits better (see the Fables and Fairytales pack). If it asks for an everyday story that could really happen, write realistic fiction. Choose a myth or legend when the story needs a hero, a quest, a monster or an explanation of something in nature.

How your story is marked (25 marks)

Your writing is marked in five categories. The examiner reads the whole story and chooses the band that fits it best in each category (we explain the bands in our own words below).

Mark category	Marks	What the top band looks like in this genre
Creation of texts	5	A story that fits the task, with a hero who faces a dangerous challenge, magical beings or creatures, a distant mysterious past, and an ending that explains something or leaves a lasting truth.
Vocabulary and language	3	A grand, storyteller’s voice and powerful imagery: exaggeration (a lion as tall as a palm tree), strong verbs (thundered, blazed, vanquished) and words for courage and danger chosen for effect.
Structure of texts (Text structure)	7	A clear five-stage shape: introduction → the call (a disaster or a challenge) → the quest → climax → resolution and explanation. Paragraphs move the journey on · the ending links back to the problem at the start.
Grammar and punctuation (Sentence structure, punctuation & grammar)	7	Varied sentences, including long descriptive ones and very short ones for drama · correct speech punctuation · a range of punctuation used accurately (commas, colon, semicolon, dashes, ellipsis).
Word structure (spelling)	3	Ambitious words spelt correctly (courage, warrior, mysterious, ancient, journey, glittering, terrifying) · no their/there/they’re mistakes.
Total	25	Marked by best fit: the examiner reads the whole story and chooses the band that describes it best in each row.

Rules that can cap your mark

20 words or fewer scores 0.
An answer of 21-60 words can get no more than 7 marks out of 25.
If you write the wrong text type (for example, a diary or a letter when the task asks for a story), Creation of texts can be capped at 1 and Structure of texts at 3 (sometimes 2).
A lovely story that ignores the task or one of its bullet points loses Creation marks. Tick each bullet on your plan.

2. Features of myths and legends

Feature	What it means	Example
Distant, mysterious past	The story happens long, long ago	Long ago, when the world was young and the stars were still learning to shine…
Supernatural beings	Gods, spirits, or the Sun, Moon and Wind as characters	The Moon laughed coldly. “Why should I give away what is mine?”
A hero or heroine	A brave character, often ordinary at first, who faces a great challenge	a small fisher-girl / a thin, quiet shepherd boy
A quest or journey	The hero travels and faces tests on the way	She climbed the Mountain of Winds for three days.
Fantastic creatures	Monsters, giants, enormous animals	a lion with a mane of fire and claws like iron hooks
Exaggeration	Everything is bigger, stronger or more terrible than in real life	Its roar shook stones from the cliffs.
Powerful imagery	Similes, metaphors and personification that make events larger than life	wings like storm clouds / the wind screamed
Wisdom beats strength	The hero often wins by being clever, kind or brave — not just strong	Tarek wins with a question and a song, not a sword.
An explanation or lasting truth	The myth explains nature. The legend leaves a tradition or lesson	And that is why the Moon changes her shape.

Layout features: a title that sounds ancient or explains something (How the Moon Learned to Share / The Legend of the Stone Lion), paragraphs that follow the journey step by step, a new line for each new speaker and a final paragraph that brings the reader back to “today”.

3. How to structure a myth or legend

Plan with G.C.S.P.P. for 3-4 minutes: G myth or legend + what it explains or teaches · C a hero, a magical being or monster, maybe a helper · S a distant past, a mountain, a sea, a desert · P third person, past tense · P the five stages below. Decide on your final explanation FIRST — then the story can lead to it.

Stage	What to write	Example
1. Introduction	The distant past and the hero, often ordinary but special in one way (brave, kind, clever).	In the village lived a fisher-girl called Nour, whose courage was as wide as the ocean.
2. The call	A disaster, a curse, a monster or a command sets the challenge.	Every night the waves swallowed another fishing boat.
3. The quest	The hero travels and meets tests or helpers — often three.	On the first day, icy winds… on the second day, a giant eagle… on the third day…
4. Climax	The great meeting with the god or monster. The hero wins with wisdom, kindness or courage.	“Light that is shared does not grow less. It grows more.”
5. Resolution and explanation	Order returns, the hero is honoured, and the ending explains something or leaves a tradition.	And that is why the Moon changes her shape to this very day.

