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NSW SelectiveYear 7 entry

Writing diary entries for the Selective test

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A Selective diary entry is a first-person chat about how you felt, not a list of events. In the 301NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published-minute writing test, your child sets the scene briefly, spends most words on feelings, then says what they learnt.

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The full lesson is in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens How and Why Authors Write; this lesson needs a paid plan.

Updated 16 October 2026 · Facts checked 12 October 2026

Writing a Diary Entry (lesson preview)

A short preview from the SelectiveReady lesson “Writing a Diary Entry”, on diary entries for the NSW Selective test.

Published:

Read the video transcript

Well, telling is when you just name the emotion. You just put a label on it like saying, "I was scared." I mean, it's fine, but it's a bit boring, isn't it? Showing on the other hand is all about painting a picture with your words. It makes the reader feel like they're right there in the room with you, experiencing it all. Just look at that. "My hands trembled." Can you feel the difference? That one little sentence does so much more heavy lifting than just saying, "I was scared." It doesn't just tell me you were scared. It makes me feel that little jolt of fear too. It lets the reader experience the emotion, not just read a label. So how do you actually do this? It's simple. You use your five senses. I want you to try this. Close your eyes for a second and really put yourself back in that moment you're writing about. What could you see? What could you hear? What could you feel physically? Was your heart pounding? Did you get a knot in your stomach? Write that stuff down. That's showing.

The full lesson, Writing a Diary Entry, lives in the SelectiveReady app, so it needs an account. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan2SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published. The clip on the page is free to play, with English and Chinese captions.

2

What will your child learn in this lesson?

Your child learns to treat the diary as a best friend, so the entry sounds like a private chat instead of a report. They'll be able to get the format right, keep the events short and make the reader feel what they felt.

The clip teaches show, don't tell, using the five senses. The full lesson adds the mindset, the format, a three-part flow and three traps that break the chat.

3

Do diary entries come up in the Selective test?

They have in the practice tests: the Department's third practice test asks for a diary entry3NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. It gives a sentence to start the diary, and ideas it could include3NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Nobody outside the test knows which form the real task will set. 1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Not published

If the prompt gives a sentence to start with, copy it word for word as the first line, then go straight to the feeling. 3NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published With our own opening, "Dear Diary, The moment the lights went out, I knew...", the next line could be "My heart thumped so loudly I was sure Mum could hear it."

The testFor a diary entry
11NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published task, 301NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutesOne day or one moment, explored well
Writing for a purpose and audience 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · PublishedThe reader is the diary: honest and personal
Markers also look at grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · PublishedA chatty voice still needs full, correct sentences
Off-topic writing is marked lower1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · PublishedThe entry must be about the day the prompt names
4

What is a diary entry, and how is it different from a recount?

A diary entry is a personal record of a day, written to yourself, about what it meant to you. A recount tells events in order for someone else.

Diary entryRecount
Who it's forYourself, like a best friendAnother reader
Voice"I", "me", "my"Often "we" or "they"
Most of the wordsHow you feltWhat happened next
The endingWhat the day meantWhere the events finished
5

How do you write a diary entry?

The lesson's method is an easy format, then a three-part flow. Most of the words go in the middle part.

The diary entry: date, Dear Diary and first person, then set the scene briefly, dig into the feeling, and zoom out to what it means.

  1. Get the format right

    The date at the top, "Dear Diary", and first person all the way. Getting the form right shows the markers you know the text type; text structure counts toward the mark too. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published

  2. Set the scene, briefly

    What happened, in a few lines. Keep it short and sweet.

  3. Dig into the feeling

    How you felt, and why. Spend most of your time and words here.

  4. Zoom out

    What you learnt, and what the day means to you now.

6

What does show, don't tell mean in a diary?

Telling names a feeling. Showing paints it, so the reader feels it too. The lesson's trick is to close your eyes, go back to the moment and ask what your senses noticed.

TellingShowing
I was scared.My hands trembled.
I was nervous.There was a knot in my stomach and I couldn't sit still.
I was happy.I grinned so hard my cheeks ached.
It was a tense moment.The room went so quiet I could hear the clock ticking.
7

What does a strong diary entry look like?

We wrote this entry for our own prompt: write a diary entry about a day that didn't go to plan. Each line has a job.

Model entryIts job
Tuesday 3 JuneThe date at the top
Dear Diary,The greeting, as if to a friend
Today was my assembly speech, and it did not go to plan.Sets the scene in one line
When I stood up, my notes slid off the lectern and scattered across the stage.The event, kept short
My face burned. My mouth was so dry my tongue stuck to my teeth.Showing, not "I was embarrassed"
Then Mr Tran nodded at me, and I just started talking without the notes.The turning point
Tonight I keep thinking that the speech I made up was better than the one I wrote.Zooming out: what it means now
Maybe I don't need to hold on so tightly. Goodnight, Diary.An honest, personal ending
8

What is the most common diary mistake?

