Checkpoint 8 · Paper 1 writing (non-fiction)

Diary Entry

How to write a private, honest diary entry for Paper 1: features, the teacher's diary structure, tenses, phrases, vocabulary, a full-mark sample and a practice task.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

1. What is a diary?

A diary is a personal, private written record in which a person writes about their day — what happened, what they thought and, above all, how they felt. It is written as if nobody else will ever read it, so the writer can be completely honest. Each piece of writing in a diary is called a diary entry.

Question	Answer
Purpose	To recount the day's events and to reflect on thoughts and feelings; it also entertains the real reader (the examiner).
Audience	Officially: yourself (or the diary itself — 'Dear Diary'). Really: the examiner, who wants to see a believable private voice.
Register	Informal and personal: contractions, exclamations and questions to yourself are welcome — but grammar, spelling and paragraphing must still be correct.
Where in the exam	Paper 1 (Non-fiction), Section B Writing, 25 marks, about 35 minutes. A diary entry is one of the curriculum's non-fiction text types that can appear — for example, 'Write a diary entry about…' or 'Imagine you are… Write your diary for that evening.'

	Diary entry	Recount	Blog post
Reader	Private — yourself	Teacher, classmates, newsletter readers	The public online
Layout	Date, 'Dear Diary', sign-off	Title (optional), paragraphs	Catchy title, sometimes headings
Tone	Informal, honest, emotional	Personal or factual, semi-formal	Chatty, speaks directly to followers
Time	Usually today or recent days, written the same evening	Any past event	Any — often about experiences or opinions
Focus	Feelings and private reflection	Events in order + a reflection	Sharing experience or advice with readers

What earns marks in a diary entry

Criterion	Marks	What full marks look like in a diary entry
Creation of texts	5	All bullets covered, a believable and consistent private voice, feelings developed and changing through the day, and honest reflection. The date and greeting show you know the text type.
Vocabulary and language	3	Precise words for emotions (overwhelmed, relieved, guilty, grateful), vivid description, and informal phrases used naturally, not slang everywhere.
Structure of texts	7	Date → greeting → opening feeling → events in order → reflection → ending thought and sign-off, in clear paragraphs with time links.
Grammar and punctuation	7	Tenses switched correctly (past for events, present for feelings now, future for plans), varied sentences, including questions and exclamations, and accurate punctuation.
Word structure (spelling)	3	Accurate spelling, including emotion words and contractions with apostrophes in the right place (I'm, we'd, couldn't).

2. Features of a diary

Feature	Example
Date (and day) at the top	Tuesday, 10 March
Greeting to the diary	Dear Diary,
First person	I'm exhausted, my back aches…
Personal, informal tone with contractions	I'd better sleep. · How wrong I was!
Mainly past tense for the day's events	The warehouse was huge and noisy…
Present tense for feelings now, future for plans	Now I'm sitting on my bed… · I'm going to ask Mum…
Chronological order of the day	At first, … · By midday, … · just before we left…
Thoughts and feelings (the heart of a diary)	…there was a lump in my throat and I couldn't say a word.
Questions to yourself (rhetorical questions)	Where does he live?
Exclamations	Three hundred and twelve families!
Descriptive language	mountains of rice, sugar, oil and dates stacked almost to the ceiling
Reflection and lessons learnt	…today, that fact became a face.
Looking ahead + closing sign-off	Until tomorrow, / Youssef

3. How to structure a diary entry

Follow the teacher's diary structure step by step (the opening paragraph is shown as its own step). The bullets in the task usually fit neatly into the body and reflection.

Step	What to write	Tips
1. Date	Day and date at the top (time is optional)	Choose a date that fits the task (for example, during Ramadan or the first day of term).
2. Greeting	'Dear Diary,' (or a name you give your diary)	On its own line, followed by a comma.
3. Opening (first paragraph)	Your main feeling about today and a hint of why	Hook: 'I'm exhausted — and honestly, I think today was one of the best days of my life.'
4. Body (2–3 paragraphs)	The day's events in order: what you expected, what happened, the key moment	Slow down at the key moment; describe people, place and feelings.
5. Reflection	How you feel now, what you learnt, hopes or worries about the future	Use present and future tenses: 'Now I feel…', 'Tomorrow I'm going to…'
6. Conclusion and sign-off	A closing thought (often about sleeping or tomorrow), then a sign-off and your name	'Until tomorrow,' on one line, your first name on the next.

Tenses in a diary — the one trap

A diary is written in the evening, so each time needs its own tense. What happened today → past ('We arrived at nine'). What is true right now → present ('I'm sitting on my bed', 'I feel proud'). What you plan → future ('I'm going to…', 'I'll ask…'). What happened before an earlier past moment → past perfect ('He'd walked forty minutes'). Switching is correct ONLY when the time really changes.

