Describe a photo you like
Describe a photo you like
You should say:
- what the photo shows
- when it was taken
- who took it
and explain why you like this photo
Practise this card
One minute to plan, two minutes to speak, exactly like the exam. Nothing you record leaves your device.
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- what the photo shows
- when it was taken
- who took it
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How to approach this cue card
This card looks simple, but it is really testing your ability to describe a static visual scene in detail and connect it to a memory or feeling. Examiners want specific description — colours, expressions, setting, weather, what is happening at the edges of the frame — rather than a vague summary like “it shows my family and we look happy.”
The easiest angle is a photo you can picture clearly: a family gathering, a trip, a graduation, a pet, even an ordinary moment that happened to be captured well. You do not need a dramatic or unusual photo; the strongest answers come from candidates who can describe an ordinary scene vividly, because that detail is what makes an answer sound genuine rather than generic.
Give the first part of your answer to what is actually in the photo and when it was taken, a shorter section to who took it, and save real time for why you like it — this is usually the most interesting part of the answer and the part the “explain” line is asking you to develop.
Vocabulary that lifts this answer
Use these phrases to describe composition, mood and memory instead of just “nice” or “happy.”
| Word or phrase | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| candid shot | an unposed, natural photo | It’s a candid shot, so nobody is looking at the camera. |
| caught off guard | photographed unexpectedly, without preparing | My sister was caught off guard, mid-laugh, which is why I love it. |
| in the background/foreground | further back / closer to the camera in the image | You can see the mountains in the background. |
| brings back memories | makes you remember something from the past | This photo brings back memories of that whole summer. |
| a snapshot of (a moment/time) | a small captured piece of a larger moment | It’s a snapshot of a time when things felt simpler. |
| faded/washed out | lost colour or clarity, often with age | The colours are a little faded now, since it’s an old print. |
| a keepsake | something kept because it has personal value | I keep it as a kind of keepsake from that trip. |
| framed | put into a picture frame for display | I had it framed and it sits on my desk now. |
| composition | the arrangement of elements within a photo | The composition is simple, just the two of us on a bench. |
| capture (a moment) | successfully record a feeling or event in an image | It really captures how relaxed we all felt that day. |
A one-minute plan
- what: me and grandmother, garden, summer
- when: about six years ago, before I moved abroad
- who took it: my cousin, on an old phone
- why I like it: candid, she’s laughing, reminds me of her voice
Sample answer
This is one way to structure an answer on this topic — a model for organisation, not something to memorise and repeat.
The photo I would like to describe is one of my grandmother and me sitting in her garden, taken about six years ago, not long before I moved abroad for university. My cousin took it on an old phone, actually without either of us realising, so it is a completely candid shot rather than something posed. In the photo, my grandmother is laughing at something I clearly just said, and I am looking at her rather than the camera, which is probably why I like it so much — it captures a moment rather than a performance. You can see her rose bushes in the background, slightly out of focus, and the light suggests it was taken in the early evening, when the garden always looked its best. The colours have faded a little now since it is printed rather than digital, but that almost adds to it. I like this photo mainly because it brings back memories of her voice and the way she laughed, which is something I genuinely worry about forgetting over time. It is a small, ordinary photo, nothing dramatic, but I keep it framed on my desk as a kind of keepsake, and it is one of the few things I would grab first if I ever had to leave somewhere in a hurry.
Common mistakes on this card
- Describing what the photo represents in general terms rather than what is actually visible in the frame.
- Forgetting to say when it was taken or who took it, which are both explicitly asked for on the card.
- Choosing a photo with too little to say about it and padding the answer with unrelated information.
- Saving the “why you like it” part for the last five seconds instead of giving it proper development.
Part 3 questions that often follow
After your two-minute turn, the examiner usually moves into a related Part 3 discussion — these are the kinds of follow-up questions that commonly come up around this topic.
- Do people take too many photos nowadays compared with the past?
- How has smartphone photography changed the way we remember events?
- Should people ask permission before photographing strangers?
- Do you think printed photos still have a place in a digital age?
Frequently asked questions
Can I describe a photo I do not physically have with me?
Yes. You are describing it from memory, not showing it to the examiner, so a photo stored on your phone or one you remember clearly from years ago both work equally well.
Should the photo be of a person or a place?
Either works. A photo of a person tends to give you more to say about relationships and memory, while a place or event photo often gives you more visual and sensory detail to describe.
Is it acceptable to describe a photo I took myself?
Yes, and it can make the "who took it" bullet easy to answer honestly. Just make sure you still have enough to say about what the photo shows and why it matters to you.
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