esl essay topics

30 Writing Topics and Writing Prompts For ESL Students

When learning a new language like English, developing writing skills is essential. Many beginner ESL students find it difficult to write essays, especially if they have to come up with the essay topic themselves.

Providing ESL students with writing topics and writing prompts can help students to focus and start writing. As a teacher, it can be quite challenging to come up with many ESL writing topics, so we have put together this list of ESL writing topics and writing prompts to help you out.

You May Also Be Interested In:

30 Funny Topics For Debate

30 Super Fun Conversation Topics For Kids

List Of ESL Writing Topics

Here is a list of ESL writing topics and writing prompts your students can write about.

• Describe your dream house. Where is it? And What’s inside?
• Talk about the best vacation you ever took.
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• Write about three things you want to achieve this year.
• What’s your earliest memory as a child?
• What would you do if you had a million dollars?
• What are you good at? What would you like to be good at in the future?
• Write about the members of your family. What are they like? What do they do?
• Write about how to cook your favorite food, step by step.
• If you could meet anyone from history, who would you want to meet, and why?
• Describe everything you did last weekend in as much detail as possible.
• Write about something funny that happened to you this week.
• What were the last three things you bought? Where did you buy them from?
• Describe how you get ready for school every day.
• Describe a famous person in as much detail as possible.
• What is your favorite movie, and why?
• What three things would you take to a desert island, and why?
• Write about your happiest memory.
• What makes a good friend?
• If you could change anything about the world, what would it be?
• If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?
• What’s your favorite game to play?
• What is something you have done that you regret?
• Describe what the world will be like in1000 years.
• Write an essay about what you did this week.
• Write about one of your memorable birthday celebrations.
• Write about your exercise routine.
• If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
• Describe a person you look up to.
• What’s your opinion about social media?

Tips For Teaching ESL Writing

Error correction.

Writing in a foreign language is hard, especially for beginner ESL students. Students will likely make many mistakes in the beginning.

Although it is necessary to highlight and correct students’ errors, it can be quite demotivating for a student to only hear all the things they got wrong.

To ensure students stay motivated, be sure to praise them and tell them all the things they did well, as well as point out any grammatical mistakes.

After correcting errors, give students an opportunity to re-write their essays and correct their mistakes. Once students have completed their final draft, be sure to let them know what you liked about their essay, and you can even share this praise with other students, teachers, and even the student’s parents.

To master writing in English, students will need to write a lot of essays over time, and if students stay motivated, they are much more likely to succeed.

Ask About Students’ Interests

Another great way to keep students motivated while writing ESL essays is to encourage them to write about things that interest them.

A great way to encourage this is to ask about things students are interested in and then tailor the writing topic to them.

Students are much more likely to actively engage in a writing assignment if it is something they are interested in and passionate about.

Provide Enough Writing Prompts

ESL students often find it difficult to write long answers to essay questions. Ask an ESL student to write about their favorite restaurant, and they’ll likely give you a one-sentence answer.

To help students write longer essays, be sure to give them enough writing prompts to cover the different aspects they should cover in their writing.

For example, if students are to write about their favorite restaurant then you could give them several writing prompts such as ‘where is the restaurant’, ‘what kind of food do they serve’, ‘how much is a typical meal’, ‘what do you usually order’, etc.

Giving beginner ESL students plenty of writing prompts will help them to flesh out their essays and write longer answers.

Structure The Essay

To help ESL students become better at writing in English, teach them a particular structure you would like them to follow when writing their essays.

A typical writing structure with beginner ESL students would include an introduction, the main body of the text, and then a conclusion.

Providing students with an easy-to-follow structure will help them to plan out their essays and develop their writing skills over time.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found some useful ESL writing topics and writing prompts you can use in your next writing class. 

Before you go, don’t forget to check out our FREE resources for teaching English, including  Activity Videos ,  Board Games ,  Flashcards ,  PowerPoint Games , and  Lesson Plans .

• Order Proofreading Order Resume Writing Additional services for: Academics Authors Businesses

• Get Proofreading
• All Services
• Free Samples

From the team that provides tutoring , proofreading , and resume writing to ESL learners.

22 Engaging ESL Essay Topics You Can Use to Improve Your Writing Skills

Text Version:

The only way to get better at anything is to do it—over and over again. In addition to practicing your English conversational skills, you should also practice your writing skills on a regular basis.

