Cornell Notes Template
A Cornell notes template divides the page into a header for the topic and date, a cue column on the left, a wide notes area on the right and a summary box along the foot. Set the column width, the summary height and whether the notes area is ruled, and the sheet is drawn for your paper size.
Your sheet
Printing: choose Actual size or 100%, not “Fit to page”, so 1 cm prints as 1 cm. How to check.
How is the page divided?
Header 22 mm deep inside a 10 mm margin; cue column of the chosen width on the left; summary box of the chosen height at the foot; the notes area is what remains, ruled at the chosen spacing.
Worked example. On A4 with a 60 mm cue column and a 50 mm summary: the notes area is 190 − 60 = 130 mm wide and 297 − 20 − 22 − 50 = 205 mm tall. Ruled every 7.1 mm it holds 28 lines. The cue column has no rules, so questions can be written beside the note they belong to.
How to take Cornell notes
During the class, write in the notes area only: short phrases, abbreviations, diagrams. Within a day, read the notes and write a question or key word in the cue column for each idea. Then cover the notes and answer the cues from memory. Finally, write the summary. The method works because the review and the self-test are built into the page.
Adapting the layout
For maths, leave the notes area blank and use the cue column for the rule or formula each worked example illustrates. For languages, put new words in the cue column and example sentences in the notes. For meetings, cue column for actions and owners, notes for the discussion, summary for decisions.
Printing a notebook
Print double-sided on 80 to 90 gsm paper and bind with a comb or in a folder. If you take notes with a fountain pen, pick 90 gsm or heavier. The layout is the same on every page, so the cue columns line up when you flick through.
Questions about Cornell notes
What are Cornell notes?
A note-taking layout with three parts: a wide notes area on the right for what you hear or read, a narrower cue column on the left for questions and key words written afterwards, and a summary box at the bottom for the page’s main point in your own words. It was devised at Cornell University in the 1950s.
How wide should the cue column be?
About a third of the page. On A4 that is 60 to 70 mm, the default here. Make it narrower (45 mm) if you write small or want more room for notes, or wider for subjects heavy with vocabulary.
Should the notes area be ruled?
Ruled at college spacing (7.1 mm) suits lectures and reading notes. Blank suits diagrams, maths and languages with non-Latin scripts. Set “Rule the notes area every” to 0 for blank.
How big should the summary box be?
Three to five lines of writing, so 35 to 50 mm. The box is deliberately small: the summary is a few sentences, not a copy of the notes.
Can I use it on a tablet?
Yes. Download the PNG or the PDF (through “Print or save as PDF”) and open it in your notes app as a page template. Choose the paper size that matches your app’s page.