12.3 Describing People, Places and Events; Simple Narration

12.3 Describing People, Places and Events; Simple Narration

Quick Answer: Describe with clear order (place → people → actions → feelings). Use there is/are, look like / is wearing, and present continuous for picture talk; use past simple + sequence words for Writing Part 7 stories. Always add a reason for feelings when you can (happy because…).

Functional language is not only inviting and agreeing. You also need language to paint a simple picture in words and to tell what happened. Cambridge A2 Key asks for this in:

• Speaking Parts 1–2 when you talk about home, people, free-time places, or visual prompts
• Writing Part 6 when you describe a plan, place, or person briefly
• Writing Part 7 when you narrate a three-picture story (35+ words)

This section gives description frames, narration tools, feeling language, mini models, and traps. Pair it with your earlier work on narrative connectors and with opinion language from 12.2 so descriptions do not stop at It's nice.

What “describe” means at A2

At CEFR A2, a good description is organised, concrete, and accurate enough to be understood. You are not writing a novel. You are selecting 5–8 clear facts with simple grammar.

Describing people

Phrase bank: appearance and identity

Useful adjectives (people)

Appearance/clothes colours: tall, short, long, dark, fair, curly, straight, red, blue, black, white
Personality: kind, friendly, funny, quiet, noisy, hard-working, shy, helpful

Mini model: person description (Speaking Part 1)

Interlocutor: Tell me about your best friend.
Candidate: My best friend is called Nora. She's sixteen. She has short brown hair and she's wearing glasses at school. She's very kind and funny. We met in Year 8, and we both like music.

Structure used: name → age → appearance → personality → shared detail. That is enough for A2 extension.

Writing touch (Part 6)

• My cousin Leo is coming too. He's tall and really friendly.
• I'm bringing my friend Maya. She loves football.

Describing places

Phrase bank: places

Mini model: place (Speaking)

My favourite place in town is the riverside park. It's near my house, and there are bikes and a small café. At the weekend it's busy, but in the evening it's quiet. You can walk, take photos, and meet friends. I like it because the air feels fresh.

Empty vs rich place language

Train yourself to replace nice/good/big with one concrete detail every time.

Describing events and occasions

Events include parties, school trips, matches, festivals, and simple accidents in stories.

Event frame: 5W + feeling

1. What was it?
2. Where was it?
3. When was it?
4. Who was there?
5. What happened (2–3 actions)?
6. How did people feel and why?

Mini model: event (Speaking Part 1 style)

Interlocutor: Tell me about a good day you had.
Candidate: Last Saturday I went to my cousin's birthday party at his house. There were about ten people. We ate pizza and listened to music. I was happy because I saw friends I don't meet every week.

Phrase bank: event verbs (present for habits / past for stories)

meet, arrive, start, play, watch, eat, drink, take photos, give a present, win, lose, leave, go home

Photo / visual prompt talk (Speaking Part 2 support)

Part 2 materials often include pictures or options you must discuss. Even when the task is “choose,” you still describe to compare.

Fixed order for a picture (about 30–40 seconds)

1. Place / setting: This photo shows a kitchen / a beach / a classroom.
2. People: There are two girls and a man.
3. Actions (present continuous): They are cooking / running / talking.
4. Details: clothes, weather, objects (There is a big table…).
5. Feelings / guess: They look happy. Maybe it's a family lunch.
6. Simple opinion / link to task: I think this is a good idea for a weekend because…

Present continuous for “now in the picture”

Do not force past tense for a static photo description unless you are inventing a story about what happened before—default is present continuous + there is/are.

Mini dialogue: describing then choosing (Part 2)

A: In this picture there is a busy market. People are buying fruit.
B: Yes, and they're wearing summer clothes. It looks hot.
A: I think the market is fun, but it might be crowded.
B: I prefer the quiet park picture because we can have a picnic.
A: OK, let's choose the park.

Description feeds opinion; opinion feeds decision—full functional chain.

Simple narration for Writing Part 7

Part 7 asks for a story based on three pictures, usually 35 words or more. Narration is the function of telling events in order.

Core narrative toolkit

Three-picture skeleton (always useful)

1. Picture 1 — start: who + where + first action
2. Picture 2 — problem or middle action: what goes wrong / changes
3. Picture 3 — end: solution + feeling

Model story (original, exam-length)

First, Tom waited at the bus stop in the rain. Then a car stopped, and his uncle smiled. “Would you like a lift?” he asked. Tom got in and said thank you. Finally, they arrived at school on time, and Tom was happy because he didn't miss his exam.

Notice functions inside narration: invitation/offer in dialogue, feeling + reason at the end, clear sequence.

Another model with a small accident

Yesterday Sara walked to the park with her dog. Suddenly the dog ran after a ball and Sara fell. A boy said, “Are you OK? Can I help you?” He helped her stand up. After that, they played with the dog together, and Sara felt better.

Requests/offers from 12.1 appear naturally in stories—good cross-skill recycling.

Feelings and reasons (high-value A2 upgrade)

Examiners see many scripts that only list actions. Feelings make descriptions and stories human and complete.

Phrase bank: feelings

Rule: feeling + because / when / after

• She was excited because it was her birthday.
• He was tired after the long match.
• They were surprised when the lights went off.

In Speaking, feelings also support Interactive Communication: I think they look worried. What do you think?

Linking description to Writing Part 6

Part 6 is not a full story, but light description helps content points:

Full sentences + one concrete detail beat telegraphic notes.

Common mistakes in description and narration

Grammar checklist for this section

You do not need past perfect or long passive forms for A2 Key success.

Integrated practice: one prompt, three products

Prompt pictures in your mind: (1) girl at station, (2) she drops her ticket, (3) a guard helps her.

1. Speaking description (present): In the first picture a girl is standing at the station. She is wearing a blue coat. She looks nervous.
2. Part 2 opinion: I think stations are stressful because they are busy. I'd rather take a bus.
3. Part 7 narration (past): First, Lily waited at the station. Then she dropped her ticket under a seat. Finally, a guard helped her, and she was relieved because she could still travel.

Same situation, three functional modes: describe, opine, narrate.

Timed drills

Drill A — People (3 minutes)

Describe three people you know with name + two appearance details + one personality adjective + one activity.

Drill B — Places (3 minutes)

Describe your school or street using there is/are four times and you can twice.

Drill C — Photo order (3 minutes)

Any magazine photo: say place → people → actions → feeling → opinion in 40 seconds.

Drill D — Part 7 speed story (4 minutes)

Invent three linked sentences with First / Then / Finally and one because feeling. Count words (aim 40+).

Register notes for description and stories

• Speaking photo talk: natural, present, interactive (What can you see?).
• Part 7 story: standard narrative English; light dialogue is fine; avoid chat abbreviations (u, thx, LOL).
• Part 6 email description: friendly full sentences.
• Do not switch into poetic language (the azure firmament wept)—keep A2 clarity.

How this chapter fits the productive papers

In a single Speaking Part 2 minute you might describe two options, say which you prefer, softly disagree, and suggest a final choice. In one Writing week you might invite in Part 6 and narrate in Part 7. Functional language is the glue between vocabulary topics and exam tasks.

Final checklist

• Can I describe a person without stopping at nice?
• Can I use there is/are and is wearing for a photo?
• Can I tell a three-step past story with First / Then / Finally?
• Can I add happy/worried/tired because…?
• Do my descriptions support a simple opinion when the task needs a choice?

If you can do these things, you can handle the descriptive and narrative demands of A2 Key Speaking and Writing with clear, polite, organised English—exactly the CEFR A2 standard Cambridge is looking for.