Planning Under Pressure

With only 40 minutes for Section B, the temptation is to start writing immediately. This is a mistake. Spending 5 minutes planning before you write will produce a substantially better essay than diving straight in. A plan gives your essay direction, prevents you from running out of things to say, and ensures your argument has a logical structure.

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Why Planning Matters

Candidates who skip planning typically encounter one or more of these problems:

• Meandering arguments — Without a roadmap, the essay drifts from point to point without clear direction
• Repetition — The same idea is stated in slightly different ways because the candidate has not thought ahead
• Missing counterarguments — The candidate forgets to address the other side because they are focused on generating content in the moment
• Weak conclusions — The essay ends abruptly because the candidate runs out of time or ideas
• Structural imbalance — One point receives three paragraphs while another important point gets one sentence