English LanguageICSE Class 9 · Chapter 1

ICSE Class 9 English Composition: Types, Planning and Model Answers

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Question 1 of ICSE English Paper 1 asks for one composition of about 300-350 words from a choice of topics. In Class IX your school sets the paper, but the syllabus is the same as Class X: story, personal account, argument, description or picture topic. Choose the type you can develop, plan quickly, write in paragraphs and finish strongly.

What Composition is about

Composition is Question 1 of English Paper 1 (English Language). The CISCE syllabus for Classes IX and X says candidates write 'a composition of about 300-350 words from a choice of subjects' that tests whether they can 'organise, describe, narrate, report, explain, persuade or argue', 'compare and contrast ideas and arrive at conclusions' and 'use correct style and format'. Topics 'may be suggested by language or by other stimuli such as pictures' and are chosen so that you can 'draw on first-hand experience' or use your imagination.

In Class IX the final examination is set and marked by your school, not by CISCE. Most schools copy the board layout (CISCE's 2027 specimen paper gives Question 1 20 marks with a choice of five topics and advises not more than 30 minutes), so Class IX is the year to build the habit.

The five usual types are:
1. Narrative: an original story, often with a given opening or ending line.
2. Personal account: a real experience told in the first person.
3. Argumentative: for or against a statement, with a clear stand.
4. Descriptive: a place, person, scene or event described through the senses.
5. Picture composition: a story, description or account suggested by a picture, with a clear link to it.

The syllabus also says that 'organisation of subject matter, syntax, punctuation, correctness of grammatical constructions and spelling' are judged. In plain words: what you say, how you arrange it and how correctly you say it all carry marks.

Weightage: Question 1: one composition of about 300-350 words. In the board pattern (CISCE 2027 specimen) it carries 20 of the 80 marks of Paper 1, about 30 minutes. Class IX papers are set by schools, which usually follow this layout.Source: CISCE ICSE 2028 English syllabus (Paper 1, Question 1); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper, English Paper 1

