 Descriptive writing is arguably the hardest part of the English language paper one exam. So what I want to do is to offer you a really simple and straightforward framework that you can adopt if you're going for the descriptive writing question. Sometimes your descriptive writing question is presented to you in terms of an image or at times you get a statement from which you've got to write a descriptive writing response. However, this template and this framework that I want to provide for you is literally applicable to both instances. Okay. So this is for either your image that you get or your statement. And my suggestion is go for this template where you keep everything really, really static. Remember descriptive writing unlike storytelling with a story. You can start at one point with your protagonist and then they end in a completely different point, right? So they can start in the morning and they end in the evening. They can start really happy, but then they end off really sad. Descriptive writing is very restrictive in the sense that you've got to keep everything really, really static and you've got to keep everything as is on the page, okay, either with the image or with the statement. So when it comes to framing a descriptive writing response, I want to put forward my suggestion to use these, this kind of structure. Okay. These are what we'll call my concentric paragraphs. Now, just explain the structure a little bit. Let's say you've got the image right there in front of you. A common error that a lot of students make when doing a descriptive writing response is to go straight for the most obvious thing within the image. They describe it in lots of detail. They go into lots of detail and write like a really first chunky paragraph on the most obvious thing within the descriptive writing image. But then after that paragraph, there's nowhere else to go. Now, what I want to suggest is don't do that. Adopt this framework whereby, so I'm going to walk you through this concentric circles. Okay, so as you can see here, I've drawn five different circles and I would suggest, especially if you've got like an image and draw those circles out and think about what's going on in the outermost part of the image or even what could be around the image in terms of, you know, whether it's nighttime or daytime, whether it's inside or outside of room, etc. Then you kind of focus more a little bit in on that image and think about what is the atmosphere and mood like? Is it quite a dark atmosphere or a dark mood? Or is it quite a happy, you know, airy, bright place? Therefore, the atmosphere is quite happy and airy. Okay, that would be in your second paragraph before you then go for your central focus. So let me go over this concentric circle approach and how you can apply it when it comes to descriptive writing and you don't make the error that lots of students make or descriptive writing, which is a go for the most obvious thing within the image or within the question for descriptive writing. And then after your first chunky paragraph, you don't really have anywhere else to go. So remember, when it comes to descriptive writing, either for your image, so often, very popularly, images are given to you for descriptive writing, but you can also equally get a statement. Okay, for either question, always start with your setting and weather paragraph. This is the outer circle. What is going on around the image? Or if you have a question, right? So for example, you're asked to write to describe a place which is in a forest, right? So describe a forest, for instance. Think about the setting of this forest. Think about, is it hot? Is it cold? Is it daytime? Is it nighttime? Is it afternoon? Is it rainy? Is it dry? Think about what's going on in the general setting. And of course, if you've got the image there, look around the image. What's not so obvious? Start off with describing that. Okay, so your first paragraph should always be setting and weather what's going on around. That's the outer circle for the concentric circle. Now your second paragraph, you go a little bit in. You still don't go for the most obvious thing within your question. Go a little bit in and think, okay, what could be the atmosphere and mood? Let's say for example, going with the forest setting. So describe a forest, or for example, you're given an image of a forest, maybe there's a deer right there in the image, or let's say it's just a normal random forest, right? Now, you started off by describing what's going on around, right? It's maybe daytime. It's quite warm. It's a nice balmy day. Now in terms of the atmosphere and mood paragraph, if it's a nice balmy day, okay, balmy meaning quite nicely warm, pleasantly warm, right? Not too hot, not too cold. Now the atmosphere and mood you want to convey is this kind of sense of promise, the sense of happiness, okay? So maybe perhaps the birds are chirping, the birds are twittering, perhaps you can hear, you know, kind of little creatures scurrying away. There's kind of a very light atmosphere and mood. This is of course in contrast to let's say you're describing perhaps a more dark and dingy setting, right? So let's say for example, you're given a really dingy crowded room, right? So you've given the setting which is perhaps rainy, foggy for instance, or perhaps the setting is even within the room. So it's quite dark, there's no light, maybe the light bulb is broken. So the atmosphere and mood would be quite ominous, okay? So perhaps there's kind of a scurrying, or perhaps there's kind of this sound, there's lots of sounds which are quite negative, okay? So you're kind of thinking about it in that way. So that would be your second paragraph, your atmosphere and mood. What is the general mood? Is it a happy positive tone? Or is it an ominous, scary tone, okay? Now, the third paragraphs and are going in the third step into this concentric circle is now where you go into your central focus of your image or your question, okay? Now, when it comes to descriptive writing, as I've mentioned, lots of students start off with this, okay? So they dive straight into I'm going to go for what's really obvious in this image. I'm going to go, what's really obvious in this question and then they go into lots of detail about it and then they have nowhere else to go. What you want to do is kind of hold off until the third paragraph, meaning by the time you've basically warmed up and developed what's going on around this description that you're building up on. Now, with your central focus, you're really fired up by this stage. This is your third paragraph. You go to town as to what's in your central focus. So let's say if it's the forest setting, you know, for example, if there's a deer, now you can go into town and describe in the deer. Or if there's like a really massive hollow tree in the middle of the