Students who plan finish more often, not less – because they never stall halfway through wondering what comes next. This free one-page sheet turns planning into a five-minute routine: read the task twice, list what you must cover, sketch one line per paragraph, tick the format features and techniques you’ll use. Print one for every writing task you practise. The second page shows the sheet filled in for a real exam-style task.
Free to download, print and share for personal or classroom use. Answers included.
What’s in this worksheet
- Timing strip: 5 minutes plan, 20 write, 5 check
- Step 1 – Form / Audience / Purpose / Tone / Word count boxes
- Step 2 – the must-cover list (every bullet from the task)
- Step 3 – five-row paragraph plan with a column for the detail or technique
- Step 4 – tick-boxes for format features and techniques
- Final five-minute check strip
- Page 2: a worked example for an email to the council about a library closure
Common mistakes on this topic
From our tutors’ marking and the most recent examiner reports – check your work against these:
- Skipping the plan because ‘there isn’t time’. Students who plan for five minutes finish more often, because they never stall mid-task wondering what comes next.
- Planning in full sentences. A plan is a map – three or four words per paragraph is enough.
- Missing a bullet point from the task. The must-cover list exists so that every instruction becomes a paragraph before you start writing.
How to use it
- Print the sheet and use it every time you practise a writing task – the routine only works if it becomes automatic.
- Fill it in in under five minutes. Words and phrases, not sentences. Then write your answer from the plan.
- Afterwards, check the plan against your answer: did every must-cover point get its own paragraph?
Related free resources
- Functional Skills Level 2 Formal Letter and Email Writing Frame (with Model Answer)
- Functional Skills Level 2 Article and Report Writing Frame (with Model Report)
- Functional Skills English Level 2 Paragraphing and Connectives Worksheet
- All free Functional Skills English Level 2 resources
Frequently asked questions
How long should I spend planning a Level 2 writing task?
About five minutes for a 30-minute task. That leaves twenty minutes to write and five to check – and the check is where SPaG marks are saved.
What should a writing plan include?
The form, audience, purpose and tone; every point the task tells you to cover; one line per paragraph with a specific detail; and the format features and techniques you intend to use.
Do examiners see my plan?
No, and it is not marked. Write it on the question paper or a spare sheet. Its only job is to make your answer complete, well-ordered and written without stalling.
Want a tutor to mark your work? Not sure where you stand? Take the free 15-minute mini mock test. Ready to get qualified? Our live 10-week Functional Skills Level 2 English course runs in small groups with a mock exam included, and the 5-day revision course is there if your exam is close.