English Language – Photography Activities

Try your hand at some of these activities about photography to test your English Language knowledge.

Section 1: Language Features – Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is an example of personification?
A. "The flash lit up the room like lightning."
B. "The camera clicked angrily as it captured the moment."
C. "Her smile was as bright as the studio lights."
D. "He posed perfectly for the portrait."

2. "The lens of memory snapped shut." This is an example of:
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Alliteration

3. "Click, click, click" is an example of:
A. Onomatopoeia
B. Repetition
C. Sibilance
D. Emotive language

4. Which of these best shows emotive language?
A. "The photo was taken at noon."
B. "She stood still in the frame."
C. "The image revealed the heartbreak in his eyes."
D. "The background was blurry."

Section 2: Identify the Language Feature

5. "Frozen in time, the image held a thousand unspoken stories."
Feature: _______________

6. "Flashing fiercely, the photographer fired off five shots."
Feature: _______________

Section 3: Word Classes – Multiple Choice

7. In the sentence "She carefully adjusted the focus", what word class is "carefully"?
A. Adjective
B. Adverb
C. Verb
D. Noun

8. Which of the following words is a verb?
A. Shutter
B. Exposure
C. Capture
D. Frame

9. In the phrase "crisp digital image", what is the word class of "crisp"?
A. Verb
B. Noun
C. Adjective
D. Adverb

Section 4: Match the Word to Its Word Class

Match the word to its word class (answers: noun, verb, adjective, adverb).Word Class

10. Snap__________

11. Sharp__________

12. Rapidly__________

13. Tripod__________

Section 5: Creative Application

14. Write a sentence about photography that includes:

  • a metaphor

  • at least one adjective

  • and one adverb

GCSE Writing Prompts – Photography Theme

Creative Writing (Descriptive/Narrative)

Prompt 1:
Describe a moment captured in a photograph.
Tips:

  • Use the five senses to bring the image to life.

  • Focus on a single moment and expand it with vivid detail.

  • Include a variety of sentence structures for effect.

Prompt 2:
Write a story that begins with: "The camera clicked, and everything changed."
Tips:

  • Hook the reader with a dramatic event.

  • Use characterisation and setting to build tension.

  • Include a turning point and a resolution.

Prompt 3:
Describe an abandoned photo studio at night.
Tips:

  • Use metaphor and simile to make your imagery powerful.

  • Use personification to bring the objects to life.

  • Think about atmosphere – what does the silence sound like?

GCSE Writing Prompts – Photography Theme

Viewpoint Writing (Argue, Persuade, Inform & Explain)

Prompt 4:
Write an article for a school magazine arguing that photography is the most important art form of the 21st century.
Tips:

  • Begin with a strong rhetorical question or statement.

  • Use three strong arguments with evidence/examples.

  • End with a memorable conclusion – a quote or call to action.

Prompt 5:
Write a speech to your classmates about how social media has changed the meaning of photography.
Tips:

  • Use direct address ("you") to engage the audience.

  • Balance positive and negative viewpoints.

  • Include personal anecdotes or hypothetical situations.

Teacher's Notes – Photography Theme (GCSE English Language)

Overview

These activities are designed to reinforce key GCSE English Language skills in a creative context. The photography theme allows students to explore language techniques and word classes while engaging in descriptive and viewpoint writing.

Learning Objectives

By the end of these tasks, students should be able to:

  • Identify and explain language features such as metaphor, personification, and onomatopoeia.

  • Recognise and use different word classes appropriately.

  • Apply descriptive writing techniques creatively.

  • Develop and present a clear viewpoint in non-fiction writing.

Section-by-Section Notes

Section 1: Language Features – Multiple Choice

Answers:

  1. B – Personification (camera "clicked angrily")

  2. B – Metaphor (no "like" or "as", comparison of lens to memory)

  3. A – Onomatopoeia

  4. C – Emotive language (reveals emotion)

Teaching Tip: Use images to prompt further examples. E.g., show a photo of a busy street – ask students to create similes or metaphors from it.

Section 2: Identify the Language Feature

Suggested Answers:
5. Metaphor (image holding stories)
6. Alliteration (repetition of the "f" sound)

Teaching Tip: Encourage peer marking with justification of feature choice.

Section 3: Word Classes – Multiple Choice

Answers:
7. B – Adverb (modifies "adjusted")
8. C – Verb (to capture)
9. C – Adjective (describes image)

Teaching Tip: Have students write their own sentences and identify word classes within them.

Section 4: Match the Word to Its Word Class

Answers:

  • Snap – Verb (to snap) or noun depending on usage

  • Sharp – Adjective

  • Rapidly – Adverb

  • Tripod – Noun

Differentiation: Discuss how some words can belong to multiple classes depending on context. Ask higher-ability students to write two sentences showing different uses.

Section 5: Creative Application

Example Answer:
"The spotlight was a hungry eye, greedily devouring the scene in front of it."
Metaphor: "hungry eye"
Adjective: "hungry"
Adverb: "greedily"

Teaching Tip: Encourage creativity and model examples on the board. Let students share and give peer feedback.

Writing Prompts (Paper 1 & 2)

Creative Writing Prompts

Focus: Description, narrative structure, sensory detail, and figurative language.

  • Support: Provide photo prompts (e.g. war photo, birthday, protest, old family photo).

  • Challenge: Use dual narrative or time shifts.

Viewpoint Writing Prompts

Focus: Rhetorical devices, persuasive techniques, structure, clarity of argument.

  • Support: Use PEE/PEEL paragraph structure, provide sentence starters.

  • Challenge: Use counterargument and rhetorical strategies like anaphora or tricolon.

Differentiation Strategies

  • Lower ability: Provide sentence frames, word banks, and visual prompts.

  • Higher ability: Ask students to analyse effect of language choices or compare text extracts.

  • EAL learners: Pre-teach vocabulary using visual aids and matching tasks.

Extension Tasks

  • Analyse a photograph from a news article and write a descriptive paragraph.

  • Compare two photos and write an argumentative piece on which tells a better story.

  • Rewrite a paragraph removing all adjectives and then rewrite with figurative language.