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EnglishSS3 / IGCSE3 sessions

A repeatable structure for exam essays

A planning method that takes four minutes and prevents the paragraph that goes nowhere.

Examiners reward a clear line of argument. The fastest way to have one is to write your conclusion before your introduction.

The four-minute plan

  1. 1Write the one-sentence answer to the question. That's your thesis.
  2. 2List three reasons it's true. Those are your paragraphs.
  3. 3Note the single strongest objection. That's your penultimate paragraph.
  4. 4Only now write the introduction.

Using the tutor well

Don't ask it to write the essay. Ask it to attack your plan, to name the weakest of your three reasons and say why. Then fix that reason before you write a word.

Guides are written by the Santi learning team and updated each term as exam boards change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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