Must-know for students in describing celebratory occasion!
Every year without fail, students will be given at least one descriptive question for their Paper 1 Continuous writing (or more commonly known as essay or composition by parents).
Today, you will learn how to describe a celebratory occasion.
Celebratory occasions can give you high scores in descriptive writing - if you play your cards right. There are many areas to explore for describing such celebrations and here are a few points to consider.
1. Describe your decorations
Celebratory occasions are filled with decorations to draw out the festivity. This is a perfect point to expound on for descriptive essays! What do the decorations look like? Do they hold any cultural significance? The more detailed you are with the decorations, the higher your chance of scoring. Don’t just tell me that there are balloons in the room, tell me what shade they are in and how many there are. Don’t just point out that there are red banners on the wall for Chinese New Year. Tell me what they symbolise and why.
2. People
Who’s attending the celebration with you? If you’re going alone, is there a particular reason why? If it is a public event that you are visiting alone, describe the people you see there. (Can link to the article on describing people?)
3. Cause for celebration
All celebrations deserve a worthy cause. So remember to name the festival or the occasion you are celebrating! Some questions you can ask yourself include what and why are you celebrating? Is it Chinese New Year? Is it your birthday? Or is it a friend’s birthday? The scenarios are endless.
4. Feelings
Of course, never forget to include how you feel at celebratory occasions. Are you having fun? Are you bored out of your mind? If so, why?
Sample example 1: Chinese New Year
During the annual family gathering for Chinese New Year, Uncle Poon’s house was an explosion of red and gold. The white walls were plastered with red banners that had auspicious characters printed on them while the ceiling was lavishly decked with small lanterns meticulously crafted from red packets (celebration + decorations).
The intricate decorations were no doubt the work of Uncle Poon’s twin daughters, if the proud beams they threw at the decorations were anything to go by. The effort they put in reflected their hope that there would be good luck for the new business Uncle Poon was to be launching soon.
(While the first paragraph detailed the decorations well, adding the second one expounds on the significance on these decorations. This can help add depth to your essay!)
The living room was filled with laughter and smiles as relatives who had not seen each other for ages started lengthy conversations that were long overdue. A small crew of adults were seated on the floor with a deck of poker cards sprawled in front of them while children were busy reaching their hands into jars full of new year goodies (people). The festive songs blaring from the radio further amplified the convivial atmosphere. Infected by the contagious excitement, I was all smiles as I joined my cousins, whom I had not seen for months, in a game of tag (feelings).
P.S.: Bonus tips for pro will be revealed next week!
