English writing practice: Exercises for beginners and intermediate learners

Writing regularly is one of the best ways to improve your English. It helps you practise vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation at the same time.

This English writing practice guide provides exercises that begin with simple sentences and gradually move towards paragraphs, descriptions, emails, stories and everyday writing.

Whether you are a complete beginner or an intermediate English learner, use these exercises to build your confidence one step at a time.

Table of Contents hide

How to use these English writing exercises

Do not worry about making mistakes. The purpose of writing practice is to identify areas that need improvement.

For each exercise:

  1. Read the instructions carefully.
  2. Write your answer without copying an example.
  3. Check your spelling and punctuation.
  4. Read your writing aloud.
  5. Rewrite sentences that contain mistakes.
  6. Compare your writing with the model answer when one is provided.

Part 1: Word and sentence writing

Exercise 1: Write simple words

Write five English words for each category:

  • Food
  • Animals
  • Countries
  • Jobs
  • Colours
  • Clothes
  • Transport
  • Household objects

Exercise 2: Write the alphabet

Write the English alphabet from A to Z.

Then write one English word beginning with each letter.

Exercise 3: Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with your own information.

  1. My name is ______.
  2. I am from ______.
  3. I live in ______.
  4. I work/study at ______.
  5. My favourite food is ______.
  6. I enjoy ______.
  7. My favourite colour is ______.
  8. I speak ______.

Exercise 4: Make sentences

Use each word in a complete sentence.

  1. book
  2. school
  3. morning
  4. family
  5. friend
  6. food
  7. travel
  8. English
  9. work
  10. home

Exercise 5: Make longer sentences

Turn each short sentence into a longer sentence.

Example:

I work.

Possible answer:

I work in an office in Nairobi.

Practise with:

  1. I study.
  2. She cooks.
  3. He plays.
  4. We travel.
  5. They work.

Part 2: Personal writing

Exercise 6: Introduce yourself

Write 5–10 sentences about yourself.

Include:

  • Your name
  • Your country
  • Your city
  • Your work or studies
  • Your hobbies
  • Your favourite food
  • Your language-learning goals

Exercise 7: Write about your family

Write a short paragraph about your family.

Try to use:

mother, father, brother, sister, parents, family, live, work, study

Exercise 8: Describe your daily routine

Write about what you normally do from morning until evening.

Use words such as:

wake up, get up, breakfast, work, study, lunch, return home, dinner, sleep

Exercise 9: Write about your home

Describe your home in 8–10 sentences.

Mention:

  • Rooms
  • Furniture
  • Location
  • People who live there
  • What you like about your home

Exercise 10: Write about your best friend

Describe your best friend.

Write about their:

  • Name
  • Appearance
  • Personality
  • Work or studies
  • Hobbies
  • Relationship with you

Part 3: Descriptive writing

Exercise 11: Describe a person

Choose someone you know and describe them.

Use adjectives such as:

friendly, kind, tall, short, quiet, funny, helpful, hardworking

Exercise 12: Describe a place

Describe your town, city or village.

Include:

  • Where it is
  • What it looks like
  • Important places
  • Transport
  • Shops
  • What you like about it

Exercise 13: Describe a room

Choose a room and describe what is inside it.

Use:

next to, beside, behind, in front of, near, under, above

Exercise 14: Describe a picture

Look at a picture and write 10 sentences about it.

Describe:

  • People
  • Places
  • Objects
  • Colours
  • Actions
  • Weather

Exercise 15: Describe your favourite place

Write 100 words about your favourite place.

Explain where it is, what it looks like and why you like it.


Part 4: Everyday writing

Exercise 16: Write a shopping list

Write a shopping list containing at least 15 items.

Exercise 17: Write a daily schedule

Write your schedule for tomorrow.

Include times and activities.

Exercise 18: Write a birthday message

Write a short birthday message to a friend or family member.

Exercise 19: Write a thank-you message

Write a message thanking someone for helping you.

Exercise 20: Write an invitation

Invite a friend to a meal, party or other activity.

Include:

  • Date
  • Time
  • Place
  • Activity

Part 5: Email writing

Exercise 21: Write a friendly email

Write an email to a friend telling them about your week.

Exercise 22: Write a formal email

Write an email asking a company for information about a service.

Exercise 23: Request information

Write an email asking for information about an English course.

Exercise 24: Make an appointment

Write an email requesting an appointment.

Exercise 25: Cancel an appointment

Write a polite email explaining that you cannot attend an appointment.

Exercise 26: Apply for a job

Write a short job application email.

Include:

  • The position
  • Your experience
  • Your skills
  • Your interest in the role

Exercise 27: Write a complaint

Write a polite complaint about a product or service.

Explain:

  1. What happened.
  2. When it happened.
  3. Why you are unhappy.
  4. What solution you would like.

Exercise 28: Ask for help

Write an email asking a teacher for help with an English assignment.

Exercise 29: Write a professional introduction

Write a short professional introduction about yourself.

Exercise 30: Write a follow-up email

Write an email following up after an interview or meeting.


Part 6: Grammar-based writing

Exercise 31: Present simple

Write five sentences about your daily routine.

Exercise 32: Present continuous

Write five sentences describing what people are doing now.

Exercise 33: Past simple

Write ten sentences about what you did yesterday.

Exercise 34: Future plans

Write ten sentences about what you are going to do next week.

Exercise 35: Questions

Write five questions beginning with:

  • What
  • Where
  • When
  • Why
  • How

Exercise 36: Negative sentences

Change these sentences into negative sentences.

