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Creative Writing · Guide 5 of 10

Diary entry

A diary is the one place a character can be completely honest. Write in the first person, about one day, and let the reader hear your thoughts and feelings.

  • Ages 9 to 11
  • 11+ writing: Diary
  • Model answer
  • Printable plan

What is it?

In this task you write a diary entry about an event, either as yourself or as a character, such as someone from a story you've read, a historical figure or an evacuee in the Second World War.

A diary is written to yourself, so it's personal and often chatty. It tells what happened, but more importantly how the writer felt about it, what they think now and what they're worried or excited about next.

How the task might be worded

  • “Imagine you are the main character. Write a diary entry about the day the story describes.”
  • “Write a diary entry about your first day at a new school.”

What examiners look for

  • First person, mostly past tense

    “I” throughout. What happened is in the past tense; feelings now and hopes for tomorrow can be in the present and future.

  • Thoughts and feelings

    This matters most. Examiners want reactions, worries, questions and reflections, not just a list of events.

  • A personal voice

    A friendly, natural tone, like talking to a friend, but still in full, correct sentences.

  • Diary features

    A date, a greeting such as “Dear Diary” (optional), and events in time order with time connectives.

  • Staying in character

    If you're writing as someone else, use what you know about them: their age, their time in history and their worries.

Plan template

Spend about 5 minutes planning. Notes and single words are fine: nobody marks the plan. Print this page to plan on paper.

  1. Who and when?

    • • Who am I writing as?
    • • What's the date and where am I?

  2. Opening

    • • How do I feel right now, writing this?
    • • What's the big news of the day?

  3. Events in order

    • • Three things that happened, in time order.
    • • Time connectives: first, later, by lunchtime…

  4. Feelings and thoughts

    • • How did I feel at each moment?
    • • What surprised or worried me?

  5. Ending

    • • What do I think now, looking back?
    • • What am I hoping or dreading tomorrow?

Model answer

The task: Write a diary entry about the first night of a school camping trip.

Tuesday 10th June

Dear Diary,

I'm writing this by torchlight in a sleeping bag that smells of damp socks, so sorry about the wobbly handwriting. It's nearly midnight and I am wide awake.

This morning I didn't even want to come. When the coach pulled away from school and Mum's wave got smaller and smaller, my stomach dropped like a stone. Two whole nights without my own bed! Ruby said I looked as white as a ghost.

Putting up the tent was a disaster at first. The poles wouldn't bend the way the instructions said, and a gust of wind snatched the whole thing out of our hands and sent it cartwheeling across the field. Mr Okafor had to chase it! Everyone laughed, including me, and after that I stopped feeling quite so homesick.

Tonight we sat round the campfire toasting marshmallows (mine caught fire, twice) and Mr Okafor told a story about a ghostly shepherd who wanders these hills. I pretended it wasn't scary. It was.

Now everything is quiet except for Ruby snoring and an owl somewhere outside. Something keeps rustling near the tent. It's probably a hedgehog… isn't it?

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I came. Tomorrow we're going canoeing, and I'm actually excited. I just hope I get some sleep first.

Maya

Checklist

Use it in the last five minutes, or to check a practice piece.

  • I wrote the date (and “Dear Diary” if I wanted to).
  • I wrote in the first person (I, me, my) all the way through.
  • Events are in time order with time connectives.
  • Every paragraph includes how I felt, not just what happened.
  • I included at least one question or reflection.
  • My ending looks back on the day or ahead to tomorrow.
  • My tone is chatty, but my spelling and punctuation are correct.

Common mistakes

  • Just a list of events

    “I got up. I had breakfast. I went to school.” is a timetable, not a diary. Add thoughts and feelings to every event.

  • Slipping into “he” or “she”

    A diary is always “I”. Check you haven't drifted into telling a story about someone else.

  • Too chatty

    Text speak, “like” every other word or no full stops will lose marks. Natural doesn't mean careless.

  • Forgetting who you are

    A Victorian child wouldn't mention phones. Stay true to your character's time and age.

Top tips

  • Start in the middle of a feeling: “I can't stop shaking.” rather than “Today I woke up.”
  • Use rhetorical questions: “Why did I say that?”
  • Brackets and dashes are great for a private aside (like a whisper to yourself).
  • One day, one event: don't try to cover a whole week.

Practice prompts

Practise this with a free account

4 practice questions on this topic, from easy to 11+ level. Reading the guide is free for everyone; practice is for members, and signing up is free.

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