Grade 9 – Descriptive Writing
Writing to describe is a bit like explaining a picture or a film-clip. You need to re-create that
image, only using words, so that the person reading your description has an almost exact
replica of that image in their head afterwards. It’s a bit like telepathy! The important thing to
remember is to be detailed
For the 0500 IGCSE Paper 2, the Descriptive Writing component does not
rely on a passage. Now, whichever type it might be, any good Descriptive
Essay needs proper skills and a lot of practice. So, here are 7 tips that will help
you improve your Descriptive Writing Skills.
Plan your essay
This goes without saying, but it’s a must. You need to plan the skeleton of
your essay – ask yourself what each paragraph would focus on. Think of a
suitable central theme for each body paragraph. Remember that planning
your essay will not only ensure that you organize your ideas well – it
functions as an excellent tool for brainstorming ideas in the correct
order.
Make your introduction game strong
The next step is writing a great, compelling introduction. Writing a good
introduction is very important in any form of writing, so you need to pay
attention to it. Begin with a hook – the rabbit hopped and leaped into the
garden as it had just been set free. Spring has begun! You may add some
interesting facts about your topic, like a rhetorical question, or a
humorous description to keep the readers hooked to what is about to
come. Your introduction should include a suitable thesis statement that
defines the rest of your essay, making sure that it sets the correct tone
and mood as well.
Add sensory details
All of us are familiar with the five senses which are sight, sound, smell,
taste and touch. Adding these to your writing is very important as these
will add depth and detail to your Descriptive Essay. Use them in a way
to bring life to your writing, and create a 360-degree scenery around.
Write in a way that the reader can effectively paint the same picture in
their mind that you’re trying to create. For example, if you are explaining
a garden, add the sensory details, like the soft pink colour of the roses,
the sweet smell of the jasmine flowers, the lush green of the grass, the
buzzing of the bees drinking nectar from the honeysuckle, the cool breeze
and how it feels on your face, etc. The correct usage of sensorial imagery
ensures that the reader wants to continue reading more.
Show not tell
The devil for Descriptive Writing is in the details. Don’t just state what
you are trying to say, instead paint an image with your writing. For
example – If a girl is scared, describe her actions instead of just telling her
that she is afraid. Imagine the expression that a scared little girl would
have, imagine she’d be trembling with fear, explain the colour being
washed off from her face. Use your imagination till the best of your
abilities – that’s how your Descriptive Writing skills will come to light.
Readers will not get the sense if you only state something, so get into the
nitty gritties and create a living picture with words.
Add figurative language
Figurative language refers to the use of words in a way that deviates from
the conventional order and meaning of words in order to convey a more
complicated meaning. It promotes colourful writing, clarity, or evocative
comparison. So, adding it to a Descriptive Essay is very useful. For
example, instead of writing “the man was cruel and insensitive”, replace it
with “the man had a heart of stone”. The different types of figurative
language that you can use are – Simile, Metaphor, Personification,
Hyperbole, Allusion etc.
Stay concise
You might be wondering how one can write a Descriptive Essay in a
concise form – both of these are literally the opposite. But trust us when
we say that nobody likes reading long essays. We’ve marked many papers
on Descriptive Writing, and have noticed that the essence remains
better in an appropriate length of an essay. Set your word limit and try to
stick to it – the beauty about this essay is that you combine your ideas
logically and make use of complex and compound sentences. If the
passage is already given, annotate the important points and add them to
your essay. Writing concisely is an art but you can master it if you practise
enough.
Conclusion
As important as you know the introduction is, so is the conclusion. Like for
any other essay format, all 3 are crucial to the organisation of your essay.
The conclusion gives an appropriate answer or closing statement to the
thesis statement in your introduction. If you end your essay with a
suitable conclusion, it also helps with your score. Summarise all the key
takeaway points from your essay and you have a complete, cohesive
answer ready for review!
Question: -
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions.
Answer on this question paper. Up to 16 marks are available for the content and
structure of your answer, and up to 24 marks for the style and accuracy of your
writing.
1. Describe walking or riding along a path or track you have not explored before.
2. Describe a busy train or bus station.
3. Describe an occasion when a group of people are eating together