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ICSE 9 Composition: Plan and Write All Five Types

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English LanguageICSE Class 9 · Composition

ICSE Class 9 English Composition: Plan and Write the Five Types

Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The ICSE composition is one piece of about 300 to 350 words from a choice of topics. Underline every part of the topic, choose the type you can develop (story, personal account, argument, description or picture composition), plan five or six paragraphs in about five minutes, write in a consistent tense, and finish with a clear ending. Content, organisation and accuracy all earn marks.

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

Choose with care. Read every topic and every part of it. A topic such as "Describe an occasion when you were afraid. What did you do and how did you feel afterwards?" has three demands; answering one loses content marks. Pick the topic for which you can list four ideas at once.

Plan in five minutes. Write five or six paragraph headings in the margin. For a story note setting, problem, rising tension, turning point and ending. For an argument note the stand and one reason per paragraph. For a description choose an order (near to far, morning to night) and one or two senses for each paragraph.

Narrative. Open near the moment of change, keep one conflict, use a few lines of correctly punctuated dialogue, stay in the past tense and finish with an outcome rather than "it was all a dream".

Personal account. First person, past tense, specific details, feelings, and a closing reflection that says what you learnt.

Argumentative. State your stand in the first paragraph, give two or three reasons, each with an example, concede the strongest opposite point in one sentence, and return to your stand. Do not sit on the fence.

Descriptive. Use sight, sound, smell, touch and taste, with specific nouns and strong verbs, and include people and mood, not only objects.

Picture composition. Name two or three visible details early and return to them at the end so that the link to the picture is clear.

Length and review. Five or six paragraphs of about 55 to 65 words give roughly 300 to 350 words. In the last two minutes check tense, spelling and punctuation. In Class IX the school sets and marks the paper, so treat this year as practice for the board layout described on the chapter page.

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

Five-minute plan
  • Underline every part
  • Choose type
  • Five or six paragraph headings
  • Note a turning point or a stand
Spend about five minutes.
Story spine
  • Setting
  • Problem
  • Rising tension
  • Turning point
  • Ending
Use for narrative and picture stories.
Argument shape
  • Stand
  • Reason 1
  • Reason 2
  • Reason 3
  • Concession
  • Conclusion
One reason per paragraph.
Word count
  • 5 or 6 paragraphs
  • about 55 to 65 words each
  • 300 to 350 words
Count one handwritten line and multiply.

How to answer Planning and Writing the Five Composition Types (ICSE Class 9) questions

Use this for any composition topic.

  1. 1Read all topics; underline every part of the one you choose.
  2. 2Name its type and jot a six-line plan.
  3. 3Write an opening that begins with action, a stand or a vivid detail.
  4. 4Develop each paragraph with one idea and concrete detail; keep one tense.
  5. 5End with an outcome, a reflection or a firm conclusion, then check tense and length.

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

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

Choosing a topic quickly

Suppose a student sees two topics: a story ending with the line "and that was the last time I trusted a shortcut" and an argument on mobile phones for teenagers. She can list four story ideas but only two arguments.

Which topic should she take and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Count ideas for each topic.
  2. The story gives four, the argument two.
  3. A topic with more ideas can fill five paragraphs without repeating.

Answer: She should take the story, since she can develop it fully, and plan backwards from the given last line.

Memory hook: Pick the topic with the most ideas.

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

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

  • PAST

    Problem, Action, Surprise (turning point), Tie-up (ending).

    Use it when: Plan any story in four lines.

  • One reason, one paragraph

    A new reason in an argument begins a new paragraph.

    Use it when: Keeps organisation clear.

  • Five fingers

    Count sight, sound, smell, touch, taste on your fingers.

    Use it when: Descriptions.

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

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Spot the parts · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

How many separate demands does this topic make? "Describe an occasion when you took responsibility for a younger cousin. What happened and what did you learn?"
(a) one (b) two (c) three (d) four

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The occasion described (1)
  2. What happened (2)
  3. What you learned (3).

Answer: (c) three: the occasion, what happened and what you learned, so the last paragraph must reflect on the lesson.

Example 2: Tense slip (2 marks) · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Correct the tense error and name the habit that causes it: "I ran to the door and I see a man standing there."

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Find the verb out of line (1)
  2. Correct it and name the cause (1).

Answer: "I ran to the door and saw a man standing there." Excitement makes writers slip into the present; decide the tense first and recheck every verb at the end.

Example 3: Plan an argument (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Write a six-line plan for "Homework should be banned for students of Class IX. Express your views for or against."

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Stand (1)
  2. Three reasons, one per paragraph (2)
  3. Concession and conclusion (1).

Answer: Stand: against a ban. Reason 1: regular practice fixes learning. Reason 2: homework builds time management. Reason 3: it shows the teacher where a pupil needs help. Concession: too much homework harms, so limit it. Conclusion: restate the stand and suggest limits.

Example 4: Improve an opening (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

A student begins a story with "I woke up at seven. I had breakfast. Then my mother called me." Rewrite it as a two-sentence opening about a surprise parcel.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Begin at the moment of change (1)
  2. Add a sense detail (1)
  3. Hint at the conflict (1)
  4. Keep past tense (1).

