Ali Abdaal
April 9, 2019
Essay Memorisation Framework for Academic Excellence
TL;DR
Ellie shares her two-stage essay memorization framework combining research-based essay planning with active recall, spaced repetition, Anki flashcards, and spider diagrams—the method she used to rank first at Cambridge University.
Key Takeaways
- 1Create 40-50 high-quality essay plans by researching past papers, using Google and academic sources, then structuring them with clear introductions, thesis statements, and supporting evidence
- 2Memorize essay plans using Anki flashcards for individual content blocks, spider diagrams for essay structure, and a retrospective revision timetable for systematic spaced repetition
- 3Build deep subject knowledge through this process so you can both regurgitate memorized essays in exams and generate novel essays on unpredicted questions
- 4Focus on three essay components: strong structure, directly answering the question, and adding historical or contextual flair to engage examiners
- 5Use active recall daily by redrawing spider diagrams from memory and color-coding your retrospective timetable to track retention and identify weak areas
Notable Quotes
“the work expands to fill the time we allocate to it”
— Ellie (referencing Parkinson's law)
“I'm pretty good at using Google effectively and copying and pasting stuff into a research word document and then turning it into fairly legit sounding prose”
— Ellie
“if there is a paper that's relevant I'll know what it is I'll know what the reference is I'll know what the content is I'll know how to describe the experiment and I'll just be able to put it into even new essays that I'm writing on the spot in the exam”
— Ellie
“if you want to do all the stuff on the side it means you have the time to do all the stuff on the side”
— Ellie
Chapters
1. Introduction & Framework Overview
Ellie introduces herself as a junior doctor and psychology graduate who won the best exam prize at Cambridge. She outlines the two-stage essay memorization framework: creation stage (building essay plans) and memorization stage (committing them to memory through active recall and spaced repetition).
2. Stage 1: Creation – Selecting Essay Titles
The first step in creating the framework involves choosing which essay titles to prepare. Ellie recommends starting with past papers to identify recurring topics, then predicting new essay questions by thinking like an examiner. Without past papers, consult your lecturer for guidance.
3. Stage 1: Planning & Writing Essays
Allocate one day per essay plan using Parkinson's law. Begin with Google searches and academic papers rather than lecture notes to ensure originality. Create a research document by copying and pasting relevant material, then consolidate it into a structured essay plan with introduction, subheadings, and evidence.
4. Stage 1: Crafting Strong Essays
Good essays require three elements: structure, answering the question, and flair. The introduction is critical—use numbered points to signal structure, explicitly state your thesis, and add historical context for sophistication. Ellie demonstrates this with her judgment and decision-making essay introduction.
5. Stage 2: Anki Flashcards for Content Blocks
Convert each paragraph of your essay plans into Anki flashcards with keywords (e.g., author and year) on the front and the corresponding content on the back. This creates modular content blocks that you memorize through daily spaced repetition, enabling both regurgitation of planned essays and flexibility to apply knowledge to novel questions.
6. Stage 2: Spider Diagrams for Essay Structure
After memorizing content blocks, create one-page spider diagrams for each essay showing its full structure and linking to Anki keywords. Draw these diagrams from memory daily, checking against your master copies when you're unsure. This combines active recall with reinforcement of essay architecture.
7. Stage 2: Retrospective Revision Timetable
Implement systematic spaced repetition by recording which essays you've actively recalled each day on a retrospective timetable split by subject sections. Color-code entries (red/yellow/green) based on retention quality. This data-driven approach ensures you revisit weak areas and optimize study time.
8. Exam Performance & Results
Ellie wrote 12 essays in the exam; 8 were from her 45-50 prepared plans, which she regurgitated easily. The remaining 4 were novel questions, but her deep subject knowledge allowed her to construct strong essays in ~10 minutes. She and another student jointly won the best exam prize (technically second place by decimals, but framed as first).
9. Long-Term Benefits & Reflection
This efficient study method freed time for running a business and starting a YouTube channel alongside her degree. Although she reverted to less efficient habits in later years, this framework remained foundational. Ellie emphasizes that systematic study techniques enable both high marks and parallel commitments.
10. Closing & Resources
Ellie thanks viewers, encourages questions in comments, and directs them to her website for a detailed FAQ. She promotes her Instagram, the 'Not Overthinking' podcast with her brother, and her YouTube channel covering medicine, studying, tech, and productivity.
Key People & Entities
- Ellie
- Junior doctor and Cambridge University psychology graduate who ranked first (technically joint second) in her third year using this essay memorization framework
Glossary
- Active Recall
- A learning technique where you retrieve information from memory without looking at the source, strengthening memory encoding and retrieval ability.
- Spaced Repetition
- A memorization method in which you review material at increasing intervals, optimizing long-term retention based on the spacing effect.
- Anki
- A digital flashcard application that uses an algorithm to schedule review timing based on how well you remember each card.
- Spider Diagram
- A visual brainstorming and organizational tool with a central topic connected by branches to subtopics and supporting details.
- Retrospective Revision Timetable
- A tracking method where you record the dates and color-code the quality of your recall for each topic studied, allowing data-driven identification of weak areas.
- Content Blocks
- Modular units of knowledge (e.g., a paragraph or research finding) that can be memorized independently and flexibly applied to different essays.