Here are twenty-two potential essay topics to get you started, but don’t be afraid to branch out and come up with your own topics, as well.

Descriptive topics

• Describe your favorite place in as much detail as possible.
• What do you do outside of school and work? Describe any hobbies you have, sports you participate in, or other activities you regularly enjoy.
• If you could invite five people to a dinner party, who would they be? What is each guest like?
• Describe your favorite fictional character in as much detail as possible.
• If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Describe it and explain why you’d choose it.

Instructions

• Give directions for getting from one point to another. Explain what landmarks someone might see along the way.
• Explain how to entertain guests who unexpectedly arrive at your home.

Verb tense practice

• What’s one thing you could never live without and why?
• Describe your ideal town or city, why you would want to live there, and what you would do there.
• Write about a time in the past when you had to make a difficult decision, and explain what you did.
• Talk about five specific goals you want to accomplish this year, and explain how you are going to accomplish them.
• Imagine you’re babysitting a child who breaks the kitchen table. Explain to the child how they could have avoided doing this if they had behaved differently.

Practical vocabulary practice

• Write a review of a new restaurant (either fictional or real) in your area.
• Describe the best party or large-scale event you’ve ever attended.
• If you could get one gift for everyone in your family, regardless of the cost, what would you get them and why?
• Choose a form of transportation (such as cars, trains, boats, planes, or subways) and explain how it has changed people’s lives.
• Write a pitch for a new blockbuster movie. Explain what will happen in the movie and why it will draw crowds to the theater.

Persuasive writing practice

• Do you think our society is too dependent on technology like smartphones? Why or why not?
• Imagine that a big new department store is being built in your hometown. Do you support this development or not?
• Do you think it’s better for students to have a long summer break or be in a year-round school system with more breaks throughout the year? Explain your position.
• Should employers set aside time during the day for their employees to exercise? What might be some of the advantages or disadvantages of this?
• What is your favorite book or movie, and why should people read or watch it?

What are some great ESL essay topics you've encountered? Let us know in the comments.

• ← Next Post Previous Post →

Comments on this post (6 comments)

Eliakim balle says....

Here’s a topic:

write about what your ideal weekend would look like if you could do anything you want.

On April 01, 2019

Ndate Thabo says...

¨Write about when u took the risk to do the right thing.¨ Good prompt . . and something to live by.

El sari says...

Interesting question Jessica …according to me to find someone to teach you and guide you better than trying thanks by your own ..

On March 11, 2016

Jessica Bordelon says...

What is the best way to learn: by experiencing something on your own, or from someone explaining it to you? What brings the most happiness: buying things or having experiences?

On March 03, 2016

Bindi kanyal says...

Niceee…..

On December 08, 2015

dayo says...

Write about when u took the risk to do the right thing

On December 05, 2014

Leave a comment

Made in the USA (we edit US , UK , Australian , and Canadian English). © 2024 ProofreadingServices.com, LLC | Terms | Privacy | Accessibility

• Subscribe for Discounts and Tips

Please choose your service:

Proofreading and editing.

GET A QUOTE

Translation

Publishing and marketing for authors, resumes, cvs, and cover letters, ghostwriting books, please select from the options below:, memoir ghostwriting, ghostwriting for ceos.

back to the other services

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

60 Interesting Writing Prompts For The ESL Classroom

December 15, 2022 //  by  Christina Swiontek

Writing prompts are a great way for ESL learners to explore writing and practice their writing skills. English language learners will greatly benefit from responding to writing prompts. They can learn basic language skills and express themselves through descriptive, narrative, creative, opinion, and journal-based writing. By using these engaging writing assignments, beginner and intermediate learners can look forward to becoming strong writers. Help your young ones become more confident writers with the help of these fun prompts! 

Descriptive Writing Prompts 

For these descriptive writing prompts, guide students to be as specific as possible. It may be helpful to provide them with a list of adjectives and have a classroom discussion about how they can be used to describe various scenarios. Encourage writers to be creative and have fun with their writing topics. 

• Do you remember your first pet? What were they like?
• What is your happiest amusement park memory?
• Share your favorite meal in detail. 
• What does a perfect day include? What is the weather like? 
• What do you like to do on a rainy day? Share your ideas. 
• Have you ever been to the zoo? What did you see and hear? 
• Use your senses to describe an open area of grass and trees.
• Describe a sunset to someone who cannot see it.
• Share information about something that brings you joy.
• Imagine you are taking a trip to the grocery store. Share your experience.

