Writing a sentence about a picture: learn

In this lesson you will

Write one grammatically correct sentence that uses two given words and matches a picture
Change the form of the given words when you need to (verb forms, plurals)
Use the present continuous and prepositions of place to describe actions and positions
Check a sentence for the most common mistakes: missing articles, wrong verb forms and missing words

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Look around the room you are in. Write one sentence about what someone or something is doing.
→Which small words help you say where things are? (for example: next to, under…)

The task

The first part of the TOEIC Writing test is Write a sentence based on a picture. There are 5 pictures, and you have 8 minutes for all of them. With each picture you get two words or phrases, for example woman / umbrella or because / rain.

You must write one sentence that:

uses both words or phrases,
is grammatically correct, and
matches the picture.

You can change the form of the words (carry → is carrying, box → boxes) and use them in any order. Your sentence is scored on its grammar and on how well it matches the picture, so a short, correct sentence is better than a long sentence with mistakes.

A simple pattern

Most good answers follow this pattern:

who / what + verb + object or detail + place

The man is carrying* a box into the building.*
Two women are sitting* on a bench under a tree.*

Use the present continuous (is / are + -ing) for actions that are happening in the picture. Use there is / there are for things: There are some boxes next to the door.

Types of word pairs
The words include…	Example pair	Example sentence
a noun + a verb	woman / read	A woman is reading a book on the train.
a preposition of place	bicycle / next to	A bicycle is parked next to the tree.
a joining word (and, but, so, because, while)	umbrella / because	The man is holding an umbrella because it is raining.
a plural noun	customers / in front of	Two customers are standing in front of the counter.

Common mistakes

Missing articles. Wrong: Man is riding bicycle. → Right: A man is riding a bicycle.
Wrong verb form. Wrong: The woman is sit on a chair. → Right: The woman is sitting on a chair.
*Missing is / are.* Wrong: The children playing in the park. → Right: The children are playing in the park.
Two sentences instead of one. Wrong: The man is tired. He is sitting down. → Right: The man is sitting down because he is tired.
Not in the picture. Wrong: The woman is buying a car. (There is no car in the picture.)
Only one word used. If the words are dog / walk, a sentence with only dog in it does not complete the task.

A rainy street. On the left, a red bus with the number 24 is coming towards a bus stop. At the bus stop, a man in a green coat is holding a black umbrella over his head. Next to him, a woman in a yellow raincoat is standing under the roof of a bus shelter and looking at her phone. There are grey clouds in the sky. — Picture 1: a bus stop on a rainy day

Model sentences for Picture 1

umbrella / because → A man is holding an umbrella because it is raining.
woman / phone → A woman in a yellow raincoat is looking at her phone.
bus / towards → A red bus is coming towards the bus stop.
wait / under → A woman is waiting under the roof of the bus shelter.

How a strong writer does it

Each sentence uses both words. The writer changed the form when it was needed: wait → is waiting.
Each sentence matches the picture. The writer does not guess things we cannot see, such as The man is angry or The bus is late.
The verbs are in the present continuous because the actions are happening in the picture.
Every singular noun has an article or another small word in front of it: a man, the bus stop, her phone.
The sentences are short and clear. A sentence does not need to be long to get a top score; it needs to be correct and relevant.

A sunny park. On the left, two older people with grey hair are sitting on a wooden bench under a large tree. In the middle, a woman in a purple coat is walking a small brown dog on a lead along the path. Behind her there is a small pond with two ducks on it. On the right, a boy in a red T-shirt is riding a bicycle along the path. — Picture 3: a sunny day in the park

Build a sentence

Build the sentence (Picture 3)

Words: dog / along. Put the word groups in order to make one correct sentence about Picture 3.

Tap the words below in the right order

An outdoor fruit market. A stall with a green and white striped roof has three boxes of fruit on it: red apples, oranges and bananas. A small sign on the apples says £2. Behind the stall, a seller in a white apron is handing a paper bag of apples to a customer. The customer is a man with a blue backpack. On the right, a woman with a shopping basket is waiting for her turn. — Picture 4: a fruit stall at a market

Writing task

Your turn: four sentences about Picture 4

Write one sentence for each pair of words. Each sentence must use both words (you can change their form and order) and must describe Picture 4.

seller / hand
customer / backpack
fruit / on
woman / while

Try to finish in about 6 minutes, as in the real test.

Write at least 30 words · about 6 minutes

6:000 / 30 words

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

present continuous
the verb form am / is / are + -ing, for actions happening now
“Use the present continuous to describe actions in a photo.”
preposition
a word such as on, under or next to that shows place or time
“Under is a preposition of place.”
article
the words a, an and the
“Don't forget the article before a singular noun.”
stall
a table or small shop where things are sold, often in a market
“She sells fresh bread at a stall in the market.”
seller
a person who sells something
“The seller put the apples in a paper bag.”
customer
a person who buys things from a shop or business
“The shop was full of customers.”
shelter
a small building or roof that protects you from rain or sun
“We waited in the bus shelter until the rain stopped.”
point at
to show something by holding out your finger towards it
“The teacher pointed at the map on the wall.”
hand (verb)
to give something to someone with your hand
“Could you hand me that pen, please?”
pond
a small area of still water
“Two ducks are swimming in the pond.”

