How to Plan an IELTS Essay in 10 Minutes

Why Planning Matters More Than Speed

Examiners do not see your plan, but they can feel its presence. Essays written without planning often show clear signs: ideas drift, paragraphs overlap, and conclusions introduce new points. These problems affect Task Response and Coherence more than grammar or vocabulary errors.

A well-planned essay feels controlled. Each paragraph has a clear purpose, ideas develop logically, and the conclusion feels natural rather than rushed. This is why IELTS writing planning time is not optional — it is a core skill.

Spending time planning is not about perfection. It is about direction.

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What the 10 Minutes Are Really For

The purpose of planning is not to write sentences in advance. It is to make decisions.

In those 10 minutes, you decide:

• What the question is actually asking
  
• What type of essay you are writing
  
• What your main ideas will be
  
• How those ideas will be organised
  

Once these decisions are made, the writing stage becomes much easier. You are no longer thinking what should I say next? You are simply following a route you have already chosen.

A helpful visual here would show the exam timeline with the first 10 minutes highlighted as “decision-making”, not “writing”.

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Step One: Understanding the Question Properly

The first part of any Task 2 planning strategy is understanding the question. Many essays fail not because ideas are weak, but because the question is misunderstood.

Before thinking about ideas, you should identify:

• The topic
  
• The task (what you must do)
  
• Whether an opinion is required
  

This takes only a minute or two, but it prevents major mistakes later. Writing a strong discussion essay in response to an opinion question often results in a Band 6.5 ceiling, regardless of language quality.

Planning begins with clarity, not ideas.

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Step Two: Identifying the Essay Type

Once the question is understood, the next step is recognising the essay type. This decision shapes everything that follows.

Different essay types require different paragraph logic. Opinion essays require a clear position. Discussion essays require balance. Problem–solution essays require separation of causes and solutions.

You do not need to label the essay type on paper. You simply need to know, in your mind, what structure the question demands. This takes seconds but saves minutes later.

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Step Three: Choosing Strong, Relevant Ideas

Many candidates struggle here because they try to think of many ideas. Planning works best when you choose few, clear ideas.

In most Task 2 essays, two strong body paragraphs are enough. Each paragraph should focus on one main idea that directly answers the question.

During planning, you should briefly note:

• The main idea for each body paragraph
  
• A short explanation or example to support it
  

These notes do not need to be full sentences. Keywords are enough. The goal is to ensure that each paragraph has direction before you start writing.

A useful visual here would show a simple plan box with two clear ideas rather than a long list.

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Step Four: Deciding Your Position Clearly

If the question requires an opinion, this decision must be made during planning, not while writing.

Many candidates delay choosing a position, hoping clarity will appear later. In reality, this often leads to vague introductions and weak conclusions.

Your position does not need to be extreme. It simply needs to be clear. Once chosen, your ideas should support it consistently.

This clarity is one of the strongest signs of good planning.

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Step Five: Structuring Paragraph Order

With ideas chosen, the next step is deciding order.

Paragraph order affects logic more than many candidates realise. Strong essays move smoothly from one idea to the next. Weak essays feel like collections of thoughts.

During planning, you should decide:

• Which idea comes first
  
• How the second idea builds on or contrasts with the first
  

This takes little time but significantly improves coherence.

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Step Six: Planning the Introduction and Conclusion Briefly

You do not need to write introductions or conclusions during planning. However, you should know what they will do.

For the introduction, you should know:

• How you will paraphrase the question
  
• Whether you will state a position
  

For the conclusion, you should know:

• How you will restate your main message
  

A simple mental outline is enough. Over-planning these sections often leads to memorised language, which examiners quickly notice.

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What a 10-Minute Plan Actually Looks Like

A realistic plan is messy, brief, and personal. It might include arrows, crossed-out ideas, or single words. That is fine.

What matters is that the plan answers three questions:

• What am I answering?
  
• What am I saying?
  
• In what order?
  

If those questions are answered, the plan has succeeded.

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Common Planning Mistakes That Waste Time

One common mistake is writing full sentences in the plan. This uses time without adding clarity.

Another mistake is overthinking ideas. IELTS does not reward originality. Clear, relevant ideas explained well score higher than clever ideas explained poorly.

Some candidates also skip planning entirely to “save time”, only to spend longer during writing fixing structure problems. This usually results in rushed conclusions.

Planning should simplify writing, not complicate it.

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Adjusting Planning Speed to Your Level

The 10-minute guideline is flexible. Stronger candidates may plan slightly faster. Less confident writers may benefit from using the full 10 minutes.

What matters is consistency. Practising planning at home under timed conditions trains your brain to make decisions more quickly on exam day.

Planning is a skill, not a personality trait.

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How Planning Improves Band Scores

Effective planning supports all four marking criteria.

It improves Task Response by keeping ideas focused.
It strengthens Coherence by organising paragraphs logically.
It reduces Grammar errors by lowering stress during writing.
It improves Lexical accuracy by preventing rushed word choices.

This is why many candidates see score improvements simply by changing how they plan, even when their English level stays the same.

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Conclusion

Strong IELTS essays are not written quickly, they are written clearly. Spending 10 minutes on IELTS essay planning is one of the most reliable ways to improve Task 2 performance.

By using planning time to understand the question, choose relevant ideas, and organise paragraphs logically, you make the writing stage calmer and more controlled.

To strengthen this further, explore related Learn English Weekly guides on Task 2 essay types, paragraph logic, and introductions, where planning decisions are shown in full context.

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Related IELTS Task 2 Lessons

• How to Fully Answer the Question in IELTS Task 2
  
• How to Develop Ideas in IELTS Task 2 Essays
  
• All IELTS Task 2 Essay Types Explained

Glossary

Planning (noun) — Preparing ideas and structure before writing
Essay type (noun) — The structure required by the question
Position (noun) — The writer’s opinion on the issue
Coherence (noun) — Logical flow of ideas
Task Response (noun) — How well the essay answers the question

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Practice Questions

1. True or False: Planning wastes valuable writing time.
   
2. Which decision should be made first during planning?
   A) Vocabulary choice
   B) Understanding the question
   
3. Why is choosing few ideas better than many?
   
4. Short answer: Name one benefit of planning.
   
5. True or False: A plan must be written in full sentences.
   
   

Answers

1. False
   
2. B
   
3. It improves focus and development
   
4. Clear structure / reduced stress / better coherence
5. False