A plan turns bullet points into writing that has a purpose, an order and an ending. It takes about a minute and stops you writing one flat sentence per bullet.
This lesson is part of SPM English guided writing. The next lesson, supporting ideas with relevant examples, shows how to fill each part of the plan.
What goes into a four-line plan?
Write four short lines before you draft. Line one is the purpose: who you are writing to and why. Line two lists what each bullet will say, line three adds one reason or example for each, and line four is how you will end.
Use words or short phrases only. The plan is for you, so full sentences are not needed.
Worked example: a Reading Week email
Task: write an email to your school librarian. Your school plans a Reading Week. The bullet points are: suggest a theme, suggest one activity, and say who can help.
| Plan line | Notes |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Email to Puan Ramlah, librarian; offer ideas for Reading Week |
| Bullet 1: theme | “Stories from our own state”; students read local folk tales |
| Bullet 2: activity | Book swap; bring one finished book, take one home |
| Bullet 3: who can help | Form 4 prefects to run the swap table; BM teachers to choose tales |
| Ending | Thank her; offer to meet this week to discuss |
Here is the weak version, where each bullet is copied as a sentence: “I suggest the theme is stories from our state. I suggest a book swap. The prefects can help.”
Each sentence answers a bullet, but nothing connects them and no idea has a reason. The planned version gives each idea its own short paragraph. The theme paragraph says why local folk tales suit the week, and the activity paragraph explains how the swap works.
Why does a plan help with marks?
A plan protects you from two problems. One is leaving out a bullet point because you got absorbed in another. The other is having the right points in the wrong order, so the reader has to work to follow you.
With the plan on the page, you can tick each bullet as you finish its paragraph. You can also see at a glance whether the ending is still missing when time is short.
The mistake that loses marks
The common slip is to copy the bullet as a sentence and move on. The bullet says what to cover, but not how much to say or why.
Turn each bullet into a question you answer. “Suggest a theme” becomes “Which theme, and why would it suit our school?” That question leads straight to a reason.
Check yourself
Plan an email to a friend in Ipoh about a weekend trip to Melaka. The bullet points are: where to stay, what to see, and how to travel. Write the four-line plan.
Answer
One possible plan, with a reason for each bullet:
- Purpose: email to Daniel, invite him to join the trip, suggest a plan.
- Stay: a family guesthouse near Jonker Street; cheap and walkable.
- See: the old fort and the river cruise; both short and close together.
- Travel: bus from Ipoh to Melaka Sentral, then a short taxi; no need to drive.
- Ending: ask him to reply by Friday so the bus tickets can be bought.
Check that each bullet has one reason in the notes. If one has none, add a reason before you start drafting.
What to study next
Continue with supporting ideas with relevant examples, then test the skills together in the guided writing practice set. Use the English writing task checklist to check that each bullet point has been answered.
If you would like a teacher to go through your own task plans, see online one-to-one English tuition.