Family 12 · cornell
Printable Cornell notes template
A Cornell notes template splits the page into three areas: a narrow cue column on the left for questions and key words, a wide notes column on the right for what you hear in class, and a summary area across the bottom. These sheets use Walter Pauk’s original proportions — a 2½-inch cue column and a 2-inch summary — lined, grid or blank, with a name and date header, as a free PDF for Letter or A4.
Quick pick
Cornell notes — ready to print
One click to PDF. No signup, no watermark, exact dimensions.
Make your own Cornell notes sheet
Every choice redraws the sheet below with the same engine as the presets.
- Cue column: divider 2 1/2″ (63.5 mm) from the left edge
- Notes column: 139.7 mm wide
- Summary: line 2″ (50.8 mm) above the bottom edge
- 27 note lines, 5 summary lines
Calculation audit
- Page: Letter — 612.00 × 792.00 pt
- Cue divider: 2 1/2″ (63.5 mm) from the left edge
- Notes column: 139.7 mm wide
- Summary line: 2″ (50.8 mm) above the bottom edge
- Header band: 19.0 mm
- Ruling: lined, 9/32″ (7.14 mm)
- Note lines: 27, summary lines: 5
- Formula: cornell-v1
How do you take Cornell notes?
Pauk’s method has five steps. The layout exists for steps two and three: the cue column lets you test yourself without rewriting anything.
Step 1
Record
During the lecture or reading, write the main ideas and facts in the wide notes column. Use short, telegraphic phrases and leave a line between topics.
Step 2
Questions
Soon after class, write questions, key words and cues in the left column, each beside the notes that answer it.
Step 3
Recite
Cover the notes column, read each cue and answer it aloud in your own words, then uncover the notes to check.
Step 4
Reflect
Ask what the ideas mean, how they connect and how you would apply them, then sum up the page in a few sentences in the summary area.
Step 5
Review
Spend at least ten minutes each week reciting from the cue columns of all your earlier sheets.
Steps adapted from Walter Pauk, How to Study in College.
What are the dimensions of a Cornell notes page?
Pauk’s layout for a letter-size sheet is a 2½-inch cue column, a 6-inch notes column and a 2-inch summary area. These templates measure both dividers from the paper edges, so the proportions are the original ones; a half-inch margin all round keeps the lines inside what a home printer can print. On A4 the same measurements apply and the extra height goes to the notes.
| Area | Pauk | Letter sheet | A4 sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cue column | 2½″ wide | divider 63.5 mm from the left edge | divider 63.5 mm from the left edge |
| Notes column | 6″ wide | 152.4 mm to the edge, 139.7 mm printable | 146.5 mm to the edge, 133.8 mm printable |
| Summary area | 2″ high | line 50.8 mm above the bottom edge | line 50.8 mm above the bottom edge |
| College-ruled lines | — | 27 note lines, 5 summary lines | 29 note lines, 5 summary lines |
Figures are the generator’s own output for the classic college-ruled preset with a ¾-inch header band.
Can I change the cue column or summary size?
Yes. The builder above offers a 2, 2½ or 3-inch cue column and a 1½, 2 or 3-inch summary, and can leave the cue column and summary unruled for diagrams. The Studio sets any position to the half-millimetre, any line or grid spacing, line weights and colours. To print a term’s worth, add the sheet to a pack with a quantity of 30 or 60 and export one PDF; print it at 100% scale so a 2½-inch column really is 2½ inches.
Related paper types
For ordinary class notes, use printable lined paper in college or wide ruling; for maths homework, printable graph paper; for planning and sketchnotes, dot grid paper. The exact layout rules are on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cornell note-taking method?
It is a way of laying out and using a page of notes. The sheet is divided into a narrow cue column on the left, a wide notes column on the right and a summary area across the bottom. You take notes on the right during class, add questions and key words on the left afterwards, and write a short summary at the bottom, then study by covering the notes and answering the cues.
Who invented Cornell notes?
Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University, devised the system in the 1950s and described it in his book How to Study in College. The classic layout from that book is a 2½-inch cue column, a 6-inch notes column and a 2-inch summary area on a letter-size sheet.
Can I print a Cornell notes template on A4 paper?
Yes. Switch the paper size to A4 and the template keeps Pauk's measurements: the cue divider stays 63.5 mm from the left edge and the summary line 50.8 mm above the bottom edge, and the extra height of A4 goes to the notes column. Every option on this page works on both sizes.
Should I use a lined, grid or blank Cornell template?
Lined suits most subjects; college ruling fits small handwriting and wide ruling larger handwriting. A 5 mm grid helps in maths, physics and chemistry, where you write equations, tables and small graphs. Blank leaves room for diagrams, mind maps and annotated sketches in art, biology or geography.