Write About Your Holiday A1 Writing Practice Tests Rules & Examples

How to Write About Your Holiday in English

A holiday message is a short, friendly piece of writing about a trip or special time away from home. We write holiday messages to tell friends and family where we went, what we did, and how we felt. You can write a postcard, a short note, or a simple message to a friend.

In real life, people write holiday messages when they are on a beach, in a hotel, or when they come home. It is a very common and useful type of writing!

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Write simple sentences about your holiday
• Use capital letters and full stops correctly
• Use basic linking words like and, but, and because
• Write a short, friendly holiday message

Essential Writing Rules and Sentence Structure

Rule 1: Sentence Structure — Subject + Verb + Object

Every English sentence needs a subject (who) and a verb (action). At A1 level, keep your sentences short and clear.

Rule 2: Capital Letters

You must use capital letters in these situations:

• The first word of every sentence: We went to the beach.
• The word I is always a capital letter: I love swimming.
• Names of people: Maria, Tom, Sarah
• Names of places: Spain, London, the Eiffel Tower
• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday
• Months of the year: July, August, December

Rule 3: Full Stops and Commas

• Put a full stop (.) at the end of every sentence.
• Use a comma (,) in a list of three or more things: I visited museums, beaches, and markets.
• Use a comma (,) after a greeting in a message: Dear Tom,

Rule 4: Past Tense for Holidays

When you write about a holiday that is finished, use the past tense. Here are some very common A1 past tense verbs for holiday writing:

Useful Linking Words (Connectors)

Linking words join two sentences or two ideas together. They make your writing flow naturally. At A1 level, you only need four main connectors.

Quick tip: Do not start every sentence with the same connector. Try to use a mix of and, but, because, and so in your message.

Model Writing Sample: A Holiday Postcard

Read this example of a holiday postcard. Notice how it is organised into clear parts.

— MODEL TEXT 1: Postcard from Spain —

Dear Lucy,

I am in Spain! It is sunny and very hot here. Yesterday, I went to the beach and I swam in the sea. The water was warm and beautiful. In the evening, we ate paella at a small restaurant. It was delicious! I bought a small gift for you because I think you will love it. The hotel is not big, but it is very comfortable. I love it here so much!

See you soon!

Love,
Anna

Now look at the annotated version of the same postcard:

— MODEL TEXT 2: A Short Holiday Message to a Friend —

Hi Marco,

How are you? I am on holiday in Greece this week. Yesterday, I visited an old temple. It was very big and very old! The food here is amazing. I eat fresh fish and salad every day. The weather is hot, so I drink a lot of water. I love it here because the people are so friendly.

I hope you are well. See you next week!

Best wishes,
Nadia

Key Phrases and Sentence Starters

Greetings

• Dear [Name],
• Hi [Name],
• Hello [Name],

Saying Where You Are

• I am in [place].
• I am on holiday in [country / city].
• I am visiting [place] this week.
• We are staying in [city / hotel].

Talking About the Weather

• The weather is [sunny / hot / warm / cold].
• It is very [hot / beautiful / cloudy] here.
• Today it is [sunny / rainy].

Describing Activities (Past Tense)

• Yesterday, I went to [the beach / a museum / a market].
• We visited [a castle / an old church / a famous park].
• I swam in the sea.
• We walked around the old town.
• I ate [pizza / fish / local food].
• I bought a gift for [name].

Giving Your Opinion or Feelings

• It was amazing / fantastic / beautiful / delicious!
• I love it here because...
• The food is very good.
• I am very happy here.

Ending Your Message

• See you soon!
• I hope you are well.
• I miss you!
• Write to me soon!
• See you next week!

Sign-offs

• Love, [Your name]
• Best wishes, [Your name]
• Bye for now, [Your name]

Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

❌ i went to spain last week.
✅ I went to Spain last week. — Always use a capital letter for I and for the names of countries and places.

❌ Yesterday i visited a museum and i ate pizza
✅ Yesterday, I visited a museum and I ate pizza. — Use a capital I every time. Put a full stop at the end of every sentence. Put a comma after "Yesterday".

❌ The weather was hot so i drank a lot of water
✅ The weather was hot, so I drank a lot of water. — Put a comma before so when it joins two sentences. Always use a capital I.

❌ dear lucy, I am in spain. it is sunny.
✅ Dear Lucy, I am in Spain. It is sunny. — Capitalise the name in the greeting. Capitalise the first word of every sentence. Capitalise place names.

❌ I love it here because is very beautiful.
✅ I love it here because it is very beautiful. — Do not forget the subject! Every sentence needs a subject. Use: because + subject + verb.

❌ I go to the beach yesterday.
✅ I went to the beach yesterday. — Use the past tense to write about finished holiday activities. "Go" becomes "went" in the past tense.

❌ The hotel was big but very comfortable but the pool was clean.
✅ The hotel was big and comfortable. The pool was clean. — Do not repeat the same connector too many times. Break long sentences into two shorter sentences.

❌ In the evening we ate pasta.
✅ In the evening, we ate pasta. — Always put a comma after a time phrase at the start of a sentence (In the evening, Yesterday, Last week, On Monday).

Writing Checklist and Practice Task

Writing Checklist

Before you finish your holiday message, check every point below. Tick each one!

Your Practice Task

Now it is your turn! Write a short holiday postcard or message to a friend. Use the steps below to help you.

Step 1 — Greeting: Write "Dear [friend's name]," at the top.

Step 2 — Where are you? Write one sentence to say where you are. Use: I am in [place].

Step 3 — The weather: Write one sentence about the weather. Use: The weather is [adjective].

Step 4 — What did you do? Write two or three sentences about your holiday activities. Use past tense verbs: I went... / I ate... / We visited... / I swam...

Step 5 — Your feelings: Write one sentence about how you feel or what you think. Use: I love it here because... / It was amazing!

Step 6 — Closing sentence: Write a friendly ending. Use: See you soon! / I miss you!

Step 7 — Sign-off: Write Love, or Best wishes, and then your name.

Try to write 6–8 sentences. Use at least two different connectors (and, but, because, so). Check your capital letters and full stops when you finish!

Now test your writing mechanics and sentence skills in the exercises below.