In this video lesson, I am going to teach you a structure that you can apply to any piece of descriptive writer that you do to instantly improve your grade. Whether you're doing exam route or coursework group, I guarantee that what you will learn in this lesson will help you to take your writing to the next level.

You can download all of the resources that you'll need for this video lesson, including a worksheet and this PowerPoint, over on my website at totally.co.uk. If you are joining us from YouTube, you'll find a link for that in the description. On that page, you will also find a review quiz to check how well you have understood what you have learned in this video lesson. You'll find all that, plus other video lessons and free resources for both students and teachers, over there at tartley.co.uk.

Let's get going. Here's what we're going to do in this video lesson. Firstly, we're going to begin with a little bit of background information about descriptive writing for Cambridge First Language English. Then, we're going to take a look at the structure that I promised will help you improve your grades. Following that, I'm going to show you an example, an A-star piece of coursework or exam descriptive writing that uses my structure to help me see, "Okay, but what does a good one really look like?" Then, we're going to have some inspiration. I'm going to show you some videos and some pictures to help you generate some ideas for your writing. Following that, you'll have time to do planning, and I've got a beautiful planning sheet for you over there on my worksheet. Finally, after that, it will be over to you, and you are going to write a description all of your own, inspired by what you've learned in this lesson.

Descriptive writing, then, why do you have to do it? Where does it fall? Well, if you're doing coursework, then descriptive writing will be one of your portfolio pieces. It will be your assignment two, writing to describe. You can pick your own description, your own topic, whatever you like. So, the description that you do in this video lesson, if your teacher allows it, could be used for your real coursework.

Now, if you're doing the exam route, which is the Paper Two, then descriptive writing is on your Section B. But what's different about that and the coursework is that you actually have a choice. You write a narrative or a description, whereas on coursework, you have to write both. So, if you're going to choose descriptive writing for this exam paper, it's best that you go in there prepared. And what better way than to go in there with a structure that will help you to get a higher mark?

Now, how does Cambridge actually grade you for descriptive writing? Well, you get two different marks. So, you get one mark awarded for content and structure, and a separate mark awarded for style and accuracy. Content and structure, to begin with, then, is basically how good is your description. Whereas style and accuracy is how accurate is your grammar, your punctuation, and your spelling.

So, if content and structure for descriptive writing, you can see here that I've put the top four bands up. We didn't bother with two and one because you're not going to get a band two or a one, right? So, band six, then, would mean that your writing is complex. Band five will be developed. Band four would be relevant, like, yeah, you've written something that is relevantly a description most of the time. And band three will be straightforward, which would be a little bit childish, a little bit childlike, and not necessarily a description.

Now, in band six, which I know that we're all aiming for, Cambridge are really looking to see that you have got many well-defined and developed ideas, and that you have created a convincing overall picture. When we say convincing, that means I can really picture it in my head because you have described it so well, and in so much detail, and so beautifully, that you've really brought it to life for me. And also, that you'll have a variety of focus. So, if you're describing the sunset, you're not just describing the colors of the sky, right? You're also describing the birds, you're describing the clouds, describing the soft breeze against your skin. So, this idea of within this picture that you're describing, you've got many different things that you're focusing on. That is what a band six would look like.

Band five, then, has got frequent well-chosen images, giving a mostly convincing picture. I can imagine it really quite well, and you've got lots of different images. But notice here, we've no longer got this variety of focus. Now, in band four, is relevant. So, that means you have relevantly written a description. You've not written a poem, you've not written an essay, and you've got some elements of description in there, like images and details. But you might sometimes write narratively, so it might sometimes sound like a story rather than a description. And then, finally, in band three, you've got a series of relevant but straightforward details. So, in your description, it might sound a little bit like a list, like, "And then I see some trees, and the trees were beautiful. And then I see some birds. Wow, aren't they flying high? And there is a man. He is eating an ice cream." Like, list, list. So, you're not really developing or going into depth or detail. You're just, "I can see, I can see, I can see." Or another reason why it might get in band three is that it's becoming very narrative. So, in band four, sometimes you might sound a little bit too story-like. In band three, quite often, you sound too story-like or too list-like.