Key concepts

Choosing the right topic in two minutes: Read every topic and every part of each topic. Choose the one for which you can (a) list at least four ideas at once and (b) answer every part of the instruction. A topic such as 'Describe a crowded railway platform. What did you see, hear and feel?' has three parts; a composition that only describes what you saw answers one third of it. Avoid a topic just because it looks easy; the 'easy' topic often leads to a flat, ordinary essay.; Worked example
Underline the parts of this topic: 'Write a story in which a misunderstanding between two friends is cleared up by an unexpected visitor.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
It must be a story (narrative, past tense).
There must be two friends and a misunderstanding.
It must be cleared up.
The clearing-up must come from an unexpected visitor.
Answer: Four elements: story form; two friends; a misunderstanding; resolution through an unexpected visitor. Leaving out the visitor means a part of the topic is not answered.
The five-minute plan: Spend about five minutes on a rough plan in the margin. A good plan has five or six paragraph headings: an opening, three or four body points, and an ending. For an argument, write your stand at the top and give each paragraph one reason. For a story, note the setting, problem, rising tension, turning point and ending. The plan stops you from repeating yourself and from running out of ideas at 200 words.; Worked example
Plan an argumentative composition on: 'Homework should be banned for students of Class IX.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Decide the stand: against the motion (homework should not be banned).
Reason 1: practice fixes learning, as in Mathematics.
Reason 2: it builds self-discipline and time management.
Reason 3: it shows teachers where a pupil needs help.
Concession: too much homework is harmful, so quantity should be limited.
Ending: restate the stand with a balanced suggestion.
Answer: Paragraphs: (1) clear stand against a ban; (2) practice; (3) self-discipline; (4) feedback to teachers; (5) concession: limit, do not ban; (6) conclusion restating the stand.
Narrative: show, do not just tell: A story needs a conflict and a turning point. Begin close to the action, not with 'One day I woke up and brushed my teeth'. Use a few lines of dialogue (correctly punctuated), concrete details (a dripping umbrella, a flickering tube light) and one emotion that changes. Keep to the past tense unless you have a clear reason not to. End with an outcome, not a dream ('and then I woke up'), which in our experience reads as a weak, borrowed ending.; Worked example
Improve the opening: 'It was a normal day. I went to school. Nothing special happened until lunch.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Start at the moment something changes.
Add a sense detail.
Hint at the conflict.
Answer: 'The lunch bell had barely stopped ringing when Riya slammed her tiffin box on my desk and hissed, "You told everyone, didn't you?"'
Personal account and description: A personal account is true-sounding, in the first person, with reflection: what happened, how you felt and what you learnt. A description is built through the five senses and an organising order: near to far, morning to evening, or outside to inside. Both need specific nouns ('a tin of mustard oil', 'a rusted bicycle bell') rather than general words ('things', 'stuff').; Worked example
Give a sense-based plan for: 'Describe a vegetable market on a Sunday morning.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Order: entrance, inner lanes, exit (space order).
Sight: heaps of green chillies, tomatoes polished with a cloth.
Sound: weighing scales clinking, vendors calling prices.
Smell: coriander, wet earth, frying pakoras at the corner stall.
Feeling: the rush, the bargaining, a sense of community.
Answer: Five paragraphs following the walk through the market, each with at least two senses, ending with your feeling as you leave.
Argumentative: one clear stand: Say in the first paragraph whether you are for or against. Each body paragraph gives one reason with an example (a statistic you know is true, an everyday situation, or a reasoned consequence). Answer the strongest opposing point briefly (a concession) and then show why your view still holds. Do not sit on the fence; 'both sides have merits' without a final position is the most common weakness.; Worked example
Write a topic sentence for a paragraph supporting: 'School uniforms should be compulsory.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
One reason only.
Make it arguable and specific.
Answer: 'Uniforms remove the daily competition over clothes, so that a pupil is judged by what she does in class rather than by the brand she wears.'
Picture composition: the visible link: You may write a story, description or account suggested by the picture, but the link must be clear. Mention the key elements of the picture (the people, the place, the mood) in your composition, ideally early. A composition that could have been written without seeing the picture loses marks for relevance.; Worked example
A picture shows an old man feeding pigeons on a bench in an empty park in the rain. Suggest two ways to link a composition to it.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Use the visible details: old man, pigeons, bench, rain, empty park.
Build a story or reflection around them.
Answer: (1) A story told by a boy who sees the same man every day and finally learns why he comes even in the rain. (2) A reflective piece on loneliness in cities that opens with the scene in the picture.

Composition in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Argument with a clear stand

Suppose you want your parents to let you join a weekend football academy, and they are worried about your studies.

How would you build your case, using the structure of an argumentative composition?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

State your request clearly at the start.
Give reasons one at a time: fitness, discipline, a fixed timetable.
Answer their worry directly: a study plan for the week.
End by restating the request with a condition you will keep.

Answer: A clear stand, separate reasons, a concession and a firm conclusion persuade people far better than repeating 'please'. The same structure earns marks in Question 1.

Memory hook: Stand, reasons, 'yes, but', stand again.

Description through the senses

Imagine you are sending a voice note to a cousin abroad about your city's Durga Puja or Diwali night.

What makes your description vivid enough for someone who has never been there?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Name what you see in specific nouns.
Add sounds, smells and the feel of the crowd.
Move in an order (street to pandal, or evening to midnight).

Answer: Specific sensory details in a clear order let the listener picture the scene, which is exactly what a descriptive composition must do.

Memory hook: If they can smell it, you have described it.

Stories need a turning point

Suppose you tell friends about a school trip in which 'we went, we saw the museum, we came back'.

Why do they lose interest, and how would you retell it?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Find the moment something went wrong or surprised you (a lost ticket, a missed bus).
Build up to it.
Show how it was resolved.

Answer: Listeners, like examiners, want conflict and change. Retelling the trip around the moment the bus left without two pupils turns a list into a story.

Memory hook: No problem, no story.

