F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Plan It, Paragraph It
WRITING · LESSON 5 OF 10
Lesson by English
This lesson contains 19 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Plan It, Paragraph It
WRITING · LESSON 5 OF 10
Functional Skills English Level 1 · Writing · Lesson 5 of 10 (about 60 minutes)
Covers: subject content 22 (communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly, coherently and accurately) and 25 (write in complex sentences, using paragraphs where appropriate). Speaking and listening run through the pair planning.
Before the lesson: print the handout, one per learner. It has the model report, the planning frame, writing lines and the strategy card.
Device-free fallback: every activity works with the printed handout, mini whiteboards, sticky notes and hands up.
Description: Functional Skills English Level 1 Writing, lesson 5 of 10. Learners plan a piece of writing in five minutes, learn when to start a new paragraph and how to open each one with a topic sentence, then plan and write a report to a café manager about a busy event day.
Tags: planning writing, paragraphs, topic sentences, new paragraph, spider diagram, writing a report, organising ideas, hospitality, events, level 1 writing, functional skills english, further education, adult learners Image credit: Toa Heftiba / Unsplash
😄 Great – ready to go
🙂 Good
😐 Okay
😕 Not great today
😴 Tired
Wellbeing check: how's your energy today?
Phase 0 · Wellbeing check (first 2 mins)
A quick, low-stakes check-in. Only totals show, so nobody is singled out. Say: "There's no right answer. It just helps me plan today."
Act on it: if several learners choose the last two options, ease the pace and build in a pair task early. Check in privately with anyone you are concerned about, and follow your college's wellbeing and safeguarding route.
Editor note: if any emoji have not come through, re-add them in the editor.
Device-free fallback: learners show 1–5 fingers, or write a number on a sticky note face down.
Jot down a quick plan
Plan it in my head
Just start writing
Ask someone what to put
It depends on the task
Before you write something important, what do you usually do?
Phase 1 · Hook (0–5 mins)
No wrong answer. Vote, then ask two or three learners about a real time: a job application, a message to a manager, a college assignment. Did planning (or not planning) help?
Probe: "Have you ever written something and then realised you'd missed the main thing out?" That is what a plan stops.
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, or stand by the corner of the room that matches your answer.
What we're doing today
W R I T I N G
Today you will
Why it matters
plan your writing in 5 minutes
know when to start a new paragraph
open each paragraph with a topic sentence
A plan stops you forgetting the main point.
Paragraphs help your reader find each idea fast.
In the writing exam, marks go to how you organise your ideas.
Phase 2 · Goals (5–7 mins)
Keep it practical. Planning and paragraphs are what make writing easy to follow, at work and in the assessment.
The Level 1 writing assessment lasts about an hour, usually two writing tasks set in real-life situations. Marks go to how well you organise your ideas, as well as to spelling, punctuation and grammar. There is no dictionary or spellchecker.
Vocabulary: a paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea; a topic sentence is the first sentence, which says what the paragraph is about.
Device-free fallback: read the slide aloud; learners copy the three goals into their book.
A busy day at a café or event. What can go right, and what can go wrong?
Phase 2 · Activation (7–10 mins)
Free association about a busy shift or event: a wedding, a match day, Christmas lunch, a festival stall. Every answer counts: long queues, running out of food, a broken card machine, great teamwork, happy customers, good tips.
Say: "Look at all these ideas. If I wrote them down in this order, it would be a mess. Today is about sorting ideas into groups, and each group becomes a paragraph."
Device-free fallback: pairs list as many as they can in 60 seconds; collect on the board, then circle ideas that belong together in the same colour. Image credit: Sam Carter / Unsplash
Plan before you write
Spend about 5 minutes planning. Choose one way:
Spider diagram: topic in the middle, ideas around it
List: jot ideas, then number them in order
Boxes: one box for each paragraph
Each group of ideas becomes one paragraph.
Phase 3 · Teaching (10–14 mins)
Say: "In the exam, take about 5 minutes to plan each task. It feels like lost time, but it makes the writing faster and clearer."
