Entry 3 ESOL - Summer Holiday Report Self-Study Lesson

Learning Aims

By the end of this lesson, you can identify the features of a short report, use holiday vocabulary, write accurate past tense sentences, plan paragraphs, and write a clear recommendation.

Your final task

Write a short report about a summer holiday, trip or summer activity for your tutor or course organiser.

Self-study tip

Do the lesson in order. Try each activity first, then use the check button or answer box. Write corrections in your own words.

Useful Report Structure

Title: Report: My Summer Trip
Introduction: say the aim of the report.
What happened: describe travel, places and activities.
Good points: explain what worked well.
Problems: mention one or two difficulties.
Conclusion and recommendation: give an overall opinion and say what should happen next time.

1. Realistic Situation

Your adult learning centre wants to know if summer trips and activities are useful for learners. You joined a summer holiday activity, or you can write about a real or imagined summer holiday.

Your tutor asks you to write a short report. The report should describe what happened, say what was good, mention one problem, and recommend one improvement.

Write one sentence about your trip or activity.

2. Diagnostic Starter: Quick Check

Tick the sentences that are suitable for a short report. If the sentence has a mistake, type a correction.

The aim of this report is to describe my summer holiday. I went beach with my family and it was good. Overall, the trip was successful. We was late because the bus did not arrive. Next time, the tutor should give clearer information. Corrections for the mistakes

Suitable: 1, 3 and 5.

Corrections: I went to the beach with my family, and it was good. We were late because the bus did not arrive.

3. Model Text

Report: Our Summer Trip to Brighton

Introduction

Last Saturday, our ESOL class went to Brighton for a summer day trip. The aim of this report is to describe the trip and say if it was successful.

What happened

We travelled by coach at 9.00 a.m. The weather was sunny but windy. First, we visited the beach and took photos. After that, some learners bought fish and chips. In the afternoon, we walked on the pier and played simple games.

Good points

The trip was enjoyable because learners practised English outside the classroom. The coach was clean and the price was reasonable.

Problems

One problem was that the toilets were very busy. Also, some learners did not know the meeting point.

Conclusion and recommendation

Overall, the trip was successful. Next time, the tutor should give everyone a small map and a clear timetable.

Read actively

Find one sentence about the aim, one sentence about a problem, and one sentence with a recommendation.

4. Noticing Task

Complete the table. Use short notes. Then compare with the suggested answers.

Feature	What do you notice?
Purpose
Audience
Tone
Layout
Useful phrases
Grammar patterns
Punctuation

Tick useful phrases from the model

The aim of this report is... First... After that... One problem was... Overall... Next time, ... should...

Purpose: To describe the trip, give information and make a recommendation.

Audience: Tutor, course organiser or other learners.

Tone: Clear, polite and semi-formal.

Layout: Title and headings.

Grammar: Past simple, was/were, because, also and should.

Punctuation: Capital letters, full stops, commas after linking phrases, and apostrophes in contractions.

5. Vocabulary Bank

Word or phrase	Meaning	Example sentence
aim	the reason for doing something	The aim of this report is to describe the trip.
successful	worked well; achieved its aim	The trip was successful because everyone arrived safely.
enjoyable	pleasant and fun	The beach visit was enjoyable.
reasonable	not too expensive; fair	The coach price was reasonable.
crowded	full of people	The station was crowded in the morning.
meeting point	the place where people agree to meet	The meeting point was outside the cafe.
timetable	a list of times for activities or travel	The tutor gave us a clear timetable.
recommend	say that something is a good idea	I recommend this trip for other classes.
overall	considering everything	Overall, the holiday was relaxing.
facilities	services or things people can use	The facilities were clean and easy to find.
improve	make something better	Next time, we should improve the information sheet.
atmosphere	the feeling of a place	The atmosphere was friendly.

6. Vocabulary Practice

Choose the best word or phrase from the vocabulary bank.

1. The of this report is to describe my holiday. 2. The beach was very because many people were there. 3. The train ticket was . It was not too expensive. 4. The was outside the station. 5. , I enjoyed the trip. 6. I this activity for other learners.

Build Your Own Vocabulary

Write three new words you might need for your report.

New word 1 Meaning or translation My sentence

New word 2 Meaning or translation My sentence

New word 3 Meaning or translation My sentence

7. Sentence-Building Practice

Put the word groups in the correct order. Write the full sentence with correct punctuation.

1. The aim of this report / is to describe / my summer holiday. 2. We travelled / by train / on Monday morning. 3. The weather / was warm / but it was windy. 4. The hotel / was clean / and the staff were helpful. 5. One problem / was that / the bus was late. 6. Overall, / I recommend / this holiday.

The aim of this report is to describe my summer holiday.
We travelled by train on Monday morning.
The weather was warm but it was windy.
The hotel was clean and the staff were helpful.
One problem was that the bus was late.
Overall, I recommend this holiday.

8. Grammar and Accuracy Extension

These extra activities help you study independently and improve common Entry 3 writing points.

A. Past Simple Verbs

Complete each sentence with the past simple form.

1. We (visit) the beach. 2. I (travel) by coach. 3. My children (play) games on the pier. 4. The tutor (give) us a timetable. 5. Some learners (buy) fish and chips. 6. We (walk) to the meeting point.

B. Was or Were?

1. The weather sunny. 2. The toilets busy. 3. I tired at the end. 4. The facilities clean. 5. The price reasonable. 6. We late because the bus did not arrive.

C. There Was or There Were?

1. a problem with the timetable. 2. many people on the train. 3. a cafe near the beach. 4. three activities in the afternoon.

D. Linking Words

Choose a linking word: First, After that, Also, Overall, because, but.

