Plan extended writing through form and structure
Plan a longer piece around its audience, purpose and form, using a structure that supports the intended effect.
Section P2-B · Extended writing
Exam scope and assessment notes
These original lessons support study of the official syllabus; they are not Cambridge materials. Practice is self-checked and does not award Cambridge marks or grades. Extended writing and analytical essays need qualified subject-teacher review. Full timed papers and examiner-marked learner responses are not provided here. Interpret language choices in context and qualify claims about audience response.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which plan best suits a review?
What you will learn
- Recognise common written-form conventions.
- Select a structure suited to the task.
- Develop content with controlled voice and progression.
Choose a structure that suits the form
Paper 2 Section B offers three task choices; candidates produce about 700 words in a form such as an advertisement, leaflet, news story, article, review, blog, letter, email, biography, diary, scripted speech, story or descriptive piece.
A review may move from context to summary and evaluation. A narrative may build tension or withhold information. A leaflet may use sections and practical headings. These are options, not fixed formulas: follow the brief and keep the piece coherent.
Plan development, not only an opening
Identify what the reader should know, feel or do. Arrange details so each paragraph advances the text: develop a point, shift perspective, build a scene or present a recommendation.
For narrative, consider viewpoint, sequence, tension and resolution. For description, select sensory details and organise attention through space, movement or focus. For advice, make reasons and actions easy to follow.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Why might a narrative withhold information?
Worked example
Task: Review a new sports centre for a neighbourhood website. Plan four stages.
Show the worked solution
- Introduce the centre and your viewpoint.
- Select two experiences or facilities and explain their value.
- Consider one limitation and make a reader-specific recommendation.
Answer A coherent plan moves from context through supported evaluation to a qualified recommendation. It need not mention every facility; selected details should serve the review's audience.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Plan a scripted speech encouraging students to reuse school supplies: opening, two points and ending.
Give me a hint
Use direct address and a sequence listeners can follow once.
Compare my reasoning
- Open with a relevant question, image or claim.
- Develop a benefit and an action students can take.
- End with a clear invitation.
Opening: ask how many usable notebooks remain at home. Point one: reuse reduces avoidable waste. Point two: a swap shelf makes participation easy. Ending: invite students to bring one usable item next week.
Look for these in your work
- Audience and form are clear
- Points progress logically
- Ending supports purpose
A story prompt is 'The message arrived too late.' Plan a reveal that delays information without confusing the plot.
Give me a hint
Show a consequence first, then provide clues and an understandable explanation.
Compare my reasoning
- Establish a character waiting for or noticing a message.
- Show a consequence before explaining why it matters.
- Reveal the relevant earlier event and close with a response.
Possible plan: a character sees an unanswered notification during a trip; a missed meeting causes tension; small details reveal the message concerned a delayed plan; the final scene shows what the character will do differently.
Look for these in your work
- Clear event sequence
- Delay is purposeful
- Clues prepare the reveal
Plan a review of a community play for a specific audience, including one limitation.
Give me a hint
A recommendation is more credible when readers know who may enjoy it and why.
Compare my reasoning
- Set context and overall impression.
- Use one performance detail as evidence.
- Include a limitation and a qualified recommendation.
Introduce the play and its audience; explain how close staging helps audiences hear the actors; note that a slow opening may not suit readers seeking fast action; recommend it to people who enjoy character-focused theatre.
Look for these in your work
- Review form is recognisable
- Evaluation uses evidence
- Recommendation is audience-specific
Common mistakes
- Adding form features without a purpose
- Planning only the opening
- Choosing details that do not advance the task
What can you explain now?
How should structure be chosen?
Compare with the explanation
Use a sequence that helps the intended reader follow the form and purpose
Structure is useful because it supports communication, not because one template fits all.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.
Make it stick
How can a plan keep a 700-word response purposeful from opening to ending?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.