Drafting is the assessment students most often underestimate. The marks are not awarded for elegance — they are awarded for clarity, structure and a quiet kind of precision that only comes from disciplined editing.
01Start with the architecture, not the words
Distinction-level drafts almost always begin with a one-page skeleton: parties, relief sought, causes of action, particulars in logical order. Build that scaffold before you reach for prose and your sentences will fall into place.
02The language of precision
Plain English wins. Replace 'in respect of' with 'about', 'utilise' with 'use', and trim every adjective that does not earn its keep. Examiners reward the draft that a busy judge could read once and understand.
- One idea per sentence.
- Active voice unless passive carries weight.
- Numbered paragraphs to make cross-reference effortless.
03Self-edit in three passes
Pass one: structure. Pass two: legal accuracy. Pass three: language. Doing them in sequence prevents the most common error — fixing a clause while a deeper structural problem hides in plain sight.
“If you cannot summarise your draft in one sentence, your structure is wrong.”
- 1Skeleton first, prose second.
- 2Plain English beats Latin every time.
- 3Edit in three separate passes.
The Lexstery Team
Lexstery editorial
