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GCSE English Language · key term
Language that evokes sight, sound, smell, taste or touch to make an experience concrete for the reader.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Paper 1
Descriptive language that appeals to sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch.
Revise: Description, voice and viewpointSensory detail appeals to sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch. A convincing scene often combines more than one sense, but the situation should determine which details belong. In a silent corridor, a tiny sound may matter more than its colour.
Paper 2
Choose sensory details that suit the situation; you do not need to include all five senses.
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Sensory detail evokes sight, sound, smell, taste or touch. It gives a reader something concrete to imagine. ‘I was cold’ communicates a fact; describing fingers that cannot grip a fastening makes the cold a physical obstacle.
Paper 2
Description that draws on sight, sound, smell, taste or touch to help the reader experience a scene.
Revise: Characters, dialogue and settingSensory detail helps a place feel real. The hiss of rain, cold metal against a palm or the smell of wet timber can bring the reader close to the experience. You do not need to include all five senses.
