Writing: Planning and Structure Drills
Writing: Planning and Structure Drills covers the two to five minutes before the pen starts moving in an 11+ writing task, turning a title or prompt into a short, usable plan using tools such as a five-part story mountain for narrative writing and a simple point-by-point list for non-fiction writing. GL Assessment, CEM-style and CSSE-style papers give a strict time limit for the whole writing task, and pupils who skip planning tend to run out of ideas halfway through or produce an answer that never reaches a proper ending.
Before you start
No specific prerequisites - this is a good place to start.
Method
- Read the title or prompt twice, and underline the exact task: is it a story, a description, a letter, or an argument?
- For narrative writing, sketch a five-part story mountain in a few words each: opening, build-up, problem (the climax), resolution, ending.
- For non-fiction writing (letters, reports, articles), jot three or four separate points in the order you will make them, not a single list of everything at once.
- Next to each part of the plan, note one specific detail, example or piece of description you intend to use, so you are not inventing content mid-paragraph.
- Check the plan covers a genuine beginning, middle and end (or introduction, points, conclusion) before you start writing, since papers are marked on structure as well as content.
- Keep the whole plan to a handful of words per stage; a plan that takes more than three minutes to write has become a second draft and eats into writing time.
- Glance back at the plan every paragraph or two while writing, to check the piece is still following the shape you set out rather than drifting.
Worked example
Plan a short story for the title 'The Locked Door' in under three minutes, using the five-part story mountain.
- Opening: a girl called Priya finds an old door at the back of her grandmother's garden shed that she has never noticed before.
- Build-up: she searches the shed for a key, finding an old tin of odd keys, and tries several that do not fit, building curiosity and tension.
- Problem (climax): the third key turns, the door creaks open, and inside is not a passage but a small, dusty room full of her grandmother's old paintings, hidden for years.
- Resolution: Priya realises the room was her grandmother's secret art studio, and understands why her grandmother always seemed sad when the shed was mentioned.
- Ending: Priya decides to show her grandmother the paintings rather than keep the discovery secret, closing the story on a warm, hopeful note.
- Final check: the plan has a clear beginning (finding the door), a middle with rising tension (the search for the key and the reveal) and a satisfying end (Priya's decision), so it is ready to write from.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Name the five stages of a story mountain plan, in order.Show answer
Answer: Opening, build-up, problem (climax), resolution, ending.
Q2For a non-fiction writing task such as a letter or a report, which planning tool is usually more useful than a story mountain?Show answer
Answer: A short point-by-point list, with each point in the order it will be made in the piece.
Q3Why is it a problem if a pupil spends eight minutes writing a detailed plan in a 30-minute writing task?Show answer
Answer: It leaves too little time to actually write and check the piece, so a plan should be quick, only a few words per stage, not a second draft.
Q4A pupil's plan for a story reads: 'boy finds map - follows clues - gets lost - finds treasure'. Which stage of the story mountain is missing?Show answer
Answer: The ending (resolution/how the story is wrapped up after the treasure is found) - the plan stops at the climax.
Q5True or False: it is good practice to note one specific detail or example next to each stage of a plan, not just a general idea.Show answer
Answer: True - a specific detail (a name, a place, an object) makes the writing easier and stops the pupil inventing content mid-paragraph.
Q6For the title 'My Favourite Place', would a story mountain or a point-by-point plan usually fit better, and why?Show answer
Answer: A point-by-point plan usually fits better, because a descriptive piece about a favourite place is closer to non-fiction description than a narrative with a problem and resolution (though a pupil could also frame it as a narrative visit).
Q7Why should a pupil check their plan against the title before starting to write?Show answer
Answer: To make sure the planned content actually answers the set task (for example, a genuine story rather than just a description) so marks are not lost for not addressing the title.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
You have 25 minutes for the following task: 'Write a story that begins with the sentence: The letter had been sitting on the doormat for three days before anyone noticed it.' Before you write, produce a five-part story-mountain plan (opening, build-up, problem, resolution, ending), giving one or two specific details for each stage. (5 marks, planning quality only)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
You have been asked to write a letter to your head teacher suggesting one improvement to your school. Before writing, produce a point-by-point plan with an introduction, three supporting points in a sensible order, and a conclusion. (4 marks, planning quality only)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the writing: planning and structure drills worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 24 of 11+ English Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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