Essays are a large and important component of any high school exams.
Your teen will definitely have to write essays in their exams at the end of the year, particularly for their arts subjects.
Examiners are not only looking for an essay with sound content, they’re also looking for a well constructed essay. This is why writing an essay plan is something anyone should do before they write any essay.
What is an essay plan?
An essay plan is simply a rough outline of what each paragraph in the essay is going to be about.
There are a few crucially important things an essay plan will give your teen’s essays:
- It ensures the essay has a proper structure.
- It ensures the essay flows in a logical order.
If an essay plan isn’t made, this means your child will write about whatever pops into their head at the time, and this more than likely means their essay will be confusing to read.
- It ensures your child covers all the points they need to make.
It’s easy to get caught up in writing if you don’t have a plan, which can mean you forget to say something really important.
How to make an essay plan
Making an essay plan should only take about 5 minutes, so timing certainly isn’t an issue here.
In fact, making one actually saves time later on!
Most exams with essays will give space in the front exam booklet especially for planning. This is where your child should make their essay plan.
All they have to do is jot down the main point of each paragraph they intend to write.
So, the introduction is first.
Then the body paragraphs. Your teen should note down what they intend to say in each paragraph (and the SEXI structure they intend to use). Click here to read more about proper essay structure.
And cap it all off with a conclusion.
By doing this before they start writing the essay, they won’t have to rely on their memory before they write each paragraph.
Here is an example of the type of plan I would make before I started writing a hypothetical English essay about a film that my class has studied:
Students’ memories have a lot of pressure on them during exams, and this can be lessened by learning how to make quick essay plans.
If they get a bit stuck in the midst of their essay all they have to do is refer to the essay plan – it acts like a prompt in a play when they forget what should come next.
The time spent on the essay plan and the results that follow will not be in proportion!
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