for the B1 Cambridge test (PET)
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In some English exams you have to speak or write about photos or pictures.
Here is a list of useful vocabulary and expressions for describing pictures or photos for oral/written exams.
| What is there in the picture? (people, things, animals, places, etc) | In the picture I can see … There is a/ an +(adjective)+ singular noun There are (a couple/some/ a lot of) + (adjective) + plural noun There isn’t a + (adjective) + singular noun There aren’t any + (adjective) + plural noun |
| What is happening? (actions & weather) For actions use present continuous | The person/ animal is +verb-ing The people are + verb-ing It’s raining/ snowing, etc. It’s bright/ dark/ sunny/ cold/ hot, etc. |
| What might be happening? (If something in the picture is not clear you can make a guess) | It looks like a + noun It looks as if + person/animal + verb … It looks as though + persona/animal + verb … It seems that person/animal is … Maybe the person/animal is + verb-ing The person/animal might be +verb-ing |
| What could have happened before? (You can use your imagination and make a guess about the actions that happened before the picture was taken) | The person/animal might have + past participle … The person/animal may have + past participle … The person/animal could have + past participle … The person/animal couldn’t have + past participle … |
| Where in the picture? (location/ position) | At the top/bottom of the picture … In the foreground … In the background …. In the middle/ center of the picture … On the left/right of the picture … next to in front of across from behind near on top of under |
Now that you know the vocabulary and phrases that should be included in picture description, let’s see an example:
| I think this is a family photo. There are five people, and all of them are smiling. They are having lunch in the dining room. The dining room is so bright and modern. In the background, we see the kitchen and some appliances. For example, a microwave and a coffee maker. In the foreground we see the mother sitting at the head of the table. It seems that she is taking a selfie. Her children are sitting around the table. On the left side of the photo, there is a boy and a girl. The girl is smiling. The boy has his mouth open, and he looks as if he is going to eat the whole spaghetti. There are two teenagers sitting across from the children. The young man is smiling, and the young woman is posing for the photo. The young man has his arm around the young woman. There are five plates with spaghetti, three glasses of orange juice, and two glasses of red wine on the table. There might be some bread in the middle of the table. The food looks very delicious. They might be having a video call with the father. The father could have travelled for work to a different city. It looks as though they are having a good time. This photo reminds me of when I was younger, and I used to have lunch with my family every Sunday. |
Writing practice
The best way to improve your writing and speaking is to practice. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that practice makes progress.
Choose ONE picture and describe it.
What can you see in the picture? Write your answer in the comments below
Teacher Julieta 
In the picture we can see three people. They are in the living room. The living room is so bright and clean.
In the foreground we can see a girl. The girl seems to be excited. It seems that she is looking at the map and turned to talk to her mom about where she wants to go.
In the background we see the father and the mother. Mom and Dad also seem to be having a good time talking to the girl about where they are going to go.
The floor seems to be the place where they put half-prepared luggage. It seems that they are checking to see if anything is missing.
The mother seems to be happy because she won’t do housework. The girl looks excited to go on a trip with her parents. Dad seems to be enjoying the family’s upcoming trip.
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Great job Bella!
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In this photo, we can see three people. They seem to be a family. They are in the living room. The father and the mother are sitting on the sofa in the background and the daughter is sitting on the rug in the foreground. On the rug in front of the girl in the center of the image, there is an open suitcase. The family looks very happy. In the suitcase, there are clothes, headphones, and a map. The girl is wearing a hat and holding a paper. Next to her mother who is sitting on the sofa, it seems to be a suitcase on the floor. It seems to me that they are leaving or arriving home from a trip and are excited about it.
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Good job Juliano. Please compare your first draft with the final draft. 🙂
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In the picture I can see three people. There is a young couple and a girl, all of them are smiling. They are in the living room. There is a sofa with some cushions and maybe a tall lamp. Next to it, I can see a plant and a big brown carpet on the floor. The Living room is so bright and modern.
The couple is sitting on the sofa and the woman is holding a shirt. On her left, on the floor and in front of sofa there is a backpack. The woman seems happy and she doesn’t have any shoes.
The man looks happy too and he has on the legs, maybe, some clothes.
In the foreground, I can see, that on the floor over the rug there is a headphone, a map and a laptop. Behind them, there is a suitcase with some clothes, and to it left I can see a girl on her knees. She is wearing shorts, socks and a striped blue and white shirt. In her head she has a brown hat and a map. She is smiling and she seems to be happy.