How to start your myth or legend

The world long ago: Long ago, when the mountains were young and the rivers had not yet found the sea…
Before something existed: In the days before there was rain, the earth was as dry as old bread.
Introduce the hero: There once lived a shepherd boy named Tarek, who was thin and quiet but braver than he knew.
Introduce the danger: No traveller who entered the Valley of Shadows ever came out again — until the year of the great drought.
A storyteller’s voice: Listen, and I will tell you how the desert got its stars.

How to end your myth or legend

Explain something in nature: And that is why, to this very day, the sea tastes of salt.
A lasting tradition: Even now, travellers touch the stone lion’s paw and say good morning as they pass.
The hero remembered: From that day on, the people never forgot the name of the girl who climbed the mountain.
A lasting truth: And so the tale reminds us that true strength lies not in muscle, but in courage and kindness.
A return to the start: The mountains are old now, and the rivers have found the sea — but the story is still told.

Timing: 30 minutes for the writing

Paper 2 (Fiction) lasts 1 hour: Section A Reading (25 marks) and Section B Writing (25 marks). About 30 minutes is suggested for each section. Use your 30 writing minutes like this:

Minutes	What to do
0-4	Read the task twice and underline the key words and bullet points. Plan with G.C.S.P.P. (Genre, Characters, Setting, Point of view, Plot) in the planning space.
4-26	Write the story paragraph by paragraph, following your plan. Many strong answers are about 250-350 words: long enough to develop every stage, short enough to finish and check.
26-30	Check: spelling of ambitious words, full stops and capital letters, speech punctuation, tense (past tense all the way), and that every bullet point is answered.

4. Useful phrases and vocabulary

Openings

Long ago, when the world was still young and [the sky / the sea] was ruled by [being]…
In the time before [people built cities / there was rain]…
There once lived a [hero/heroine] named [name], who was [ordinary detail] but [special quality].

Describing the setting

Beyond the [mountains / desert], [place] stood wrapped in [cloud / shadow].
The land lay [dry / frozen / silent], punished for [reason].
The [forest / mountain] was older than memory, and [detail].

The call and the quest

One terrible [winter / night], [monster / disaster] came to [place].
[Name] set out at [dawn], with only [object] and [object].
On the first day, [test]. On the second day, [test]. On the third day, [arrival].

Climax

The [creature] stood before [him/her], its eyes burning like [coals].
With courage burning in [his/her] heart, [name] [brave action].
At that moment, [name] realised that [wisdom / kindness], not strength, would save [people].

Resolution and explanation

And that is why [natural event] happens to this very day.
From that day forward, the people of [place] never forgot [name].
Even now, [tradition], just in case [reason].

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
ancient	very, very old
legendary	famous and talked about for a very long time
valiant	very brave
quest	a long, difficult journey to find or do something important
formidable	frightening because it is so strong or powerful
mighty	very strong and powerful
sacred	holy, deserving great respect
immortal	living for ever
omen	a sign that something good or bad will happen
prophecy	a message saying what will happen in the future
vanquish	to defeat completely
summon	to call someone or something to come
banish	to send someone away as a punishment
triumphant	feeling or showing great joy after winning
eternal	lasting for ever

5. Strong sample answers

Here are two strong answers: one myth (it explains something in nature) and one legend (it tells of a hero and leaves a tradition). Read the task first, then the story, then the notes. Numbers in brackets are paragraph numbers.

Myth — How the Moon Learned to Share342 words · Strong answer — Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: In the extract you have read, people tell an old story to explain something in nature. Write your own story that explains how something in the natural world came to be. In your story you should: describe the world before the change, introduce a character who sets out to solve a problem and explain how the world changed and why it is still like that today.

Long ago, when the world was young and the stars were still learning to shine, the Moon was always round and full. She hung in the sky like a great silver plate, and she kept every drop of her light for herself.

Below her, the people of the coast suffered. Their fishing boats were lost on the black sea, and every night the waves swallowed another one. The fishermen begged the Moon for light, but she only turned her bright face away.

