Informal Letters and Emails - KS2 Text Types: Writing Planners and Model Texts

This KS2 informal letters and emails resource pack is built around two high-quality model texts. It includes everything you need to teach an engaging unit on informal writing.

You’ll find detailed teaching guidance, planning tools, writing prompts and themed writing paper. These are all designed to support pupils as they learn to write letters and emails to a pen pal.

Whether you're focusing on sentence-level features or building full pieces of writing, this pack will help you meet key curriculum objectives. At the same time you'll be giving children a purpose and audience for their work.

The two model texts – a letter from a Year 5 child and an email from a Year 3 pupil – are WAGOLLs (What A Good One Looks Like). Each one highlights the key structural and language features of informal writing.

Pupils can annotate them using the lists of features included. This involves identifying elements such as an informal greeting and closing, contractions, question tags and chatty vocabulary. These examples not only model what strong informal writing looks like, but also serve as springboards for children’s own work.

Success criteria

To support pupils’ independent writing, the pack includes a success criteria writing sheet. This includes grammar and vocabulary reminders, such as examples of informal language and common contracted forms.

A planning sheet helps pupils organise their ideas into key sections like greeting, introduction, main content, conclusion and sign-off. You can choose from a variety of informal letter and email prompts using the included idea cards. These are perfect for sparking creativity. Children can present their finished work on themed writing paper, adding pride and polish to the final product.

The teacher notes explain how to make best use of the materials, whether you're teaching a series of lessons or running a focused writing session.

Curriculum links:

• Years 3–4: Discuss similar writing to learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar; plan by discussing and recording ideas; draft by composing and rehearsing orally.
• Years 5–6: Plan by developing initial ideas; write by selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary; edit by considering the right tone and register for informal writing.

This pack helps pupils develop a strong understanding of informal writing through practical, meaningful tasks – and supports them in producing their own engaging, personal letters and emails.

This resource is part of the WAGOLL: text types writing packs collection.
View more from this collection

• Model text 1 - Letter to a pen pal
• Model text 2 - Email to a friend
• Informal letter writing sheet
• Informal letter planning sheet
• Informal letter Idea cards
• Themed writing paper
• Teacher notes