Topics in this chapter

Planning and Writing the Five Composition Types (ICSE Class 9)

How the school exam asks Composition

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Narrative with a given line	'Write a story which ends with the words: "...and that was the last time I trusted a shortcut."'	Plan backwards from the given line so that it follows naturally; use the line exactly as given, in its position.
Personal account	'Describe an occasion when you had to take responsibility for a younger family member. What happened and what did you learn?'	First person, past tense; answer both 'what happened' and 'what you learnt'; end with honest reflection.
Argumentative	'Mobile phones do more harm than good to teenagers. Express your views for or against this statement.'	Stand in paragraph one; three reasons with examples; one concession; firm conclusion.
Descriptive	'Describe the scene at a bus terminus late at night.'	Organise by space or time; use the senses; include people and atmosphere, not just objects.
Picture composition	'Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description or an account of what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a clear connection.'	Name the picture's elements early; build a plot or reflection around them; keep the link visible to the end.

Tricks to remember Composition

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

PAST for stories
Problem, Action, Surprise (turning point), Tie-up (ending).
Use it when: Plan any narrative in four lines.
Five senses, five fingers
Count sight, sound, smell, touch and taste on your fingers before writing a description.
Use it when: Makes every descriptive paragraph vivid.
One reason, one paragraph
In an argument, a new reason means a new paragraph.
Use it when: Keeps organisation clear.

Composition: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Opening paragraph: argument · 4 marks · Short answerExam level

Write the opening paragraph (about 60 words) for: 'Online classes can never replace classroom teaching. Give your views for or against.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

State the stand at once.
Show that you understand the other side.
Preview your reasons.

Answer: During the lockdown, my classroom shrank to a laptop screen, and I learnt how much a real classroom gives. I firmly agree that online classes can never replace classroom teaching. They are useful for revision and for reaching distant learners, but they cannot offer the discipline, the friendships and the instant help that a teacher in the room provides.

Example 2: Full narrative with a given ending · 20 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write a story (300-350 words) that ends with: 'Sometimes the bravest thing is to say sorry.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Plan backwards: the ending needs a character who must apologise.
Conflict: Kabir blames his friend for a broken science model.
Turning point: he discovers he broke it himself.
Climax: he apologises in front of the class.
End with the given line, exactly.

Answer: Kabir had worked on the solar-powered water pump for three weeks. On the morning of the science exhibition, he lifted the cloth and froze: the tiny pump hung loose, its wires snapped.

'Arjun!' he shouted across the lab. Arjun had borrowed the model the evening before to show his younger sister. 'You broke it, and you didn't even tell me.'

Arjun's face went pale. 'I didn't touch the wires,' he said quietly, but Kabir had already turned away. All morning he refused to speak to him. When the judges came, Kabir stood beside a model that did not work and blamed his luck, and Arjun, loudly.

That evening, packing the model into its box, Kabir found a strip of tape on the base with a note in Arjun's handwriting: 'Wire was loose when I took it. Fixed it with tape. Don't drop the box.' Kabir's stomach turned. He remembered the bus home, the jolt, the box sliding off his lap and hitting the floor. He had broken it himself.

He lay awake that night rehearsing excuses. He could say nothing; Arjun would forget in a week. He could send a short message. But Arjun had been called careless in front of the whole class, and a message would not undo that.

The next morning, before the register was taken, Kabir walked to the front. His palms were wet. 'Yesterday I said Arjun broke my model,' he said. 'I was wrong. I broke it myself on the bus. Arjun tried to repair it. I am sorry.'

The class was silent. Then Arjun grinned and said, 'Next year, we'll build one that survives the bus.' Ms D'Souza smiled and wrote something in her diary.

Kabir did not win a prize that year, but he learnt something no judge could have marked. Sometimes the bravest thing is to say sorry.

Example 3: Descriptive paragraph using the senses · 5 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Write one body paragraph (about 80 words) for 'Describe a railway station on a festival evening.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Pick one part of the station: the platform.
Use at least three senses.
End with a feeling.

Answer: Platform three was a river of people. Families dragged suitcases tied with string, and a porter in a red shirt balanced three bags on his head as he shouted, 'Side, side!' The air smelt of hot samosas, diesel and marigolds from the garlands in a girl's hands. Every few minutes the announcement crackled overhead, and a hundred heads turned at once. In spite of the crush, nobody looked tired; everyone was going home.

