FACTUAL DESCRIPTION FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADE

1. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
What is A FACTUAL DESCRIPTION?
A factual description describes a particular person, place or thing. Its
purpose is to ‘tell’ about the subject by describing its features without
including personal opinions. A factual description differs from an
information report because it describes a specific subject rather than a
general group.
Examples of factual description texts include:
• descriptions of a particular building
• descriptions of a specific animal
• descriptions of a particular place
• descriptions of a specific person

2. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
Features of A FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
Constructing a factual description
A typical description has an opening paragraph introducing
the subject of the description, followed by a series of
paragraph each describing one feature of the subject. There
can also be a final concluding section that signals the end of
the description.
Grammatical features of a recount
Factual descriptions usually include the following
grammatical features:
• verbs in the present tense
• adjectives to describe the features of the subject
• topic sentence to begin paragraphs and organise the
various aspects of the description.

3. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
The FACTUAL DESCRIPTION scaffold
1 A general opening statement in the first paragraph
• This statement introduces the subject of the description to the audience.
• It can give the audience brief details about when, where, who or what of the
subject.
2 A series of paragraphs about the subject
• Each paragraph usually begins with a topic sentence
• The topic sentence previews the details that will be contained in the remainder
of the paragraph.
• Each paragraph should describe one feature of the subject.
• These paragraphs build the description of the subject.
3 A concluding paragraph (optional)
• The concluding paragraph signals the end of the text.

4. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
MODEL OF a FACTUAL DESCRIPTION
Deinonychus
The model of Deinonychus, a dinosaur from the
Creataceous period, can be found in the Museum of Natural
Science.
Deinonychus is small by dinosaur standards. It is about
2.5 metres in length and stands about one metre high at the
shoulder.
This reptile has a long tail, spindly legs and slender neck.
The head is large and the jaws are lined with sharp teeth.
The tail, approximately 3 metres in length, has vertebrae
surrounded by bundles of bony rods so the whole tail can be
held stiff.
The toes of the Deinonychus are unusual. The first toe is
small and points backwards. The second toe has a huge sickle-
shaped claw and is raised. The third and fourth toes are in the
normal position.
Deinonychus is an interesting example of a fast-running
dinosaur.
OPENING
STATEMENT
INTRODUCING
THE SUBJECT
Structures
SERIES OF
PARAGRAPHS
DESCRIBING
THE SUBJECT
CONCLUSION
TIMELESS
PRESENT
TENSE
Grammatical
features
ADJECTIVES
TOPIC
SENTENCES