How to Write a Descriptive Story - IGCSE EFL

What is Descriptive Writing?

Descriptive writing is a form of writing that gives a clear and concise description of the events, people, location, or things. A good descriptive writing uses all the 5 sensory experiences - sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Always remember descriptive writing is a moment and not a sequence of events.

This question is part of the Paper 2 for English as First Language students. It comprises 25 marks.

How to plan a descriptive story?

1. You will be given a question paper booklet where you’ll find two questions for descriptive writing.

2. You’d have to select one and start planning your story.

3. It is considered easy if you begin with the 5 sensory experiences and build your story as you go.

• Begin with the sight, talk vividly about what you see and what emotions does that action evoke in you.

Example: I woke up to the majestic rays of the sun piercing my eyeballs, it was 11 am. And I’m tired, I opened my eyes and saw my shabby room.

Here, you describe what you see. After describing what you see then let's move onto what you hear

• Now you have to imagine the sounds you hear. Write how it sounds to you and what impact it has on you.

Example: The creaking sound of the fan and cackling of pots in the kitchen forced me out of bed. The headache was breaking my skull wide open.

Here, you see we have taken two objects and described how they sounded to you and how it made you feel. Next let's take a look at the smell.

• Elaborate on the smell, describe what you are smelling and how the same influences your thoughts.

Example: The smell of leftover rotten potato salad hit my nostrils like a bullet entering my body. It was absolutely disgusting. I could distinctively smell the rotting cheese, ham and potatoes and the foul odour they produce.

Here, I described the smell of each item and how that makes me feel. I have also seperately described the smell. Let's look what will happen for touch

• Start to describe the sensation of touch, the nature of the material you feel is it rough or soft, wet or dry etc.

Example: Annoyed by the state of my room I started cleaning it up. The surface of the desk was covered in glitter dust. Despite scrubbing the surface for 5 mins, the glitter remained undefeated. I was prepared for the last battle with some vinegar in my left hand and a steel wool on my right hand. After a while I emerged victorious out of the battle, and the glitter met its tragic end.

Here, I exaggerated the 4th experience of touch by describing it humourously and interesting for the reader. This keeps the reader invested in the story. Finally the taste.

• Explain how the flavour inspires you or makes you feel. You can describe how the flavours exploded in your mouth, the nostalgia the food item brought you, and so on.

Example: I was exhausted and needed a break. It was 2 pm and my stomach was growling for food. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of chips, these chips were a new flavour. I enjoyed how the flavours of tangy, sweet and spicy amalgamated in my mouth. Then I turned on Netflix and relaxed.

Here, I explain the taste of the chips and how the flavours made me feel.

4. After you are done planning out the response to the 5 sensory experiences. You can give a suitable title for your story, if the title is provided you can use the same. It is important to note that the title should match with the theme of your story.

5. It is not absolutely necessary to use all the 5 senses, there can be instances where there is no need to mention one of the senses. So be smart in planning it out.

Let's see how the paragraph looks when put together.

Result

I woke up to the majestic rays of the piercing my eyeballs, it was 11 am. And I’m tired, I opened my eyes and saw my shabby room. The creaking sound of the fan and cackling of pots in the kitchen forced me out of bed. My headache was breaking my skull wide open. The smell of leftover rotten potato salad hit my nostrils like a bullet entering my body. It was absolutely disgusting. I could distinctively smell the rotting cheese, ham and potatoes and the foul odour they produce.

Annoyed by the state of my room I started cleaning it up. The surface of the desk was covered in glitter dust despite scrubbing the surface, it still remains undefeated. I was prepared for the last battle with some vinegar in my left hand and a steel wool on my right hand. After a while I emerged victorious out of the battle, the glitter met its tragic end. I was exhausted and needed a break. It was 2 pm and my stomach was growling for food. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of chips, these chips were a new flavour. I enjoyed how the flavours of tangy, sweet and spicy amalgamated in my mouth. Then I turned on Netflix and relaxed.

If you look closely you can see how I incorporated all details into the 5 sensory experiences. And this creates a smooth in transition and allows the work to flow in a beautiful and cohesive way.

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