  1. I like coffee.
  2. She works here.
  3. They live in Nairobi.
  4. He speaks French.
  5. We have a car.

Exercise 37: Adjectives

Write five sentences using different adjectives.

Exercise 38: Adverbs

Write five sentences using words such as:

quickly, slowly, carefully, quietly, happily

Exercise 39: Prepositions

Write sentences using:

in, on, at, under, behind, between, beside

Exercise 40: Conjunctions

Write sentences using:

and, but, because, so, or


Part 7: Paragraph writing

Exercise 41: My hometown

Write a paragraph of 80–100 words about your hometown.

Exercise 42: My favourite food

Write 80–100 words about your favourite food.

Exercise 43: My favourite hobby

Explain what your hobby is and why you enjoy it.

Exercise 44: A memorable day

Write about a day that you remember clearly.

Exercise 45: My future plans

Write about what you would like to do in the future.

Exercise 46: My English-learning journey

Write about why you are learning English and what you hope to achieve.

Exercise 47: A person I admire

Write about someone you admire and explain why.

Exercise 48: A place I want to visit

Describe a place you would like to visit.

Exercise 49: My ideal weekend

Describe what your perfect weekend would look like.

Exercise 50: A normal day

Write a paragraph describing an ordinary day in your life.


Part 8: Story writing

Exercise 51: Continue the story

Start with:

“When I opened the door, I could not believe what I saw.”

Continue the story in 150 words.

Exercise 52: A surprise

Write a story about an unexpected surprise.

Exercise 53: A lost phone

Write a story about someone who loses their phone and tries to find it.

Exercise 54: A journey

Write a story about a journey that does not go according to plan.

Exercise 55: A new neighbour

Write a story about meeting a new neighbour.

Exercise 56: A difficult decision

Write about a person who has to make an important decision.

Exercise 57: The missing bag

Write a story beginning:

“I looked down and realised that my bag was gone.”

Exercise 58: A rainy day

Write a story about an unexpected event on a rainy day.

Exercise 59: The message

Write a story beginning:

“I received a strange message at seven o’clock.”

Exercise 60: The unexpected visitor

Write a story about someone receiving an unexpected visitor.


Part 9: Practical writing

Exercise 61: Write a notice

Write a notice informing people about a meeting.

Exercise 62: Write an announcement

Write an announcement about a community event.

Exercise 63: Write instructions

Explain how to make a cup of tea.

Exercise 64: Give directions

Write directions from your home to a nearby shop or school.

Exercise 65: Write a recipe

Write a simple recipe using numbered steps.

Exercise 66: Write a review

Write a short review of a restaurant, book, film or service.

Exercise 67: Write a product description

Choose an everyday product and describe it in 100 words.

Exercise 68: Write a job description

Write a simple description of a job.

Exercise 69: Write a short report

Write a report about a school, workplace or community activity.

Exercise 70: Write meeting notes

Write short notes about an imaginary meeting.


Part 10: Intermediate writing practice

Exercise 71: Compare two places

Compare two cities, countries or towns.

Use words such as:

more, less, larger, smaller, busier, quieter, similar, different

Exercise 72: Compare two people

Describe how two people are similar and different.

Exercise 73: Give your opinion

Write 150 words giving your opinion about an everyday topic.

Exercise 74: Give reasons

Write about why learning English is useful.

Exercise 75: Advantages and disadvantages

Write about the advantages and disadvantages of learning online.

Exercise 76: Problem and solution

Describe an everyday problem and suggest possible solutions.

Exercise 77: Cause and effect

Explain why something happens and what happens as a result.

Exercise 78: Formal letter

Write a formal letter requesting information.

Exercise 79: Personal statement

Write a short personal statement for a course or job application.

Exercise 80: Short article

Write a 200-word article about an everyday topic.


Part 11: Editing practice

Exercise 81: Correct spelling

Write a paragraph containing ten spelling mistakes. Then correct them.

Exercise 82: Correct punctuation

Add full stops, commas, apostrophes and question marks where necessary.

Exercise 83: Correct capital letters

Rewrite a paragraph using the correct capital letters.

Exercise 84: Correct grammar

Find and correct grammar mistakes in your own paragraph.

Exercise 85: Improve vocabulary

Replace repeated basic words with more precise alternatives.

Exercise 86: Combine sentences

Combine short sentences using conjunctions.

Exercise 87: Make writing clearer

Rewrite long or confusing sentences using simpler language.

Exercise 88: Remove unnecessary words

Read a paragraph and remove words that do not add useful information.

Exercise 89: Improve a paragraph

Rewrite a basic paragraph using better vocabulary and sentence variety.

Exercise 90: Proofread your writing

Check a piece of writing for spelling, grammar, punctuation and clarity.


Part 12: Final writing challenges

Exercise 91: Write about your goals

Write 150 words about your personal or professional goals.

Exercise 92: Write about technology

Write about how technology affects everyday life.

Exercise 93: Write about education

Explain why education is important to individuals and communities.

Exercise 94: Write about travel

Write an article giving advice to someone visiting your country.

Exercise 95: Write about language learning

Explain five useful ways to learn a language.

Exercise 96: Write a personal story

Write a story about an experience that taught you something.

Exercise 97: Write a formal email

Write a professional email containing at least three paragraphs.

Exercise 98: Write a 250-word article

Choose an everyday topic and write a complete article with an introduction, main points and conclusion.

Exercise 99: Write a short essay

Choose a topic and write a five-paragraph essay.

Exercise 100: Final writing challenge

Write 300 words about:

“How learning English has changed or could change my life.”

Try to include:

  • An introduction
  • Several main points
  • Examples
  • Linking words
  • A conclusion