Learn more: Teacher’s Notepad

Opinion Writing Prompts

An important aspect of opinion writing practice is for the writer to state their opinion and provide facts that support it. Opinion writing exercises can also be referred to as persuasive writing; in which the writer’s goal is to have the reader agree with their opinion. A tip for writers is to select a topic they are passionate about and provide enough supporting details. 

• Have you ever read through a book that has been made into a motion picture? Which do you prefer?
• Do you like to spend time inside or explore the big city? Share reasons to support your answer.
• What do you feel is the best invention? What would life be like without it? 
• Share details about a fun trip with your best friend. 
• Write and describe what it would be like if you didn’t have homework. 
• Do you think every sporting event should have a winner? Why or why not? 
• Is it better to vacation in the mountains or on the beach? Why is it better? 
• Share your thoughts about your favorite sport and why it interests you. 
• Think about your favorite book. What makes it your favorite?

Learn more: ThoughtCo

Narrative Writing Prompts

Narrative writing prompts are an effective way for students to improve their writing and creativity skills. It also motivates children and makes them excited to write. ESL writing topics such as these are a great way to spark creativity and imagination. 

• Think about what may happen if you took a picture of your friend in front of a volcano. 
• Imagine you had three wishes that could be granted, but you cannot use them for yourself. What would you wish for? Explain your reasoning. 
• What do you think would happen if you were to plan the luckiest day of your life? 
• If you had the option of bringing home a zoo animal, how would you spend your time together?
• Include the following words in a funny story: grapes, elephant, book, and airplane. 
• Write a short story from the viewpoint of an ant. What are the pros and cons of being so tiny?
• Can you imagine having the opportunity to meet your favorite book character? Who would you choose and why?
• What would your school day be like if there was no electricity? 
• Imagine you are a pirate, and you just took off on a voyage. What are you searching for? 
• Finish this story: The pirates set sail on their ship in search of . . .
• If you could be a teacher for the day, what decisions would you make and why?

Learn more: Vibrant Teaching

Creative Writing Prompts

Creative writing has many benefits for all children, including foreign English language learners. It helps improve communication skills, memory, and knowledge. Creative writing also stimulates higher-level thinking and self-expression.  

• If you could have a pet elephant, what would you do with it? 
• If you could spend the day in animal form, which animal would you be? 
• Oh no! You look up on the roof and you see your cat is stuck. What can you do to help?
• Share your adventures in detail if you were to own a pair of magical shoes.
• If you could have dinner with your favorite character, what would you ask them?
• If you could spend a day on a time machine, what would you do?
• Imagine you are taking your dog on a trip through the forest. What do you see?
• What is fun about playing in the rain?
• Think about playing hide and seek. Where is your favorite place to hide?
• If you could be a part of the circus for a day, what would be your special talent? 

Learn more: Squibler

Essay Writing Prompts

Essay writing prompts help students learn the fundamentals of writing. The following essay topics aim to strengthen reading comprehension and develop context and structure. Both ESL students and native English speakers can benefit from essay writing practice. 

• Share your favorite class subject and why.
• Explain the reason why it is good to share with friends.
• Share your favorite sport and why it is so special.
• What would it be like to be a superhero?
• What is your favorite game? How would you describe the goal of the game to someone who has never played it?
• Think about the tools you use in the classroom. Which one is most useful?
• What makes your best friend unique?
• Think about your least favorite subject. What would make you like it more? 
• What is your favorite thing to do over the weekend?
• Is there a story you could read over and over? Share why you enjoy it.

Learn more: Splash Learn

Journal Writing Prompts

Journal writing is an awesome way for children to practice writing. While writing in a journal, students can focus less on quality writing and mechanics and more on self-expression and the meaning behind their writing. Children may want to find a sacred writing space where they can avoid distractions and focus easily.

• What makes your school community unique?
• What does it mean to be kind?
• What should you do if you can’t get along with a classmate?
• What qualities are important in a friend?
• If you could invent something to solve a problem, what would it be?
• Did you ever break something by accident? How did you fix it?
• What is your favorite game to play in, and out of the classroom?
• Think about an imaginary friend. What are they like?
• Look in the mirror and write about what you see.
• What is your favorite playground equipment? Why? 

