I'm so sorry!
Interactive exercises to consolidate your students’ learning.
Writing an apology email, seen through Maya's email to Ellie after she forgot their cinema trip: what happened, why, and how she wants to make it up to her friend. Pupils answer questions on the email, read the useful phrases, write verbs in the past simple, then apologise for a mistake from a card or a real one and tick a checklist; model email and answer key included.
Documents to download (2)
- Worksheet In your teacher account
- Worksheet (black and white) In your teacher account
Teaching guide
Objective & content
This writing sheet teaches pupils to write an apology email to a friend (I'm really sorry about..., I forgot..., I didn't..., I felt terrible, because..., That's not an excuse, Can I make it up to you?, Let's..., I'll..., Sorry again). Pupils read Maya's email to Ellie, take its phrases and write their own. By the end, they can write an email of 80 to 100 words in the past simple that says sorry, explains and offers to make things better.
Pedagogical guide
Page 1 has Maya's email, with a photo of a cinema. Maya forgot about her cinema trip with Ellie and only saw Ellie's messages at nine o'clock. After school she went to her grandma's house, because her grandma wasn't well, and her phone stayed in her bag all evening; Ellie waited for half an hour in the cold and missed the start of the film. Maya offers to go again on Saturday and buy the tickets and the popcorn, or to watch a film at her house. Pupils answer six questions with three options each, then read the useful phrases, set out in the order of the email (say sorry, what happened, how you felt, why, make it better, end). Page 2 starts with four verbs to write in the past simple, one of them in the negative. Then pupils apologise for a mistake from a card (a broken game controller, a missed match, a lost book, a forgotten birthday, each with what happened and an idea to make it better) or a real one, and tick the checklist. The answer key gives a model email.
Suggested procedure
- (5 min) Ask "When did you last say sorry to a friend? What happened?"
- (10 min) Read Maya's email aloud; pupils answer the questions.
- (5 min) Read the useful phrases with the class; pupils find the verbs in the past simple.
- (5 min) Page 2: pupils write the verbs.
- (20 min) Pupils choose a mistake, write their email and tick the checklist.
- (5 min) In pairs, one pupil reads an email and the other answers: "That's OK!" or "Hmm...", and why.
Adaptations
[S] Pupils follow Maya's email paragraph by paragraph and change the details.
[A] Pupils write the friend's reply.
Materials & prerequisites
One copy of pages 1 and 2 per pupil. Page 3 is the answer key, the model email and the teacher notes: keep it. Pupils need the past simple of regular and common irregular verbs and its negative. To take it further, pairs act out the apology as a phone call.
Possible adaptations
- Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
- Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
- Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.
🔒 Restricted content
This resource requires a subscription to be viewed.
Unlock the resourceIncluded in the subscription
