A printable planner for six-mark and extended answer questions
Extended answers are marked on whether the argument holds together, so the ninety seconds spent planning one buys more marks than the same ninety seconds spent writing faster. The sheet asks for the command word first, then three points with evidence, then the judgement. Use it while revising until the shape becomes automatic, then stop using it.
Last updated 20 August 2026 · Written and checked by the GCSEwiz team
What is on the sheet
- Four planners per sheet, so a revision session covers four questions
- A prompt for the command word before anything else
- A judgement line, which is where most long answers fall short
1 sheet · A4 portrait · black and white
Your printer dialog also offers Save as PDF if you want a copy on your phone.
Extended answer planner
Ninety seconds each, then write the best one out in full. Copy the question first and circle the command word: half of the lost marks come from answering a different verb.
| Question + command word | Point 1 + evidence | Point 2 + evidence | Point 3 + evidence | The judgement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band | What separates it from the band below |
|---|---|
| Top | A sustained argument with a judgement that follows from the evidence given. |
| Middle | Relevant points with support, but the reasoning drifts or never concludes. |
| Bottom | Correct facts listed with little or no link to the question asked. |
Bands vary by subject and board; this is the shape they share. Your board’s own mark scheme is the version that counts, and it is published free with every past paper.
Why planning beats writing more
On a six-marker you have perhaps eight minutes. Spending ninety seconds of it on a plan feels like losing a fifth of your writing time, and it is, but the marks are not awarded per word. They are awarded for structure, relevance and a conclusion that follows from what came before, all three of which are decided before you write a sentence.
The answers that lose most heavily are the ones that start writing immediately, wander into everything the student knows about the topic, and stop when the space runs out.
Three points is usually the right number
Two rarely gives enough range for the top band; five means each one gets a sentence and none of them gets developed. Three well-supported points and a judgement is the shape most six-mark schemes are built around.
Depth beats breadth in almost every mark scheme at this level. One point explained properly with evidence attached is worth more than three mentioned in passing.
Stop using the sheet eventually
The planner is scaffolding. Its job is to make the shape automatic, so that in the exam you sketch two lines in the margin and get on with it. If you are still filling in a formal plan in April, plan on the paper instead and keep the sheet for the questions that feel hardest.