Now, you're probably thinking, "Well, I don't want to get in band four or three." So, what do you mean, "sound too narrative"? How do I avoid doing that? You need to know what the difference between a description and a narrative is. So, a description, imagine it like a photograph. Whereas a narrative is more like a film. So, in the description, there should be no events, no dialogue, no characterization, and nothing should happen. So, your narrator, they can observe, they can watch, but they can't participate. One common misconception, though, is that a description has to be completely still. That's not true. It can be like you're stood in the middle of a park and you're looking around at what's happening. You can look up at the sky, you can see some kids playing over there. The day can turn from day to night, right? That's a form of movement too. But you're not running up to the kids and saying, "Hey, can I play with you?" And you're not sitting back and going, "Ah, this sunset reminds me of the time when I slew a dragon." Okay? So, nothing is necessarily happening, but you can have some movement around you.

By contrast, a narrative is like a film. So, it will have a plot, something will happen, it will have a climax, it will have dialogue, and it will have characterization. Now, a narrative will probably also include some description, or at least a good narrative will include some description. But that's not the main purpose of writing. The main purpose of a narrative is to tell a story, to tell something that happens. Whereas the main purpose of a description is to describe what you see around you, create some sort of atmosphere for the reader. So, essentially, in a description, nothing happens. You're just observing. And in a narrative, something happens. So, you need to be really careful not to get into band three or four by accidentally creating too much of a story, because Cambridge will mark you down for that.

Next up, we have style and accuracy, and that's about a few different things. So, yes, it is about how accurate is your SPaG, which is spelling, punctuation, and grammar. But Cambridge are also looking at how beautiful is your vocabulary, how varied are your sentences, can you use a wide range of punctuation accurately and for effect? So, it's not just grammar, but grammar does play a big part in it.

Now, for band six, the top band, you would be consistently accurate. So, okay, you might have one or two mistakes. No one's perfect, right? But basically, they would be next to no errors. Your vocabulary will be effective, sophisticated, precise. You would have a range of sentence structures, and I would want to see that you've got some more advanced punctuation in there, and it's being used correctly.

Band five, by contrast, then, is mostly accurate. So, if you want to think about band six, maybe you have got not to three errors. Maybe for band five, you might have three to six errors, right? So, it's mostly accurate. I can see some errors, but they're very infrequent, and it's not a big deal. Your vocabulary is mostly precise. So, maybe you've got some boring words in there, but mostly your vocabulary is good. Mostly varied sentences. Notice this word, "mostly." Mostly, mostly, mostly. Whereas you can think of band six as more consistently, right? So, consistently, pretty much always. Whereas "mostly" is 80% of the time. Sure, sure.

Band four, then, we have got frequent small errors. When I say a small error, what I mean is, I know what you mean. You've got errors, but it's not too distracting, and I can figure out the meaning. I'm never confused, right? You might have some good vocabulary, but maybe quite a lot of boring vocabulary, and some random sentences, but maybe you're repeating your sentence structures quite a lot, so it gets a little bit repetitive. And frequent small errors, maybe I might expect to see six to, depends on how long the piece of writing is, six to fifteen perhaps, over here. But again, they would have to be small errors.

Band three, then, is serious errors. So, if a small error is an error that doesn't make me confused, a serious error is an error that makes me really confused. I have to read the sentence once or twice or three times to figure out, "What does this student mean?" Right? That would be a serious error. You would have simple vocabulary, which would be like childlike language. You know, you, you don't sound like you're 15 or 16, you sound like you're an eight-year-old. Sorry to be offensive, but, you know, that's the kind of vocabulary that we're looking at. And sentence structures too would be very repetitive and not too complex, not too ambitious. And again, here, frequent grammar errors. In this time, they are sometimes serious.

Style and accuracy, then, largely focused on your grammar. But if you've got, you know, those three to four errors and really great vocabulary and really great punctuation, sometimes the examiner can bump you up a little bit into band six where otherwise you would have been in band five. So, it's not a perfect science. The examiner has to balance all of these different elements.

Should we get down to it, then? Okay. So, we are going to write a description about a topic, and I am not going to tell you the topic. It's going to be a surprise. How exciting! So, based on these words on your screen, have a think, what do you guess that the description topic will be about? And now, one by one, I'm going to remove the words to reveal the image that we're going to describe. Any guesses? Anyone guess the location of this? It's a famous landmark in the center, right there. That might give it away. And final one. So, what do you think that the description will be about? The task is to write a description of cherry blossom season. And if you are wondering, the location that is Tokyo.