Model it: take three ideas from the word web and show all three methods on the board: a spider diagram, a numbered list and three boxes.
Misconception: a plan is not a rough draft. Use single words or short notes, not full sentences.
Support: give learners a printed three-box grid. Stretch: number the ideas in the spider diagram in the order you would write them.
Device-free fallback: draw the three methods on the board. Image credit: Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash
New paragraph? Think TiPToP
W R I T I N G
Ti
New time. "By lunchtime, the queue was out of the door."
P
New place. "Over at the bar, things were much calmer."
To
New topic. "The menu was also a problem."
P
New person. "Our manager, Joy, came in to help."
Phase 3 · Teaching (14–18 mins)
Click to reveal each reason. TiPToP is a quick way to remember when to start a new paragraph: a new Time, Place, Topic or Person.
Probe: after each one, ask for an example from a café shift: "At 12 the lunch rush started" (time), "In the car park…" (place), "Another issue was…" (topic), "Our new chef, Bilal, said…" (person).
Misconception: a new paragraph is not just for when the page looks full. It shows the reader that something has changed.
Support: learners write TiPToP down the side of their page. Stretch: spot the TiPToP reasons in the model report next.
Device-free fallback: write the four reasons on the board one at a time.
Ashworth Grange Hotel · Shared files · Events · charity-dinner-report
MODEL REPORT · 1 of 2
Ashworth Grange Hotel · Events team
Report: Ashworth Hospice charity dinner
To: Helen Price, Events Manager
From: Daniel Mensah, Events Assistant
Date: 15 September
Introduction
This report explains how the charity dinner for Ashworth Hospice went on Friday 12 September, and suggests three ways to improve future events.
What went well
Overall, the evening was a success. All 120 guests were seated by 7.30pm, and the hospice raised £4,200. Several guests praised the vegetarian menu, and the raffle ran smoothly.
**Clear heading.** It says what kind of text this is and what it is about.
**To, From, Date.** Shows who the report is for, who wrote it and when.
**Introduction.** One or two sentences that say **why** you are writing.
**Subheadings.** One for each paragraph in the plan. A report can use them; most emails and letters don't.
**Topic sentence.** The first sentence tells you what the whole paragraph is about. The rest gives the details.
Phase 3 · Model text (18–22 mins)
Read the report aloud while learners follow on the handout. Then open the hotspots: they show how the writer planned and organised it.
Say: "Daniel planned this in boxes: why I'm writing, what went well, what went wrong, what to do next. Each box became a paragraph with a subheading."
Vocabulary: a report gives facts about something that happened and often suggests what to do next. Recommend means suggest.
Probe: "Read only the first sentence of 'What went well'. Do you know what the paragraph is about?" (Yes: that's a topic sentence.)
Device-free fallback: printed model report; learners box the heading, the To/From/Date lines and each subheading.
Ashworth Grange Hotel · Shared files · Events · charity-dinner-report
MODEL REPORT · 2 of 2
Problems
However, there were two main problems. Firstly, the main course was served 25 minutes late because only two chefs were on shift. Secondly, the lift broke down at 9pm, so two guests who use wheelchairs had to wait for help to leave.
Recommendations
To improve future events, I recommend that we:
book a third chef for any event over 100 guests
check the lift on the morning of every event
give each guest a printed timetable for the evening.
I would be happy to discuss these ideas at the next team meeting.
**Topic sentence.** "However" warns the reader that this paragraph is about what went wrong.
**Firstly, Secondly.** These words put the details in order, so the reader can count the problems.
**New paragraph = new topic.** The writer moves from problems to what to do next.
**Bullet points.** Each recommendation is short, clear and starts with an action word.
**Closing sentence.** Ends politely and says what happens next.
Phase 3 · Model text, continued (22–25 mins)
Open hotspots 1–5. Point out that each paragraph does one job, and the reader can tell which job from the first sentence.
