Home > Subjects > English > English level 3 > 3.1 Writing > Subject content > Planning
- Subject: English
- AS: 90720
- Level: 3
- Credits: 4
- Internal
3.1 Produce an extended piece of writing in a selected style
Planning
Understand the task and purpose of your writing
If it is not clear, ask your teacher. Make sure you read a variety of examples and exemplars of your chosen writing style to help understand how to communicate your purpose.
Brainstorm ideas
This is how you record all of your initial thoughts and ideas to help you select a topic. Your ideas may come from a discussion, an experience, a news story, an issue, a text or film, and a unique person or place. See Developing and Collecting Ideas – Idea 'Triggers' and Developing and Collecting Ideas – Brain-storming.
For short story writing see Doing the Hard Graft – Getting the ideas.
Gathering information and ideas
Read magazines and newspapers to learn more about the style of writing used in you selected text type and to help you develop and support your own thoughts and ideas. Carry out any required research.
Developing ideas
Use your brainstorm and information you have gathered to find the focus or point of view of your topic. Point of view is the opinion, or stance the writer takes, it may be objective, subjective, or neutral. By finding evidence to support your ideas an angle or theme will develop and shape the direction of your essay. Work on an idea or angle until you are fully satisfied that you have exhausted all possibilities and you are happy with your overall plan.
Scroll to Theme and Controlling Idea for more information, read the extracts to find examples of writing with a purpose.
Questions for developing your ideas
- What angle or theme of your topic will be the most interesting?
- What sequence of material will suit your topic best?
- What information do you need to gather to help clarify and support your ideas?
- How will your essay start, how will your points be developed in the middle, and how will you conclude?
- How can the point of view/angle or structure, be changed to give more depth, originality, or involve the reader?
- How confident are you writing about this subject?