If we're writing a description of cherry blossom season in Japan, then we need to come at it from an angle, right? It would be very easy. Most of you could probably sit down right now and say, "And the petals were like, the petals were like flowers. The petals were like fireworks exploding on the floor. And there was a woman, and she looked very beautiful, and she was taking pictures of the petals, and blah, blah, blah." Right? But that's very straightforward. I want you to think about the deeper meaning. Maybe some of you do literature. So, when you're reading all of those great novels and poems and plays, your literature teacher will say, "But what does it mean?" Well, guess what? Now you're the writer. So, you need to think before you start writing, what do you think that the deeper meaning of your work is going to be? What, what are you trying to create in your reader's head? How do you want them to feel? Have you got, like, a secret symbolic meaning to your description? Right? So, we are going to become everything that our literature teachers enjoy to analyze.

These are the questions, then. What are you trying to say through your description? Like, what is your deeper message? And what effect are you trying to create on your reader as they're reading your work? Think about the image of cherry blossoms, right? Hold that in your head. What are the connotations of cherry blossoms? And when I say connotations, I mean, what do you associate with cherry blossoms? What could they symbolize? What could they have a deeper meaning of? For example, red has connotations of danger, passion, and love. So, what do you think the connotations of cherry blossoms might be? Have a think.

Here are some suggestions, then, of the connotations, the deeper associations that we might have of cherry blossoms. So, of course, cherry blossoms, they come to life in spring. So, they might have connotations of renewal, new life. You know, everything's dead in the winter, spring comes around, and things come back to life. They might have connotations of beauty and grace. But also connotations of being transient, temporary, brief. Cherry blossom season, apparently, only lasts for about one to two weeks, right? So, you have this extreme beauty, but it's very temporary. It could also have connotations of romance and love. Quite a romantic setting, really. You can imagine, like, a new young couple strolling down the park, hand in hand, during cherry blossom season. And perhaps that's because, like the cherry blossoms, it could be symbolizing new love, budding romance, beginnings, right? The start of a romance. So, a flower just about to bloom, just like a relationship just about to bloom. Similarly, it could also have connotations of growth, right? Of budding and blooming. In some cultures, like Japan, which has a festival to celebrate cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms might have connotations of cultural heritage, celebration, unity, coming together, right? And community. Similarly, some cultures might see cherry blossoms as a symbol of spiritual awakening or spiritual growth.

If we want to get dark for a second, cherry blossoms can also have a symbolism of mortality. The fact that we will die, right? Because they're so brief. And also cycles of growth and death. Every year, right? Cherry blossoms bloom, they fall to the floor, they turn into mulch, they feed the plants. The tree turns green, summer comes, autumn comes, the trees fall under the ground, the trees are bare. Repeat, repeat, repeat. And so, the final connotation might be harmony between humans and nature. Humans and nature living together, coexisting in this kind of symbiotic relationship.

Now, I wonder if you thought of any of those. I wonder if any of those are particularly inspiring to you. Or I wonder if you thought of some that I didn't. I'd be very interested to hear if you did. I want you to pick a perspective that you want to emphasize in your own writing. So, have a look at these connotations. This is going to be your deep meaning, right? This is what you're going to embed throughout your descriptive writing to really give it that element of creativity, of deliberation, that you've thought through, you've gone into this descriptive writing task with an idea in mind, and you've executed it. That's what Cambridge love to see for content and structure.

Now, if you're anything like me, everything I write turns out depressing, and I don't mean it to. But the connotations that I'm drawn to are transient, temporary, and brief, and also mortality, cycles of growth and death. Read what you want about me in those choices. But when you come to see the exemplar, keep that in mind. Those were the connotations that I went with that inspired my writing.

Now, then, we're on to structure. And let's take a look at my recommended structure. That's what you're here for, right? Here is the five-paragraph structure that I recommend that you apply to any piece of descriptive writing that you do. Your description will have just these five paragraphs, and if you do the structure and you do it well, this is more than enough to get you an A-star.

Let's begin. So, your first paragraph will be a zoom out or a long shot, basically looking at the whole scene, right? As though from a distance. So, you are going to describe the whole scene in detail and mention something there that you're going to return to at the end of your description. So, you're zooming out, you're looking at the whole picture, and you're going to plant something, right? That might be, as you'll see in my description, a granddad and granddaughter that you're going to come to at the end. It might be a dog, it might be a particular flower, or something like that. Something that you plan to return to. All the better if you can make it have some emotional impact. So, all the better if you can think, "All right, I'm going to plant this right here, this cute little dog." All the better because by the end, we realize the dog is dying, or, you know, you're trying to create an emotional impact on your reader.

