Year 5 writing: The day I let someone else lead
Show a personal response to a decision.
Your writing task
Write an imaginary diary entry about a group task. You wanted to lead, but someone else had a useful idea. Describe the moment you changed your mind and reflect on it without making the other person seem perfect.
Plan before you write
- What was the group trying to make or solve?
- What made the other idea useful?
- Which feeling was hardest to admit?
Write on paper or in your own document. Try a first draft before reading the model responses.
An opening you can try
I had planned to do all the talking.
Use this opening or write your own. A useful opening gives your reader something to follow.
A small word bank
- envy
- An unhappy wish to have what someone else has.
- confess
- To admit that you have done something wrong or embarrassing.
- realise
- To suddenly notice or understand something that you did not know before.
Choose a word only when its meaning fits. You do not need to use every word in the bank.
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Compare three model responses
These are three ways to develop the same task. They are teaching examples, with notes linked to the English national curriculum. They are not exam grades or a prediction of a mark.
A starting point
I wanted to lead our group today. We were making a tower from paper, and I thought my plan was best. Then Noor suggested folding the paper before we stacked it.
I was annoyed because everyone listened to her. But her folded pieces stood up better than mine. I asked her to show us again. We finished the tower together. I still wanted to lead, but I was glad I had listened.
Teaching notes
Keep tense and voice clear
I was annoyed
The writer admits an uncomfortable feeling instead of pretending the decision was easy.
Organise related ideas
her folded pieces stood up better
A visible result explains why the writer changes their mind.
Try next: Show the moment when you decided to ask for Noor's help.
A more developed response
I had planned to do all the talking. Our group needed to build a paper tower, and I had drawn a tall design before the lesson began. I felt sure that made me the best person to lead.
Noor quietly folded one sheet into a tube. It stood on its own. My flat sheets kept bending, but I did not want to admit that her idea was useful. I felt a sharp bit of envy when the others asked her to explain.
Then our first tower fell over. I slid my drawing aside and asked Noor how she had made the tube. She showed me, and I helped attach the next one. We were still both giving ideas, but now I was listening too.
Teaching notes
Choose useful details and words
I slid my drawing aside
The physical action shows the decision to make room for another idea.
Keep tense and voice clear
I did not want to admit
The diary voice allows the reader to hear the writer's private struggle.
Try next: End with one specific thought about the next group task.
A further developed response
I had planned to do all the talking. Before our group task began, I laid my tower drawing in the middle of the table so everyone would see it. I even pointed to the part where I had written my name.
Noor folded a sheet into a tube and stood it beside the drawing. It stayed upright. My first section sagged as soon as we added the top, but I kept saying it only needed more tape. I have to confess that I was more worried about losing my place than fixing the tower.
When the whole thing leaned sideways, Noor caught it. She did not say, 'I told you so.' She asked whether we could use some tubes inside my design. That made it easier to listen.
We built the next section together. Her folds were not all straight, and my drawing still helped us choose the height. I began to realise that letting someone else lead one part did not mean I had nothing left to offer. Next time, I will leave more space in the middle of the table.
Teaching notes
Choose useful details and words
where I had written my name
The detail reveals the writer's wish to be recognised before the writer explains it.
Organise related ideas
more space in the middle of the table
The ending returns to the opening table and gives the reflection a concrete form.
Try next: Check that the other pupil remains believable, with useful ideas rather than effortless perfection.
Read back and improve
- Is the turning point clear?
- Have you shown a feeling through an action as well as naming it?
- Does the final thought grow from this particular event?
Where the teaching notes come from
Our notes apply the published writing guidance for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. The prompts and model responses were written originally for Trace Learn. Reviewed 2026-10-01.
Read the Department for Education English curriculumChoose another writing task
Questions parents ask
What should I plan before I write?
What was the group trying to make or solve? What made the other idea useful? Which feeling was hardest to admit?
How can I improve my first draft?
Is the turning point clear? Have you shown a feeling through an action as well as naming it? Does the final thought grow from this particular event?
Will this page mark or save my writing?
No. Write on paper or in your own document. The models and notes are teaching examples. This page does not collect your writing, save it to a profile or award a score.
Find topics to practise next
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