Example 4: Diagnosing a weak composition · 5 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

A student's composition on 'Should children be paid for doing household chores?' has these paragraph openings: (1) 'Household chores are tasks done at home.' (2) 'Some people say children should be paid.' (3) 'Some people say they should not.' (4) 'Both sides are right in their own way.' Identify three weaknesses and suggest a fix.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Look for a stand.
Look for development.
Look at the opening and ending.

Answer: (1) No stand: the writer never says for or against, and paragraph 4 sits on the fence. (2) No reasons or examples: paragraphs 2 and 3 report others' views without developing them. (3) A dictionary-style opening that wastes the first paragraph. Fix: open with a clear stand ('Children should not be paid for chores, because a home is a team, not a workplace'), give three developed reasons with examples, answer the opposite view briefly and end firmly.

Example 5: Picture link · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

A picture shows a girl in a school uniform standing alone at the edge of a playground while others play football. Write an opening (about 60 words) that clearly links a story to the picture.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Use the picture's elements: girl, uniform, alone, playground, football.
Introduce a reason for her loneliness that drives the story.

Answer: On her first day at St. Mary's, Meher stood at the edge of the playground, clutching the strap of her new bag. The boys' football bounced past her twice. At her old school in Shillong she had been the goalkeeper; here, no one knew. She took a deep breath and, the third time the ball rolled towards her, she trapped it neatly under her shoe.

Example 6: Ending an argument · 3 marks · Short answerExam level

Write a concluding paragraph (about 50 words) for the stand: 'Students should be allowed to choose their own subjects in Class IX.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Restate the stand in new words.
Add a balanced condition.
End with a memorable line.

Answer: Choice, then, is not a luxury but a way to make learning meaningful. With guidance from teachers and parents, a fourteen-year-old can choose wisely, and a student who studies what she has chosen will work harder at it. Give pupils the choice, and you give them responsibility too.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Composition (about 300-350 words). Indicative split only: CISCE publishes no numerical split for Question 1, and Class IX papers are marked by schools. Examiners judge the whole piece on content, organisation and expression. (20 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: every part of the topic answered; relevant, original and developed ideas	8
Organisation: paragraphs, logical order, an engaging opening and a real conclusion	4
Expression: grammar, tense consistency, varied sentences, precise vocabulary	6
Mechanics: spelling and punctuation	2

Where students lose marks in Composition

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Answering only part of the topic
Students see a keyword and write on it, ignoring 'what did you learn' or 'how did you feel'.
Wrong working
Topic asks for an experience and its lesson; the composition narrates the experience only.
Right working
Final paragraph reflects on the lesson in specific terms.
Do this: Underline each part of the topic and tick it off in your plan.
Usually costs: Several content marks.
Mistake: Sitting on the fence in an argument
Students think balance means not choosing.
Do this: Take a stand in paragraph one; concede one point but return to your stand.
Usually costs: Content and organisation marks.
Mistake: Switching tenses in a story
Excitement makes writers slip into the present: 'I ran to the door and I see a man.'
Wrong working
I ran to the door and I see a man standing there.
Right working
I ran to the door and saw a man standing there.
Do this: Decide the tense before you start; check every verb in the last two minutes.
Usually costs: Expression marks across the piece.
Mistake: Far too short or far too long
Poor planning: running out of ideas, or retelling a whole film.
Do this: Five or six paragraphs of about 55-65 words each give roughly 300-350 words; count the words in one line of your handwriting and multiply.
Usually costs: Content (too short) or organisation and accuracy (too long and rushed).
Mistake: Losing the picture link
Students write a prepared essay and mention the picture once, or not at all.
Do this: Use two or three visible details of the picture in the opening and return to them at the end.
Usually costs: Relevance, which affects the content mark.

