English Second Language·Writing skills · NSSCO 5.8
The descriptive essay
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A descriptive essay paints a picture with words so the reader can see, hear, smell, taste and feel a place, a person or a moment. In this lesson we gather details with the five senses, decorate them with simile, metaphor and personification, learn to show instead of tell, and shape it all into an opening, a body and a closing that hold one steady mood — ready for Paper 1, Task 6 (200–250 words, 20 marks).
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO English Second Language 5.8):
- Explain what a descriptive essay is and how it differs from telling a story
- Use all five senses to gather and organise vivid details about a person, place, thing, moment or feeling
- Use figurative language — simile, metaphor and personification — and precise adjectives, nouns and verbs to describe
- Apply the principle of 'show, don't tell' to reveal a feeling instead of just naming it
- Structure a description with an opening that sets the mood, a body organised by space or by the senses, and a closing that leaves a final impression
- Choose one dominant mood and keep to it throughout the whole description
- Write a descriptive response of 200–250 words for Paper 1, Task 6, meeting both Content and Language demands
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Miss Veronica and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.