Plan before you write: Planning is the two-minute outline you jot down before writing your Paper 1 answer. You decide the text type, the audience and tone, the two or three points you'll develop and a few useful words. A plan is what earns Criterion B (Message), because it gives your answer a clear, organised shape instead of rambling prose.
| Plan element | What to jot down |
|---|---|
| The text type and its parts | blog / email / article… and its sections (title, body, close) |
| 2–3 key ideas | the points you'll develop, in order |
| An opening hook | a first line that grabs the reader |
| A sign-off or close | how you finish (a warm sign-off, a formal sign-off, a conclusion) |
| Useful vocabulary and connectors | topic key-words and linkers (however, therefore, what's more) |
Five lines, no sentences: Text type · 2–3 ideas · hook · sign-off · vocabulary. Your plan is five short lines, written in note form — never full sentences. It's scaffolding for you, not text for the examiner.
Two minutes, big payoff: Spending two minutes planning feels like lost time — it isn't. A plan stops you drying up halfway, keeps your points in order, and directly lifts Criterion B. Examiners reward an answer that is clearly organised.
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Four moves to a plan: Building a plan is the same four moves every time: decode the task, brainstorm your points, order them, then note the vocabulary. Do it on scrap paper in the first couple of minutes, before any real writing.
Plan in 4 moves
1
Decode the task
Pin down the text type you've chosen, the audience and the tone the task asks for — they shape everything else.
2
Brainstorm 3 points
Jot three ideas you can actually develop on this task. Three is enough to fill 450–600 words well.
3
Order them
Put your points into the text-type structure — opening, body in a sensible order, then closing.
4
Note key vocab & connectors
List the topic vocabulary and connectors (however, therefore, what's more) you'll reach for, so they're ready when you write.
Decode → Brainstorm → Order → Note vocab
Order matters as much as ideas: Two strong points in a muddled order read worse than two ordinary points in a clear order. The Order step is where you protect Criterion B — make your reader follow you from opening to close without getting lost.
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A four-line plan, worked through: Here's the plan stage for an example task, line by line — the notes you'd scribble before writing the email itself.
Planning an informal email
From the task to a four-line plan
- Task: “Write an email to a friend inviting them to spend the holidays with you and your family.” Read the task first and underline the key words.
- Plan line 1 — text type = an informal email. Naming the form fixes its greeting, sign-off and tone before you write a word.
- Plan line 2 — audience = a friend, so the tone is informal and warm: an opening like “Hi Sam!” and a friendly sign-off such as “Take care”. Decide this in the plan.
- Plan line 3 — three points to develop: (1) the dates and the place, (2) what we'll do together, (3) why it'll be fun and what to bring. Three ordered points fill 450–600 words well.
- Plan line 4 — useful vocabulary and connectors: invite, stay over, what's more, that's why, you won't want to miss it. With four plan lines noted, the email almost writes itself.
Four lines is a whole plan: Notice the plan is just four short lines — text type, tone, three points, vocabulary — and yet it fixes every big decision. Build this on scrap paper first and your Criterion B marks are half-won before you start writing.
Good planning vs costly mistakes: The marks lost around planning are rarely about your English — they come from skipping the plan, piling up shallow points, or planning content that ignores the text type. Here's the contrast.
A good plan
- Note 2–3 ideas and develop them.
- Order the points before writing.
- Make the plan follow the text-type structure.
- Jot down useful vocabulary and connectors.
Common mistakes
- Write with no plan and ramble off the point.
- Cram in too many shallow points and develop none.
- Make a plan that ignores the text-type structure.
- Forget the hook and the sign-off.
Depth beats quantity: Two or three points developed with examples beat six points mentioned and dropped. When you plan, ask of each idea: can I write three sentences on this? If not, cut it — that protects Criterion B.