Writing a Postcard - A2 English Writing — Explanation

A holiday postcard is a short, friendly message that tells someone about your trip. At A2 level, you should be able to say where you are, describe what you are doing, mention something you did earlier and explain a future plan. A good postcard is brief, personal and easy to follow.

What to include in a postcard

Use this simple plan:

1. Greeting: write Hi Emma, or Dear Grandpa,.
2. Place and general feeling: say where you are and what the trip is like.
3. News: describe what you are doing now and what you have already seen or done.
4. Past event: mention an activity from yesterday or earlier in the holiday.
5. Plan: say what you are going to do next.
6. Closing: finish with See you soon, Take care, Love or Best wishes.

Useful city vocabulary

Postcards often describe places in a town or city. You might visit an aquarium, an art gallery, a museum, a cathedral, a castle, a palace or a botanical garden. You can walk across a bridge, relax in a public square, see a fountain or explore the harbour.

Use adjectives to make the message more interesting: historic streets, a lively market, a peaceful garden, a crowded beach, a spectacular view and delicious local food.

Holiday activities

• go sightseeing
• take a guided tour
• visit a museum
• walk around the old town
• try a local dish
• buy souvenirs
• take photos
• go swimming or kayaking
• watch the sunset

Language for postcards

Talking about the present

Use the present continuous for something happening now or around now: I’m sitting beside the harbour. We’re staying in a small hotel. Time expressions such as right now and at the moment often signal this tense.

Talking about completed experiences

Use the present perfect for experiences during a trip when the exact time is not important: I’ve visited two galleries. We’ve taken lots of photos. Words such as already, so far and since we arrived are common with this tense.

Talking about the past

Use the past simple with a finished past time: Yesterday we explored the castle. We had dinner near the beach last night. Remember irregular forms such as go → went, see → saw, take → took, have → had and meet → met.

Talking about plans

Use be going to or the present continuous for arranged future activities: We’re going to visit the island tomorrow. We’re taking a boat tour on Friday. You can also use plan to and hope to: I’m planning to buy some gifts.

Original model postcard

Hi Sophie,

Greetings from Valletta! I’m having a fantastic week here with my brother. We’re staying in a little guesthouse near the harbour, and our room has a balcony with a beautiful view.

So far, we’ve explored the city walls and visited a colourful art museum. Yesterday, we took a ferry to a quiet village and had lunch beside the water. The seafood was delicious!

Right now, I’m sitting in a sunny square and drinking lemonade. Tomorrow we’re going to visit some underground tunnels, and I’m hoping to buy a small gift for you at the market.

Wish you were here!
See you soon,
Maya

Keep the style friendly

A postcard is informal, so contractions such as I’m, we’re, I’ve and it’s sound natural. You can use an exclamation mark to show excitement, but do not put one after every sentence. Short paragraphs help the reader move from present news to past events and future plans.

Common mistakes

• Write I’m having a great time, not I have a great time now.
• Write We went yesterday, not We have gone yesterday.
• Write I’ve taken lots of photos, not I’ve took.
• Write We’re going to visit the market, not We’re going visit.
• Remember a greeting and a friendly closing.

A2 postcard checklist

Before you finish, check that you have named the place, included present news, mentioned a past activity, described a future plan and added a closing. Check your verb forms, spelling and punctuation. A clear postcard of 60–100 words is usually enough for useful A2 practice.