They might be preparing everything for the girl’s trip. Maybe she is going to study to another country for a few moths.
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Great job Karina!
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In this photo, we can see three people. It seems that they are a happy family because they look relaxed in their living room.
There is a map in front of the picture, and to its left, there is a headset. In the center, there is a girl who might have traveled abroad with other students. I think, she just came back home. She looks as if she is talking a lot about her trip. If you look in front of her, on the carpet, there is an open suitcase. Maybe she is giving presents to her parents. They are sitting on the back sofa, the mother has a shirt on her hands and the father has a sweater on his legs.
This photo reminds me of when I traveled with my friends and on every trip, I bought some presents for my family. However, they felt happy for me, not for presents. Well, I liked to think that.
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Well done Miriam 🙂 Please compare the text that you submitted with the final draft
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I think this is a family photo. There are three people who are smiling. They are talking about a trip in their nice living room. In the foreground, there is a map, headphones, and a suitcase. On the right side of the photo, there is a little girl who is holding a map.
In the background we see her parents, they are sitting on the sofa and putting some clothes in the baggage. It seems that they are planning a vacation trip. They might be planning a tour around Europe. Maybe the trip is coming soon because they look excited.
It looks as though they are having a good time. This photo reminds me of when my family and I were planning our last family trip last year. We really enjoyed that vacation.
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Very good Laura 🙂 Please compare the final draft with the text that you submitted
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In the photo, I can see three people. There is a young couple and a girl who seems to be their daughter. They are all very smiling. They are in the living room of their house where there is a sofa with cushions, a tall lamp, and a large brown rug on the floor. It seems that it is a very comfortable place with a lot of space.
The parents are sitting on the sofa. The mother is holding a shirt and her father is holding a sweater and a scarf. The girl is on her knees in front of her suitcase. In her hands, she has a map, a blue and white striped sweater, shorts, and a brown hat. Next to her suitcase, there is a laptop, a map, and headphones. Her face shows that she is very happy, and she is telling her parents about the experience she had on that wonderful trip.
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Good job Melissa 🙂 Please compare your first draft with the final draft. Pay attention to the pronouns. In this picture she/her = girl he/his = boy
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In the picture I see one family: mother, father and daughter. Everyone seems happy because they are going to travel. They are in the living room.
In the center I see a black suitcase with clothes. In the foreground I see one laptop, one map and headphone. In the right I see the daughter who is smiling. She is sitting on the carpet. She is wearing a brown hat. She has a map in her hand.
In the background, we can see a happy couple sitting on the sofa. They are talking to their daughter about what they might do on vacation. Next to them, I see a beautiful bonsai.
I hope this vacation will be a success!
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I think it is a family picture. I can see three people, and all of them are smiling. They are packing in the foreground of the room. The room is a nice place, it’s modern, organized, and clean. The room has natural light. In the background, I see a sofa that may be comfortable, there are some pillows on the sofa, and on the right of the sofa, there is a lamp and a plant.
I can see a lot of things inside and outside a suitcase. There are clothes outside the suitcase and there is a map, a laptop, and headphones inside the suitcase.
There are two adults sitting on the left of the child. The young man is smiling like a child. The young man is folding the clothes. The young woman has long and beautiful black hair. The woman is smiling like a child, and she is folding a gray shirt. On the right of the woman, I can see a black backpack.
The child is sitting on her knees. She is smiling. She is folding the map.
I think they are pretty relaxed and having fun. They all may be packing because the child will travel for the first time, or she will go to a summer camp with her friends.
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In the picture I can see three people. It seems to be a family gathered in the living room.
In the foreground, in the center, I see a map, a headset and an open suitcase on the carpet. It looks as if the family is getting ready to go on vacation. In front of the suitcase, there is a girl very excited. She seems to be holding a map and talking to her parents about their trip.
In the background, I see a man and a woman sitting on the sofa. They seem to be sorting out their clothes for the trip and they are smiling and making plans with their daughter.
The environment is light and clean. This picture reminds a place of peace, joy, and harmony.
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Well done Thais!! 🌟🌟 Don’t forget to include the SUBJECT in your sentences. Example: In the room is a girl (wrong) In the room THERE is a girl (right)
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Ok, teacher! Thanks for the teaching!