Learn more: YourDictionary

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

50+ ESL Writing Prompts

Prompts are excellent for countering the dreaded blank page during writing exercises, which many ESL students find not only intimidating but also immobilizing. After all, they’re working in a second language that might not even share the same writing system as their own.

Let’s have a look at more than 50 different writing prompts and how you can use them to give students a boost in the right direction. The guide also includes top resources to find more great writing prompts.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Process Writing

Process writing is a good place to start with your beginner students.

Simple process writing can be nothing more than a numbered list of steps written in the simple present with imperative grammar.

You can also use these prompts for intermediate and advanced students by asking them to write full paragraphs using smooth transitions.

Process Writing Prompts

• What’s your favorite food from your home country? How do you make it?
• How did you travel from your home country to the U.S.?
• What’s the best way to study for an exam?
• How does a person learn to read? What are the necessary steps?
• What’s something you’re good at? How did you learn to do it?
• How do you get ready every morning? Discuss each step of your morning routine.
• How does a person get a job? What steps must they take?
• How do you get a driver’s license? What steps must you follow?
• How does an acorn grow into a tree? What are the stages of its life?
• What are the stages of the water cycle?

How to set your students up for success

When brainstorming ideas, ask your students to list the steps of how they came up with the content to write about. If you want to challenge intermediate and advanced students, have them write paragraphs describing the brainstorming process rather than writing a numbered list.

For certain topics, students may need time for additional research, like when writing about science.

Also, be aware of any vocabulary that may be specific to the process students are describing. For example, if they’re describing a food from their home country, students may need to define a particular ingredient (e.g. kimchi, herbs de provence ) that may not have a good English equivalent.

Opinion Writing

Opinions are everywhere. From social media posts to commentary on news programs, we’re constantly exposed to other opinions and ideas. For this reason, it’s important for students to be able to both express their own opinions and evaluate the opinions of others.

And what better way to express one’s opinions than with a written argument? Here are some prompts to help your students vocalize their opinions.

Opinion Writing Prompts

• Should people under the age of 21 be allowed to drink alcohol? Please explain.
• Should college students be allowed to choose their own courses or study from a set list of required courses? Please explain.
• Is it better for young adults to live at home with their parents or to live on their own? Please explain.
• Should your country require young adults to serve in the military? Why or why not?
• Should professional athletes be allowed to compete in the Olympics? Why or why not?
• Should people be allowed to smoke in restaurants? Please explain your opinion.
• Should parents be allowed to arrange marriages for their children? Why or why not?
• Should students be required to take physical education? Why or why not?
• Should teenagers be allowed to make decisions about their sexual health without the consent of their parents? Please explain your opinion.
• Should students be required to clean their schools? Please explain.

Before starting the assignment, review modal verbs with your class . Explain to your students that the verb, “should,” is a signal word for opinion writing and is commonly used when expressing one’s thoughts, opinions and ideas.

Graphic organizers are a great way to help students think through what they believe about a given topic and get those thoughts in the right order for writing. Curriculum developer, Scholastic, has some great organizers you can print and give to your students to help them gather their thoughts before they write.

Good opinion writing takes both sides of an argument into consideration. While students should devote the majority of their essay to supporting the facts they agree with, they also need to dedicate a section to addressing the opposition’s argument and explaining why it’s wrong. This is called the rebuttal and should come just before the conclusion in an opinion piece.

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing tells a story.

It has a beginning, a middle and an end, and aims to engross the reader and make them feel as if they’re experiencing the story firsthand. Moreover, narrative writing covers a sequence of events, telling the reader how these events relate to one another.

Narrative Writing Prompts

• Think about a time in your life when you were disappointed. What caused this, and how did you get over it?
• Did you have a pet as a child? If so, tell the story of how you got it.
• Who’s your hero? What did they do to gain your respect and admiration?
• What was an important event in your childhood? Write about what happened and how it has affected you.
• Tell about a time you were embarrassed.
• How did you meet your significant other? Tell the story of that first meeting. (For younger students, you can ask the question, “How did your parents meet each other?”)
• When did you first think about traveling overseas to study English?
• What would the perfect day look like? Discuss how you would spend it from when you woke until you went to sleep. (Note: Your students need to use the conditional form for this narrative. Take time to review it with them before assigning this prompt.)
• Describe the life of a dollar bill, from when it comes off the printing press until it retires.
• Describe the life of someone famous in your culture. Where did they come from? How did they become famous?

