A Biography of Someone You Know - A2 English Writing — Explanation

How to Write a Biography of Someone You Know

A biography tells the story of another person’s life. You can write about a relative, friend, teacher, neighbour or another person you know. At A2 level, a good biography presents important life events in a clear order and explains what the person is doing now and why they are special to you.

First Steps: Collect Your Ideas

Before writing, make short notes. You do not need to include every detail. Choose information that helps the reader understand the person’s life and character.

• Who is the person, and how do you know them?
• When and where were they born?
• Where did they grow up?
• What did they enjoy as a child?
• What did they study or learn?
• Which important events changed their life?
• What do they do now?
• Why do you admire or like them?

Plan Three Clear Paragraphs

Paragraph 1: Introduction and Early Life

Introduce the person and your relationship. Include basic facts about their birth, family, childhood and early interests.

Paragraph 2: Education, Work and Important Events

Describe past events in time order. You can mention school, university, jobs, travel, achievements or a decision that changed the person’s life.

Paragraph 3: Present Life and Your Opinion

Explain where the person lives, what they do now and what they have achieved up to the present. Finish by saying why you admire them or what you have learned from them.

Verb Tenses for a Biography

Past Simple

Use the past simple for finished actions at a specific time: She moved to Rome in 2012. He studied engineering at university.

Present Simple

Use the present simple for facts and regular activities now: She works in a community centre. He lives near the coast.

Present Continuous

Use the present continuous for an activity happening now or around now: She is writing her first book at the moment.

Present Perfect

Use the present perfect for experiences or situations that connect the past with now: He has taught hundreds of students. She has lived here since 2019.

Using “For” and “Since”

Use for with a period of time: for six years, for a long time. Use since with the starting point: since 2020, since she left school.

Using “Used To”

Use used to + verb for a past habit or situation that is different now: He used to play football every day. The negative form is did not use to: She did not use to enjoy reading.

Time Expressions and Connectors

Connect events so the story is easy to follow:

• When she was a child...
• After school...
• A few years later...
• After that...
• Since then...
• At the moment...
• Now...

Use because to give a reason, so to show a result and but to show contrast.

Useful Language for Biographies

• He/She was born in...
• He/She grew up in...
• As a child, he/she loved...
• He/She studied... and later became...
• Since then, he/she has...
• Today, he/she works as...
• I admire him/her because...

Sample Biography

My Neighbour, Rosa

My neighbour Rosa is one of the most interesting people I know. She was born in a small town in northern Spain in 1968 and grew up with two brothers. When she was young, she loved making things and used to repair toys for children in her street.

After school, Rosa trained as a carpenter. At that time, there were very few women in her class, but she worked hard and completed the course. She moved to Valencia in 1990 and found a job in a furniture workshop. Ten years later, she opened her own small business. Since then, she has made furniture for homes, schools and local cafés.

Rosa still works in her workshop, and she also teaches a free class for teenagers every Saturday. At the moment, she is helping her students build tables for a new youth centre. I admire her because she is creative, patient and always ready to share her skills.

Final Checklist

Check that your biography has three clear paragraphs, follows a logical time order, uses past and present tenses correctly, includes useful time expressions and ends with your reason for admiring the person.