4. Useful phrases and sentence starters

Openings

Dear Diary, today started off just like any other day, but it quickly turned into something special.
You won't believe what happened today!
So much happened today that I hardly know where to begin.
I'm exhausted — and honestly, I think today was one of the best days of my life.
I've been dreading this day for weeks, and now it's finally over.

Narrating the day

It all started when…
At first, … but by midday, …
As the day went on, things got even more interesting when…
The moment I keep thinking about happened…
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, …

Describing emotions

My heart was racing as…
I couldn't stop smiling after…
There was a lump in my throat.
I felt a strange mixture of…
I've never felt so… in my life.

Reflecting

Looking back, I realise that…
At the time, I wasn't sure how to react, but now I can see…
I always knew…, but today…
I still can't stop thinking about…

Ending

Anyway, it's nearly midnight, so I'd better get some sleep.
Tomorrow is a new day, and I can't wait to see what it brings.
As I close my diary for tonight, I feel…
Until tomorrow, / Goodnight, Diary,

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
overwhelmed (adj.)	unable to cope because there is too much (or too much emotion)
anxious (adj.)	worried and uneasy
relieved (adj.)	no longer worried about something
delighted (adj.)	very pleased
exhausted (adj.)	extremely tired
guilty (adj.)	feeling bad about something you have done
embarrassed (adj.)	ashamed or awkward in front of others
grateful (adj.)	thankful
uneasy (adj.)	slightly worried without knowing exactly why
restless (adj.)	unable to stay still or relax
content (adj.)	quietly happy and satisfied
dread (v.)	to fear something that is coming
confide (v.)	to tell someone something private
dwell on (v.)	to keep thinking about something for a long time
turmoil (n.)	a state of great confusion or worry

5. Strong sample

Sample — Diary entry: a day of volunteering437 words · Strong answer — Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: During Ramadan, your class spent a school day volunteering at a local charity, packing food boxes for families in need. Write your diary entry for the evening of that day. Think about: • what you expected before you went • what you did during the day • a person or moment that affected you • how you feel now and what you plan to do next.

Tuesday, 10 March

Dear Diary,

I'm exhausted, my back aches and my fingers smell of lentils — and honestly, I think today was one of the best days of my life. I need to write everything down before I fall asleep, because I never want to forget it.

When our class teacher told us last week that we'd be spending a whole school day packing Ramadan food boxes at the charity warehouse, I groaned along with everyone else. A day of carrying bags instead of a day of lessons? I imagined a cold, boring building, hours of lifting and nothing to do except count the minutes until home time. How wrong I was!

The warehouse was huge and noisy, with mountains of rice, sugar, oil and dates stacked almost to the ceiling. We were split into teams of five, and my team — Ziad, Hamza, Seif, Malak and me — was given the job of filling boxes on Line 3. At first, we were hopeless. Seif kept forgetting the oil, I dropped a whole bag of lentils, and our pile of finished boxes was embarrassingly small. By midday, though, we'd found our rhythm: one person to open, three to fill and one to tape. We even started racing Line 2, and by the end of the afternoon, we'd packed 312 boxes. Three hundred and twelve families!

The moment I keep thinking about, though, happened just before we left. An old man with a walking stick came to collect a box for his family, and one of the volunteers asked me to carry it to his car. Except he didn't have a car. He'd walked for forty minutes to get there. When I handed him the box, he held my hand for a long moment and said quietly, “May God reward you, my son. You don't know what this means to us.” I just nodded, because there was a lump in my throat and I couldn't say a word. Where does he live? Who will he share those dates with at iftar tomorrow?

Now I'm sitting on my bed, and I feel a strange mixture of things: proud, tired, a little guilty about how much I complained this morning and very, very grateful. I always knew that some families struggle; today, that fact became a face. So I've made a decision. I'm going to ask Mum if we can volunteer together every Friday until the end of Ramadan, and I'll ask the others whether Line 3 wants a rematch.

Anyway, it's nearly midnight and suhoor is in four hours, so I'd better get some sleep.