Key points

Write ONE sentence that uses BOTH words and matches the picture.
You can change the form of the words (carry → is carrying) and use them in any order.
Use the pattern: who / what + verb (often present continuous) + object or detail + place.
Check articles (a, an, the), verb forms (is / are + -ing) and plurals.
A short, correct sentence is better than a long sentence with mistakes.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Writing B1 Foundation

Giving reasons and examples

Go to lesson

In this lesson you will

Write one grammatically correct sentence that uses two given words and matches a picture
Change the form of the given words when you need to (verb forms, plurals)
Use the present continuous and prepositions of place to describe actions and positions
Check a sentence for the most common mistakes: missing articles, wrong verb forms and missing words

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Look around the room you are in. Write one sentence about what someone or something is doing.
→Which small words help you say where things are? (for example: next to, under…)

The task

You must write one sentence that:

uses both words or phrases,
is grammatically correct, and
matches the picture.

A simple pattern

Most good answers follow this pattern:

who / what + verb + object or detail + place

The man is carrying* a box into the building.*
Two women are sitting* on a bench under a tree.*

Use the present continuous (is / are + -ing) for actions that are happening in the picture. Use there is / there are for things: There are some boxes next to the door.

Types of word pairs
The words include…	Example pair	Example sentence
a noun + a verb	woman / read	A woman is reading a book on the train.
a preposition of place	bicycle / next to	A bicycle is parked next to the tree.
a joining word (and, but, so, because, while)	umbrella / because	The man is holding an umbrella because it is raining.
a plural noun	customers / in front of	Two customers are standing in front of the counter.

Common mistakes

Missing articles. Wrong: Man is riding bicycle. → Right: A man is riding a bicycle.
Wrong verb form. Wrong: The woman is sit on a chair. → Right: The woman is sitting on a chair.
*Missing is / are.* Wrong: The children playing in the park. → Right: The children are playing in the park.
Two sentences instead of one. Wrong: The man is tired. He is sitting down. → Right: The man is sitting down because he is tired.
Not in the picture. Wrong: The woman is buying a car. (There is no car in the picture.)
Only one word used. If the words are dog / walk, a sentence with only dog in it does not complete the task.

Model sentences for Picture 1

umbrella / because → A man is holding an umbrella because it is raining.
woman / phone → A woman in a yellow raincoat is looking at her phone.
bus / towards → A red bus is coming towards the bus stop.
wait / under → A woman is waiting under the roof of the bus shelter.

How a strong writer does it

Each sentence uses both words. The writer changed the form when it was needed: wait → is waiting.
Each sentence matches the picture. The writer does not guess things we cannot see, such as The man is angry or The bus is late.
The verbs are in the present continuous because the actions are happening in the picture.
Every singular noun has an article or another small word in front of it: a man, the bus stop, her phone.
The sentences are short and clear. A sentence does not need to be long to get a top score; it needs to be correct and relevant.

Build a sentence

Build the sentence (Picture 3)

Words: dog / along. Put the word groups in order to make one correct sentence about Picture 3.

Tap the words below in the right order

Writing task

Your turn: four sentences about Picture 4

Write one sentence for each pair of words. Each sentence must use both words (you can change their form and order) and must describe Picture 4.

seller / hand
customer / backpack
fruit / on
woman / while

Try to finish in about 6 minutes, as in the real test.

Write at least 30 words · about 6 minutes

6:000 / 30 words

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

present continuous
the verb form am / is / are + -ing, for actions happening now
“Use the present continuous to describe actions in a photo.”
preposition
a word such as on, under or next to that shows place or time
“Under is a preposition of place.”
article
the words a, an and the
“Don't forget the article before a singular noun.”
stall
a table or small shop where things are sold, often in a market
“She sells fresh bread at a stall in the market.”
seller
a person who sells something
“The seller put the apples in a paper bag.”
customer
a person who buys things from a shop or business
“The shop was full of customers.”
shelter
a small building or roof that protects you from rain or sun
“We waited in the bus shelter until the rain stopped.”
point at
to show something by holding out your finger towards it
“The teacher pointed at the map on the wall.”
hand (verb)
to give something to someone with your hand
“Could you hand me that pen, please?”
pond
a small area of still water
“Two ducks are swimming in the pond.”

Key points

Write ONE sentence that uses BOTH words and matches the picture.
You can change the form of the words (carry → is carrying) and use them in any order.
Use the pattern: who / what + verb (often present continuous) + object or detail + place.
Check articles (a, an, the), verb forms (is / are + -ing) and plurals.
A short, correct sentence is better than a long sentence with mistakes.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Writing B1 Foundation

Giving reasons and examples

Go to lesson

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

The task

A simple pattern

Quick check: is the sentence correct?

How a strong writer does it

Build the sentence (Picture 2)

Choose the best sentence (Picture 2)

Build the sentence (Picture 3)

Your turn: four sentences about Picture 4

Key points

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

The task

A simple pattern

Quick check: is the sentence correct?

How a strong writer does it

Build the sentence (Picture 2)

Choose the best sentence (Picture 2)

Build the sentence (Picture 3)

Your turn: four sentences about Picture 4

Key points