In one village lived a fisher-girl called Nour, whose father had not come home for seven nights. Nour was small, but her courage was as wide as the ocean. “If the Moon will not listen from far away,” she said, “I will speak to her face to face.”

So she climbed the Mountain of Winds. On the first day, icy winds tried to throw her from the cliffs. On the second day, an eagle with wings like storm clouds blocked her path; Nour shared her last piece of bread with it, and it let her pass. On the third day, she reached the top, where the sky was close enough to touch.

“Great Moon,” she called, “my father is lost at sea. Give us a little of your light.”

The Moon laughed coldly. “Why should I give away what is mine?”

“Because light that is shared does not grow less,” said Nour. “It grows more.”

The Moon was silent for a long time. Then, slowly, she tipped her silver face and poured a river of light onto the sea. At once, the waves glittered… and far away, a small boat turned towards home.

From that night, the Moon kept her promise. Each month, she pours her light into the sea, bit by bit, until her face is thin and dark. Then the sea returns the light to her, night by night, until she is full again.

And that is why the Moon changes her shape — and why fishermen still whisper Nour’s name when they sail out under a full moon.

Why this gets the marks

Creation of texts 5/5 — all three bullet points are answered: the world before the change (paragraphs 1-2) · a character who sets out to solve the problem (3-7) · how the world changed and why it is still like that (8-10). It is clearly a myth: a supernatural being (the Moon) who speaks and acts like a person, a brave heroine, a quest, and an ending that explains something real in nature (the phases of the moon).
Myth features — distant past (“when the world was young and the stars were still learning to shine”) · personification of the Moon (she laughs, refuses, keeps a promise) · a quest with the rule of three (three days, three tests) · a magical creature (the giant eagle) · wisdom and kindness beat power (Nour wins with words and with sharing her bread, not with force) · an explanation that brings the reader to “today”.
The heroine — Nour is ordinary (“small”) but special in one way: “her courage was as wide as the ocean”. Her kindness to the eagle in the quest prepares the reader for the lesson she teaches the Moon.
Vocabulary 3/3 — grand, precise words for a storyteller’s voice: suffered, swallowed, begged, glittered, tipped, whisper. Imagery and exaggeration: simile “like a great silver plate”, simile “wings like storm clouds”, hyperbole “courage was as wide as the ocean”, metaphor “a river of light”, personification “the waves swallowed another one”, the contrast between the “black sea” and the glittering waves.
Structure 7/7 — the five stages: introduction (1) → the call: the boats lost at sea (2) → the heroine and her decision (3) → the quest, with three tests (4) → climax: the conversation with the Moon, in short paragraphs for drama (5-7) → resolution (8) → explanation (9-10). The ending answers the problem from the start: the Moon that kept all her light now shares it.
Grammar & punctuation 7/7 — varied sentences: long descriptive sentences for the setting, short ones for drama (“The Moon laughed coldly.”), complex sentences with relative clauses (“a fisher-girl called Nour, whose father had not come home…”). The present tense is used correctly in paragraph 9 because the explanation is still true today. Punctuation as taught: a semicolon joining two related sentences (“blocked her path; Nour shared her last piece of bread with it…”) · an ellipsis for a suspense pause (“the waves glittered… and far away”) · a single dash for emphasis (“— and why fishermen still whisper Nour’s name”) · speech split and punctuated correctly on new lines · apostrophe for possession (Nour’s).
Spelling 3/3 — ambitious words correct: suffered, swallowed, courage, ocean, glittered, whisper, promise.

Legend — The Legend of the Stone Lion332 words · Strong answer — Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: Write a story about a character who must be brave to save other people. In your story you should: describe the place and the danger the people face, introduce the character and explain why nobody expects them to succeed, and show how the character faces the danger and how they are remembered.

Long ago, high in the mountains of the south, a narrow pass joined two green valleys. Through it, merchants carried salt, cloth and dates, and the villages on both sides grew rich.

Then, one terrible winter, a monster came to the pass. It was a lion as tall as a palm tree, with a mane of fire and claws like iron hooks. Its roar shook stones from the cliffs. The strongest warriors — first ten, then fifty, then a hundred — climbed up to fight it. Not one returned.

