“I realised that I was much stronger than I had previously thought.” [O Level 2022 Paper 1]

From O Level 2022 1128/01: “I realised that I was much stronger than I had previously thought.” Write about a time when you felt like this.

Personal Recount, Reflective

• Overall, your main character should see some degree of weakness in themselves, whether real or perceived.
• After that, he/she should be seen surmounting this weakness and surprising/amazing themselves in the process. 
• The weakness can be either physical or psychological. For a greater impact, I recommend a mix of both. You can have the two different aspects feed off each other.
• At the end, I strongly recommend you reflect on what “you” learnt from this encounter.

1               “You? Run this five-kilometre race? You are up against some major competition!”

2               “I want to register anyway,” I insisted, meeting the gaze of the teacher-in-charge. She nodded in acknowledgement before typing something into her laptop computer, but her scepticism was plainly apparent. Reactions like hers were something I had grown accustomed to throughout my years in school. 

3               Over time, I had picked up a reputation of being physically inept. Though I did run occasionally, that had hit a plateau. Beyond a mile, my heart would threaten to give up, while my vision would even blur from sheer fatigue. Running was more an ordeal, rather than a challenge for me. A five-kilometre race was thus me attempting to fly before I could even crawl.

4               News of my registration spread like wildfire around the school. Numerous peers would whisper snide remarks among themselves. However, I also saw the good in many others, such as friends and the other participants that offered to train together. Even the teacher-in-charge, who had handled my registration, showed up several times to offer tips and guidance.  

5               The race got ever closer. Though I was making progress, my pace and stamina were abysmally insufficient. I was trailing far behind all the other participants. Several times I found myself wondering if I was a burden to their own training. I did my best to suppress these thoughts, focusing on my main aim – to clear this race and prove everyone wrong.

6               The day of the race dawned. I, and the rest of the participants I had spent the past weeks training with, made our way to the track. 

7               A loud bang erupted from the starting pistol. The rest of the participants took off in a flash, leaving me behind in the dust. An expected outcome. I ran with all my ability, round after round, the way that I had trained to do. Fatigue began to set in. My shirt was sticking to my back. The other participants slowed. Streams of salty sweat ran into my eyes. Reality was floating away from me in a haze of exhaustion and dehydration. How long had I been running? How many laps had I already done? Loud cheering erupted from the bleachers. The finish line! Its sight energised me. With a final burst of strength, I powered to the very end, collapsing to catch my breath after crossing the line.

Note: This 7th paragraph utilises something known as “stream of consciousness”. It is a style of writing that tries to capture all the thoughts and feelings someone is going through in a short span of time. There is not a fixed style or method for executing this, but I find that you will need shorter sentences that get to the point. You can mix it with a couple of longer sentences to indirectly “emphasise” the subject matter. This is because the longer sentence “disrupts” the established, expected flow (cadence) of the text, forcing the reader to slow down.

8               My heart was pounding, and my chest was heaving. My eyes stared unfocused at my surroundings, until several of my fellow participants came to help me up, and to congratulate me. That was when it all sank in. I had gone from barely scratching a mile, to finishing my first-ever five-kilometre run! I was stronger than I had ever given myself credit for, with the help of both my own efforts, and the encouragement of my peers as well! All of us grow in our own unique ways. Therefore, we should neither peg our self-worth nor compare our own wins to others.

(498 words)