forest or setting, then you can go into lots of detail. If it's like a really horrible dingy room, is there like a really disgusting looking bed right at the center? Then you can go into lots of detail, right? So your third paragraph is now where you go into lots and lots of descriptive detail as to what is most obvious within the image or within the question. Don't do that before because again, what you're going to be doing is spending the rest of your time, the rest of your exam time, your assessment time, trying to scramble and trying to figure out, okay, what else can I do? What else can I describe? Start off with the heavy lifting with your setting and weather, atmosphere and mood, then go into your central focus paragraph. Now after your central focus paragraph, your fourth paragraph should be when you're thinking about, especially the most obvious thing within the image or the most obvious thing within descriptive writing. Think about what could be the sentiments. Even if it's an object by the way, okay? You can personify that object. You can give it human-like qualities and this is now your fourth paragraph where you're thinking and you're really zooming in on that one particular thing, one particular object or even a particular person, what could be their feelings. Now describe that in depth and go into that with your fourth paragraph, okay? So now we're getting even more specific with these concentric circles. Now with your fifth and final paragraph for descriptive writing, you could add an ever-so-slight change, okay? So let's say for example, going back to the forest, right? You're given a question. Describe this forest, right? In your fifth paragraph, you can start off with let's say you're setting in weather is like a really nice balmy day, a balmy afternoon. Perhaps maybe that warmth gets a little bit weaker, okay? So the sun's rays get just somewhat weaker in your slight change paragraph or the chirping birds perhaps grow a bit more quiet in your slight change paragraph. What I'm suggesting is don't go from daytime to nighttime or from afternoon to twilight, okay? That's too much of a change for descriptive writing. However, think about what is within the image and what could be an ever-so-slight change you could introduce, right? Do the sun's rays grow a little bit dimmer and weaker? For example, within the dingy room, right? Does maybe, you know, the peeling wallpaper paint does something just chip off a little bit, okay? Ever so slight tiny change to the other things that you have described and that would be your fifth and final descriptive writing paragraph, okay? So just to recap, when you're thinking about descriptive writing, my suggestion would be to approach your answer with this structure, okay? Start off by describing the setting of weather. What's going on around? Even if it's in a room, right? Is the room cold? Is it dark? Is, you know, the other lights really bright, okay? Or, for example, is there lots of natural light filtering in? You can still talk about that in a room setting, okay? That would still be your setting and weather paragraph. Then your second paragraph is consider what the general mood is. Is it ominous? Is it haunting? Is it scary? Or is it really nice, happy, airy and so on? Third paragraph is now where you go into, with your third kind of concentric circle going into the real, the really obvious thing, either within the image or within the question that you've been given for descriptive writing. Now you can go into lots of detail talking about, you know, whatever the central focus is. And then with your fourth paragraph, think about with the central focus, the central thing within your image or within your descriptive writing, what could their sentiments and feelings be before you finish off with an ever so slight change and ever so slight shift within this image? Now, the, I would like to suggest two hacks when it comes to descriptive writing. And this relates to, okay, so when you're looking at an image or when you're looking at the question, what is a great approach in order to apply this? My first suggestion is always try when you're describing an image or even when you're describing a question and whatever you're asked within that question, let's say a forest, right? Think about it in a 30 second time window, right? So if you're to take a real snapshot of that specific moment within 30 seconds, what could happen within that timeframe? Okay. And of course, the ever so slight change could be, let's say, after these 30 seconds, what's an extra little tiny shift that might have happened? Okay, that's the first thing. And that's the first hack I would suggest with descriptive writing and with applying these paragraphs. So think about when you're describing something, how can you describe it and think about it in that 30 second time window? The second thing I would suggest is, of course, when you're adding all of these descriptions in each paragraph, make sure you add a minimum of five language techniques, as well as five structure techniques. The best language techniques, I would suggest to always make sure and double check that you have included in your writing is have you included a simile, have you included alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopoeia and pathetic fallacy, okay? Have that as your checklist. This is language techniques. At least these five, you will be covered, okay? Try to make sure you've included them within your writing. And of course, if you can do even more, that will be better. But a minimum, make sure you have five language techniques. And of course, five structure techniques. So make sure you include repetition, tricholon, listing, ellipsis and a minor sentence. By the way, a minor sentence is just a sentence with one word to change the pace. Okay, remember that long sentences slow down the pace of writing, shorter sentences, speed it up. And of course, one word sentences kind of sometimes it can be a volter within your narrative. Okay, so kind of like a little bit of a turning point, or it kind of makes you read a pause and stop and think, okay? So that's what would be my suggestion for your five structure techniques. And of course, your five language techniques. Now what I'm going to do in a series of videos is I'm going to present with you different settings that you can use and you can consider for any descriptive writing question. Okay, so make sure you come back and watch the videos where I'm going to be following up for descriptive writing my suggested phrases for five different settings which you can memorize. And for example, if something comes up with a forest setting, you have these five phrases you can remember. Or for example, even for instance, mountain and caves, you can remember these phrases. Okay, so make sure you also look out for that lesson. Thanks so much for listening.