IGCSE First Language English 0500, October-November 2023 Variant 1 – Paper 2, Question 5.

Prompt: Write a story with the title, ‘The portrait’.

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Essay:

In the dim light of the attic, Anna stumbled upon an old, dust-covered portrait of a woman whose eyes seemed to follow her every move. The attic, filled with relics of her family’s past, had always been a place of mystery, but this portrait held a presence that was both unsettling and captivating.

As Anna wiped away the years of neglect from the glass, the woman in the portrait seemed to come alive. Her eyes, a piercing shade of blue, held stories of sorrow and strength. The background, a blurred fusion of dark and light shades, suggested a life filled with both turmoil and triumph. Anna felt an inexplicable connection to this woman, as if their souls were intertwined through the canvas.