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I think it is a family picture. We can see four people and a dog in the center of the picture. Maybe a father, a mother, a bigger brother, and his sister. The mother is sitting on a bench in the middle of them. She is smiling, closing her eyes, and hugging her son and daughter. The sister is sitting on her mother’s lap. She is laughing, opening her mouth. She is holding her hands on her chest, one hand is grabbing her mother’s hand, and the other is grabbing her father’s hand. The bigger brother is leaning on the right side of his mother. His right hand is touching the dog’s leg. The dog is looking far away. The father is standing behind the mother. His arms are tightly hugging them. His right cheek is sticking to the mother’s left forehead.
In the background I can see grass and a water stream. We can see full of clouds in the sky. They are all wearing casual clothes. Maybe the location is by their house. It looks like they are walking outside after dinner. Suddenly, It may have been windy, so the father immediately hugged them. The picture instantly makes you speculate about who the people are and what loving they are.
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Well done Beryl!!! 🌟🌟
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In this picture I see a family photo. This family is happy. They spend their day off in the nature. In the center of this photo, I see two children sitting on a bench. To the left of the children, I see a dog looking at the family. Behind the children, I see their parents hugging their children. In the background I see a river and a beach, a lot of grass, and trees.
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Great effort Viktor. Remember that for the test you will have to write 100 – 120 words
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In this picture I see a family photo. This family is happy, she spends her day off in nature. In the center of this photo, I see two children sitting on a couch. To the left of the children, I see a dog looking at the family. Behind the children, I see their parents hugging their children. In the background I see a river and a beach, a lot of grass, grass and trees.
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I think it is a family picture. We can see four people and a dog in the center of the picture. Maybe a father, a mother, a bigger brother, and his sister. Mother is sitting on a bench in the middle of four people. She is smiling, closing her eyes, and hugging her son and daughter. A sister is sitting on her mother’s lap. She is laughing, opening her mouth. She is holding he hands on her chest, one hand is grabbing her mother’s hand, and another is grabbing her father’s hand. A bigger brother is leaning on right her mother. His right hand is catching the dog’s leg. The dog is looking far away. A father is standing behind the mother. His arms are tightly hugging them. His right cheek is sticking to the mother’s left forehead.
The background is grasses and a stream. We can see full of clouds in the sky. They are all wearing casuals. Maybe the location is by their house. It looks like they are walking outside after dinner. Suddenly, It may have winded, so the father immediately hugged them. The picture instantly makes you speculate about who the people are and what loving they are.
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I think this is a family photo. There are three people, all of them are sitting and smiling.
They are in the living room. The living room is so big and comfortable.
In the foreground we see, there is a girl sitting on the floor on a rug. It seems that the
girl is talking with her parents and remembering stories about something.
In the background her parents are sitting on a sofa together. On the left side of the
photo there is a window it looks like it’s a big window though in the photo you only see
part of it.
In the middle of the picture there is an open suitcase with clothes near headphones
and any paper map in front of the girl. The people might have been on vacation. It seems as
if they talk about how they enjoyed their trip while unpacking a suitcase.
The family looks excited to have come home to share all their travel memories.
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Well done Mayerli! 🌟🌟 Please compare your first draft with the final post
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I think this is a family photo. In the foreground we can see four people and a dog. Maybe it’s father, mother, daughter, and son. The mother is sitting on a chair, and she is between the rest of the family. She sits with her eyes closed and smiles, and her daughter sits on her lap. The girl is wearing a denim dress and a pink sweater. To the left of the daughter is the father, who hugs her with his arm. The mother is wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a plaid shirt. The father is wearing a light shirt and blue jeans. He is smiling and looking at the dog. The son is sitting son to the right of his mother. He is smiling and maybe laughing. He is wearing a light blue shirt and jeans. He is holding a dog that is sitting to his right. The dog looks like it’s hot. She/He looks at the girl.
In the background I see a river. The meadow ends with a small forest. On the river we see a wooden building to go down to the water. Maybe people are fishing there. I also think that the river is small because we can see the opposite bank.
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Well done Darya!! Please compare your first draft with the final post 🌟🌟
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In this photo, there are three people in the living room. They seem like a family. All of them are smiling. They seem to be planning a a trip.
In the foreground, there is a little girl with a hat smiling and holding a map.
It seems like she looks forward to the travel.
In the background, there is a couple sit on the sofa. They are packing clothes, and they both look at the little girl. It looks like the girl is talking about something interesting.