In the village of Wadi Saba lived a shepherd boy named Tarek. He was not strong; he was thin and quiet, and the other boys laughed at him because he spent his evenings listening to the old storytellers. But Tarek had learned something from them: every monster has a secret.

One cold dawn, he took his flute and a skin of water and climbed to the pass. The wind screamed. Broken swords lay scattered across the rocks. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him…

The lion stood before him, its eyes burning like coals. “Why have you come, little shepherd?” it growled.

“I have not come to fight,” said Tarek. “I have come to ask why you are so angry.”

The lion was so surprised that it lowered its paw. No one had ever asked it a question. “Because I am alone,” it said at last. “This mountain was my home long before your roads.”

Tarek sat down on a rock and began to play. He played the songs of the valleys, the songs of the harvest and the songs his mother sang. As he played, the fire in the lion’s mane grew dim, and its great body grew still and grey, until it had become peaceful stone.

Tarek walked home a hero, and the pass was opened again. Today, the stone lion still sits above the road, and every traveller who passes touches its paw and says good morning — just in case it is listening.

Why this gets the marks

Creation of texts 5/5 — all three bullet points are answered: the place and the danger (paragraphs 1-2) · the character and why nobody expects him to succeed (3) · how he faces the danger and how he is remembered (4-9). It is clearly a legend: a real-sounding place (a mountain pass, the village of Wadi Saba), a human hero, a fantastic creature, exaggerated events, and a tradition that lasts “today”.
Legend features — distant past (“Long ago, high in the mountains”) · a formidable creature with exaggerated details (“as tall as a palm tree”, “a mane of fire”, a roar that “shook stones from the cliffs”) · an unlikely hero (thin, quiet, laughed at) · wisdom beats strength (the warriors fail with swords, Tarek wins with a question and a song) · the rule of three (ten, fifty, a hundred warriors, and three kinds of songs) · a lasting tradition at the end (touching the lion’s paw).
The hero — Tarek is shown by what others think of him (the boys laugh at him), by his habit (listening to storytellers) and by his calm, surprising words to the lion. His strength is his wisdom, which the story prepares in paragraph 3 (“every monster has a secret”).
Vocabulary 3/3 — powerful, precise words: terrible, warriors, scattered, screamed, growled, dim, peaceful. Imagery: similes “claws like iron hooks” and “eyes burning like coals”, metaphor “a mane of fire”, personification “the wind screamed”, and the contrast between the fire of the lion’s mane and the “still and grey” stone at the end.
Structure 7/7 — the five stages: introduction to the place (1) → the call: the monster and the failed warriors (2) → the unlikely hero (3) → the quest, ending on a cliffhanger (4) → climax: the meeting and the song (5-8) → resolution and lasting tradition (9). Short paragraphs of speech slow the story down at the most important moment · the ending links back to the merchants and the pass from paragraph 1.
Grammar & punctuation 7/7 — varied sentences: very short for drama (“Not one returned.” “The wind screamed.”), compound, and complex (“As he played, the fire in the lion’s mane grew dim…”). Punctuation as taught: a pair of dashes for extra information (“— first ten, then fifty, then a hundred —”) · a semicolon joining two related sentences (“He was not strong; he was thin and quiet…”) · a colon for an explanation (“something from them: every monster has a secret”) · an ellipsis for suspense (“a shadow fell over him…”) · a single dash for emphasis (“— just in case it is listening”) · commas in lists (“salt, cloth and dates”) · speech punctuated correctly on new lines.
Spelling 3/3 — ambitious words correct: merchants, terrible, warriors, scattered, surprised, harvest, peaceful, traveller (British spelling with double l).

