Describe Your Typical Weekend A2 Writing Practice Tests Rules & Examples

How to Describe Your Typical Weekend in English

Do you ever write a message to a friend and tell them about your weekend? Describing your weekend is one of the most common and useful things we write in English. You might send an informal email, a short message, or even a postcard telling a friend what you usually do on Saturdays and Sundays.

At level A2, you will practise writing 2–3 short paragraphs about your weekend routine. You will use the present simple to describe what you usually do, the past simple to talk about what you did last weekend, and linking words like because, so, when, before, and after to connect your ideas clearly and naturally.

Real-life examples of when you might write about your weekend include:

• An informal email to a friend in another city
• A reply to a friend who asked, "What do you usually do at weekends?"
• A short description in an English class or homework task
• A message on a language exchange app

Essential Writing Rules and Sentence Structure

1. Organise Your Text into Clear Paragraphs

A good A2 weekend description has 2–3 short paragraphs. Each paragraph covers one main idea. Here is a simple structure to follow:

• Paragraph 1 (Greeting and Opening): Say hello and introduce your topic. Tell your friend why you are writing.
• Paragraph 2 (Main Details): Describe what you usually do on Saturday or Sunday. Include times, places, and activities.
• Paragraph 3 (Closing): Ask your friend a question or invite them to reply. Use a friendly sign-off.

2. Use the Present Simple for Routines

Use the present simple to describe things you do every weekend. These are habits and routines.

Examples:

• I wake up late on Saturdays.
• We go to the market every Sunday morning.
• She doesn't work at weekends.

3. Use the Past Simple to Talk About Last Weekend

Use the past simple to describe what you did last weekend. Remember to use the correct past forms.

Regular verbs: walk → walked, watch → watched, visit → visited, cook → cooked

Common irregular verbs: go → went, have → had, see → saw, meet → met, buy → bought, stay → stayed (regular), get → got

Examples:

• Last Saturday, I went to the park with my family.
• We had lunch at a nice café.
• I watched a film in the evening.

4. Use Commas Correctly After Time Clauses

When a sentence starts with a time expression or a clause using when, before, or after, put a comma after the introductory part.

Examples:

• When I woke up, I made a cup of tea. ✅
• After we had lunch, we went for a walk. ✅
• Before I go out, I always have breakfast. ✅

5. Avoid Run-On Sentences

Do not join too many ideas with and in one long sentence. Break long sentences into shorter ones or use a linking word.

❌ I woke up and I had breakfast and then I went to the park and I met my friends and we played football.

✅ I woke up and had breakfast. After that, I went to the park and met my friends. We played football together.

Useful Linking Words (Connectors)

Good writers connect their ideas with linking words. Here are the most useful connectors for describing your weekend at A2 level:

Important tip: Do not confuse because and so. Use because to give the reason. Use so to give the result.

❌ I was tired so I stayed at home because I rested. (This is confusing and incorrect.)

✅ I was tired, so I stayed at home. I rested all afternoon.

Model Writing Sample: An Informal Email About My Typical Weekend

Read this complete model text carefully. Notice how the writer uses paragraphs, connectors, and both the present simple and past simple tenses.

Model Text A: Describing a Typical Weekend (Present Simple)

(Word count: 82 words)

Hi Jessica,

How are you? I hope you're well. I'm writing to tell you about my typical weekend!

On Saturdays, I usually wake up late because I don't work. After breakfast, I go to the local market with my mum. We buy fresh vegetables and sometimes have coffee there. In the afternoon, I often meet my friends and we go for a walk in the park. Although it can be quiet, I love my weekends because I can relax.

What do you usually do at weekends? Write back soon!

Best wishes,
Maria

Breakdown of Model Text A

Model Text B: Describing Last Weekend (Past Simple)

(Word count: 78 words)

Hi Tom,

How are you? I had a really nice weekend and I wanted to tell you about it!

On Saturday morning, I went to the park with my brother. When we arrived, it was sunny, so we had a picnic. After that, we went to a café and had hot chocolate. On Sunday, I stayed at home because it rained all day. I watched two films and read my book. It was very relaxing!

