Cambridge Flyers: Story Narration and Writing Composition -- Techniques and Practice

Two of the most challenging parts of the Cambridge YLE Flyers exam are the 4-picture story narration in the Speaking test and the 20-word written composition in Reading and Writing Part 7. Many children know enough vocabulary and grammar to pass these tasks but lose marks because they do not structure their answers correctly. This guide gives you the exact techniques, model answers and practice activities to help children succeed.

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Section 1: Picture Story Speaking (Flyers Speaking Part 2)

What the Examiner Shows

In this part of the Speaking test, the examiner gives the child a set of four picture cards arranged in a numbered sequence. The pictures tell a complete story from beginning to end. The examiner may say something like: "These pictures tell a story. Can you tell me the story?"

There is no script -- the child must look at the pictures and narrate the story in their own words. The examiner is listening for:

• Correct and varied vocabulary
• Clear sentence structure
• Logical use of connectors to link events
• Some expression of feeling or reaction

The Four-Step Story Structure

Train children to follow this simple four-step frame:

Step 1 -- Opening (Set the scene): Who is in the story? Where are they? When is it? Step 2 -- Action (What happens first): What does the character do or see? Step 3 -- Problem (Something goes wrong or unexpected happens): What is the surprise or difficulty? Step 4 -- Resolution (How does it end): How do things get better? How does the character feel?

This Opening -- Action -- Problem -- Resolution frame works for almost every picture story at Flyers level.

Useful Connectors for Story Narration

Children should memorise and use these linking words:

Weak response (no connectors): "A boy walks a dog. A dog runs away. The boy finds the dog. He is happy."

Strong response (with connectors): "First, a boy was walking his dog in the park. Suddenly the dog ran away because it saw a cat. The boy looked everywhere and finally he found the dog hiding behind a tree. In the end, the boy was very relieved and hugged his dog."

Model Story Narration: The Lost Dog

Here is a model 4-picture story. The pictures are described in words below.

Picture 1: A boy called Jake is walking a small dog in the park. It is a sunny afternoon. Picture 2: The dog sees a squirrel and suddenly pulls free from the lead. It runs into the bushes. Picture 3: Jake looks everywhere -- he calls the dog's name, he looks behind trees and under benches. Picture 4: A girl points to a bush near the fountain. Jake finds the dog and smiles with relief.

Model narration: "First, Jake was walking his dog in the park on a sunny afternoon. He looked very happy. Then, suddenly, the dog saw a squirrel and pulled free from his lead. It ran into the bushes. After that, Jake looked everywhere for his dog. He called its name and checked behind trees and under benches. He looked very worried. Finally, a girl pointed to a bush near the fountain. Jake found his dog there and smiled with relief. In the end, Jake held the lead very tightly!"

This narration uses all four connectors, expresses emotion (happy, worried, relief) and adds a small detail at the end to show personality.

Practice: 4 Story Frames to Narrate

Use the Opening -- Action -- Problem -- Resolution frame. Narrate each story aloud.

Story A: Frame 1: A girl is baking a birthday cake in the kitchen. She looks excited. Frame 2: She puts the cake in the oven and goes to read a book. Frame 3: Smoke comes from the oven. The cake is burnt. Frame 4: The girl and her mum go to a bakery and buy a new cake. They laugh.

Story B: Frame 1: Two boys are building a sandcastle on the beach. Frame 2: A big wave comes and knocks the sandcastle down. Frame 3: The boys look sad and sit on the sand. Frame 4: They start building again -- this time even bigger. They look proud.

Story C: Frame 1: A girl is cycling in the park. She rides fast and looks happy. Frame 2: She hits a stone in the road and falls off her bicycle. Frame 3: She sits on the ground. Her knee hurts and she is crying. Frame 4: A park keeper helps her. He gives her a bandage and she smiles and waves goodbye.

Story D: Frame 1: A boy opens his lunchbox at school. He finds a letter from his mum inside. Frame 2: The letter says: "Look in your bag pocket!" He unzips his bag. Frame 3: Inside he finds a small wrapped birthday present. Frame 4: He opens it -- there is a toy robot inside. He grins and shows his friends.

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Section 2: Writing Composition (Flyers Reading and Writing Part 7)

What the Task Requires

In Part 7 of Reading and Writing, children are shown a picture and asked to write about it. The instructions typically say: "Write about this picture. Write 20 or more words." The examiner awards marks for:

• Writing 20 words or more (this is a minimum, not a maximum)
• Using correct grammar and punctuation
• Including a variety of content (people, actions, place, description, opinion)

Many children write only 15 to 18 words and lose marks simply because they stop too early. Teach children to count their words before finishing.

The Who + What + Where + Description + Opinion Structure

The best way to always reach 20 words is to follow this 5-part structure:

Who: Name or describe the person/people in the picture.

What doing: What action are they doing?

Where: Where is this happening?

Description: Describe something extra -- the weather, colours, objects, feelings.

Opinion: What do you think about this picture?

Model Answer (22 words)

Picture description: A girl called Emma is playing with a dog in a sunny park. There is a red ball on the grass.

"Emma is playing in the park with her dog. It is a sunny day. The dog is very happy. I think Emma loves animals."

Word count: 26 words. Passes the minimum with comfort.

3 Practice Picture Descriptions

Write 20+ words about each picture described below.

Picture A -- Park Scene: A man and two children are flying a kite in a windy park. The kite is red and yellow. There are some ducks near a pond.

Practice the structure: Who is there? What are they doing? What does the kite look like? What is the weather like? What do you think?