TiPToP check: "Why does 'Problems' start a new paragraph?" (New topic.) "Why might 'Later, at 9pm…' start one in a different report?" (New time.)
Misconception: a paragraph is not one sentence long, and not a whole page long. At Level 1, aim for 2–4 sentences per paragraph.
Device-free fallback: learners underline the first sentence of each paragraph on the handout and label it TS (topic sentence).
To, From and Date
Heading: what the report is about
Introduction: why you are writing
What went wrong
Recommendations: what to do next
What went well
Put the parts of a report in the best order.
Phase 4 · Check: report order (25–28 mins)
Correct order: heading → To/From/Date → introduction → what went well → what went wrong → recommendations.
Discuss: some writers put the problems first. Accept it if they can explain why, but "good news first, then problems, then solutions" is a clear, polite order for a report to a manager.
Point out: this order is a plan. Each line becomes a box, and each box becomes a paragraph.
Device-free fallback: write the six parts on strips of paper; pairs put them in order.
Which is the best topic sentence for a paragraph about long queues?
There were queues.
The biggest problem on the day was the long queue at the till.
At 2pm I went on my break and had a sandwich.
Queues are so annoying and nobody likes them, do they?
Phase 4 · Check: topic sentences (28–30 mins)
Answer: B. It tells the reader exactly what the paragraph is about (the queue) and why it matters (it was the biggest problem).
Why the others are wrong: A is too short and vague: which queues, and so what? C is a detail about the writer, not the topic. D is chatty and asks a question, which does not suit a report to a manager.
Probe: "What details would come next in this paragraph?" (How long people waited, why, what customers said.)
Device-free fallback: learners hold up A–D cards or fingers.
Why does each sentence start a new paragraph? Drag it to the reason.
New time
New place
New topic
New person
Another problem was the card machine.
By 10pm, most guests had gone home.
Our new waiter, Sami, had a great first day.
In the kitchen, things were very different.
Later that evening, at 9pm, the lift broke down.
Outside on the terrace, guests felt cold.
Phase 4 · Practice: TiPToP (30–34 mins)
Learners read each sentence and decide what has changed: the time, the place, the topic or the person.
Answers: Time: "Later that evening, at 9pm…", "By 10pm, most guests…". Place: "In the kitchen…", "Outside on the terrace…". Topic: "Another problem was the card machine." Person: "Our new waiter, Sami…".
Watch for: "Later that evening" filed as topic. Ask: "What is the first thing that has changed?"
Device-free fallback: read each sentence aloud; learners show Ti, P, To or P on a mini whiteboard.
Plan it fast
60-second plan
Spin an event.
Make a quick spider diagram: the event in the middle, ideas around it.
Circle your three best ideas. Each one is a paragraph.
minute
second
Phase 4 · Practice: plan it fast (34–38 mins)
Spin, read the event aloud, start the 60-second timer. Everyone makes a quick spider diagram on paper or a mini whiteboard, then circles their three best ideas. Play 2–3 rounds.
Model the first round on the board, thinking aloud: "Charity quiz night… the venue, the questions, the food, the prizes, the money raised, what went wrong."
Speaking and listening: a learner reads out their three paragraph topics; the class suggests a topic sentence for one.
Support: use the three boxes: went well / went wrong / next time. Stretch: number the three ideas in the best order.
Device-free fallback: pull the events from a hat.
What went well
What went wrong
Next time
The Riverside Café ran a stall at the Ashworth Summer Fair. Type one idea, then put it in the right box.
Phase 5 · Plan together (38–41 mins)
This is the shared plan for the writing task. The Riverside Café ran a food stall at the Ashworth Summer Fair. Learners invent realistic details: each types one idea at a time and files it in a box. Aim for two or three each.
Likely ideas: Went well: sold out of samosas and cakes by 3pm; friendly team; good weather; £1,200 taken. Went wrong: card machine lost signal; not enough cups; long queue at lunch; one staff member off sick. Next time: bring a spare card reader; order double the cups; a second till at lunch.
Say: "These three boxes are your middle paragraphs. You need an introduction before them."