Your next paragraph, then, will be zoom in. So, you've gone from a zoom out, we're now zooming in. You're going to pick one detail, one thing in your description, and you're going to describe it in extreme depth. If you want, this could be a good opportunity for an extended metaphor. Now, what I want you to do with your zoom in is pick something symbolic, so something that has a deeper meaning, right? So, as you'll see in my example, we have got a bee, and that's got symbols of new life because the bee goes around and pollinates. So, it's like symbols of nature and living in harmony with nature, etc. So, zoom in, pick a detail, make it symbolic.

After that, your third paragraph will change perspective. So, I want you to imagine the scene through the eyes of somebody who is there, and you can think about what they're feeling or how they're viewing the scene. Now, if you don't want to change perspective into the eyes of a different person, that's okay. You could also change perspective in terms of you're now looking down at the scene, or looking up at the scene, or you're in a car quickly driving by the scene, right? Or even change perspective in terms of a time shift. So, you could imagine the same setting, but maybe a hundred years in the past, and think about how it's changed. So, really, this third paragraph, the keyword here is change, right? Something is going to change. But I think it works best when I've seen it with students when they change perspective through the eyes of a character in the description. So, that would be my recommendation.

Your fourth paragraph is you are going to zoom in again. So, you're going to pick another detail and once again describe it in extreme depth. But I want it to be symbolic in a way that contrasts to the symbol that you picked in your second paragraph. So, essentially, your description is going to have two big symbols: one in paragraph two, one in paragraph four. And I want them to contrast. So, I said that my paragraph two is going to have the bee symbolizing new life and all that kind of thing. Now, in my description, my paragraph four is the petals on the floor, the mulch, right? So, kind of new life versus death and decay. So, we've got those two symbols there.

Finally, in your fifth paragraph, you're going to have an emotional ending. So, you are going to circle back to something that you mentioned in your first paragraph, and you are going to really focus on the emotional aspect. You're going to try to leave your reader with a little bit of a sucker punch to the heart, right? And part of that is this circular structure that really helps you to create that emotional impact. Through using this structure, you might have already figured out, you are going to have a variety of focus. You are going to be developing your ideas, and you're going to have a very, very conscious structure, which shows the examiner, "This student has thought ahead." When they started writing, even in paragraph one, they thought about how it was going to end. They've changed perspective, they're doing something a little bit clever with the structure of this description. So, if you do this structure and you do it well, you are going to get a higher mark. And part of that is because you are using a circular structure for your description.

Now, a circular description, or a circular narrative, because you can use it in both, is basically when you return to a recurring and repeating image throughout a description, and it helps to create the sense of unity, continuity, coming back to where you started. So, by starting and ending in the same image, it creates a very beautiful effect for your reader. But you might want to take it that one step further, and perhaps something that first image has changed by the end of the description, or perhaps it's taken on a new meaning as your reader realizes something. You'll see an example of that in my exemplar coming up next.

Essentially, this structure is a lottery ticket to instantly higher marks, particularly if you're someone that doesn't love to plan, right? Because this is very quick. You can just go, "Aha! All right, so I'm zooming out, I'm describing blah, blah, blah, and okay, I'll pick that, I'll return to it. What am I going to zoom in on? Eh? What's the deeper meaning? Cool. Okay, change perspective to who? All right, fourth paragraph, pick a different symbol, make it contrasting. And then, finally, emotional ending. How am I going to make my original feel some sort of emotion, and how am I going to circle back to the beginning?" That can be a very, very quick plan, but it will drive your writing to be better.

These are the images that inspired me for my description, just so that you can put it to your mind as we start to read. So, we've got the zoom out, which is the image I've already shared with you of Tokyo Park during cherry blossom season. The zoom in, as I've already said, is going to be a zoom into a bee in a cherry blossom. Change perspective, I'm going to shift perspective to a grandma. My, the narrator's grandma in the park. My contrasting symbol, which I'm going to zoom into, is going to be the mulch on the floor, you know, the petals that are rotting on the floor, very much contrasts with the bee, right? So, we've got new life versus decay, death. And then, because I am a cruel woman and I can't write happy things, my emotional ending is going to be this image of cherry blossoms at a graveyard, um, and you'll see what I do with that, but it relates back to the first paragraph.

