Lesson 3, The 30-Second Plan

You get 30 seconds to prepare most tasks. That’s not much, and it’s the moment most candidates waste, either by freezing or by trying to write out sentences they’ll never finish.

This lesson gives you one planning routine that works for all eight tasks, so the prep timer stops being frightening.

The universal routine

Whatever the task, do these four things:

1. Decode the question: what exactly is being asked, and who am I talking to? 2. Pick 2 ideas: not four. Two. 3. Attach one concrete example or reason to each 4. Plan your closing line

That’s it. Four steps, roughly 25 seconds, and you’ll never start an answer without knowing where it ends.

Step 1, Decode (about 5 seconds)

Two questions, always:

• What’s the task verb? Advise? Describe? Predict? Compare and persuade? Getting this wrong is the most expensive mistake on the test, a beautiful Task 4 answer that describes instead of predicting scores badly no matter how good the English is.
• Who am I speaking to? A friend, a colleague, a manager? This decides your register, which is part of Task Fulfillment.

Step 2, Pick two ideas (about 10 seconds)

Two developed points beat four shallow ones. Every time.

Raters mark down undeveloped ideas. Four points crammed into 60 seconds means roughly 12 seconds each, nowhere near enough to give reasons or examples. Two points gives you 20–25 seconds each, which is enough to actually build something.

(Exception: Task 1 at 90 seconds wants three points. Everything else, two.)

If you’re stuck for ideas, run these questions in your head:

• Money · time · health · relationships · convenience · stress
• Past → present → future
• Practical benefit → emotional benefit

One of those will produce something for almost any question.

Step 3, Attach an example (about 8 seconds)

A claim without support is a Content/Coherence deduction. Attach one of:

• a reason: “because otherwise…”
• a consequence: “which means you’d end up…”
• a concrete example: “my colleague Daniel went through exactly this”

Named, specific examples read as authentic and score well. They don’t have to be true.

Step 4, Plan the closing line (about 5 seconds)

Decide how you’ll finish before you start. This single habit eliminates the most common ending failure, trailing off mid-sentence when the timer runs down.

You don’t need to plan the words, just the move: warm send-off, takeaway, restated position, or request.

Your prep time is for thinking, not writing

Don’t try to write out sentences. You can’t write fast enough, and reading aloud from notes sounds robotic, which costs you on Listenability.

If you note anything, note keywords only. Two or three words per point, maximum:

budget → can’t see it auto-save → never miss it one habit → sticks

That’s a complete plan for a 90-second answer. Everything else you generate live.

Timing frames

Memorize these two shapes. They’re the difference between finishing cleanly and getting cut off.

The 60-second answer (Tasks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)

The 90-second answer (Tasks 1 and 7)

Three timing rules

1. Start speaking immediately. Silence at the start is unscored time you never get back. Even a slow opener, “Right, so I’ve been thinking about this…”, is better than three seconds of nothing.

2. Finish about 5 seconds early. Target 55 seconds on a 60-second task and 85 seconds on a 90-second task. Being cut off mid-word reads as poor control, and the last thing the rater hears is an unfinished sentence.

3. Never stop early with time left. Finishing at 35 seconds is a Task Fulfillment problem, length is explicitly assessed. If you run out of planned content, add a consequence, an example, or a brief restatement rather than going silent.

Content doesn’t need to be true, or even sensible

This frees up an enormous amount of mental energy, so take it seriously:

There is no marking criterion for whether your content is factual, realistic, or wise.

You are scored on English. Nothing else. If inventing a friend, a job, a trip, or a statistic-free general trend makes your answer easier to say in good English, invent it.

This matters most for perfectionists and over-thinkers, who lose half their prep time deciding what they really think or trying to remember what actually happened. Don’t. Pick whatever is easiest to say well, and spend your energy on the language.

The brainstorming drill

This is the highest-value practice for planning, and you can do it anywhere without recording.

The drill: take any question. In 30 seconds, out loud or in your head, produce:

• 2 ideas
• 1 reason or example for each

Then move to the next question. Don’t speak the full answer. Don’t perfect anything. Just generate.

Do 10 questions in five minutes. Then do it again tomorrow.

The goal is to make idea-generation automatic, so that on test day your 30 seconds goes into quality of ideas rather than panic about having ideas.

Practice questions for the drill

1. A friend wants to adopt a dog but works long hours.
2. Describe a skill you’d like to learn.
3. Should children be given smartphones before age 12?
4. A colleague keeps taking credit for your work.
5. Two holiday options: a city break or a beach resort.
6. Describe a person who influenced you.
7. Should public transport be free?
8. A friend is moving city for a job they’re unsure about.
9. Describe a purchase you regret.
10. Is it better to rent or to buy a home?

Grade your own planning

After a practice answer, ask:

• Did I identify the task verb correctly?
• Did I know who I was speaking to before I started?
• Did I have exactly 2 points (3 for Tasks 1 and 7)?
• Did each point have a reason or example attached?
• Did I know my closing line before I began?
• Did I start speaking within 2 seconds?
• Did I finish 4–6 seconds before the timer?
• Did I avoid trying to write full sentences in prep?