📘 Part 1: Mastering Descriptive Writing
🎯 Purpose of Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing is about painting a picture with words — not just telling the reader what’s there, but helping them see, feel, hear, smell, and experience it. It’s less about plot and more about atmosphere, mood, and detail.
This form is often tested in:
- IGCSE English Language (Paper 1 – Section B)
- AS Level English Language (Paper 1 or 2 depending on syllabus)
- IB English A (Paper 1 if visual-based stimulus leads to description)
🧠 What Examiners Look For
- Vivid imagery using sensory detail
- Original language: metaphor, simile, personification
- Varied sentence structure
- A clear mood or atmosphere
- Controlled and deliberate language choices
- Structure: beginning, build-up, climax, ending (even in description!)
🖼️ Core Features of Descriptive Writing
| Element | What It Means | Example |
| Sensory Detail | Appeals to the five senses | The air smelled of sea salt and roasted peanuts. |
| Figurative Language | Use of similes, metaphors, personification | The trees whispered secrets to the wind. |
| Specificity | Focus on exact details rather than vague language | A crimson kite fluttered above the dusty courtyard. |
| Atmosphere | Mood created through language choices | A hush settled over the graveyard like a soft blanket. |
| Precise Vocabulary | Choosing the right word for maximum impact | Gleamed instead of shone, drifted instead of moved |
✍️ Approach to Writing Descriptively
Step 1: Choose a Clear Focus
Pick a single scene, place, or moment — avoid broad ideas. Zoom in.
✅ Good: A deserted carnival at dusk
❌ Poor: My entire holiday in France
Step 2: Brainstorm the 5 Senses
Create a quick table before writing:
| Sense | Description Idea |
| Sight | Flickering fairy lights, torn posters |
| Sound | Faint music box tune, footsteps echoing |
| Smell | Burnt sugar, rust, damp wood |
| Touch | Rough bark, sticky floor, cold wind |
| Taste | Sour lemonade, sweet popcorn |
Step 3: Build Layers Using Language Devices
Use:
- Similes: like torn wings of a moth
- Metaphors: The night was a velvet shroud
- Alliteration: whistling winds wove through the wires
- Personification: The moon stared down with silent judgment
Step 4: Structure the Piece
Even descriptive writing needs structure.
- Opening: Establish scene + mood
- Development: Move through space (panoramic to close-up) or time (dawn to dusk)
- Climax: Introduce a moment of tension, discovery, or contrast
- Closing: Return to stillness, reflect on change, or fade out gently
🧪 Sample Descriptive Prompt
“Describe an old, abandoned house at the edge of the forest.”
✨ Sample Opening
Its broken windows blinked wearily in the golden light, each crack a story, each creak a sigh. Ivy clawed up its crumbling bones, and silence ruled like a forgotten king.
🚫 Common Pitfalls to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It’s a Problem | Fix It By… |
| Listing without imagery | “There was a sofa, a table, a rug…” | Show how they look/sound/feel |
| Overusing adjectives | “Big, old, creaky, dirty, spooky house…” | Use verbs and imagery instead |
| No sense of mood | Feels flat and lifeless | Set emotional tone from the beginning |
| Telling, not showing | “It was scary” | Show fear through setting and details |
🛠️ Quick Revision Checklist
✅ Have I used all 5 senses?
✅ Did I avoid clichés like “it was a dark and stormy night”?
✅ Is there a clear mood or atmosphere?
✅ Have I varied sentence lengths and openings?
✅ Did I use vivid figurative language?
✅ Is my spelling and punctuation accurate?
📌 Practice Task
Write a descriptive paragraph (100–150 words) based on the prompt:
“A train station in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
Focus on:
- The mood
- The sounds
- One specific moment (e.g., arrival of the train)