Writing about a photo
Saying what a photo shows and what you think of it, in about 25 to 50 characters (Foundation).
Learn
Writing about a photo, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Know what the photo task asks for
This is Question 1 of the Foundation writing paper. You write about 25 to 50 characters in Japanese about a photo, saying what it shows and what you think, for 12 marks: 6 for communication and content and 6 for accuracy. The character count is a guide, and you won't lose marks for writing a little more or less.
Say what is in the photo
Use います for people and animals and あります for things: 子どもが 三人 います。 犬も います。 Add where with に: こうえんに 大きい 木が あります。
Say what people are doing
ています describes an action going on: 男の 子が ボールで あそんでいます。 女の 人が 本を よんでいます。
Give an opinion
Say what you think with an adjective or すき: たのしいです。 私も テニスが すきです。 One opinion with a reason, such as 天気が いいですから, shows you can do more than describe.
Link two ideas
The top marks need simple sentences with some linking. Join two adjectives with くて or で, or two ideas with が or から: こうえんは ひろくて、 しずかです。
Keep it simple and accurate
Short, correct sentences are exactly what this task wants. Use words you are sure of, and if a katakana word is hard, choose a word you know in hiragana. Write in kana and any kanji you know well, never in romaji.
Count your characters
As a rough guide, each kana, kanji and punctuation mark counts as one character, so 25 to 50 characters is three or four short sentences. Written without the spaces, こうえんに 子どもが 三人 います。 is 15 characters.
Writing about a photo key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Character
- One kana, kanji or punctuation mark. Japanese writing tasks give their length in characters.
- Character count
- The suggested length of an answer: 25 to 50 characters for the photo task. It is a guide, not a rule.
- います and あります
- There is: います for people and animals, あります for things.
- ています
- Is doing: what the people in the photo are doing.
- Opinion
- What you think, such as たのしいです or すきです.
- Linking
- Joining ideas with くて, で, が or から.
- Romaji
- Japanese in the English alphabet. Anything written in romaji earns no marks.
Common mistakes in Writing about a photo
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Writing any of the answer in romaji.
Romaji is never credited. Write everything in kana, plus any kanji you know well.
Using あります for the people in the photo.
People and animals take います: 女の 子が います.
Describing the photo but giving no opinion.
The task asks what you think too. Add one opinion, such as とても たのしいです.
Reaching for hard words and losing the meaning.
Simple sentences you are sure of score well here. If you don't know a word, describe the photo with words you do know.