The 5 Senses

The five senses are how your reader will experience the world that you create in your writing. When a someone reads your text, they aren't able to see the location, hear the sounds, smell the smells, taste any tastes in the air (or if food is being served), or feel any sensations that might be there. As a result, you need to try and recreate these senses for your audience. You need to make them feel immersed in your world.

For your scene you're describing, if it fits in, try to think of an idea for each sense. For example:

A Beach:

• Vision: the sand, the sea, etc. (vision will account for most of your description)
• Hearing: the crash of the waves, the squawking of seagulls, and the sound of laughing tourists
• Smell: the salty sea air as well as fish and chips
• Taste: Vinegary fish and chips, sweets and sugary ice-cream
• Touch: The heat of the sun, the soft breeze, the sticky ice-cream and the soft silky sand

Finally, start thinking about how you could write these into sentences:

• The waves crashed lazily into the sand over and over into the soft, silky sand of the beach.
• Squawking seagulls circled overhead, watching laughing tourists.
• The tourists were feasting on salty fish and chips, which were covered in far too much vinegar.

Remember not only will this help you improve your marks, but it will also give you more things to write about in your exam. If you're struggling to write enough for your exam, this will help a lot.