The Wrong Bus: A Story
Continue a story that begins with a given sentence. Use past tenses, a clear problem and a satisfying ending.
- Time
- 30 min
- Length
- 100-150 words
Writadia · B1 · Stories
NameClassDate
The situation
Your English teacher has asked you to write a story for the class story collection. Your story must begin with this sentence:
As soon as the bus doors closed, I realised I was going the wrong way.
Your task
Write your story. Include:
- where you wanted to go and why it was important
- what happened on the wrong bus
- how the story ended
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Copy the first sentence exactly.
- Explain why being on time mattered: a match, an exam, a meeting.
- Add a problem that gets worse, then a turning point.
- Use the past continuous for background (I was looking out of the window...).
- End with a twist, a lesson or a funny result.
Useful phrases
Setting the scene
Building tension
Turning point
Ending
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- realise
- suddenly understandI realised I'd left my keys at home.
- panic
- feel so afraid you can't think clearlyDon't panic!
- to make things worse
- and then a new problem happenedTo make things worse, my phone died.
- get off
- leave a bus, train, etc.I got off at the next stop.
- just in time
- at the last moment, not lateWe arrived just in time.
Model answer (137 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
As soon as the bus doors closed, I realised I was going the wrong way.1 I was on my way to my first job interview at a café in the city centre, and I had exactly twenty minutes.
I started to panic. To make things worse, the bus didn't stop for ten minutes and my phone battery was at two per cent.2
Just then, an old woman sitting next to me noticed my face. "Where are you going, dear?" she asked. I told her the name of the café. She smiled. "That's my daughter's café," she said. "I'm going there too. We can take a taxi together."3
We arrived just in time. Her daughter gave me the job, and I've worked there for two years now. I still take the wrong bus sometimes, but I never panic.
- The given first sentence, copied exactly.
- Two problems in a row build tension.
- Direct speech brings a story to life.
Teacher notes
Story arc: draw a mountain on the board: setting → problem → worse → turning point → ending. Students plan their story on the mountain.
Exam link: this is the format of the B1 Preliminary Part 2 story (about 100 words). Our range is a little longer for practice.
Extra challenge
Write the same story from the old woman's point of view in 80 words.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: realise, panic, to make things worse, get off, just in time.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I was on my way to ...”, “It was raining heavily and ...”, “To make things worse, ...”.
- 38 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (100-150 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task and content | All points covered in detail; purpose and reader clear. | All points there, one is thin. | One point missing or some off-topic content. | Task mostly not met. | |
| Organisation and flow | Clear paragraphs; varied linking words. | Paragraphs present; linkers repetitive. | No paragraphs or jumpy flow. | Ideas scattered. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic-specific, varied vocabulary. | Adequate; some repetition. | Limited; some wrong word choices. | Very limited. | |
| Grammar and accuracy | Range of structures, few errors. | Some errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors affect meaning. | Errors block understanding. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- My story starts with the given sentence.
- I used the past simple and the past continuous.
- There is a problem, a turning point and an ending.
- I used direct speech at least once.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- My story starts with the given sentence.
- I used the past simple and the past continuous.
- There is a problem, a turning point and an ending.
- I used direct speech at least once.
Writadia · B1 · Stories
Assessment rubric: The Wrong Bus: A Story
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task and content | All points covered in detail; purpose and reader clear. | All points there, one is thin. | One point missing or some off-topic content. | Task mostly not met. | |
| Organisation and flow | Clear paragraphs; varied linking words. | Paragraphs present; linkers repetitive. | No paragraphs or jumpy flow. | Ideas scattered. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic-specific, varied vocabulary. | Adequate; some repetition. | Limited; some wrong word choices. | Very limited. | |
| Grammar and accuracy | Range of structures, few errors. | Some errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors affect meaning. | Errors block understanding. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- My story starts with the given sentence.
- I used the past simple and the past continuous.
- There is a problem, a turning point and an ending.
- I used direct speech at least once.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B1 · Stories
Peer-review sheet: The Wrong Bus: A Story
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| My story starts with the given sentence. | |||
| I used the past simple and the past continuous. | |||
| There is a problem, a turning point and an ending. | |||
| I used direct speech at least once. |
Questions
- Does the text cover every point in the task?
- Are there paragraphs? What is each one about?
- Write two linking words the writer used.
- Is there a sentence you had to read twice?
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Writadia · B1 · Stories
Lesson plan: The Wrong Bus: A Story
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: realise, panic, to make things worse, get off, just in time.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I was on my way to ...”, “It was raining heavily and ...”, “To make things worse, ...”.
- 38 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (100-150 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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If you used it, tell us. It helps us see which tasks work.