Friday 30 November 2007

Writing Exam Essays - preparation and structure

For Shakespeare/Emma/Poetry/Drama questions

In mixed ability groups of four
You need: a group leader to keep you all in line, a recorder to write down the group’s ideas and paragraphs and one or more spokespersons for feeding back the group’s essay work.

Choose a past question (Don’t waste too much time on this)
Analyse the question’s key words and phrases to get to the root of what is being asked of you.


Form the essay plan which will be composed of:

One main argument (the seat and support with four sub arguments –legs)


Write the introduction. This should contain your main argument. The sub arguments can wait until you reach them later.


Write one of the sub arguments up as a sustained paragraph. Remember to introduce with a topic sentence, give appropriate evidence, comment on your evidence and link it to the question’s key words or phrases or other aspects of the text and its arguments.

Explain your essay plans and read out your introductory paragraphs. Discuss all the group's essay plans and introductions in class so you can take into account other viewpoints and arguments.

Consider the relevance and richness of the evidence (quotations) that you intend to use in your essays. For instance, will you be able to sustain your points with them/or make links to other relevant parts/themes, etc. of the text?

Afterwards, write the essay for homework.

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About Me

I teach Film, Media and English Lit.