Absolutely essential for narrative writing, transitions ensure the sequence of events flows smoothly. Before beginning the writing exercise, take a few minutes to review transition words and phrases with your students. You can even  give them a copy of this list  to help them get started.

Another important part of narrative writing is action words. Great for boosting the imagination, action words help the reader visualize the story while reading. Encourage your students to add extra color to their stories by having them brainstorm a list of action words at the beginning of the lesson.

Lastly, make sure that your students use proper verb tenses throughout their writing. Regardless of whether the story is being told in past or present tense, students must learn to keep the verb tense is consistent throughout the story without switching from past to present, or vice versa, unless talking about two different points in time.

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is all about writing the details, and mixing them in with sensory words and literary devices . While there’s definitely a stylistic component to descriptive writing, anyone with a good-sized vocabulary and a little bit of practice can write a vivid story.

Descriptive Writing Prompts

• Go to a coffee shop or restaurant and watch the people. Describe what you see.
• Write a travel brochure for your favorite vacation spot. Describe in detail why others should visit this location.
• Describe a classroom in your home country. How’s it different from our classroom?
• Think about a time you were scared. Describe where you were and what frightened you.
• Think of a scene in your favorite movie. Describe what happened without referencing characters in the movie.
• What’s something that is very valuable to you? Describe that object.
• Close your eyes. Tune in to what you can hear, smell and feel. Now open your eyes and write about what you observed.
• (First, have your students close their eyes, then play them a clip from a movie scene)  What did you picture as you listened to the scene?
• Describe your favorite Halloween candy, making note of how it tastes and smells.
• Describe your dream car.

The best way to help your students master descriptive writing is to get them accustomed to using sensory words —the words that describe how something looks, sounds, smells, feels and tastes.

If your students are describing a person, have them start at their head and move down to their feet, or vice versa. If they’re describing a room, have them start at the door and work their way around the room clockwise. That way, their descriptions are organized and structured, making it easier for the reader to form a clear picture of the imagery in their mind as they read.

Creative Writing

Everyone loves a good story, but not all people feel confident writing one of their own.

With a solid setting, character and conflict, anyone can come up with a gripping and exciting story—even your students.

Here are some writing prompts to get your students expressing themselves with stories.

Creative Writing Prompts

• A young boy sees what appears to be a UFO land outside his home late one Tuesday night. What happens next?
• Use the following scene for inspiration: The boat rocks as each towering wave tosses it into the air and then lets it plunge. You hang over the edge of the boat waiting for the current wave of nausea to pass. Suddenly you hear at least a dozen sets of boots running along the deck…
• The year is 1880, and a young girl whose bonnet hangs down her back from its strings sighs in relief. She’s in a ghost town. How did she get there? Tell the story of her past.
• This morning is just like any other school morning, except one thing: No one else is at school. The doors are opened and unlocked, but you’re completely alone. Write the story of what happened.
• Start a story with the following phrase: It was the worst mistake he’d ever made.
• Use the following scene for inspiration: She’d never seen an animal like this before, but it seems to be friendly. Just then a news alert comes over the radio…
• Start a story with the following phrase: He could see eyes in the shadows.
• Use the following scene as inspiration: They said I was free to leave, but sitting in a helicopter with the city beneath me, where could I really go?
• Choose a favorite character from a book or movie. Then put this character in a setting from a different movie or book—for example, Harry Potter finds himself on the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca. Then, tell the story of what happens next.
• Have each person in class write down a setting, one character and one object on three separate slips of paper. Collect each category separately, shuffle them and redistribute the papers to your students. Each person must write a story incorporating the setting, character and object they received.

For a story to be successful, it needs three important elements: setting, character and conflict .

Take a few moments to talk about each of these elements with your students before they begin the activity. Have them think about these elements and how they’ll be presented in their own stories by asking the following questions:

• Where will the story take place?
• Who’s the main character of the story?
• What conflict will that person face?
• How will they overcome what is stopping them?

Once they can answer these essential questions, they’re ready to begin writing.

If you’re teaching beginner or intermediate students, separate the language from the story elements by having them write a story they already know. They can write a story of their favorite movie, rather than come up with a plot of their own.

Also, if your students are struggling to come up with their own stories, use comic books for inspiration . Writing comics is also a great way to give students writing practice without requiring imagination to go along with it.

