Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-5-key-points-for-writing-practise-essays

[Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [Teacher CPD](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd.md) › [CPD: You Can't Revise for GCSE English!](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english.md) › Key Points for Writing Practise Essays

# Key Points for Writing Practise Essays

CPD: You Can't Revise for GCSE English! (by Mark Roberts), topic 2.1.5

## Top 5 to Thrive

Here are five top tips to help students improve their practice essays:

### Ingredients

![Ingredients](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/c6d711b3-8d4b-45d5-8d35-5c1e88292659/mum-cooking-bored.jpg)

- Students should make sure their essays include the key ingredients of a good essay.

### Prepare

![Prepare](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/60b5414e-0c5b-40db-8537-630ae31603c2/Scouts-boys-.jpg)

- Prepare high-quality practice paragraphs and full essays in advance.

### Plan

![Plan](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/ec45b3a7-76a7-4149-8400-c8e18cc3ca24/mindmap-plan-planning-.png)

- Planning introductions, main body paragraphs, and conclusions, may help students, in addition to using my structures and examples if they're stuck.

### Relating questions

![Relating questions](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-05/2f2dbd96-1be7-4caf-99a0-892832018a43/shutterstock_128693780.jpg)

- Students may need to think carefully about which questions are similar to each other, which allows students to use a similar response.

### Widen the meaning

![Widen the meaning](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/physics/3.1.1%20Changing%20Wave%20Motion/mind-the-gap-1876790_640-min.jpg)

- Practising widening the meaning of the question can help students play to their strengths.

## Well done!

Thank you for completing our CPD course.
We hope you've enjoyed it and that it has given you some ideas for your own classroom.

[GIF: ](https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExNzNjYmVuY29hdGwyMHNycGFheGI0a29mNjA4ZGVtanF2ZTh0NTZ3OSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/l0MYCn3DDRBBqk6nS/giphy.mp4)

## Test yourself on Key Points for Writing Practise Essays

- What are the top 5 to thrive for improving practice essays?
- What can help students when they are faced with a question which they are unsure how to answer?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/2a490036-5dba-4476-9e65-c50bab554d21/section/557b8878-ed0e-4283-aa24-790309c9f7f6/session)

- Previous topic: [2.1.4 Main Body of the Essay](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-4-main-body-of-the-essay.md)

## CPD: You Can't Revise for GCSE English! (by Mark Roberts) contents

### 1 Using Context Successfully
- 1.1 Using Context Successfully
  - [1.1.1 What is Context & Why is it Important?](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/1-1-1-what-is-context-and-why-is-it-important.md)
  - [1.1.2 Common Mistakes with Context 1](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/1-1-2-common-mistakes-with-context-1.md)
  - [1.1.3 Common Mistakes with Context 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/1-1-3-common-mistakes-with-context-2.md)
  - [1.1.4 Key Points for Context](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/1-1-4-key-points-for-context.md)

### 2 Improving Practice Essays
- 2.1 Improving Practice Essays
  - [2.1.1 How to Revise for the Component Parts of an Essay](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-1-how-to-revise-for-the-component-parts-of-an-essay.md)
  - [2.1.2 Essay Introductions for Novels & Plays](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-2-essay-introductions-for-novels-and-plays.md)
  - [2.1.3 Essay Introductions for Poetry](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-3-essay-introductions-for-poetry.md)
  - [2.1.4 Main Body of the Essay](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-4-main-body-of-the-essay.md)
  - [2.1.5 Key Points for Writing Practise Essays](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-you-cant-revise-for-gcse-english/2-1-5-key-points-for-writing-practise-essays.md)