Describing a photo or picture

 

Here are our top tips for describing a photo or a picture in an exam.

Do:

Look at your picture carefully and take a few moments to think before you start talking.

Talk for all the time you are given. If you have one minute to do the task, use every second.

Practise the useful language below so you can explain which part of the picture you are 

talking about.

 

 

Don’t:

Panic if you don’t know the words for all the things in the picture.

 You don’t need to know all the words for everything in the picture if you know what to say 

when you don't know an exact word.  

Get distracted and start talking about something else. Focus on the photo or picture.

Panic if your mind goes blank. Take a deep breath, look at the picture and start again.

If you are asked to describe a photo or a picture in the exam, 

here is some language you can use:

What is in the picture?

In the picture I can see ...

There’s / There are ...

There isn’t a ... / There aren’t any ...

Say what is happening with the present continuous

The man is ...ing

The people are ...ing

It’s raining.

Where in the picture?

At the top/bottom of the picture ...

In the middle of the picture ...

On the left/right of the picture ...

next to

in front of

behind

near

on top of

under

If something isn’t clear

It looks like a ...

It might be a ...

He could be ...ing

Maybe it’s a ...