Descriptives and Narratives(IGCSE English)

City morning (Descriptive)

Original question: Describe a town or city centre in the early hours of the morning. 

I stood transfixed at the middle of the pavement. The sun, hidden behind fluffy clouds, radiated its luminescence onto towering skyscrapers. The sunlight bounced off the pristine glass panes of commercial office buildings, blinding onlookers. Hordes of people walked past in a flurry, like a time-lapse, the noise gradually amplifying as shops opened and customers rushed in.

The smell of sweet confectioneries wafted past my nose, quickly followed by the greasy touch of smoking bacon making me queasy in the summer heat. Burgeoning cafés and fast food restaurants opened their doors which were immediately flooded by throngs of the ravenous youth. Filling their appetite with meals lathered in fat and guzzling acidic drinks that wear away their teeth.

Curtains on the windows of luxury shops were rolled up as struggling passersby looked on with covetous gleams. Not even daring to visualize any of those impeccable clothes and exorbitantly priced accessories on their filthy bodies. On the other hand, men and women clad in immaculate clothing trod lightly into those shops. Their eyes filled with clairvoyant images of themselves proudly swathed in meticulously woven fabric.

Cars zoomed past the blemished roads with an echoing, metallic grind that grated my ears with a harsh dissonance. They varied in sizes from two-seater sport cars with revving engines to sand-filled trucks trundling towards construction sites. Carefree teenagers filled with the exhilarating exuberance of youth whizzed past the pavement floors on electric skateboards, paying little attention to safety. No helmets but rather wearing branded hats and black coated sunglasses as they pulled off impossible tricks and revelled in the gawking stares of onlookers.

I slowly began shuffling across the pavement, hearing the leaves scrunch under my feet. Wrappers lined the path, swirling and surging as cars crossed. A homeless man sat in the corner, with a board that read, 'NEED MONEY FOR FOOD', right beside an opulent hotel as people walked in to wallow in pleasure and luxuries. I picked a few coins of my leather wallet and let it slip into his bowl trying to avoid his pleading gaze as much as possible. I looked at my watch and realized I was late, but it didn't matter. I was fed up of this monotonous life. I needed an escape.