The most common mistake is a shopping list of events: first I did this, then I did that. The lesson calls it all action and no feeling.

Breaks the chatKeeps it personal
"First I had breakfast, then we drove to the pool, then I swam."One line of events, then how it felt
"He was sad today." (about yourself)First person: "I", "me", "my"
A story with a dragon and a battleA real-feeling day, reflected on
"I was happy. It was fun."A sense detail that shows the feeling
9

How can my child try a diary prompt?

Set a timer for 301NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes and try this prompt from our free practice set. Then check the entry against the list and read the model.

Practice question · SEL-WR-TST-02

Kids in Charge

Your family has agreed to a challenge: for one Saturday, the children run the house and the adults must follow the children's rules.

Write a diary entry about the day.

In your diary entry, you could:

  • describe the jobs you took on and what went wrong
  • show how the adults coped with your rules
  • explain what you learnt about running a home
Two apron-wearing children flip a pancake and hold a blank clipboard while two amused adults watch in a sunny, messy kitchen.
Read the model response

Saturday 14 March

Dear Diary,

Today I found out that being in charge is a lot harder than it looks. Honestly, being bossed around is easier.

It all started at breakfast last week, when I complained (very loudly) that I do everything around here. Dad put down his toast and said, "Fine. Next Saturday, you and Leila run the house. We'll follow your rules." Leila is my little sister and she is eight, so you can probably guess how that went.

Our first rule was "No screens for grown-ups until the chores are done." Mum groaned like she had been sentenced to prison. Our second rule was "Everyone must eat dessert first." That was Leila's idea, and I have to admit it was popular.

Then the actual jobs began. I wrote the shopping list and Leila was in charge of the washing. By ten o'clock, I had forgotten milk, eggs and bread, which are basically the three most important things in a kitchen. Leila had put my white school shirt in with Dad's red footy socks. My shirt is now a delicate shade of strawberry milkshake. I am not even joking.

Lunch was my disaster. I decided to make pancakes, because how hard can pancakes be? Very hard, it turns out. The first one stuck to the pan, the second one was raw in the middle and the third one set off the smoke alarm. Dad flapped a tea towel at the ceiling while Mum laughed so hard she had to sit on the floor.

The strange thing was that the adults were really good at following our rules. Mum vacuumed the lounge room without being asked twice. Dad even said "Yes, boss" when Leila told him to fold the towels into perfect triangles. I started to feel a tiny bit guilty about all the times I have rolled my eyes at them.

By dinner time, I was exhausted. We ordered fish and chips, which Dad said was "a very sensible leadership decision".

Lying in bed now, I keep thinking about how many small jobs Mum and Dad do every single day without anyone noticing. Nobody claps when the milk is in the fridge. It is just there. Tomorrow I am going to make my bed without being reminded, and I might even thank Mum for the clean shirts. Well, the ones that are still white.

Goodnight, Diary. Being the boss is hard work.

  • The date is at the top and I started with "Dear Diary".

  • I wrote in first person the whole way.

  • The events take up only a few lines.

  • Most of my words are about how I felt.

  • I showed at least one feeling with my senses.

  • My ending says what the day meant to me.

10

How can I help my child practise at home?

Ask three sense questions after a real event, like a sports match or a family outing. Then let your child write five honest lines about it.

What could you see?

Faces, colours, small details that only you noticed.

What could you hear?

A voice, a silence, a sound that made you jump.

What did your body do?

A pounding heart, shaky legs, a knot in your stomach.

11

Questions parents ask about diary entries for Selective

Does a diary entry need a date?

The lesson says yes: the date at the top and "Dear Diary" are part of the format.

Can the diary entry be about an imagined day?

Yes, if the prompt asks for it. What matters is that the feelings ring true.

How is a diary entry different from a reflection?

A diary covers one day, close up. A reflection looks back on a moment and how it changed you over time.

Should my child use slang to sound natural?

No. A friendly voice with full sentences sounds natural and still earns marks for grammar.

Is the full lesson free?

It needs an account. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan2SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published.

Next questions

The Selective writing test →Lesson: Reflective Writing →Lesson: Writing a Great Story →Free Selective practice test →The NSW Selective test explained →

Sources and checks

  1. Selective high school practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 12 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Page text: CC BY 4.0.

  2. SelectiveReady

    SelectiveReady · Checked 13 October 2026

  3. Selective High School Placement Test, Writing Question Paper, Practice Test 3 (PDF)

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Quoted briefly with credit. Saved text: the one-page writing task only.

  4. Get ready for the Selective High School Placement Test (students)

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · CC BY 4.0

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