Let's have a look at the exemplar now. And a reminder that this is all on your worksheet right here, along with the questions that I will ask you to answer and the reflection sheet and everything else that we're going to do today. So, do make sure that you've got that downloaded for me. As we read through the exemplar, do have in your mind, "Okay, why is this good? Why would it get top band for content and structure? And why would it get top band for style and accuracy? And is there anything else that you could do to improve this description? Because nothing is perfect. This description is certainly not perfect." So, keep that in your mind. What's good? What could be improved?

Let's read. "It was April, and the time had come again for Tokyo to be velveted in a pink blanket. Shinjuku National Garden, vast and winding, was bustling with life. Lovers made eyes, and peddlers on the lake. A pretty girl posed for photos with petals in her hair. A tourist hunted for the best picnic location, dodging and diving around swarms of sightseers. And my grandfather held my sticky little hand as I looked up at the blooms with awestruck eyes. The air hummed with a click of cameras, the burble of conversation in a tapestry of languages, and the insistent shrieks of the cicadas. Cameras, conversationalists, and cicadas alike had all united here for a singular purpose: cherry blossom season had arrived."

Now, notice in this first paragraph, we have got the zooming out. We're looking at the park as a whole, and all of the different crowds and people that are in the park that day. Zooming in, then. "Winter had been long. I distantly remember that December that year had been brutal, bracing, unrelenting. Distantly, distantly, I recall biting cold mornings and my dad bundling me four layers deep before taking me to school. Perhaps because of this, the bees were particularly thankful for Shinjuku's reawakening landscape that year. One such bee danced gracefully between blossoms, bathed in the soft embrace of the late afternoon sun. Its tiny form, a marvel of intricate design, moved with an inherent rhythm, as if nature's heartbeat were channeled through its translucent wings. The bee's body shimmered like liquid gold, catching the sunlight in an iridescent dance. Delicate wings brushed against the petals, each touch was a renewal of life, a promise of another sunrise, another blossoming flower."

So, here now, we're zooming into the bee, describing it in extreme detail, but it's also symbolic, right? It's symbolic of this renewal of life, of nature, because the bee goes around and pollinates the flowers, right? So, symbol of life.

Now, we are going to change perspective. "The sun dips lower in the sky, casting the park in a rosy glow. Pausing intently at the bees hovering from flower to flower sat my grandmother. She was hunkered down on the weathered bench, her gaze drifting softly across the park. Every so often, she met my eyes with a wink or blew my granddad a kiss. How many seasons had they passed together? Had they once ridden peddlers with the setting sun kissing their skin? How many blossoms have they watched bloom and fall?"

So, I'm coming back to this idea of transients, things being temporary, in cycles, right? So, we've got grandmother, and it's all very sweet, but the narrator can't help but think, "You know, when they were young, did they see the cherry blossoms together? Would they, like the young lovers, riding the peddlers on the lake? How many times have they done this?" So, this idea of like, repetition, of cycles.

Now, we're going to zoom in again, and I've got a different image, symbolic, that should contrast with the second paragraph. "Softly, petals spiraled to the ground, scattering like stardust beneath our feet. The floor was a confetti of blossoms: dusky pink, alabaster, fuchsia, and ivory. Vibrantly alive, but soon the march of the crowds through the park ground the petals down into a soggy mulch that clung to my shoes. Over time, raindrops and footsteps worked together, coaxing the petals to merge with the soil, creating a rich bed that would nourish the very trees from which they have fallen."

So, still ideas of cycles, but now by having the symbol of the mulch, the petals on the ground being turned into a sludge, we've got this idea of things that last forever. This symbol of decay, really. Okay, and the decay does have hope to it because the petals are feeding the trees. So, it's still a cycle, but there is an element of sadness to this image that there wasn't in the second paragraph.

Ending, so now we are going to have an emotional ending that's going to circle back to an image in the first paragraph. "It is April. I am no longer a little girl with sticky hands, and my grandfather no longer walks with me through Tokyo's parks. But nature does not heed the passage of time and has filled the skies with fireworks of blossoms once more. It is very quiet here. Singular petals fall from the trees above my grandparents' grave. Before winding down to earth, they find a home in my clothes, in my hair. When I close my eyes, I am back there, that April in the park, when cherry blossoms briefly brought the world to life. How precious it is to wait all year to see something so beautiful it cannot possibly last beyond the week, and to possess memories too beloved to ever be replicated."

