Nebraska Department of Education Statewide Writing Assessment 2008
CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
Purpose
Portrays people, places, or things with vivid details to help the
reader create a mental picture of what is being described
Involves the reader so that he or she can visualize what or who is
being described
Creates or conveys a dominant impression of what is being
described through sensory details
Can be objective or subjective
Organizational Pattern
Introduction/Beginning
Establishes the purpose
Sets the tone for the overall impression
May begin with a general statement followed by more
specific statements related to the purpose
Body/Middle
Specific details, examples or reasons
Anecdotes or “narrative chunks” may serve as details or
examples
Transitions connect the ideas in a logical way
Transitions assist the flow from paragraph to paragraph
No prescribed number of paragraphs
Conclusion/End
Gracefully ends the essay
May include a restatement of the writer’s opinion or the
main idea
May summarize the information given in the body
Reader should have a sense that things are “wrapped up.”