Answer: The parcel on the doorstep was wet at one corner and addressed in handwriting I had not seen for six years. My mother held it out with a face that said she already knew who had sent it. This opens at the moment of change and hints at a conflict.

Example 5: Picture link (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

A picture shows a boy holding an umbrella at a bus stop at night while an empty bus drives away. Write an opening paragraph (about 60 words) that clearly links a story to the picture.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Name two visible details (1)
  2. Show the mood (1)
  3. Open a conflict (1)
  4. Past tense and accuracy (1).

Answer: The tail lights of the bus shrank into the rain while Kabir stood under his umbrella, ticket still in hand. His sister was waiting at the hospital, and the next bus was an hour away. The wet road gleamed black, and his heart thumped hard against his ribs. He looked at the dark road and decided to run.

Where students lose marks in Planning and Writing the Five Composition Types (ICSE Class 9)

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

  • Mistake: Answering only part of the topic

    Students notice a keyword and ignore the rest.

    Wrong working

    A topic asks for an experience and its lesson, but the piece only narrates.

    Right working

    The final paragraph states the lesson in specific terms.

    Do this: Tick each part of the topic against the plan.

    Usually costs: Several content marks

  • Mistake: Switching tenses in a story

    Excitement pulls writers into the present.

    Wrong working

    I ran to the door and I see a man.

    Right working

    I ran to the door and saw a man.

    Do this: Fix the tense before writing and check each verb at the end.

    Usually costs: Expression marks

  • Mistake: Sitting on the fence

    Students think balance means not choosing.

    Wrong working

    Both sides are right in their own way.

    Right working

    I believe libraries are still needed, although the internet is useful.

    Do this: State a stand in paragraph one and return to it.

    Usually costs: Content and organisation marks

Exam tips

  • Underline every part of the topic before choosing it.
  • Write a six-line plan; five minutes is enough.
  • Aim for 300 to 350 words; five or six paragraphs.
  • Keep one tense and give the piece a real ending.
  • In a picture topic, name its details early and again at the end.

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

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

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    A story that ends "and that was the last time I trusted a shortcut" should be planned:
    (a) from the first line forward only (b) backwards from the given ending (c) without a plan (d) as an argument

    Hint

    The given line must follow naturally.

    Answer

    (b) backwards from the given ending.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Name the five usual composition types in the ICSE paper. (3 marks)

    Hint

    Story, account, argument, description, picture.

    Answer

    Narrative (story), personal account, argumentative, descriptive and picture composition.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Write a plan (headings only) for the topic "Cricket is given too much importance in our schools. Express your views for or against." (4 marks)

    Hint

    Stand first, then reasons, then a concession.

    Answer

    Stand: for the statement. Reasons: other sports get little ground time; non-sporting pupils feel left out; money is spent on one game. Concession: cricket teaches teamwork. Conclusion: balance the sports provision.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Write one descriptive paragraph (about 80 words) on a railway platform on a festival evening, using at least three senses. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Choose an order such as entrance to far end.

    Answer

    Sample: As I entered the platform, the smell of hot tea and fried snacks reached me before the noise did. Porters shouted over the whistle, children clutched paper bags of sweets, and the yellow lights made every face glow. The iron railing felt warm and sticky under my palm, and a small child's hand brushed mine in the crowd. Further down, a family argued gently over a heavy trunk. The whole platform felt like a small market that had decided to travel.

  5. Q5 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Explain why ending a story with "Then I woke up and it was all a dream" usually weakens a composition, and suggest a better ending for a story about a lost wallet. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Think of outcome and resolution.

    Answer

    It cancels the events the reader has followed, so the conflict has no real resolution and the ending seems borrowed. A better ending: the finder returns the wallet, the owner offers a reward, and the narrator realises that honesty feels better than any reward.

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

    A student writes on "Zoos should be closed down" and the paragraph openings are: (1) "A zoo is a place where animals are kept." (2) "Some think zoos are cruel." (3) "Others think zoos teach children." (4) "In the end, it depends." Identify three weaknesses and give a fix. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Look for stand, reasons and the conclusion.

    Answer

    Weaknesses: it opens with a definition and no stand; reasons are not developed with examples; it ends by refusing to decide. Fix: state a stand in paragraph one, give one reason per paragraph with an example, concede one point and conclude with the stand.

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. 1.How long is the composition?Show answer

    About 300 to 350 words.

  2. 2.How many marks does it carry in the 2027 specimen layout?Show answer

    20 marks, per the chapter page.

  3. 3.Name the five types.Show answer

    Narrative, personal account, argumentative, descriptive, picture composition.

  4. 4.What should an argument open with?Show answer

    A clear stand.

  5. 5.What is the story spine?Show answer

    Setting, problem, rising tension, turning point, ending.

  6. 6.Who sets the Class IX paper?Show answer

    The school.

Planning and Writing the Five Composition Types (ICSE Class 9): frequently asked questions

Is a Class IX composition marked by CISCE?

No; the school sets and marks it, but most follow the board layout.

Can I mix a story with a description?

Yes, as long as the topic is answered; a story needs a conflict.

How long should I take?

About 30 minutes, as advised on the chapter page.