Packing for the day

An original exposition about using a checklist for a school trip.

On the morning of a class visit, Leila packed her bag from memory. She remembered her lunch and notebook but left her waterproof coat at home. By midday, rain was falling and she had to borrow a coat from a teacher.

Before the next visit, Leila made a checklist. She wrote down everything she needed and crossed off each item as it went into her bag. This time, she arrived with her lunch, notebook, water and coat. The list moved the task from her memory onto the page, where she could return to it even if somebody interrupted her.

A checklist can also make a large task feel manageable. Packing “everything” sounds difficult, but finding four named objects gives the packer a series of small jobs. Crossing off each one also makes it clear what is still missing.

However, a list is only useful if it includes the right things. An old checklist may not suit different weather, and a very long list can hide essential items among things that are merely optional. A checklist should therefore be used as a prompt for careful thought, not as a replacement for it.

How does the writer show that a packing checklist can be helpful but cannot solve every problem?

In your answer, you could consider:

• what happens on the two visits;
• the contrast between packing “everything” and finding four named objects;
• the warning in the final paragraph.