Practice questions on Composition

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 20 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a story (300-350 words) beginning with: 'The lights went out just as the results were about to be announced.'
Hint
The power cut should matter to the plot, not just be a decoration.
Answer
Value points: begin with the given line exactly; a clear conflict (anxiety about a result, a suspected mistake, a rivalry); rising tension in the dark; a turning point when the lights return or something is discovered; a satisfying outcome; dialogue punctuated correctly; consistent past tense; 300-350 words in five or six paragraphs.
Q2 · 20 marks · Long answerExam level
'Junk food should be banned from school canteens.' Write a composition expressing your views for or against.
Hint
One stand; one reason per paragraph.
Answer
Value points (for): health and concentration; schools should model good habits; healthy food can be tasty and affordable; concession: pupils may buy junk food outside, so education must go with the ban. (Against): choice and responsibility; bans push sales outside the gate; better to offer healthy options and teach nutrition. Either side earns full credit if the stand is clear and developed.
Q3 · 20 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Describe an occasion when you were afraid but did something anyway. What happened and how did you feel afterwards?
Hint
Both parts: the event and your feelings afterwards.
Answer
Value points: first person, past tense; set the scene quickly; describe the fear physically (dry mouth, shaking hands); the action you took; the result; a reflective ending on what courage means. Missing 'how you felt afterwards' loses content marks.
Q4 · 20 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Describe a hospital waiting room as seen by someone waiting for news.
Hint
The mood of the viewer colours the description.
Answer
Value points: the senses (antiseptic smell, the hum of a fan, the click of a nurse's shoes); people waiting and their small actions; time passing slowly (the clock); the observer's anxiety shaping what is noticed; an ending when the news arrives or the wait continues. Organised by space or by time.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
Rewrite this weak sentence three times, each time with a stronger verb or detail: 'The dog went across the road.'
Hint
Change the verb and add a specific noun.
Answer
Any three, e.g. 'The stray dog limped across the road, dodging an auto-rickshaw.' 'The puppy darted across the road after a rolling ball.' 'The old dog dragged itself across the hot tar to the shade of the neem tree.'
Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Write the plan (paragraph headings only) for: 'Libraries are no longer needed in the age of the internet. Do you agree?'
Hint
Choose a side; each heading is one reason.
Answer
Example (disagree): (1) Stand: libraries are more needed, not less; (2) reliable, edited books versus unchecked websites; (3) quiet space to study, especially for pupils without space at home; (4) librarians teach how to find and judge information; (5) concession: digital resources help, so libraries should add them; (6) conclusion: libraries must change, not disappear.
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Explain why ending a story with 'Then I woke up and it was all a dream' usually weakens a composition.
Hint
Think about the reader's investment.
Answer
It cancels the conflict the reader has followed, so nothing is resolved and the story's events lose meaning; it also suggests the writer could not think of a real ending. A resolution that grows from the plot is more satisfying.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What length does the CISCE syllabus give for the composition?Show answer
About 300-350 words.
2.Name the five usual composition types.Show answer
Narrative, personal account, argumentative, descriptive and picture composition.
3.Who sets and marks the Class IX English paper?Show answer
The school; CISCE conducts only the Class X (ICSE) examination.
4.What must a picture composition always show?Show answer
A clear connection with the picture.
5.Where should your stand appear in an argumentative composition?Show answer
In the first paragraph, and again in the conclusion.
6.What does the syllabus say about mechanics?Show answer
Organisation, syntax, punctuation, grammar and spelling are expected to suit the mode of treatment.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you underline every part of a composition topic before choosing it?
Can you write a six-line plan in five minutes?
Can you open a story at the moment of change?
Can you write an argument with one stand, three reasons and a concession?
Can you use at least three senses in a descriptive paragraph?
Can you keep a visible link to a picture throughout?

Composition: frequently asked questions

Is the Class IX composition different from the Class X one?

No. The CISCE English syllabus for Paper 1 is printed for Classes IX and X together, so the task is the same. The only difference is that your school, not CISCE, sets and marks the Class IX paper.

Will I lose marks for writing more than 350 words?

The syllabus says 'about 300-350 words'. A little over is not penalised as such, but very long compositions are usually rushed, repetitive and full of errors, which costs marks indirectly.

Should I give my composition a title?

It is not required. If the topic gives a title or line, use it as given. A short title of your own does no harm.

Can I use a memorised essay?

Only if it truly answers every part of the topic. Examiners can tell when a prepared essay has been forced to fit, and relevance carries heavy marks. Learn techniques, not whole essays.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2028 English (01) syllabus (Classes IX and X); CISCE Regulations for ICSE Examination Year 2028; CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Draft Marking Scheme: English Language (English Paper 1)