Planning An Essay

Essays are hard. But you know what they say, “practice makes perfect”.

Here are some notes to help you with planning your essay. Read on and go well!

Introduction:

• IMPORTANT: Answer the question! 

• Connect all ideas under common themes

• Practise integrating the ideas of the question into your introduction

• Synonyms are now your best friend. Use synonyms for words in the exam questions and include these words in your response. 

• Write topic sentences that allow you to further develop arguments to answer the question.

Body:

• Knowledge of specific quotes / evidence from texts, including understanding of themes to which your quotes / evidence relate to.

• Try and find evidence that is malleable - e.g. evidence that grapples with more than one theme

• Understanding of specific events from texts which relate to the concept you are studying - e.g. Romanticism, postmodernism etc. By doing this, you will have a more holistic understanding of your text

• Practise adapting your ideas to suit the requirements of different questions. 

• Distinguish between the purpose of every sentence (DIAS - Description, integration, analysis, synthesis). EVERY SENTENCE HAS A PURPOSE!

• Structure: Argument -> elaborate -> examples + techniques -> link (PETAL, PEEL, TEEL)

Make Sure:

• Your argument should be logical and it must flow consistently

• You have answered the question

• The sentences in every paragraph are linked to your overarching idea of the essay

• Syntax: every sentence makes sense

• You check for punctuation, grammar and spelling

Other Notes:

Always ignore the word count at first. It does not matter! You will always be able to go back and edit it at a later time.