Hope to hear from you soon!

All the best,
Carlos

Breakdown of Model Text B

Key Phrases and Sentence Starters

Use these phrases in your own writing. They will help you sound natural and organised.

Greetings

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

Opening Lines and Reason for Writing

• How are you? I hope you're well.
• I'm writing to tell you about my typical weekend.
• I had a great weekend and I wanted to share it with you!
• Thanks for your last message! Here is my answer about my weekend.
• I hope everything is good with you.

Giving Details and Explanations

• On Saturdays, I usually…
• Every Sunday morning, I…
• Last weekend, I went to…
• In the morning / afternoon / evening, I…
• After breakfast / lunch / dinner, I…
• When I woke up, I…
• I love weekends because I can…
• It was sunny / cold / rainy, so we…
• Although I was tired, I…
• Before going out, I always…
• Then we went to… / After that, we…
• I also…
• We stayed there for about two hours.
• It was really relaxing / exciting / fun!

Ending Your Message and Sign-offs

• What do you usually do at weekends?
• Do you have a typical weekend routine?
• Write back and tell me about your weekend!
• Hope to hear from you soon!
• Let me know what you think!
• See you soon,
• Best wishes,
• All the best,
• Love,
• Take care,

Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Study these common A2 mistakes. Make sure you do not make the same errors in your own writing.

Mistake 1: Confusing 'because' and 'so'

❌ I was hungry so I didn't eat breakfast because I went to the café.
✅ I was hungry, so I went to the café because I didn't have any food at home.
Remember: Use because to give the reason. Use so to give the result. Do not use both in the same clause.

Mistake 2: Missing the comma after an introductory time clause

❌ When I woke up I made coffee and then I had breakfast.
✅ When I woke up, I made coffee. Then I had breakfast.
Remember: When a sentence starts with when, before, or after, always put a comma after that opening clause.

Mistake 3: Incorrect past simple verb forms

❌ Last Saturday, I goed to the park and I buyed some food.
✅ Last Saturday, I went to the park and I bought some food.
Remember: Common irregular past simple forms — go → went, buy → bought, have → had, see → saw, meet → met. These do not take -ed.

Mistake 4: Using a capital letter for seasons but not for days

❌ I always relax on saturday and on sunday. I love Summer weekends.
✅ I always relax on Saturday and on Sunday. I love summer weekends.
Remember: Days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday) always start with a capital letter. Seasons (summer, winter, spring, autumn) do not use capital letters in English.

Writing Checklist and Practice Task

Writing Checklist

Before you finish your writing, check these points carefully:

• ✅ Did you include a friendly, informal greeting (e.g. "Hi Sarah,")?
• ✅ Did you write a clear opening line that introduces your topic?
• ✅ Did you write 2–3 clear paragraphs (60–90 words in total)?
• ✅ Did you use the present simple correctly to describe your usual weekend routine?
• ✅ Did you use the past simple correctly to describe what you did last weekend (e.g. went, had, watched, stayed)?
• ✅ Did you use at least three different linking words (e.g. because, so, when, after, although)?
• ✅ Did you put a comma after introductory time clauses (e.g. "When I woke up,")?
• ✅ Did you use capital letters correctly for days of the week and the word "I"?
• ✅ Did you end with a friendly closing question or comment?
• ✅ Did you use an appropriate sign-off and write your name?

Practice Task

Now write your own informal email to a friend. Use the task prompt below.

Task Prompt:

Your English-speaking friend, Daniel, sent you this message:

"Hi! I'm curious — what do you usually do at weekends? And what did you do last weekend? Write and tell me!"

Write an informal email to Daniel. In your email, you should:

• Greet Daniel and write a friendly opening line
• Describe what you usually do at weekends (present simple)
• Describe what you did last weekend (past simple)
• Use at least three linking words from the table above (e.g. because, so, when, after, although)
• End with a question for Daniel and a friendly sign-off

Write 60–90 words.

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