© Фокина Лидия Петровна Prepare to describe a photo Автор :Васильева Елена Васильевна, учитель английского языка ГБОУ СОШ № 180 Красногвардейского района Санкт Петербурга 2016
© Фокина Лидия Петровна
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.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна If you are asked to describe a photo or a picture in the exam, here is some language you can use: If you are asked to describe a photo or a picture in the exam, here is some language you can use:
Introduction
The photo/picture shows ... It was taken by/in ... It's a black-and-white/coloured photo.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна
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
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.
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Speculating - If something isn’t clear


It looks like a ... I think it’s … It could /might/must be a ... It seems to be … He could be ...ing Probably … Maybe it’s a ... I suppose … Perhaps …
Opinion
I’d love/I’d like/ I wouldn’t want to be there. It (really) appeals / doesn’t appeal to me. This is a lovely/ horrible photo / image. The thing that strikes me is …
© Фокина Лидия Петровна
Travelling
Here are two photos showing different kinds of holiday. You should compare and contrast them. You have about 1,5 minute to do this.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна OK. These are photos. Both photos show me a kind of a family holiday Well, The first one is a photo of a family on safari, probably in Africa. They’re driving through the countryside in a jeep and they’re taking photos of all the animals they see. The other photo shows a family who are enjoying a beach holiday. To my mind a safari’s more exciting than a beach holiday because it can be a little dangerous in the wilderness with all the wild animals. And I think it’s also usually quite expensive, whereas a beach holiday doesn’t have to be. Spending time at the seaside with your relatives can be a lot of fun, although you have to be careful you don’t get sunburnt. On this kind of beach holiday, you can relax and you probably stay a nice, comfortable hotel and don’t have to worry about anything. On safari, you might have to stay in a tent, which some people don’t like very much. Personally, I think I would prefer to go on safari. I like to explore places and do exciting things. I like beach holidays, but that’s sort of thing I can do any time I like. A safari would be an unusual holiday that the family would probably remember for the rest of their life.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна Here are two photos showing different ways of shopping. You should compare and contrast them. You have about 1,5 minute to do this.
Shopping

© Фокина Лидия Петровна Well, I can see two photos of different shops. Both of them are coloured. I want to compare and contrast them and say how I feel about shopping in these different places. The first one is the kind of a local shop that you might find in your neighbourhood, while the second is usually found in the centre of the town. Well, in the middle of the first photo I can see a woman doing some shopping for her every day needs, such as bread, milk and maybe newspapers or magazines. For instance, people don’t have a lot of choice and the price can be quite high compared to, say a supermarket. Er … . On the second photo, on the other hand, I can see a lot of people, visiting a large supermarket, maybe for things for the house, like plates or curtains and maybe clothes or shoes. With the second shop, there’s a lot of choice but also some disadvantages. The service might not be as friendly as in the first shop, for example. I feel much happier about shopping in a large shop like the one in the second picture, rather than in the first picture. I think it can be very boring to buy the same things every day from a local shop and it’s much more exciting to go into town and get something you really want, like a new CD or some new trainers.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна
Environment
Here are two photos showing different things that threaten our natural environment. You should compare and contrast them. You have about 1,5 minute to do this.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна OK, well there are two photos showing pollution of our environment. They’re coloured. On the first photo I can see a factory which is producing a lot of smoke and the second shows me a campsite of some tourists in the countryside. The thing that strikes me is a lot of rubbish in the foreground of the photo. I would say that pollution caused by factories is a major problem and it adds to the greenhouse effect, which causes global warming. On the other hand, tourism creates problems locally because large numbers of people mean large amounts of rubbish. People drop litter and, perhaps because they’re on holiday, they often don’t care about the problems they’re causing. My personal opinion is that pollution caused by large business is far worse than damage to the environment caused by individuals. Factories often use chemicals which are poisonous and when those chemicals get into the environment, they can be harmful to plants and animals. I tend to think that rubbish in tourists sites is ugly, but it doesn’t usually create a serious threat. To my mind, industrial pollution is probably the bigger threat of the two.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна Here are two photos showing different kinds of learning new things. You should compare and contrast them. You have about 1,5 minute to do this.
© Фокина Лидия Петровна OK, well there are two photos showing different lessons. These are both photos of people learning new things. A girl is in the foreground in the first photo. It’s hard to tell whether she’s having a driving lesson or taking her driving test. There is a man in the passenger seat in the background of the photo. He has got a pen and some papers in his hand, so the chances are he’s an examiner. Based on his body language, I’d say they might be about to crash! It’s clear from the expression on her face that something is wrong. In the second photo a girl is learning to play the guitar. She could be learning from a teacher or a friend. It’s not easy to say whether she’s beginner or not, but she appears to be enjoying herself. The girl in the car, however, judging by the expression on her face, isn’t enjoying the situation much at all!