Device-free fallback: three columns on the board; learners add ideas on sticky notes.
Plan it, then write it
minute
second
Write a report to Grace Okafor, manager of The Riverside Café, about the café's stall at the Ashworth Summer Fair. Say what went well, what went wrong and what to improve. About 150–200 words.
Plan first (5 mins): one box per paragraph.
Heading and To / From / Date
1. Introduction: why you are writing
2. What went well: two details
3. What went wrong: two problems and why
4. Next time: two or three ideas
Paragraph openers
Overall,…
The main problem was…
Another issue was…
Next time, I recommend…
Phase 5 · Plan, then write: exam style (41–55 mins)
Learners work alone, on paper (the handout has a planning frame and writing lines). Start the 20-minute timer: 5 minutes to plan in boxes, 12 to write, 3 to check. Call out the time at each stage.
What good looks like: a heading; To, From, Date; a short introduction; 2–3 paragraphs that each open with a topic sentence; recommendations; about 150–200 words.
Support: use the shared plan from the last slide and the paragraph openers in the word bank. Stretch: add a short final sentence offering to discuss the ideas, and use Firstly, Secondly in the problems paragraph.
Device-free fallback: the task is on the handout; read it aloud and write it on the board.
Check your writing
W R I T I N G
1. Did I plan first?
2. Heading, To, From, Date?
3. One idea per paragraph?
4. Topic sentences?
5. Capitals and full stops?
Five minutes of planning saves time later.
The reader knows straight away what this is.
Remember TiPToP.
Read just your first sentences. Do they tell the story?
These marks are easy to win, and easy to lose.
A quick plan in boxes, with each box as a paragraph.
A clear heading, then who it's to, who it's from, and the date.
A new paragraph for each new time, place, topic or person.
Each paragraph opens by saying what it is about.
Every sentence starts with a capital and ends with a full stop.
Phase 6 · Check your writing (55–57 mins)
Click each yellow marker to show what good looks like. Learners check their own report and tick each point in the margin, or swap with a partner and check each other's.
Common errors: one long paragraph with no breaks; a first sentence that is a detail ("At 2pm we ran out of cups") instead of a topic sentence; no introduction.
Proofreading habit: read your work aloud in your head, slowly, one sentence at a time. Every sentence needs a capital letter and a full stop.
Device-free fallback: read the checklist aloud; learners tick it on the handout.
You can now…
W R I T I N G
plan a piece of writing in about 5 minutes
start a new paragraph for a new time, place, topic or person
open each paragraph with a clear topic sentence
Phase 6 · Celebrate progress (57–58 mins)
Click to bring in each tick. Ask: "Which of these feels solid now? Which one needs more practice?" Name it as real progress: organising ideas carries a big share of the marks in the writing assessment.
Device-free fallback: learners tick the three statements in their book, adding a question mark next to any they are unsure about. Image credit: LessonUp Studio (made for this series)
Spider diagram
A numbered list
One box per paragraph
A mix of these
Not sure yet
Which way of planning will you use in the exam?
Phase 6 · Reflect (58–60 mins)
No right answer. Ask one or two learners why they chose theirs, and where else they could use it (a job application, a college assignment, an email to a manager).
If "Not sure yet" is popular: recommend the boxes for now. They turn straight into paragraphs.
Device-free fallback: thumbs up for each option, or write the method on an exit slip.
Take it further
W R I T I N G
Stretch: in class
Before next lesson
Swap reports with a partner. Underline each topic sentence.
Read only the underlined sentences. Do they tell the whole story? If not, improve one.
Think of a busy day you've had: at work, at home or at an event.
plan it in three boxes
write one paragraph from your plan, with a topic sentence
bring it to Lesson 6
Take it further
Stretch is for early finishers in class. If the topic sentences alone tell the story, the paragraphs are well organised.
Before next lesson needs no device. Learners bring their paragraph to Lesson 6, where we join short sentences with linking words so the writing flows.
Device-free fallback: this slide is already paper-based.