The document provides tips for planning and structuring writing for exams. It recommends dividing your time into three parts - planning, writing, and reviewing. For the planning phase, you should understand the task, time allotment, and type of writing required. You should then brainstorm ideas and organize them into an outline with paragraphs before beginning to write your response. During the writing phase, compose paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details. In the reviewing phase, check that you answered the task correctly and review for accuracy, spelling, and punctuation.

1. WRITING TIPS
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams

2. • When you are in a writing exam you shouldn't start
writing immediately.
• You must think about the following questions and
then plan your time carefully.
How much time do you have for the writing exam?
How many writing tasks do you have to do?
• When you know the answer to these two questions
you should divide your time into three parts:
Part 1 – Planning time
Part 2 – Writing time
Part 3 – Reviewing time

3. 1. PLANNING TIME:
•Can you choose the task?
Read all the tasks and choose the one which is the
easiest for you or one you are most interested in.
•Planning your time
Example: Writing task – 40 minutes:
Planning – 10 minutes
Writing – 25 minutes
Reviewing – 5 minutes

4. • What do you have to do?
 Read the task carefully and underline the important
parts of the instructions.
 How many words do you have to write? You can lose
marks if you write too many or too few words.
• What type of writing is it?
 We use different types of language for different
types of writing.
 The best way to learn how to do well in all these
different types of writing task is to practise.
 You need to read a lot too.

5. • Think about the reader
 Who you are writing for?
 You will get a better mark if you choose the right style
and include interesting ideas.
• Brainstorm your ideas
 Before you write, think about the topic and all the ideas
you have in your head.
 Write them down as quickly as possible. Ideas can be
single words, you don’t have to write complete
sentences.
 Don’t worry about grammar, spelling or the order of
ideas.

6. • Include relevant information and paragraph planning .
 Compare the essay title with the ideas you brainstormed.
 Underline important ideas and put them in groups
(possible paragraphs?).
 (If possible) try and summarise your main argument or
idea in 1 or 2 sentences.
 Think about the key language to use for this type of
writing.
 Plan your essay.
• Organising your writing
 Organise the ideas into paragraphs. How many
paragraphs are you going to write?

8. 2. WRITING TIME:
Start each paragraph with a topic sentence which
summarises the main point.
Support your topic sentence with details / examples.
Give each paragraph a final sentence which sums up the
main idea or connects ideas to the next paragraph.
To improve your writing, use:
synonyms or antonyms.
adverbs and adjectives
linking words
•Material allowed
•Handwriting
•Word count

9. 3. REVIEWING TIME:
•Did you answer the task correctly?
•Accuracy
Check verb agreements.
Check word order with nouns and adjectives.
Remember! Adjectives don’t agree.
•Spelling and punctuation