Until tomorrow,

Youssef

Why this gets the marks

Word count: the figure includes the date, greeting and sign-off; the body paragraphs alone are well over 350 words.
Creation of texts 5/5: all four bullets are covered and developed — expectations (P2), what we did (P3), the moment that affected me (P4: the old man), feelings now and plans (P5). The private voice is believable and consistent; feelings change during the day (groaning → teamwork → a lump in the throat → gratitude), which gives the entry real depth.
Text type features: date, 'Dear Diary,', first person, informal contractions (I'm, we'd, couldn't), questions to myself, exclamations, past tense for the day, present for 'now', future for plans, closing thought about sleep and a sign-off with the first name only on the line below.
Vocabulary 3/3: precise emotion words ('exhausted', 'embarrassingly', 'guilty', 'grateful'), vivid description ('mountains of rice, sugar, oil and dates stacked almost to the ceiling'), natural informal phrases ('How wrong I was!', 'I'd better get some sleep') without slang.
Structure 7/7: the teacher's diary structure — date, greeting, opening feeling, body in time order ('When our class teacher told us…', 'At first', 'By midday', 'just before we left'), reflection ('Now I'm sitting…'), closing and sign-off. The opening ('one of the best days of my life') is explained by the end; 'Line 3' returns in the last paragraph for a light, satisfying link.
Grammar & punctuation 7/7 (sentences): tenses switched correctly for real time changes — past simple, past perfect ('He'd walked for forty minutes'), present continuous ('I'm sitting'), future ('I'm going to ask', 'I'll ask'), short sentences for impact ('Except he didn't have a car.'), questions and exclamations for a private voice, and a reported-speech structure ('told us… that we'd be spending').
Grammar & punctuation 7/7 (punctuation): a single dash for emphasis ('— and honestly, I think…'), a pair of dashes for extra information ('my team — Ziad, Hamza, Seif, Malak and me — was given…'), colons for an explanation ('our rhythm: one person to open…') and a list ('a strange mixture of things: proud, tired…'), a semicolon joining two related independent clauses ('some families struggle; today, that fact became a face'), apostrophes in contractions, and correctly punctuated direct speech.
Spelling 3/3: accurate tricky and ambitious words — 'exhausted', 'warehouse', 'embarrassingly' (double r, double s), 'rhythm', 'volunteers', 'grateful', 'decision'.

6. Common mistakes

Forgetting the date or 'Dear Diary,' — the two easiest text-type marks to collect.
Writing a list of events ('I woke up, I ate breakfast, I went to school…') with no feelings.
Being so informal that grammar disappears: no slang overload, no text-speak (u, gonna, lol), no missing capital letters.
Mixing tenses without reason, or writing the whole entry in the present as if events are happening now.
Addressing the diary like a public audience ('Hello, readers!') — that is a blog, not a diary.
Spending too long on the morning routine and rushing the key moment.
Ending suddenly with no reflection or sign-off.
Signing off incorrectly: the sign-off ('Until tomorrow,') goes on one line and your first name on the line below.

Diary checklist

Date at the top, then 'Dear Diary,' on its own line.
Opening paragraph shows my main feeling about the day.
Events in order, with varied time connectives.
One key moment slowed down with senses, speech and emotion.
At least one question to myself and one exclamation.
Correct tense switches: past (events), present (now), future (plans).
A reflective paragraph: what I feel now and what I learnt or plan.
Closing thought + sign-off on one line, first name on the next.

أسرار اليوميات (Diary)

اكتب التاريخ في أعلى الصفحة ثم Dear Diary, في سطر مستقل — هذه درجات سهلة لا تضيّعها. اليوميات مكتوبة لنفسك، فاجعل الأسلوب شخصياً وغير رسمي (I'm / couldn't) لكن بقواعد وإملاء صحيحين. ركّز على المشاعر وليس على قائمة أحداث، واحكِ لحظة واحدة مهمة ببطء. انتبه للأزمنة: الماضي لأحداث اليوم، والمضارع لشعورك الآن، والمستقبل لخططك. واختم بجملة ختامية ثم Until tomorrow, في سطر واسمك الأول في السطر التالي.

Timing (35 minutes)	Task
5 min	G.A.A.P. + plan: date, opening feeling, 2–3 event stages, key moment, reflection, closing thought
4 min	Date, greeting and opening paragraph
16 min	Body paragraphs in time order, slowing down at the key moment
6 min	Reflection, closing thought and sign-off
4 min	Check tenses, apostrophes in contractions, punctuation and spelling

Practice task

Practice: "Imagine you have just finished your first day at a new school in a different city. Write your diary entry for that evening. Consider: • how you felt before arriving • the people you met • something that went wrong or right • your hopes and worries for tomorrow." Write a short plan.
Show answer
G.A.A.P.: diary entry (date, 'Dear Diary,', first person, informal, sign-off) · audience = yourself → private, honest voice · 'Consider' → include at least three ideas, but cover all four for full marks · purpose = recount + reflect. Plan — Date: Sunday, 21 September. Opening: 'I survived — just about!' + main feeling. P2 Before arriving: sleepless night, stomach in knots, Mum's advice. P3 The day and the people: a friendly classmate who showed you the canteen, and a strict but funny maths teacher. P4 Key moment: you got lost and walked into the wrong classroom (embarrassing) — but it led to a laugh and a new friend. P5 Reflection: relieved, still uneasy about making real friends, and a plan to join the football club tomorrow. Closing: 'Better sleep — I need to find Room 14 by 7:45!' · 'Until tomorrow,' / first name.

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction