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Having returned to teaching full-time in Higher Education after working in the voluntary sector (2014–2020), I was struck by the reticence of first-year students (post A Level equivalent) in writing freely as I prepared them for summer written examinations. Conversations indicated a fear of making grammatical mistakes, questions about improving vocabulary range and a concern about expectations at university as they transitioned from school or college. Since 2021–2022 I have therefore run a creative storytelling project, involving the coproduction of a short story by a group of 8–14 students. Writing examinations is a stressful experience for many students, elicits a range of coping strategies (Berry, K., and S. Kingswell. 2012. “An Investigation of Adult Attachment and Coping with Exam-related Stress.” British Journal of Guidance & Counselling 40 (4): 315–325) and includes specific challenges for those who did not sit examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for those with specific disabilities or learning needs. The project is designed to support formal assessment rather than be formally assessed, with an inclusive learning approach that combines Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), creative storytelling in MFL teaching, ideas from author Doris Dörrie (2019. Leben, Schreiben, Atmen: Eine Einladung zum Schreiben. Zürich: Diogenes. eBook), and immersive role-play such as Call of Cthulhu (2025. Chaosium Inc. Available Call of Cthulhu – Getting Started). This paper outlines my project design, lesson planning, delivery, observed benefits and issues to consider. It is intended as shared practice to inspire other teachers to draw from their personal gifts, skills, and capacities, all key elements of ABCD, to develop formative creative writing lessons that support and motivate students as they prepare for formal assessment.
Helen L. Jones (2026) studied this question.