Write Essay: a structure for 200 to 300 words

The essay catches out people who start typing before they have a plan. By minute twelve they have a good introduction, one thin body paragraph and no idea what the second body paragraph should say. A fixed time split and a fixed shape take most of that risk away.

Split the time before you start

The task gives you around 20 minutes for 200 to 300 words. Confirm both on screen or in Pearson's current test guide, because formats and timings can change. Then divide the time:

• 2 minutes to plan. Decide your position, two main points and an example for each.
• 15 minutes to write. That is roughly 3 to 4 minutes per paragraph.
• 3 minutes to check. Spelling, grammar and word count.

The plan feels like lost time. It is the cheapest two minutes of the whole task, because it stops you writing a paragraph that you then have to delete.

Four paragraphs are enough

At this length, four paragraphs are easy to hold in your head:

1. Introduction, about 40 words. Rephrase the prompt and say where you stand.
2. First body paragraph, about 90 words. One point, its explanation and an example.
3. Second body paragraph, about 90 words. The same three beats. A brief counter-argument can fit at the end.
4. Conclusion, about 40 words. Restate your position and sum up the two points. No new ideas.

Inside a body paragraph, the point is one sentence that makes a claim. The explanation is one or two sentences on why the claim is true. The example makes it real.

People skip the example, and it is what makes a paragraph sound as if it belongs to you. Keep it specific but ordinary: something you have seen, read or done. If you reach minute 12 with no example for the second paragraph, use something small and true, such as a street in your own town. An invented statistic is not an example.

Stay on topic. If the prompt is about school students, an essay about adult learners is off topic however good the English is. After your plan, reread the prompt and ask: will a reader see my position in the first two sentences?

A worked outline

A made-up prompt for practice:

You can write this plan in two minutes. It is notes, not sentences.

• Position: mostly agree, if the month is well organised.
• Introduction: restate the idea (a month of service for every student) and give the position.
• Body 1, the student. Point: it teaches skills that exams do not test. Explanation: working with strangers, arriving on time, finishing a job. Example: two weeks sorting donations at a food bank.
• Body 2, the community. Point: local groups gain extra help. Explanation: small charities often struggle to find enough helpers. Example: students showing older neighbours how to book a doctor's appointment online. Counter-argument: it takes time from study, but one month can be planned around exams.
• Conclusion: the position, the two reasons, nothing new.

Keep an eye on the word count

Look at the on-screen word count, if your screen shows one (confirm this in the instructions). Check it after each paragraph, not after every sentence. Rough checkpoints are about 40 after the introduction, 130 after the first body paragraph, 220 after the second, and 250 to 270 at the end.

Aim for the middle of the range, not the edge. The counter and you may count hyphenated words or numbers differently, so leave a margin. If you are short, add one specific example sentence. If you are long, cut the weakest sentence in the longest paragraph, not the conclusion.

A full practice round

Take one prompt and use all 20 minutes.

1. Plan for 2 minutes on paper, in the note style above.
2. Write for 15 minutes. Look at the count only between paragraphs.
3. Check for 3 minutes: the first sentence of each paragraph, then spelling, then the count.
4. Afterwards, write a one-line summary of each paragraph. If you cannot, that paragraph has no point.

Three prompts in a week and the planning starts to speed up. Today, write only the outline for three prompts, which takes about ten minutes in all. Then try a full essay in one of our practice tests, and read introductions and conclusions that do their job before you write the next one.