Layout

1. Layout is important - and an easy way to score extra marks.

2. Put plenty of space around your writing, and it will look more attractive.

3. Use bigger page margins than usual. Leave one-and-a-half inches at the sides of the page, and two inches at the bottom.

4. Here's an example of good and bad layout. Look at the difference!

5. If you are using a word-processor, choose a font with serifs ('Times Roman', 'Garamond', or 'Schoolbook'). These make the writing easier to read.

6. Avoid sans-serif fonts such as 'Arial' or 'Helvetica': these make reading more difficult. They may be used for headings however.

7. Display fonts (such as 'Poster' or 'Showtime') should not be used - except for advertising.

8. The size of font should be eleven or twelve points. This will be easy to read when printed on A4 paper.

9. Put a double space between each paragraph. You don't need to indent the first line of the paragraph.

10. Use italics for the titles of books and magazines. (Also use it for emphasis.) In handwriting, use underlining. Bold is best reserved for headings and sub-headings.

Animal Farm
A Midsummer Night's Dream
PC Monthly

11. Headings and sub-headings should stand out from the rest of your writing. They can be given emphasis by the use of bold.

12. Don't use continuous capital letters in a heading. This looks unsightly, and it makes the heading difficult to read.

HERE IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN CONTINUOUS CAPITALS WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO READ

13. There is no need to underline headings. This just makes them harder to read.

Underlining makes reading harder

14. Don't create pages which are full of closely-packed writing. They will not look attractive. Leave plenty of white space around your work, and let the text 'speak' to the reader.