In the center of the photo, there is a suitcase. The clothes are random in the suitcase. The map, the headphones, and the notebook are outside on the carpet.
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Well done Yen! 🌟🌟 Please compare your first draft with the final post
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I think this is a loving family photo. It seems that they are camping near to the lake. It’s cloudy, not cold, not hot. The weather is very nice, and there is a good camping area.
In the foreground there are five family members, dad, mum, two girls, and a dog. The mum, two girls and their lovely dog are sitting on a chair. Mum is hugging two girls and one girl is putting his hand around the dog. It looks as if the dad is giving a big hug from the behind of the chair. Both of them are smiling, including the dog who is looking at the loving family, It looks as if they are so relaxed.
It seems that they have traveled for a long time. Firstly they need to have a rest on the chair, after that, they will go inside the tent. In the background there is a lake where people can go fishing during the camping period. This photo reminds me that it is important to go out or go camping with our family. It will help us to have closer relationship with our families.
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Well done Haijun! 🌟🌟 Please compare your first draft with the final post
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In the photo I see three people who may be family, a father, a mother and a child. They are packing the luggage to travel by plane. They are happy about the trip. I think this girl likes to listen to music because of the headphones and I think they might be in an apartment.
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Great effort Joao. I like how you speculate about the feelings of the people in the photo. Don’t forget that for the test you will have to write 2 paragraphs (approximately 120 words). In the first paragraph, you should describe the foreground/ centre. In the second paragraph, you should describe the background. Keep up the good work
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Good effort Gaby Please compare your first draft with the final post
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I chose picture number one because on it I can describe many things. For example, in the foreground, there is a map, headphones and a suitcase. There are some things inside the suitcase like clothes. There are also clothes on the floor. In the background, there is a family sitting on a sofa. They are in the living room. The father and the mother are in the middle and a little girl on the right from them sitting on the floor. The girl is probably their daughter. She is holding a map in her hands. She is smiling and happy. I guess they are going to travel so far.
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This is a family photo with three family members. It seems that they are in the living room. There are a few modern pieces of furniture in the living room. For example, a modular couch, a large brown rug and a gold floor lamp. In the background, the parents are sitting on the couch and packing their baggage. They are smiling to their daughter who is sitting on the rug and also smiling. She is looking at a map. There is a black bag between them.
In the centre of the photo there is an open suitcase on the rug which is filled with colourful clothes. There are black headphones, a silver laptop and a large folded map in front of the suitcase.
I feel the warmth and happiness of this photo. It looks as though they are preparing for a trip.
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Great job Savanna. Please look at the bold words and phrases and compare them with your first draft.
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I’ll describe the picture on the right side.
In the picture I can see a beautiful and happy family smiling with their dog by their side. There is a couple with two children. The boy on the left side is holding the dog. He might be 10 years old and the daughter which is sitting on mother’s lap might be 7 years old. In the center of the picture there is the mother who is hugging both children and behind her there is the father hugging all of them. They are smiling. It seems that the father is saying something funny.
In the background there is a dock and a river on the right side. In the river there is a dock where someone might stop to take water and where boats might stop. On the left side, there is some beautiful grass in perfect flat land. In the background we can see a white sky nice and clear.
According to the items I see, they might be having a picnic or camping because it´s clear that they are in the nature. They may have walked many kilometers to stay there and appreciate the natural beauty. I hope they have brought some fishing rods to catch fish in the river.
Thank you
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Good effor Luis. Please look at the bold words and phrases and compare them with your first draft
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In this picture, there are three people in the living room. All of them are eager because they have been waiting for this trip for three years. Traveling is an essential thing for them. Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, they couldn’t visit other countries easily. After the pandemic, this family plans to go to Taiwan, which has many wonderful landscapes and delicious food.
They are preparing the clothes and packing the luggage now. Looking at the father, he looks like a foodie, and seems to be excited about Taiwan’s stinky sofu and bubble tea. His mouth is watering now! Looking at the mother, she looks pretty good at mountain climbing. She wants to conquer Jade Mountain which is the highest mountain in Taiwan.
I think they will not only be intrigued by local cultural characteristics, but also stunning Taiwan’s convenient transportation. It will be an unforgettable memory in their mind!
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Good job Chia Hung. I like how you speculated about their feelings and plans. Please compare the bold words and phrases with your first draft.
