PET EXAM . HOW TO DESCRIBE PICTURES. OXFORD INSTITUTE.

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 ...
HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE. 1st. Focus on the main part of the picture at the beginning.
Look at this picture. What can you see? This is a picture of a little girl listening to music with
headphones. Useful language: y This picture shows y There is / there are y I can see 2nd .
Describe as much as you can. She’s about three years old. She’s got short fair hair and big dark
eyes. She’s wearing … Useful language: y In the foreground / in the background y On the right /
on the left 3rd . Try to use your imagination to make assumptions. For example: The girl could
be listening to classical music to improve her mind. Maybe her mother makes her listen to
music...or maybe she just listens for fun. She might be listening to music on a train to pass the
time. Maybe it isn't even music at all. She may be learning a language....a CD course perhaps.
Useful language: y I think... Maybe / Perhaps... y Modal verbs of deduction: she must / can’t /
might be … y She looks…(happy.)/ She looks like … (my little sister). 4th. You can also use
personal stories Use your stories and examples from your life to speak more. People are much
more comfortable talking about their experiences, so talk about yourself. For example when
describing the girl listening to headphones you could say: The little girl is wearing headphones,
like the ones my dad had when I was about 6 years old. I remember he used to use them to
play the electric key board without bothering my mom. When I wore those headphones some
of the black plastic would come off and get stuck on my ears and face. They were huge
headphones...not like the ones you can buy today... See what I mean? Talking about examples
about your life while still describing the pictures...of a girl with headphones but you are more
relaxed and comfortable. It is best to think about the WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY HOW of
each picture. Think about the subject, environment, time of day, weather, location,
culture...this will give you ideas to keep you talking. Finally: Practise EVERY DAY. If you get your
mind used to doing the activity you will find that during the exam you will not struggle to find
ideas. Your ideas will come to your mind quickly and with little effort.