Picture B -- Kitchen Scene: A woman is cooking soup in a large kitchen. She is stirring a pot on the cooker. A boy is sitting at the table and drawing a picture. There are vegetables on the counter.

Practice the structure: Who is in the kitchen? What is each person doing? What can you see? How does the kitchen feel? What do you think?

Picture C -- Beach Scene: A family is having a picnic on the beach. The children are building a sandcastle. A man is reading a book. The sea is blue and calm.

Practice the structure: Who is at the beach? What is everyone doing? What does the sea look like? Is it a nice day? What do you think?

Writing Checklist

Before finishing Part 7, children should check:

• Capital letters at the start of every sentence
• Full stop at the end of every sentence
• At least 20 words written (count carefully)
• All parts of the structure answered (who, what, where, description, opinion)
• Spelling of key words checked
• No sentence starting with "And" or "But" at the beginning

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Section 3: Advanced Vocabulary for Flyers Compositions

Children who use more varied vocabulary in their writing and speaking score higher. Here are three essential word sets.

Feelings Vocabulary

Environment Vocabulary for Opinions

Opinion Phrases

Children should know at least three ways to express an opinion:

• "I think..." -- the most common and safe to use.
• "In my opinion..." -- slightly more formal, good for variety.
• "I believe..." -- slightly stronger, shows confidence.
• "I feel that..." -- good for emotional or personal topics.

Practice rule: Always follow an opinion phrase with a FULL sentence, not just a word.

Wrong: "I think the park." Right: "I think the park is a beautiful place to spend time with family."

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Exercise 1: Order the Story Cards

The four frames below are in the WRONG order. Write the correct sequence (1, 2, 3, 4).

Frame A: Mia finds the missing piece under the sofa. She puts it in and the puzzle is complete. She looks very proud. Frame B: Mia is doing a jigsaw puzzle on the living room floor. She has almost finished. Frame C: Mia looks everywhere -- in the toy box, under the table, behind the cushions. Frame D: Suddenly she realises one piece is missing. She looks worried.

Correct order: ___ , ___ , ___ , ___

Answer: B, D, C, A

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Exercise 2: Choose the Best Sentence to Continue the Story

Read the story beginning. Choose the best sentence (A, B or C) to continue it.

Story: "First, Sam and his mum went to the market. They bought some fresh vegetables and a big fish. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily."

Continue with: A) "Sam likes fish." B) "After that, they ran to a cafe nearby and waited for the rain to stop." C) "The market was open on Saturdays."

Answer: B (it continues the story logically with a connector and new action)

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Exercise 3: Expand a Short Sentence

Expand each sentence by adding more detail. Try to reach 20 words.

Short sentence 1: "A boy is playing football." Expansion example: "A boy called Leo is playing football with his friends in the school playground. He kicks the ball very hard and scores a goal. Everyone cheers."

Short sentence 2: "A family is eating dinner." Short sentence 3: "A girl is reading a book."

Write your own expanded versions. Aim for 20 words or more each.

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Exercise 4: Write Your Own 20-Word Composition

Choose ONE of the three pictures below. Write 20 or more words about it.

Option 1 -- Forest Scene: A group of children are walking through a forest with a teacher. They are looking at a large old tree. Some birds are in the branches. The teacher is pointing at a bird's nest.

Option 2 -- Sports Day Scene: Children are running a race on a track. One girl is in first place and looks very fast. Other children are cheering from the side. There are colourful flags around the track.

Option 3 -- Museum Scene: A family is visiting a natural history museum. There is a very large dinosaur skeleton on display. A small boy is pointing at it. He looks amazed and a little scared.

Remember the structure: Who + What doing + Where + Description + Opinion.

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Apps and Games for Story Practice

"Story Studio" App Activity

Record yourself narrating a 4-picture story. Play it back and check:

• Did you use at least 4 different connectors?
• Did you mention feelings at least once?
• Did you describe what things look like?
• Was the story the right length -- not too short?

You can listen to a friend's or classmate's narration and answer these questions:

• Who was in the story?
• What was the problem?
• How did it end?
• Which connector did you like?

"20 Words Challenge" Writing Timer

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Look at any picture -- in a book, magazine, or on a tablet. Write about it. When the timer stops, count your words. If you reached 20 words, you win! Next time, try to reach 25.

This is great for building writing speed and confidence before the exam.

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Home Practice: Draw and Write Your Own Story

Materials needed: paper, coloured pencils or felt-tip pens.

Step 1: Fold a piece of paper into four boxes. Step 2: Draw a 4-panel comic strip story. It can be funny, exciting or surprising. Step 3: Write a sentence in each box describing what is happening. Step 4: Put the four connectors in order: First -- Then -- After that -- Finally. Step 5: Read the story aloud to a family member using your pictures.

This activity combines drawing, writing and speaking practice all in one session. Children who regularly draw and narrate their own stories perform noticeably better in the Flyers Speaking Part 2 because they already think in story structure.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Quick Reference: Story Narration Checklist

Before the Speaking test, practise until your child can automatically:

• Open with "First, [character name] was [action] in [place]."
• Use "Suddenly" for the unexpected event.
• Use "After that" or "Then" to connect actions.
• Close with "Finally" or "In the end."
• Include at least one emotion word (happy, worried, surprised, relieved, proud).
• Use at least 8 sentences for a full-length narration.

With consistent practice of the model story and the four exercises above, children will go into the Flyers exam feeling genuinely prepared for the story and writing tasks. The key habit to build is narrating pictures out loud -- every day if possible.