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A2 Key writing: planning a 25-word answer under time

A2Writing40 questionsUpdated

Most marks lost in A2 Key writing are lost before the first word is written. Candidates start straight away, forget a content point and run out of time to check. This page gives you a two-minute planning routine for a twenty-five word answer and forty questions that practise it.

What this task tests

  • Reading instructions carefully and finding every content point.
  • Turning a content point into one sentence.
  • Deciding the tense before you start writing.
  • Judging length without counting every word.
  • Managing the clock across two writing tasks.
  • Leaving time to check and knowing what to check for.
  • Recovering when you notice a missing point near the end.
  • Writing a plan that takes seconds, not minutes.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the instructions twice

    The second reading is where you notice the third point. Candidates who read once nearly always find only two.

  2. Step 2:

    Underline the verbs in the task

    Tell, invite, explain, apologise, suggest. Each of those verbs is one thing you must do, and each becomes one sentence.

  3. Step 3:

    Write three words of plan

    In the margin: ‘sorry / work / Sunday?’. That is your whole plan. A longer plan eats the time you need for writing.

  4. Step 4:

    Fix the tense before you start

    Past for what happened, future for a plan, present for how things are now. Write P, F or N next to your plan so you do not drift.

  5. Step 5:

    Write the middle first if you are stuck

    The greeting takes two words and can be added at any time. Do not lose a minute staring at the first line.

  6. Step 6:

    Stop at the right length

    Three sentences plus greeting and ending is about twenty-five words. When you reach that, stop, even if you have more ideas.

  7. Step 7:

    Check content before language

    Tick your plan words off against your sentences first. A missing point costs more than a missing -s.

  8. Step 8:

    Spend the last minute on verbs and capitals

    These two checks find most A2 errors. Do them in that order and stop when time is up.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisStarting to write in the first ten seconds.

    ThisSpending thirty seconds finding the content points.

    Half a minute of planning protects the whole answer; without it, one point is usually missing.

  • Not thisWriting a full paragraph plan for a twenty-five word answer.

    ThisWriting three words in the margin.

    A plan longer than the answer wastes the writing time and gains nothing.

  • Not thisDeciding the tense while writing sentence two.

    ThisDeciding it before sentence one.

    Tense drift — past, then present, then past — is the clearest sign of an unplanned answer.

  • Not thisSpending all the time on the first task and rushing the second.

    ThisGiving each writing task its own share of time.

    The second task usually carries at least as many marks, so a rushed second answer costs more than a perfect first one gains.

  • Not thisNoticing a missing point and crossing everything out.

    ThisAdding one sentence at the end.

    An extra sentence covers the point and keeps your existing language. Rewriting under pressure produces worse English.

  • Not thisFinishing early and handing in without checking.

    ThisUsing every spare minute on the two-check routine.

    Nobody writes a clean A2 answer first time; the check is where the last marks live.

Language this task keeps reusing

content point
one thing the instructions tell you to write about
instructions
the words that tell you what to write
suggest
offer an idea, such as a time or a place
invite
ask someone to come to something
explain
say why something happened
apologise
say sorry
remind
tell someone not to forget something
describe
say what something is like
tone
how friendly or formal your writing sounds
draft
a first attempt at a piece of writing
check
look again for mistakes
run out of time
have no time left

Practice: planning a short answer

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence.

Each thing the instructions tell you to write about is called a content.
The task says: ‘Apologise, say why you cannot come, and suggest another day.’ How many content points?

3Complete the sentence.

Before you write, decide the: past for what happened, future for a plan.
How long should a plan for a 25-word note be?

5Complete the sentence.

Read the instructions, because the second reading finds the point you missed.
Decide if each statement about planning is true.
  • A missing content point costs more than a small grammar mistake.
  • The plan should be longer than the answer.
  • Underlining the verbs in the task shows you what you must do.
3 to go
Which verbs in a task tell you what to do?

8Complete the sentence.

Three sentences plus a greeting and an ending is about twenty-five.

9The task says: ‘Write to your friend. Say thank you for the meal, say what you liked most, and invite him to your house.’ Write a three-word plan.

You notice near the end that one point is missing. What should you do?

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Note

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Frequently asked questions

Is thirty seconds really enough to plan?

For twenty-five words, yes. The plan is three words in the margin plus a letter for the tense; anything longer is time taken from writing.

What if I think of a better idea halfway through?

Keep what you have written. At this length, changing direction costs more than the better idea is worth.

Should I write a rough version first?

No. There is not enough time for a draft and a fair copy. Plan properly and write once, carefully.

How do I know how long twenty-five words is?

Write one model answer at home and count it. Learn what it looks like as lines in your own handwriting and use that as a ruler in the exam.

What if I run out of time completely?

Write a one-sentence version of each missing content point. Content scores even when the answer is short and the ending is rushed.