Now, what's been circled back to? If we have a look in the first paragraph, we've got this image of my grandfather holding my sticky little hand, right? And we come back to that in the final paragraph of a little girl with sticky hands. My grandfather no longer walks with me. So, the images have very much been replicated, but not only that, the opening sentence too: "It was April" versus "It is April." So, in this final paragraph, we learn that our narrator is now an adult woman at her grandparents' grave during cherry blossom season, reflecting back on a time when she went to the park with her grandparents. So, we've got this interesting shift, and also an emotional shift, right? Because at the start of the description, we see cherry blossom season as this kind of idealistic, romantic, beautiful time, and it is, but it's temporary. We're beginning with the park filled with life. It says that the air is humming with the clicking of cameras, the burble of conversation, and that very much contrasts to this short sentence in the final paragraph: "It is very quiet here." Five words by themselves. So, I'm really thinking in my first paragraph and my fifth paragraph, how they're kind of coming together to echo each other. And remember how I said, you know, you've got the same image, but something has changed, something has shifted? Now, in the first paragraph, when you hear about the little girl with sticky hands holding her granddad's hand, it just seems like a sweet, childish image of your, of your childhood, of growing up. But we realize by the end, when we get that same image again, okay, there's an element of sadness here because, like the cherry blossoms, that moment and those people couldn't last forever. So, it's almost like the cherry blossoms and the grandparents are representing each other as one larger symbol within the whole description.

I told you that I like to write sad things. Sorry. I'm sorry if I made any of you guys feel sad. I made myself feel sad as I was writing it, if that's any consolation to you. Okay, so I hope that I have inspired you, and depressed you, in equal measures.

Now, we're gonna get some inspiration for your writing. So, we're going to do two different things. We are going to look at some inspiration photos to get your brains ticking, and we're also going to have a look at some inspiration videos. Now, there's a space in your worksheet for you guys to make some notes. Anything that pops into your mind, note it down. So, for example, any words or phrases that come to your mind that you could use to describe the scene, write those down. Any great words. Also, have a think about the atmosphere of your writing. What tone do you want your writing to be? For mine, it was nostalgia with an element of sadness, wistfulness, can't get back, it's beautiful, part of what makes it beautiful is that it is temporary. So, that was kind of the atmosphere that I was trying to evoke. What imagery could you zoom into? So, think especially about your second and fourth paragraph. How, what different symbols are you going to pick there? And also, what image are you going to circle back to? This is really, like, the key one, isn't it? Because you need to pick something that's going to sound very good in your opening paragraph, but take on that emotional impact in your final paragraph. What symbols could you use? So, you know, getting on your literature brain, what are you going to pick? And what is the deeper meaning behind it? Whose perspective could you shift to describe in the scene? And also, have a think about how are you going to create that emotional ending? And when I say emotional ending, it doesn't always have to be sad, of course not. Essentially, anything that inspires you. As we look through these pictures, write it down. Hopefully, it will be useful to you.

Beginning now with, I think this is Osaka Castle in Japan. So, you could pick a famous landmark if you wished. And I should also say, it doesn't need to be in Japan. You can pick your home country. You can change cherry blossoms to a different type of flower too, if you want. I found this image quite interesting because cherry blossoms are so associated with nature, and yeah, these cherry blossoms are on a motorway. So, very urban. So, that could be quite interesting because you've got a contrast there between, I don't know, polluting the environment and not living in harmony with nature, and nature trying to persist despite humans' best efforts to destroy it. So, that could be an interesting long shot.

Here's one, too. So, you could have a description like in my example, with lots and lots of people bustling through the parks during cherry blossom season. If any of you guys have ever been to Japan or China, or I imagine pretty much anywhere during cherry blossom season, it sounds nice in theory, but in practice, there are like a million people out on the streets. So, it's not quite as relaxing and romantic as we might envision. Here, too, I like this image because, once again, it's this urban setting, rather than having it be all nature. You can have that contrast between the urban and the beautiful cherry blossoms. And why does it always have to be daytime? Why not night time? I thought this image could be quite nice for the contrast between the pink blossoms, the red lanterns, and the blackness of the shadows. It could be quite a striking image to begin with your description with. Again, under the nighttime scene here, um, and you can see that there's pink lights too, which are shimmering in the lake. I just thought this picture was so beautiful, um, that you could definitely do something with it for a long shot.

