2.4. How to Spend the Hour
Leave with a plan for the sixty minutes that protects the task worth most.
The short version
20 minutes on Task 1.
40 minutes on Task 2.
The split follows the marks, not the word count.
Nobody stops you at twenty minutes.
Split the hour by the marks
Task 2 is worth twice as much, so it gets twice the time. Twenty minutes on Task 1 and forty on Task 2 is the split almost every teacher recommends.
Your hour
- 20 min · Task 1
Three minutes planning, fifteen writing, two checking.
- 40 min · Task 2
Five minutes planning, thirty writing, five checking.
Total: 60 min
Which one first?
Most candidates do Task 1 first, because it is shorter and it warms you up. If you know you overrun, do Task 2 first so the task worth two thirds is finished while you are fresh.
Tips
- Plan before you write, both times
About five minutes on Task 2 and three on Task 1. A plan is notes, not sentences.
- Stop Task 1 at twenty minutes
Even mid sentence. Time stolen from Task 2 costs you twice as much as it gains.
- Leave time to check
Five minutes of checking finds more marks than five more minutes of writing.
Quiz time3 questions
Three quick questions on timing.
The split
Choose the recommended split.
How should you split the sixty minutes?
Running over
Choose the best response.
You reach twenty minutes and Task 1 is unfinished. What now?
Planning
Choose how long to plan Task 2.
How long should you plan Task 2 for?
Recap
Twenty minutes on Task 1, forty on Task 2.
Plan first, both times.
Move on at twenty minutes even if Task 1 is unfinished.
Next: the habits that earn marks on both tasks.