6. Common mistakes and final checklist

Common mistake	Why it loses marks	Fix
Retelling a famous myth (Hercules, Perseus) instead of inventing your own	The examiner wants YOUR ideas; Creation marks drop	Use the features, but invent a new hero, creature, place and explanation.
A hero who wins only by fighting	The story is flat, and it misses the genre’s usual lesson	Let the hero win with wisdom, kindness or a clever trick.
Too much fighting, not enough description	Vocabulary and imagery marks stay low	Spend words on the setting, the creature and the hero’s courage.
Forgetting the explanation or the lasting tradition	It does not feel like a myth or legend	Plan the last line first: “And that is why…” / “Even today…”
Modern details: phones, cars, aeroplanes	It breaks the ancient feeling	Keep to mountains, deserts, seas, villages and palaces.
The quest is rushed in one sentence	The middle of the story is thin	Use three tests or three stages of the journey.
Mixing tenses	Grammar & punctuation marks	Tell the story in the past tense; use the present tense only for the final explanation that is still true today.

Checklist before you hand in

My story answers the task and every bullet point.
It is set in a distant, mysterious past with a grand storyteller’s voice.
I have a hero or heroine who faces a great challenge, and a magical being or fantastic creature.
The quest has stages or tests (often three).
The hero wins with wisdom, kindness or courage, not only strength.
I used exaggeration and powerful imagery (similes, metaphors, personification).
My ending explains something in nature or leaves a lasting tradition or truth.
Speech is on new lines with correct punctuation · I used a colon, a semicolon, a dash or an ellipsis correctly.

كيف تكتب myth أو legend وتحصل على الدرجة النهائية؟

الـ myth تشرح شيئًا في الطبيعة (لماذا يتغير شكل القمر؟ لماذا البحر مالح؟). أما الـ legend فتحكي عن بطل وعمل عظيم ما زال الناس يتذكرونه.
حدّد الجملة الأخيرة أولًا: "And that is why…" أو "Even today…"، ثم خطّط القصة لتصل إليها.
اجعل البطل ينتصر بالحكمة أو الطيبة أو الشجاعة، لا بالقوة وحدها.
استخدم المبالغة (exaggeration) والتشبيهات القوية لتبدو الأحداث أكبر من الحياة العادية.
لا تُعِد كتابة قصة مشهورة مثل هرقل، بل اخترع بطلًا ومكانًا ومخلوقًا جديدًا.

Practice tasks

Practice task 1: Write a myth that explains why the sea is salty. In your story you should: describe the sea before the change, introduce a character whose actions cause the change and explain why the sea is still salty today. Write a short G.C.S.P.P. plan.
Show answer
G: myth — explains why the sea is salty. C: the Sea (personified, sweet and proud of her fresh water) · a greedy giant who wants all the salt in the world · a brave young salt-trader, Karim, who outwits him. S: the beginning of the world · a sweet blue sea and a mountain of salt. P: third person, past tense · present tense for the final explanation. Plot — 1 Long ago, the sea was sweet as honey · 2 the call: the giant steals all the salt and the people’s food rots · 3 Karim sets out across the sea · 4 three tests (storm, whirlpool, the giant’s riddle) · 5 climax: Karim tricks the giant into carrying the salt across the sea, and the sack bursts · 6 explanation: “And that is why the sea is salty to this very day — and why sailors still taste it on their lips.”
Is each story idea a MYTH or a LEGEND? (a) how the first rainbow appeared (b) a girl who saved her city from a flood by building a wall in one night (c) why owls only come out at night (d) a king who fought a giant snake to protect his people.
Show answer
(a) myth — it explains nature. (b) legend — a human hero’s amazing deed. (c) myth — it explains nature. (d) legend — a hero and a monster, remembered by a people.
Make this sentence larger than life with exaggeration and a simile: “The giant was big and loud.”
Show answer
Example: The giant was taller than the tallest tower, and when he laughed, his voice rolled across the valley like thunder and cracked the windows of every house.
Write two different final sentences for a myth about why the desert has so many stars at night.
Show answer
Examples: (1) And that is why, to this very day, the desert sky is crowded with stars — one for every grain of sand the travellers crossed. (2) Even now, desert travellers look up at night and count the stars, because each one is a lantern lit to guide them home.
Find the punctuation in this sentence and say why it is used: “The warriors — strong, proud and fearless — climbed towards the cave; none of them came back.”
Show answer
Pair of dashes: to add extra information about the warriors. Semicolon: to join two related independent clauses (the warriors climbed / none came back).

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction