I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, structure is one of the most important parts of your description. However, it is easily the most overlooked!
What is the Description Structure?
So…what is structure?
Firstly, structure is what you write and in what order. If I asked you about the structure of your day, you’d probably say what you did in the morning, then what you did in the afternoon and finally how you spent your evening. Writing is exactly the same!
You wouldn’t wake up in the morning and try to do everything at once so why do we do that when it comes to our writing? You’ve got to plan what you’re going to write about and in what order just like you plan and schedule what to do in your day!
Okay, so I’ve got to create a plan. I’ve got to think about what I’m going to write before I write. But…HOW DO I DO THAT??!!
Don’t worry, I GOT YOU!
The Zoom Method for Descriptions
There is a really simple way to plan your descriptive writing. You’re going to choose one of the following options:
1 – Zoom in
2 – Zoom out
3 – Zoom in and then back out
Told you it was simple!
How to do it!
Great…so what does zooming in and out actually mean? This isn’t science! I’m not using a microscope!
Well…actually you are! Just a metaphorical one…because in English we’re ALWAYS about the metaphors!
You want to imagine that you are a creating a movie…just a movie in your mind (any Miss Saigon lovers??!).
What to write and in what order!
First, use your camera lens (aka. your pen) to create different camera angles. Large camera angles are going to focus on the sky and the weather or show a bird’s eye view of the entire landscape. You might describe the horizon or the sky scrapers in the distance. Secondly, Medium camera angles begin to focus on certain buildings or areas such as the beach, the house, the sea, the road, the street, the cars, the trees. Finally, close up angles are going to focus on small details such as people, objects and animals. When it comes to close-ups – the smaller the better!
Most importantly, examiners will always be VERY IMPRESSED by students who can write at length about small, seemingly insignificant objects. That shows SKILLS!!!
Let’s look at an example plan!
Example
For example, imagine you have been given a picture of a train station to describe, which plan would you choose, 1, 2 or 3? Have a go at drafting a plan!
Here’s an example of how option 3 might look:
Paragraph one: begin by describing the weather which is grey, cold and gloomy and the city sky line which is made up of sky-scrapers.
Paragraph two: now, focus on the train station and describe the way the building looks grand and regal. Describe the inside of the station, looking at how it’s busy and very warm compared to the outside, there’s condensation on he windows and lots of noise.
Paragraph three: focus on a little child with a suitcase who is lost. Describe what they look like and use descriptions of their body language to convey their emotions.
Paragraph four: suddenly the train arrives, describe the sounds and sights as the train approaches and everyone tries to push past one another.
Paragraph five: now go back to the weather but describe the way it has started going dark and the street lights are appearing. The temperature has dropped and it has started to go foggy.
Why was that one good?
Here, we can see how the description began in the clouds (the large camera angle) before zooming into the train station and then the girl. In the second half, it zoomed back out to the train station and then back up to the sky. If you choose to use this option, it’s a good idea to change the weather slightly at the end so you don’t end up repeating yourself! Perhaps it can go from sunny to cloudy or day to night time! Don’t forget to use language devices throughout your work as well! Check out my free eBook on language devices here!
So now you know how to structure a description, check out my blog post on what to include inside your description here!
So long, farewell! That’s all for today folks! I hope that has helped and has given you more confidence and clarity when it comes to descriptive writing and how to plan! For more help, check out the AQA Mark Scheme here! Have fun experimenting with the different options and let me know how you get one!