1. , we travelled by coach. 2. , we visited the beach. 3. The trip was enjoyable learners practised English. 4. The weather was sunny windy. 5. The coach was clean. , the price was reasonable. 6. , the trip was successful.

E. Recommendations with Should

Write each recommendation as one complete sentence.

1. tutor / give / a small map 2. centre / improve / the information sheet 3. learners / arrive / earlier

Past simple: Regular verbs often add -ed, for example visit - visited. Some verbs are irregular, for example buy - bought and give - gave.

Was/were: Use was with I/he/she/it and one thing. Use were with you/we/they and plural things.

There was/were: Use there was for one thing. Use there were for plural things.

Should: Use should + base verb: should give, should improve, should arrive.

9. Error Correction Practice

Correct capital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes, tense and subject-verb agreement.

1. last summer i went to brighton with my family 2. we was very happy because the weather were sunny 3. the beach was beautiful but it was very crowded 4. i didnt know the meeting point 5. there was many people on the train 6. we visited a museum it was interesting 7. next time the tutor should gives us a map 8. the foods was cheap and delicious

Last summer, I went to Brighton with my family.
We were very happy because the weather was sunny.
The beach was beautiful, but it was very crowded.
I didn't know the meeting point.
There were many people on the train.
We visited a museum. It was interesting.
Next time, the tutor should give us a map.
The food was cheap and delicious.

10. Review Puzzles

A. Word Search

Find these words: SUMMER, REPORT, TRIP, BEACH, COACH, SUNNY, CROWDED, OVERALL, AIM, MAP, PRICE, NEXT.

SUMMERQPRICE HCOACHRZAYTR BEACHXREPORT CROWDEDOVELE ABLMNOPQRSKU TNEXTFUVGHIJ LMNOPQRSRAMB MAPLSUNNYVWX FGHTYIMAWXIJ OVZAPYKEILMN OVERALLCLDUE QAIMZBCDEFGH

Write 3 report sentences using words from the word search.

B. Riddle Clues

1. I tell people where to go first, next and last. I often have times on me. 2. I am the place where everyone must stand before the group leaves. 3. I mean the trip was good and achieved its aim. 4. I am a polite phrase before a final opinion: O _ _ _ _ _ _. 5. I help you say what should happen next time.

C. Codebreaker

Use the code to find a useful report sentence.

1=A, 2=C, 3=E, 4=F, 5=H, 6=I, 7=L, 8=O, 9=P, 10=R, 11=S, 12=T, 13=U, 14=V, 15=W

8 14 3 10 1 7 7 / 12 5 3 / 12 10 6 9 / 15 1 11 / 11 13 2 2 3 11 11 4 13 7

Your answer

D. Sequencing Puzzle

A. Overall, I recommend this trip for other learners.

B. First, we travelled by coach and arrived at 10.30 a.m.

C. The aim of this report is to describe our summer trip.

D. One problem was that the beach was very crowded.

E. The best part was the friendly atmosphere.

Correct order

11. Paragraph Planning

Use notes, not full sentences. This plan will help you write more clearly.

Paragraph or heading	Questions to answer	My notes
Introduction	Where did you go? When? Who with? What is the aim?
What happened	How did you travel? What did you do first, next and after that?
Good points	What was enjoyable, useful, cheap, clean, friendly or interesting?
Problems	What was difficult, crowded, late, expensive or confusing?
Conclusion and recommendation	Was it successful overall? What should happen next time?

Mind Map Prompts

Where? When? Who with? Travel Activities Good points Problems Recommendation

12. Guided Writing Task

Use your plan to complete this short report. Aim for 100-130 words.

Title: Report: Introduction What happened Good points Problems Conclusion and recommendation

13. Independent Writing Task

Write a short report about a summer holiday, trip or summer activity. Aim for 120-160 words.

Word count: 0 words

14. Self-Checklist

15. Reflection

What new words did I use today? What grammar did I improve? What is one mistake I corrected? What is my target for the next writing lesson?

16. Marking Rubric - 60 Marks

Area	Marks	What to look for
Task achievement and content	0-15	Clear report about a summer holiday or activity. Includes key details, good points, problems and recommendation.
Organisation and layout	0-10	Uses a report title, headings or clear paragraphs. Ideas are in a logical order.
Grammar	0-15	Mostly accurate Entry 3 structures: past simple, was/were, there was/were, because and should.
Vocabulary	0-10	Uses topic vocabulary and useful report phrases appropriately.
Spelling and punctuation	0-10	Capital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes and question marks are mostly correct.

Teacher or Self-Feedback Sentence Starters

You have organised your report clearly by...
Your strongest paragraph is... because...
You used good report language such as...
To improve your grammar, check...
To improve your punctuation, add or check...
Your next target is to...

Answer Key

Use this section after you try the activities. Do not worry if you make mistakes. Corrections are part of learning.

Diagnostic Starter

1 suitable. 2: I went to the beach with my family, and it was good. 3 suitable. 4: We were late because the bus did not arrive. 5 suitable.

Vocabulary Practice

1 aim. 2 crowded. 3 reasonable. 4 meeting point. 5 Overall. 6 recommend.

Sentence Building

The aim of this report is to describe my summer holiday.
We travelled by train on Monday morning.
The weather was warm but it was windy.
The hotel was clean and the staff were helpful.
One problem was that the bus was late.
Overall, I recommend this holiday.

Grammar Extension

Past simple: visited, travelled, played, gave, bought, walked.

Was/were: was, were, was, were, was, were.

There was/were: there was, there were, there was, there were.

Linking words: First, After that, because, but, Also, Overall.

Puzzles

Riddles: timetable; meeting point; successful; overall; recommendation.

Codebreaker: OVERALL THE TRIP WAS SUCCESSFUL.

Sequencing: C, B, E, D, A.