English · KS3 Y7 · Writing & Composition
Planning before writing
Planning before writingFree5:09Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standard
What you need to know
- Professional playwrights say a first draft is allowed to be rough; the planning and shaping come after.
- Some writers plan with a prose outline or cue cards and like to know the ending first, because it pulls the story towards it.
- Others let an idea rest, then research it, then plan characters, scenes and structure before writing any dialogue.
- Reading your finished draft on paper, as an audience would, and sharing it with others helps you redraft.
In this clip
Heddy ScoreSeven checks every clip must pass before students see it: trusted, on the map, accurate, focused, accessible, safe, and proven by students.3/7, Below the standard
See the seven stars
- Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
- On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
- Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
- Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
- Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
- Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
- Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
Our students
Not enough students yet
Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.On YouTube
How the Heddy Score works135K views · 2.32K likes · National Theatre 873K subscribers
As reported by YouTube on 2026-11-02. Not part of the Heddy Score.Why we picked it
Real playwrights explain the different ways they plan, research and structure before and during writing, which helps students find their own process.
National Theatre on YouTubechecked 2026-10-22
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