Planning Your Answer Notes

It is easy to think that in an exam, when time is short, planning can be skipped.  You could not be more wrong.

Planning before you write means that:

1. You can make sure that you are focused on the question.  You can check that you have the right type of writing which is aimed at the correct audience and has a clear sense of purpose before you start. An answer that does this will gain you marks.


2. You can make sure that you will be writing in clearly structured paragraphs and that your final piece of writing will be clear and not unnecessarily repetitive.


3. Once you have thought about what you are going to say, you can focus on how you say it.  So when you write your answer, you can concentrate on using a variety of sentences, well-chosen vocabulary, clear paragraphing and accurate use of spelling and punctuation without having to worry about what you are going to say next.  You have the next point already in your plan.

There is no one answer to that question as not all our brains work in the same way.  Some people find mind maps useful, while others prefer a plan which is more list-like, paragraph by paragraph.

By the end of your plan you must know:

1. How you will start

2. What points will be in which paragraph and any examples or further explanation

3. How you will finish

Planning should take about 5 minutes.  At the end, check that you have answered the question.

Your plan should be written in your answer book and then crossed through with a single line.  The examiner should see you have planned your answer!  It does not matter if it is not neat, although your final answer should be as neat as possible.  If you are allowed to type your answer, you should still include a typed plan or a handwritten one with your typed answers.

Examiners like to see that you have thought about the structure and content of your answer before you started writing.