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I think it’s a picture of a family in a park. In the foreground of the photo, there are four people and a dog sitting on a bench. I think they may be young parents and a couple of children. In the center of the photo, the mother has her arms around the boy and the little girl. The little girl is sitting on the woman’s lap and laughing happily. The boy is hugging his favorite puppy in his mother’s arms. He has a smile on his face. The puppy is looking at the little girl, and it seems to be laughing too. Behind mom and the kids, dad is hugging them all. Everyone is enjoying family time.
In the background of the photo, there is a lake surrounded by green grass. There are many white clouds in the sky, it is a cool day. It’s also a great place for camping. Hope the family has a great time here.
Xuan Zhang
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Great job Xuan Zhang. Please look at the bold words and phrases and compare them with your first draft
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I got it! Thank you very much, teacher:)
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I see a beautiful family in this picture. In the foreground, there are four people and a dog. The mom is in the center. She is smiling and her daughter is screaming. Maybe, her dad wanted to surprise them. Next to the mom I see her son who is laughing. The dog is looking at the girl.
In the background, there is a lake and green grass. The day isn’t hot, the sky has a lot of clouds.
The family is enjoying this day. They are so happy.
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Good effort Maria Theresa Try to give more details and speculate more about their feelings and actions. Please compare your first draft with the final version.
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I think this is a family photo. There are 4 people and 1 dog. It seems that they are having a fun time outside.
In the foreground we see that maybe the father is giving a big hug to his family. All the family members except for the father are sitting on a bench. All of them are smiling.
In the background we see a lake, a little dock. It’s a cloudy day.
The family could have taken a walk around the lake before the rain comes.
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Good effort Oscar. Try to give more details and speculate more about their feelings and actions. Please compare you first draft with the final version.
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I think this is a family photo. There are four people and one pet, all of them are laughing . They are in an outdoor place.
In the middle I see the mother sitting on a chair. Her children are around her. On the left side of the photo there is a pet sitting too. Behind the chair the father is standing up on the right. He is hugging them and all of them are smiling.
The father looks as if he wants to surprise them. Maybe the little dog is also surprised.
The girl’s mouth is open. It looks as if she is screaming loudly. The boy might be thinking that the surprise is so funny.
The father has his arm around his wife and his daughter. In front of the family, there is a wooden table.
They might have put the camera on the table. The father could have put the camera base on the edge of the table, and he thought it was the best time to take the photo. However, the wind must have moved the camera just as it was activated for the photo. It seems that they have taken it very nicely.
In the background I see a little lake with a wooden pier. At the top of the picture I see some clouds. It seems it’s a windy day.
This photo reminds me when I was younger and my family and I tray to take a photo, but always someone close his/her eyes.
In conclusion I like this photo !
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Good job Leticia. I like how you speculated about their feelings. Please compare the bold words and phrases with your first draft.
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thank you teacher !!! ü
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In this photo, I can see four people and a dog. I think they are a family: father, mother, son and daughter. They are sitting on a bench covered with blankets. The mother is hugging the two children and the father is standing behind the mother and hugging them. They look young and energetic.
In the background of the picture, there is a dock by a lake or a river. Although the weather on that dayis cloudy day, I think it is the most suitable weather for traveling.With the natural wind blowing, it can be seen on everyone’s faces that they are all smiling happily..
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Good job Lily. Please compare your draft with the final version.
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Nathaly Flores
In the foreground of the picture, I can see four people and a dog. they look like a family. They are sitting on a bench in a beautiful park.
In the centre of the picture, I can see the mother. She is smiling. On her left, there is a boy. He is smiling too and hugging his dog. The dog might be paying attention to the girl.
On the right of the mother, there is a girl. She is laughing and the father is hugging the mother and the girl.
In the background, I can see grass, trees and a lake.
The family may have swam in the lake and they might have gone fishing.
It is a cloudy day. They might have had a picnic and It is seems like it is a good weekend.
The picture reminds me that it is important to spend time with your family to create good memories
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Well done Nathaly ⭐
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This is a photo of a couple and one cute girl. We can see there a young man and a young woman sitting on the sofa and a girl sitting on the rug. They are in the living room and it seems so clean and bright. There is one open suitcase in the middle of the photo with clothes and headphones. They look like a family and they are planning to travel / go on a trip to somewhere far from their house. Therefore, they are checking their stuff before they leave the house. All of them are extremely excited to go on a trip.
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Well done Phool Maya Ghising!
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