Plan any Task 2 essay in 5 minutes

"I don't have time to plan." This is what many students say. Then they start writing, change their mind halfway, run out of ideas in the second paragraph, and finish without a conclusion. Five minutes of planning saves you from all of this. It's the best time investment in the whole Writing test.

Why this matters

A plan gives your essay a clear position, logical paragraphs and developed ideas. That directly helps Task Response and Coherence, which are half your Task 2 score. Students who plan usually write faster, too, because they're not stopping to think.

The 5-minute plan

Minute 1: Understand the question

Identify the type (W06).
Underline the topic, limits and every part you must answer (W12).

Minute 2: Decide your position

Write one sentence: "My answer is ___ because ___ and ___."

Minutes 3 and 4: Two main ideas, developed

For each main idea, write:

the idea (one line)
why it's true (one line)
an example (one line)

Minute 5: Paragraph map

Decide what goes in each paragraph. Then start writing.

A worked example

Question: "More young people from developing countries are choosing to study abroad. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?"

Minute 1: Type: advantages vs disadvantages, with a judgement. Topic: young people from developing countries studying abroad. I must give advantages, disadvantages and which is stronger.

Minute 2: "My answer is that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, because of better education and international experience, even though there are costs and the risk of brain drain."

Minutes 3 and 4:

Advantage: access to higher quality education and research.
- Why: some fields have better labs and specialists abroad.
- Example: a student studying renewable energy at a European university.
Disadvantage: high costs and "brain drain".
- Why: families spend savings, and some graduates never return.
- Example: a country losing trained doctors.

Minute 5:

Intro: paraphrase; position (advantages outweigh).
Body 1: disadvantages (cost, brain drain), acknowledged fairly.
Body 2: advantages (education, skills, networks), shown as stronger.
Conclusion: restate position.

Running out of ideas? Ask these questions

Who is affected? (individuals, families, society, government)
What about money? Health? Education? Environment?
What happens in the short term vs the long term?
Is it different in rich vs poor countries? Cities vs villages?

One of these will usually give you a strong idea.

What a plan is not

It's not a draft. Don't write full sentences. Use short notes. The plan should fit in about eight to ten lines.

Try it yourself

Plan this question in 5 minutes: "Some people think children should have a lot of free time to play. Others believe they should spend most of their time studying. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

Sample plan:

Position: balance, but play is essential for young children.
View 1 (study): competition, exams, discipline. Example: university entrance pressure.
View 2 (play): creativity, health, social skills. Example: team sports teach cooperation.
My view: young children need more play; older students can focus more on study.

Honest note

In the first few weeks, planning will feel slow, maybe 8 or 10 minutes. With practice, it gets down to 5. Don't skip it because it feels slow.

Your task today

Plan three different Task 2 questions in 5 minutes each. Don't write the essays. Just the plans.