Resources for Finding More Inspiring ESL Writing Prompts

Writer’s Digest

The  Writer’s Digest  website and magazine is full of tips and tricks for writing, interviews with authors, and insight into what it’s like to be in the writing business. The prompts section contains mostly fiction and creative writing prompts, and is updated every week with a new prompt.

Reddit is a huge community of people who love to share things they find around the Internet, and have conversations. The Writing Prompts section has some really creative ideas, and you can even see what other people have written in the comments.

Tumblr is a great place to find ideas. It’s a place where people can blog about whatever they want, but it’s more visual than most other blogs. (That means it focuses more on pictures.) The “Writing Prompts” Tumblr uses pictures to share prompts, both creative and nonfiction. There’s even one prompt for a song!

Lindsay Ann Learning

The prompts on this website are meant for school children, but they are excellent writing starters for any age. The page focuses on journal writing, so these prompts are mostly for nonfiction writing.

Language Is a Virus

The Writing Prompts Generator on this site has a huge number of ideas for fiction and nonfiction writing, which you can see one at a time. This website also has some fun  word games  to get you thinking and being creative.

This website has over 300 prompts for you to try. Just reading through the prompts will give you some new words to learn! Most of these prompts are for creative writing, but there are a small number of nonfiction thoughts in there too.

Writing Forward

This list of creative writing prompts has 25 story starters. Just pick a first sentence and see where the story takes you! There are also some questions and ideas to explore. When you’re done here, head over to the  Grammar section  for some tips from the pros.

Writing Prompts by 21×20 Media

Want to get your prompts in a phone-friendly format? Try the Writing Prompts app from 21×20 Media. It’s not free, but at just $1.99 you get hundreds of prompts organized by type. Look through pictures, place and character ideas, and much, much more.

Wrighting Words

You’ll find almost 500 creative writing prompts on Wrighting Words. The long list has everything from interesting story starters to fun with vocabulary words. There are even some titles and dialogue ideas. You’re sure to find something to inspire you here.

Pinterest has many great collections of writing ideas and exercises. You can really browse the entire website for ideas and inspiration. For some more focused writing, check out the Writing Picture Prompts board linked to above, which has nearly 400 picture prompts meant to inspire you.

Think Written

How about a prompt for each day of the year? Think Written has that. The list here focuses on words and themes, so you can write fiction or nonfiction—it’s up to you. For a real challenge, try following the list, doing one prompt every day. How far down the list can you make it?

Visual Prompts

If you prefer to see your prompts and not just read them, you will love the Visual Prompts website. Each prompt is written over a picture that can help you imagine what you’re writing about. There’s also a nice mix of creative and nonfiction prompts here.

The Write Prompts

The Write Prompts has almost 2,000 prompts, but you might find the word prompts the most useful. Each prompt comes with a list of vocabulary words that you have to use in your story. Can you string the words along and make an interesting story or essay?

Seventh Sanctum

The Seventh Sanctum is a collection of writing generators—websites that create prompts for you. There is a nearly  infinite  (never-ending) number of possible prompts! You can also try any of the other generators, like the  setting  (place) one , or the one that asks creative  “What if…?” questions . There is so much to play with here!

Buzzfeed is mostly known for its funny picture articles , but this article has an excellent list of prompts for all kinds of writing. These prompts can be used in a school, but they can also be used by adults. Some of these will get you feeling creative, and some will make you think. Have fun with both!

The Journal

The Journal is another website for nonfiction and blog writing ideas. There is even more here too—get ideas for writing your opinions about topics, your memoirs (writings about yourself), and free-writing, which is when you don’t stop writing for 10 or 15 minutes.

Education World

Education World is a website for teachers, so these prompts are meant for the classroom. This means that they will make you think, and each prompt has a helpful tip box with some ideas for what you can write on the topic.

These are just some of the ways to get your students thinking about how to fill the page with their thoughts and ideas. A list of writing prompts and a helpful teacher can go a long way in preventing writers’ block and helping students look at every empty page as an opportunity to express themselves.

And One More Thing...

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Related posts:

9 ESL Self Assessment Activities for ESL Learners

10 ESL Family Activities to Practice Vocabulary

Reply to this review cancel.

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy , and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Recent Articles

Business Conversation: 32 Business English Topics

How to Teach English Idioms Effectively

Schwa Sound Rules: 6 Strategies for Teaching

Enter your e-mail address to get your free pdf.

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe