DESCRIPTIVE
WRITING
Istarto, M. App. Ling. L.T.
Major, IDAF, MoD
Descriptive Writing, Definition:
[Link]
The descriptive writing is a genre of writing
which is meant to describe something —
object, person, place, situation, etc.
Descriptive writing involves paying close
attention to the details by using all of your
five senses.
Descriptive Writing, The Purpose:
The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to
describe a person, place or thing in such a way
that a clear and vivid picture is formed in the
readers’ mind.
It also encourages the use of new vocabularies
and expressions.
Descriptive Writing’s Characteristics:
Good descriptive writing is organized in some ways:
chronologically (time), spatially (location), and orderly (of
importance).
When describing a person, it is better to begin with
physical description, followed by how that person thinks,
feels, and acts.
Descriptive Writing’s Characteristics:
Questions / Comments?
ADFELPS Writing Test Format :
The writing test is 60 minutes in duration. It
consists of the following tasks:
Task 1. (20 minutes)
A short descriptive writing of about 120 words.
Task 2. (40 minutes)
A short essay of about 250 words
discussing
a topic in some depth.
Note: For both Task 1 and Task 2 candidates
are
Descriptive Writing Example Rated 5
Task 1 Topic: Describe your primary school education
When I was I child. My parent asked me to join the Primary
school, I was seven years at that time. For the first time I entered
the school, I saw it was very crowded but I can enjoyed it. The
school was in down town it was a nice school with a green field.
We could play there very school time. In my Primary school we
wore short pants and with white shirt. For my school daily activity
we studied about Math, Religion, Language, and Sport. I liked
study Math because my Match teacher was very kind and young
at that time she is also very patient when she taught her student.
That's why I liked her very much. In sport I like playing Badminton
with the other friend. I enjoyed it very much. I used to play
Badminton. But now I like playing tennis.
Descriptive Writing Example Rated 6
Parents have to send their children to the primary school when they are six years
old. My parents did the same as the others so I will tell Ṿ about my primary school
briefly.
My primary school is in a province about 600 kilometres from the capital. There
were some play-grounds to do the activities with friends and the grounds for
assembling all of the students at 0800 hours to respect the national flag and sing the
national Anthem. I wore the uniform with blue trousers and white shirt. I studied
mathematics, geography, history and language. My favourite teachers was Nat. She
taught me and my friends to sing many songs. I liked to lay soccer at that time but
now I have just to look because of my age.
These are the part of my life that I love very much because I had a lot of fun. Just
only thought, they make me smile.
Descriptive Writing Example Rated 7
Back in 1967 I started my primary school education in a city known as Prague , in The
Czech Republic. During this infant stage of my formal education
I started to learn three language i.e. Chinese, English as well as Czech language.
Other than language I had to learn the subjects like mathematics, Science,
Geography, History and Physical Education as well as Musics and Arts.
The building in which I studied was an old brick building with 3 storey. In each class
we had as many as 40 student. We had an oval where we played soccer and
sometimes cricket.
The uniform I worn at that time was shirt and short trousers which were white in
colour.
My favourite teacher was my mathematics teacher as he was very strict and put a lo
t of effort into improving my ability in maths.
I attribute my success in maths at secondary level to the good founding provided by
him.
I was taught abacus by him and it is very practical until today.
Descriptive Writing Example Rated 8
My primary school is located at Balzimska, a suburban area of Prague , and is a
Catholic school named St Anthony's School. It is quite a small school, covering
only about three football fields. It has two gates, one which is used as an
entrance for vehicles and the other is used for vehicle exits and pedestrian
entry/exit./a It has a four-storey main building that houses all the primary and
intermediate classrooms and a side building that houses the high school
classrooms.
Like other Catholic schools, it has a church servicing the local parishioners. We
were required to wear white collared shirts with a left breast pocket (that has
the school seal on it) and brown short pants. During our primary school days we
took up basic subjects in English, Reading , Writing, some arts and experiments
in science as well as mathematics, religion and proper manners. My favorite
teacher then was a certain Mr Czerny (whom I presume must have already
retired by now). We had organized sports such as beginner's football, basketball,
and gymnastics. But after formal school hours, we used to play a game called
'policia,' similar to the 'cops and robbers' game in other countries.
Writing Topics for Task 1
Descriptive Writing:
• The person you admire most in your life.
• The best place you have ever visited.
• My home town.
• My Unit/Office.
Describe Your Home Town !
What is the name of your home town?
Where is it located?
How big is it?
How is the weather there throughout the year ?
What do most of the people do to earn their living?
What are the interesting tourist objects there?
What are the famous traditional food from your home town ?
How has your hometown changed for the last 10/20 years?
What springs to your mind when you remember your hometown?
What is the name of your home town?
The name of my home town is Magelang.
My hometown is Magelang, a small city also known as “Gethuk (Javanese traditional food made of cassava) city”
Talking about home town will always confuse me as I was born in Bandung, but I grew up in Magelang and now I
live in Jakarta. If I may choose where my home town is, I will choose Magelang as I spent some
memorable experiences there.
Where is it located?
Magelang is located in Central Java, (approximately) two hours drive from Semarang.
Magelang is a small, hilly and leafy city located approximately 80 km south of Semarang, the capital province of
Central Java.
How big is it?
Magelang is not a big city. It has only about half million people.
Magelang is only a a small, but not a crowded, city, comparable to Malang and pupulated only approximately
half million people.
How is the weather there?
The weather is in Magelang cool in the morning and evening, but a bit hot during the day times.
The waether is relatively cool in the morning and evening, but increases and changes significantly becoming very
hot during the day times and chilly at night.
What do most of the people do to earn their living?
Most of the people work as farmers and government employees.
Most of the people in the villages are farmers growing mostly rice and chilly, and some of those who live in the
city serve as government employees working in the governmental departments and as military soldiers,
and the rest are dealing in some business sectors.
Are there any interesting buildings/tourist objects?
There are several historical buldings and tourist objects in this city, such as Borobudur and Mendut temples,
Kauman mosque, Kiskendo cave, etc.
This city has several popular historical monuments such as Borobudor temple which is more popular than the
name of the city itself, and Sawangan plateau with a beautiful view of Merapi mount.
How has your hometown changed for the last 10/20 years?
My home town has changed a lot for the last 10 years (since 2005).
Since I left the city in 2005 upon my graduation from the university, my home town has changed
significantly in particular in infrastructure and economic sectors.
When did you last time visit your home town?
The last time I visited my home town was two months ago when I attended my youngest sister’s wedding
party.
I came back to my lovely home town two months ago when attending my youngest sister’s wedding party.
What springs to your mind when you remember your hometown?
I feel so happy when I remember my hometown because I could remember some beautiful memories
there.
Remembering my home town recalling me some unforgetable beautiful childhood memories when my
friends and I used to play in the bank of the river or play soccer at the school yard during the break times
or after the school times.
Describe Your Unit !
What is the name of your unit?
Where is it located?
How big is it or how many members are there?
What are the main task and/or responsibilities of your unit?
When did you join the unit?
What is you position in the unit?
What are your tasks and responsibilities?
What springs to your mind when you remember your unit?