730 FREE Writing Worksheets
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FREE Writing Worksheets

As ESL teachers, we’ve all had those students who do great on their grammar exams, speak up confidently in class, and are always first to raise their hands for activities - and yet, when it comes time for a writing assignment, they can barely squeeze out a few short sentences. This can be frustrating for the student and teacher alike - but it’s the symptom of a problem that’s well-known in every teaching community: Speaking and writing are two very different skills.

As with any new skill, practice is key - but students who have trouble writing aren’t usually keen to take on even more writing practice. After all, they might think, if their grammar and vocabulary are correct, and they don’t need to write in English for their jobs, what’s the point of drilling this skill? The answer is, of course, that the ability to write in English is key in the world and the workplace - from writing cover letters and CVs to drafting emails and client presentations. The responsibility is at least partly on you, the teacher, to provide assignments that draw your students into the writing process.

BusyTeacher.org is your number-one stop for exactly those kinds of assignments. Our 730 writing worksheets will provide your students with intriguing writing prompts, and with a variety of writing exercises that’ll help them watch their own improvement as it happens. Our worksheets even break down the writing process into its core components, so you can figure out exactly where in the process each student is struggling, and intervene with exercises to help him or her through that trouble spot.

The writing worksheets here on BusyTeacher.org will help familiarize your students with all the sub-skills involved in writing - from choosing a topic and constructing that first paragraph, all the way to writing movie reviews and short poems. Some of our worksheets even cover basics like handwriting and sentence structure - so no matter how much your students need to brush up on their fundamentals, we’ve got worksheets to meet them where they are.

You’ll find worksheets on any topic you can imagine, from daily routines and holidays to pop culture, news, and even poetry and song lyrics.  Some worksheets just help you lead simple fill-in-the-blank exercises, while others present thought-provoking topics for full essays, or include plans for your students to create their own newsletters. And for students who need help with English school assignments, you’ll also find worksheets on writing essays and test responses.

You can browse all of our 730 writing worksheets in thumbnail view, so you don’t have to wait for any of them to load to get an idea of what they’re like. As you scroll down the page, just click on any worksheet that catches your eye - they’re all completely free to download, print, and share in any way you like. And they’re all created and classroom-tested by real ESL teachers all over the world - which means you can be confident they’ll work in your classroom, too. If you’ve got a worksheet of your own that you’d like to share with your fellow ESL teachers in the BusyTeacher.org community, just click the “Submit a worksheet” button at the bottom of this page.

All of these writing worksheets are here to help you - so pick out a few that look interesting, and give them a try in your classroom today. We’re sure you’ll love them as much as the other ESL teachers in our community already do.

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ESL Articles
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Farm Animal Flashcards with real images

Farm Animal Flashcards with real images

  If your class likes farm animals, they will love this colorful set of farm animal flashcards. They can learn about 12 different farm animals, including cow, pig, goat, donkey, horse, she ...
2 Views 30,553 BegElemPre-Int
End of Term Test – Third Year Sport section

End of Term Test – Third Year Sport section

afef chihi
  This test is to improve comprehension and is based on text from a sports section. It concerns philanthropy and language about family life. It includes fill-in-the-blank exercises and a w ...
1 Views 12,809 Pre-Int
Inner Workings Video Worksheet

Inner Workings Video Worksheet

Maria Sol Manuli
  The activities in this worksheet are based on the short film "Inner workings". The activities were made to practice the "present simple" and vocabulary related to a daily routine. Other ...
1 Views 16,464 BegElemPre-Int
Test: Past Simple

Test: Past Simple

Practise English team
  Based on file 7 of the English File Elementary Fourth Edition, this test covers grammar (Past Simple (to be, regular and irregular verbs), vocabulary (word formation and expressions with ...
1 Views 23,862 Elem
Storytelling about Bullying

Storytelling about Bullying

Pocket Passport
    This storytelling activity has visual aids that can be used to pre-teach vocabulary (depending on student level). It contains illustrations and text boxes that can be cut out and ...
1 Views 17,314 All
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Creative writing – Helping others

Creative writing – Helping others

  This short and easy creative writing exercise gives students a topic to start writing about. Students write a paragraph to explain how they or someone they know helps others. 
1 Views 21,687 Elem
Essays: Providing solutions to problems

Essays: Providing solutions to problems

BusyTeacher Contributor
    This short worksheet has easy tips on how to write an essay that provides solutions to problems – what style to use, the plan of an essay and useful language. It is suita ...
1 Views 15,050 Pre-IntIntAdv
How Many Words? Coronavirus Worksheet

How Many Words? Coronavirus Worksheet

This worksheet is an excellent resource to get your child thinking, improve their writing skills and build their vocabulary. Students write as many words as they can using the word 'coronavirus'. ...
2 Views 27,602 Elem
Creative Thinking - Name Five Places That...

Creative Thinking - Name Five Places That...

