Planning your time

Before you start writing you should know exactly how much time you have to complete the task or tasks. Make sure you have a watch or can see a clock in the exam. You may not be allowed to have your mobile phone on the table, so you should wear a watch if possible. 

So, how much time should you spend on each part of a writing task? There is no right or wrong answer for this but here’s an example. If you have forty minutes to complete the exam you could divide the time in this way: 

Writing task – 40 minutes:

• Planning – 10 minutes
• Writing – 25 minutes
• Reviewing – 5 minutes

That may seem like a lot of time to plan, but a good plan is the key to success and it gives you the chance to really make sure you know what you are going to write before you begin.