My Last Holiday - A2 English Writing — Explanation

Writing about your last holiday is a useful way to practise the past simple, holiday vocabulary and basic linking words. A clear A2 holiday story tells the reader where you went, who you travelled with, where you stayed and what you did. It also includes a few personal details about how you felt.

Plan your holiday writing

Before you start, make short notes. You do not need to write full sentences yet. Answer these questions:

• When and where did you go?
• Who did you travel with?
• How did you get there?
• Where did you stay?
• What places did you visit?
• What activities did you do?
• What was the best or worst part?

Put your notes in time order. This makes your story easy to follow and helps you avoid repeating the same information.

Useful vocabulary for holidays

We usually go on holiday and travel by plane, train, coach, ferry or car. The trip from one place to another is the journey. At the destination, you can stay in a hotel, hostel, campsite or holiday apartment. You can also rent a room, a cottage, a bicycle or a car.

Common holiday activities include going sightseeing, taking photos, buying souvenirs, trying local food, visiting a market and going on a boat trip. At the coast, people often go swimming, walk along the beach or watch the sunset.

Use the past simple

A finished holiday is a past event, so use the past simple for the main actions. Regular verbs usually end in -ed: We visited an old castle. We walked around the harbour. Remember common irregular forms: go → went, see → saw, take → took, buy → bought, eat → ate and have → had.

Use was with I, he, she and it, and were with you, we and they: The weather was warm, but the evenings were cool.

Organise your text into paragraphs

A short A2 holiday text can have three paragraphs:

1. Introduction: say when and where you went, who went with you and how you travelled.
2. Accommodation and activities: explain where you stayed and describe the main things you did.
3. Opinion: describe your favourite moment and say how you felt about the holiday.

Original model text: A weekend by the lake

Last October, I went to Lake Bled in Slovenia with my cousin Noah. We travelled overnight by coach, so the journey was long, but we were excited. We arrived early on Saturday morning.

We stayed in a small guesthouse near the lake. After breakfast, we rented bicycles and rode around the water. In the afternoon, we took a little boat to the island and visited the church. The next day, we walked up to the castle, took lots of photos and tried a local cream cake.

The weather was cold and cloudy, but it did not rain. My favourite part was the quiet boat trip because the mountains looked beautiful from the lake. It was only a short holiday, but I had a wonderful time and would love to return in summer.

Connect your ideas

Linking words show the relationship between ideas:

• and adds similar information: We visited the castle and took some photos.
• but introduces a contrast: The room was small, but it was comfortable.
• because gives a reason: We stayed inside because it was raining.
• so gives a result: The buses had stopped, so we walked back.

You can also use time expressions such as first, then, after that, later, the next morning and finally. They help the reader understand the order of events.

Make your writing interesting

Do not only list activities. Add a small detail or opinion: The market was busy and colourful. I loved the museum because the guide told funny stories. Simple adjectives such as peaceful, crowded, delicious, comfortable, tiring and amazing make your story more vivid.

A2 writing checklist

• Did you answer the main questions about your holiday?
• Did you use the past simple for finished events?
• Did you divide the text into clear paragraphs?
• Did you use linking words and time expressions?
• Did you include your feelings or opinion?
• Did you check capital letters, spelling and punctuation?