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Welcome to GattPrep, your Guide for Life and Learning
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine walking into a local market. What do you see? Hear? Smell? That’s exactly what a descriptive essay does—it paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind using words. In a WASSCE descriptive essay, you’re not telling a story with a sequence of events. Instead, you’re describing a person, place, object, or experience in such rich detail that the reader feels like they’re experiencing it themselves.
This lesson will help you master the art of writing vivid, powerful descriptions, using sensory details, figurative language, and focused structure.
A descriptive essay is a piece of writing that focuses on giving a detailed description of a particular subject. Its aim is to create a clear, strong image of what the writer is describing. It is not about action or plot, but about how something looks, sounds, smells, feels, or tastes.
🧠 Imagine writing with a camera—zooming in on details.
You may be asked to describe:
A person (e.g., your grandmother, your best friend, a school teacher)
A place (e.g., your village during a festival, your favorite spot)
An object (e.g., a cherished gift, your school uniform)
An event or experience (e.g., your first time on a plane, a rainy day)
| Feature | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Sensory Details | Use the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. |
| Figurative Language | Use similes, metaphors, and personification. E.g., “The wind whispered secrets through the trees.” |
| Precise Vocabulary | Avoid vague words like “nice” or “bad.” Choose specific adjectives. |
| Emotional Tone | Let the reader feel your attitude or mood toward the subject. |
| Logical Organization | Describe from general to specific, top to bottom, or inside to outside. Keep it orderly. |
“The first thing you notice is…”
“It smelled of…”
“Her eyes sparkled like…”
“The air was thick with…”
“In the distance, I could hear…”
“Describe your favorite place to relax.”
Don’t try to describe too many places. Pick one place: maybe your grandmother’s veranda, a quiet riverbank, or a corner of your bedroom.
| Sense | Example |
|---|---|
| Sight | Green leaves, red cushions, peeling walls |
| Sound | Birds chirping, distant laughter |
| Smell | Roasted corn, wet earth |
| Touch | Rough mat, cool breeze |
| Taste (optional) | A sip of ginger tea, fresh mangoes |
Use a clear pattern. You could go:
Outside to inside
Top to bottom
Big to small
General to specific
My favorite place to relax is the wooden bench under the mango tree in my grandfather’s backyard. The leaves form a canopy that filters the sunlight into golden streaks. Every afternoon, the smell of ripe fruit and warm earth fills the air. The bench, old and worn, creaks under my weight, but it cradles me like a familiar friend. Here, even the wind seems to whisper peace.
Match the sensory detail to the correct sense:
| Description | Sense |
|---|---|
| The floor felt like cold stone | ? |
| The room smelled of old books and dust | ? |
| I heard the slow ticking of the wall clock | ? |
| Her smile was as bright as the afternoon sun | ? |
| I tasted the sweetness of ripe pineapple | ? |
✅ Answers
Touch
Smell
Hearing
Sight
Taste
Rewrite the following sentence to make it more vivid and descriptive:
“The classroom was boring.”
✔️ Sample Improved Version:
“The classroom was dim and quiet, with grey walls that seemed to absorb all sound. The fan creaked lazily above, adding to the sleepy silence.”
Write a descriptive paragraph about one of the following:
A rainy afternoon in your town
The face of someone you admire
The market on a busy Saturday morning
Use at least three senses in your paragraph.
In this lesson, you learned:
A descriptive essay paints a picture using words, focusing on how something looks, feels, smells, sounds, or tastes.
Sensory details, vivid vocabulary, and figurative language are essential tools.
Your essay should have a clear structure and follow a logical pattern.
Avoid vague words; aim to show, not just tell.
Think about a place or person that makes you feel calm or happy.
If you were to describe them in an essay, which senses would you focus on?
What mood or emotion would you want your reader to feel?
GattPrep is built to inspire students, challenge curious minds, and unlock their full academic potential through engaging, focused learning.
