Describe Your Last Holiday A2 Writing Practice Tests Rules & Examples

How to Write About Your Last Holiday in English

Have you ever wanted to tell a friend about an amazing trip you took? Writing about your last holiday is a very common task in English. You might write a short email to a friend, a postcard from the beach, or a message on social media. In real life, people share holiday stories all the time — it is a natural and friendly way to connect with others.

In this lesson, you will learn how to describe a past holiday in a short, clear, and friendly message. You will practise using the past simple tense to talk about what happened, and you will use linking words to connect your ideas logically. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a well-organised 60–90 word holiday description that sounds natural and confident.

Essential Writing Rules & Sentence Structure

1. Organise Your Writing into Paragraphs

A short holiday description should have 2–3 clear paragraphs. Each paragraph has one main idea:

• Paragraph 1: Greeting and opening — where did you go and when?
• Paragraph 2: What did you do? What did you see? How did you feel?
• Paragraph 3: Closing — how did you feel overall? Ask a question or say goodbye.

2. Use the Past Simple Tense

Use the past simple to describe things that happened during your holiday. It is finished, so we do not use the present tense for these events.

• Regular verbs: walk → walked, visit → visited, stay → stayed, love → loved
• Irregular verbs: go → went, see → saw, eat → ate, have → had, meet → met, buy → bought, swim → swam

3. Use Commas After Time Clauses

When you start a sentence with a time word or phrase, put a comma after the introductory clause before the main clause.

• When we arrived, the hotel was beautiful.
• After breakfast, we visited the old town.
• Before we left, I bought some souvenirs.

4. Keep Sentences Short and Clear

At A2 level, avoid writing very long sentences. Connect two short ideas with linking words like and, but, so, or because. Do not join three or more ideas in one sentence without a connector.

Useful Linking Words (Connectors)

These connectors will help you organise your holiday description clearly and naturally. Study the table below carefully.

Important: Do not confuse because and so. Use because before a reason. Use so before a result.

• ✅ I was tired because we walked all day. (reason)
• ✅ We walked all day, so I was tired. (result)

Model Writing Sample: An Email to a Friend About a Holiday

Read this realistic example of an A2-level holiday email. Notice how it is organised and how the writer uses linking words and past simple verbs.

— Model Text 1: Informal Email —

Hi Sophie,

How are you? I'm back from my holiday in Portugal! I went there with my family last week and we stayed in a small hotel near the beach. The weather was lovely, so we spent a lot of time swimming in the sea.

We also visited Lisbon for one day. When we arrived, we ate fresh seafood near the river. It was amazing! Although the city was busy, I really loved it.

I bought you a little souvenir! Let me know when you're free to meet.

Love,
Emma

Word count: 88 words ✅

Annotation: Breaking Down the Model Text

— Model Text 2: Holiday Postcard —

Read this second example. Postcards are shorter and more informal. They use lots of exclamations and feeling words.

Hi Mark!

Greetings from Barcelona! I arrived here three days ago and it's absolutely beautiful. Yesterday, we visited the famous Sagrada Família and then we had tapas for dinner. The food is so good here!

The weather is warm and sunny, so I'm very happy. Although my feet hurt from walking, I don't want to go home! Wish you were here.

See you soon,
David

Word count: 72 words ✅

Key Phrases & Sentence Starters

Use these ready-made phrases in your own holiday writing. They will help your text sound natural and well-organised.

Greetings

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

Opening Lines & Reason for Writing

• How are you? I hope you're well.
• I'm back from my holiday in [place]!
• I just wanted to tell you about my amazing trip to [place].
• Greetings from [place]!
• I arrived here [two days ago / last week] and it's wonderful.

Giving Details & Descriptions

• I went to [place] with [my family / my friend / my partner].
• We stayed in [a hotel / an apartment / a small guesthouse] near [the beach / the centre].
• The weather was [hot / lovely / sunny / a bit cold].
• We visited [a famous place] and it was [amazing / beautiful / interesting].
• We ate [local food] and it was absolutely delicious.
• I also bought [some souvenirs / a book / some local food].
• One day, we went to [place] and then we [activity].
• Although it was [busy / expensive / tiring], I really loved it.
• The best part was [activity or place] because [reason].

Ending Your Message & Sign-offs

• I really don't want to go home!
• I had such a wonderful time.
• I bought you a little souvenir — let me know when you're free!
• Write back soon and tell me your news.
• Hope to see you very soon.
• Wish you were here!
• Sign-offs: Love, / See you soon, / Best wishes, / All the best, / Take care,

Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Study these four very common A2 writing mistakes. Make sure you do not make them in your own writing.

❌ I loved the holiday because it was sunny so we went to the beach every day.
✅ I loved the holiday because it was sunny. We went to the beach every day.
Do not use both because and so in the same sentence. They work in opposite directions. Use one or the other, then start a new sentence if needed.

❌ When we arrived we saw a beautiful old church.
✅ When we arrived, we saw a beautiful old church.
Always put a comma after an introductory time clause that starts with when, after, before, or although.

❌ We goed to the market and buyed some fruit.
✅ We went to the market and bought some fruit.
Go and buy are irregular verbs. Their past simple forms are went and bought — not goed or buyed. Always check irregular verb forms carefully.

❌ The food was amazing, the weather was perfect, we had a lovely room.
✅ The food was amazing and the weather was perfect. We also had a lovely room.
Do not join three or more sentences with commas alone. This is called a comma splice and it is a common mistake. Use a connector like and or also, or start a new sentence.

Writing Checklist & Practice Task

Writing Checklist

Before you finish your holiday writing task, check every point below. Tick each one when you are sure it is correct.

• ✅ Did I start with a friendly, informal greeting (e.g. Hi Sophie,)?
• ✅ Did my opening sentence say where I went and give the main topic?
• ✅ Did I use past simple verbs correctly (e.g. went, stayed, visited, ate, saw, bought)?
• ✅ Did I use at least two different linking words (e.g. because, so, when, although, after)?
• ✅ Did I put a comma after time clauses starting with when, after, before, or although?
• ✅ Did I avoid comma splices (joining three or more sentences with only commas)?
• ✅ Did I include a closing sentence or a friendly question for the reader?
• ✅ Did I finish with a correct, informal sign-off followed by my name?
• ✅ Is my writing between 60 and 90 words?

Your Practice Task

Now it is your turn! Read the writing prompt below and write your own holiday email or postcard.

Writing Prompt:

Write an informal email OR a holiday postcard to a friend (60–90 words). Include the following information:

• Where did you go on your last holiday?
• Who did you go with?
• What did you do or see there? (Give at least two activities or places.)
• How did you feel about the holiday? What was the best part and why?
• End with a friendly question for your friend and an appropriate sign-off.

Remember to use: past simple verbs, at least two linking words from the connector table, correct punctuation after time clauses, and a greeting and sign-off.

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