This creative thinking exercise was created by www.primaryleap.co.uk Do your students have their thinking caps on? This activity will improve your student's creative thinking and writing skills. ...
1 Views 23,168 Elem
Caring & Sharing During the Pandemic

Caring & Sharing During the Pandemic

Pocket Passport
Teach vocabulary and expressions that focus on the positive things that are happening in the world during the global pandemic. Storytelling with illustrations is a powerful technique to get your ...
1 Views 17,599 All
Jason Mraz short bio and writing task

Jason Mraz short bio and writing task

Maria Lavaque
  This A2B1 resource is for teenagers, but can also be used for adults. Students listen to the song and fill in the correct answers in the lyrics. This exercise includes reading, writing a ...
1 Views 7,135 ElemPre-Int
WIDA and ACCESS Testing: What You Need to Know

WIDA and ACCESS Testing: What You Need to Know

Many teachers, especially those new to WIDA and/or ESL teaching, are often overwhelmed and intimidated by the WIDA standards and ACCESS testing. In this article, we attempt to break down the mai ...
1 Views 66,114 BegElemPre-IntIntAdv
Punctuation Marks

Punctuation Marks

kristine44
This grammar-guide presents in a clear manner the most important punctuation marks in English, (full stop, comma, semi-colon, apostrophe, etc.), explaining their use and providing examples (page ...
1 Views 66,202 Pre-IntInt
The PEEL Paragraph Scaffold

The PEEL Paragraph Scaffold

Ambi Tad
Here is a scaffold detailing all aspects of inclusions in a PEEL / SEEL / TEEL paragraph. This paragraph structure is used to elaborate on arguments or reasons that support the opinion or point o ...
1 Views 28,052 Pre-IntIntAdv
FCE Writing Tasks Worksheet

FCE Writing Tasks Worksheet

Mirela Rotaru
The worksheet includes summarized information about the writing tasks for the FCE Cambridge exam: register and tone, target audience, organisation and structure, purpose and content (essay, lette ...
1 Views 27,220 AdvExam
Mixed Punctuation Quizzes

Mixed Punctuation Quizzes

Liz Marquez
  This worksheet features a variety of punctuation quizzes including questions involving commas and colons. Students must fill in the correct punctuation marks. This resource features a va ...
1 Views 52,621 Elem
Thank You, Mom Writing Template

Thank You, Mom Writing Template

Writing
Give kids a chance to thank their mothers for all of the hard work they do with a simple writing activity. Print out the letter and let kids fill it in. Find more free writing worksheets at HelpTe ...
1 Views 13,078
Poetry Worksheet - Writing Rhyming Lines

Poetry Worksheet - Writing Rhyming Lines

M. Crowe
This is a creative writing prompt to help English as a Second Language students practice rhyming words, with a minor emphasis on poetry rhythm. Familiar words with multiple familiar words as rhyme ...
1 Views 31,308 Elem
Weekly Writing - Jokes

Weekly Writing - Jokes

Writing
Students complete the worksheet by answering a different prompt related to the theme every day of the week. Can use in-class as journal entries and writing practice or as homework. Find more writi ...
1 Views 17,983 ElemInt
Superstitions Shouting Dictation

Superstitions Shouting Dictation

Tom Leventhall
This activity was specifically designed for chap 10 of the Empower Advanced book, but can be used for any upper intermediate or advanced group. After completing the shouting dictation, students ca ...
1 Views 23,207 Adv
Spring Idiom Writing Prompt

Spring Idiom Writing Prompt

Writing
Sometimes in Spring, you'll hear someone say, "He has spring fever."  What does the expression "spring fever" mean? Use thsi writing prompt to get students to share the true meaning of the id ...
1 Views 12,020 All
The Perfect Date - Writing Activity

The Perfect Date - Writing Activity

Jeff Genet
An incredibly powerful tool to get shy students speaking. Perfect for writing and speaking. Use visual aids to elicit vocabulary and expressions, create sentences and a storyline. Then ask them to ...
1 Views 24,348 All
Illustrations To Explain Why Hyphens Matter

Illustrations To Explain Why Hyphens Matter

Sonali S Vinnakota
This worksheet contains four illustrations that explain the importance of using hyphens. Research has shown that visuals boost engagement levels among students and help with better assimilation an ...
2 Views 15,295 Elem
Princess and the Mystery Box

Princess and the Mystery Box

Jeff Genet
A fantastic visual teaching prompt to teach creative writing, speaking, storytelling, sequencing and lots more. Use the pictures to pre-teach vocabulary and expressions related to the theme. Excel ...
1 Views 30,079 All
Home Idioms Shouting Dictation

Home Idioms Shouting Dictation

Tom Leventhall
This is a shouting dictation designed to practice a number of "home" idioms. Students begin with the shouting part of the activity then proceed to a matching-type activity where they match they i ...
1 Views 23,962 Adv

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