How Does the Author Use Language to Create Atmosphere?

Step-by-step approach for Year 6

Underline the key words in the question.
Re-read the relevant part of the extract, focusing on language, not just events.
Pick 2–3 short quotations that help you answer the question.
For each quotation, use PEA: make a point, give evidence, then explain the effect of the language.
Use precise vocabulary like "suggests", "implies", "creates", "emphasises".

Helpful sentence starters

"The author shows this by describing…"
"The word/phrase "_____" suggests/implies that…"
"This makes the reader imagine/feel…"
"This creates a sense of… because…"
"Overall, this language helps to show…"

What to look for

Weather, light and colour linked to mood.
Sounds and silence that make the place feel busy, eerie or lonely.
Repeated images or words that build one strong feeling (fear, excitement, calm).
Personification of the setting to make it feel alive.

Step-by-step worked example

Example question

How does the author use language to create a spooky atmosphere?

Short extract

A thin fog curled around the trees and the moonlight fell in pale strips across the empty path. Somewhere in the distance, a single branch creaked.

Step 1 – Name the atmosphere. Begin with a point such as: "The author creates a spooky, unsettling atmosphere."
Step 2 – Pick key details. Choose phrases like "thin fog curled", "pale strips" and "single branch creaked".
Step 3 – Explain how they feel. Explain that the "thin fog" and "pale" light make the place seem cold and ghostly, while the single creaking branch suggests silence and loneliness.
Step 4 – Link back to the reader. Show that these details make the reader feel uneasy, as if something might be hiding in the mist.

Putting it all together

The author creates a spooky, unsettling atmosphere by describing the "thin fog" that "curled around the trees" and the "moonlight" falling in "pale strips". These images make the forest seem cold and ghostly. The mention of a single branch that "creaked" in the distance suggests that the rest of the forest is silent, which makes the reader feel nervous, as if something might suddenly appear.

Model paragraph

The author creates a spooky atmosphere by describing the "thin, grey mist" that "crept along the ground". The personification of the mist as something that "crept" makes it seem sneaky and alive, so the reader feels uneasy. The dull colour "grey" also suggests that the place is lifeless and unfriendly.

Exam tip

Try to write in full sentences rather than bullet points in the exam. However, using this structure to practise at home will help you remember how to build clear, analytical paragraphs.