And here's my image, the one that I liked. I just love the colors in this. I thought the sky was so beautiful. I would have liked to have done more, really, with the, the urban landscape, and I didn't. So, that could be a way to improve it. That might be something that I would do if I was going to rewrite. I liked this image, and I thought it could perhaps be a zoom in because you have got the petals falling in the lake, right? So, they're scattered everywhere. So, again, images of decay, transience, could be represented in this image. If you're going to have a zoom in, why not zoom in and describe the cherry blossoms? That could be a very good opportunity for an extended metaphor, or even describing the cherry blossoms, changing perspective from below, looking above. You could describe the sky here too, if you wanted to.

Here's another zoom in, the one that I picked, which is the bee pollinating, having a little drink from the cherry blossoms. Or another image could be someone holding the cherry blossoms. How do they feel when you touch them? And similarly, cherry blossoms forming almost like a carpet on a lake here. Images of decay. Um, I think this is Tokyo Sky Tower. I, I do quite like the idea of a description that plays with nature and the urban. So, I'd be very interested if any of you guys do end up writing a description that has those themes. I used this image a little bit in my description of the petals falling into the narrator's hair in the last paragraph. So, that was inspired by this image. And changing perspective, why not? This lovely girl in her outfit, matching the cherry blossoms, strolling down. Very lucky to get such an empty park. It must have been staged. Whereas all of the other images have been Japan, I think that this one is New York. Looks like it might not be, don't know. Um, but yes, you can take it to a different location. And you could also view it through the eyes of tourists, if you wanted to, as well.

Here's the image that I picked. Grandma, cherry blossoms. Maybe looks like it. You can use your imagination, right? Changing perspective, too. As I said, it could be from the ground looking up. Could be from the perspective of a dog, a beetle, a bird, anything. Here's a zoom in for a contrasting symbol. So, you could have the blossoms beginning to bloom versus the sun setting, right? New life versus end of day. That could work. Similarly, a cherry blossom on the floor. It's life, short life, soon to be over. And the image that I picked of the mulch on the floor. And another sunset here, too.

Now, for an emotional ending. I liked this picture. I think it was from an Iranian photographer. I'll have to go back and check my sources. But this isn't Japanese, but I quite like this one because you've got this idea of friendship, of people coming together. It could be quite a nice emotional ending, especially if you mention the three women in the start, of course. You'd have to mention the three women in the start of your description, and your first paragraph, and then come back to them again at the end. Maybe in the start, like the first paragraph, they're all separate and scattered, and by the end of the description, they've found each other. Be careful not to turn it into a story, just simply have them now together. Um, and I also really liked in this image how they're wearing colors that match the petals. I liked that. That could go with themes of harmony between humans and nature.

Here are some of the images that inspired me, then, because I went with a grandparent theme. Um, so I've got granddad, granddaughter. My original idea, like the image that first came to my mind when I was planning this description, was my granddad took in a cherry blossom behind the ear of his granddaughter. Um, I didn't end up including that, but that was the image that came to my mind. And similarly, to change the genders around, such a beautiful picture, this. So, we've got grandma and granddaughter here, too. Those could be quite nice images to end with on an emotional ending. And your emotional ending can just be, "Wow, how precious this moment is." You don't have to kill them. Another idea for an ending could be, if you're doing an urban setting, behind you, you've got the flower shop. This, like, irony that nature becomes commercialized, becomes a product to be sold. It could be an interesting angle to take your description. And then here's the image that inspired me for my ending. Guess? Yes. So, symbols of transience, temporary, precious, but also, I suppose, like the cherry blossoms, you know, families and generations are cyclical too. Eventually, we... Oh, I just thought of a good idea. I should have had it. The narrator was an old woman herself. That would have been a great ending. Why didn't I do that? That would have made it come full circle. Oh, and she could now be holding the sticky little hand of her grandchild. Oh dear. Well, okay, you can take that idea if you want.

Hopefully, you've got a little bit of inspiration. I'm still kicking myself, but I didn't think of that ending. Right, okay. So, now we are gonna have a look at some videos of cherry blossoms. And once again, there's a space in your worksheet, and the prompts are still the same. So, think about vocabulary, atmosphere, imagery, how you're going to circle, what symbolism you can use, which perspective you're going to shift to, and how you're going to create an emotional end. Right, let's watch the videos now.

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