Write Back! Writing Pack

Objective & content

This pack brings together the six "Write back!" writing worksheets, one for each level from A1- to B1+, in one PDF. On every sheet, pupils read a model letter or email, see how it is built, take its useful phrases, practise them, plan their own text, write a reply and check it with a checklist. The writing grows with the level: a first letter to a penpal about yourself (A1-, 40 to 50 words), a letter about school and your town (A1+), a holiday letter in the past simple (A2-), an email to an exchange partner with plans (A2+), a reply on a teen advice page (B1-) and an email to a friend with news about a change in your life (B1+, 150 to 180 words).

Pedagogical guide

The pack opens with a cover and a contents page, then the six sheets in level order, three pupil pages each, and all the answers and teacher notes at the back. The sheets follow the same route, so pupils who move up a level know what to do. Page 1 of each sheet is the model text, with photos, and six comprehension questions. Page 2 shows how the text is built (pupils match each part, such as the start, the news, the questions and the end, to its words), gives the useful phrases in a box with the key words in bold, and practises them in a short task. Page 3 is the writing: a plan in notes, the text itself with its first line written and a row of phrases to use, and a checklist. The answers give a model reply for every sheet. The writers are Megan in Cardiff, Daniel in Dublin, Mia in Australia, Arjun in Toronto, a new girl in Glasgow writing to an advice page, and Marcus, who has moved from New York to a farm in Vermont. Above A2-, the letters are no longer to penpals but to an exchange partner, an advice page and a friend from a summer camp, which suits older pupils.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Choose the sheet for your class's level from the contents page.
2. (10 min) Page 1: read the model text aloud; pupils answer the questions.
3. (15 min) Page 2: pupils match the parts of the text, read the useful phrases and do the practice task.
4. (20 min) Page 3: pupils plan in notes, write their reply and tick the checklist.
5. (5 min) Pupils read out their texts; check with the answers at the back.

Adaptations

[S] Give weaker pupils the sheet one level below the class, so the model text is easier.

[A] Give stronger pupils the sheet one level above, or ask them to write the reply to their partner's text.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of the chosen sheet's three pupil pages per pupil. The answers, model replies and teacher notes are at the back of the pack: keep them. Each sheet is also on the site on its own. To take it further, the class can write to a real partner class in another country.