how to structure a paper 1 english essay

IB English Paper 1 Explained

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IB English Paper 1 is one of those nerve-wracking experiences that everyone has to endure. It's especially scary because you have no idea what you'll end up writing for your final exam–and your grades depend on it!

The best preparation you can do is be acutely aware of the exam structure and proven strategies that have worked for past IB7 graduates.

If you want to fully wrap your head around the IB English Paper 1 guided analysis, then this quick guide is for you.

Meet your instructor Jackson Huang, Founder of LitLearn. His mission is to make IB English as pain-free as possible with fun, practical lessons. Jackson scored an IB45 and was accepted to Harvard, Amherst, Williams Colleges, and full scholarships to University of Melbourne & Queensland.

What is a Paper 1 exam?

In a Paper 1 exam, you are given two mysterious, unseen texts . Each text is between 1-2 pages in length.

For SL students, you're in luck! Your task is to write a guided analysis on just one of the two texts. Total marks: 20. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes.

For HL students, you're in less luck… Your task is to write two guided analysis essays–one on each of the texts. Total marks: 40. You have 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The mystery text types you'll get for Paper 1 depend on whether you're in IB English Language & Literature or IB English Literature.

For IB English Literature , Paper 1 text types belong to four neat categories (hooray!):

• Fictional prose (e.g. short stories, extracts from novels)
• Non-fiction prose (e.g. scientific articles, extracts)
• Dramatic plays

For IB English Language and Literature , your text types could be… really… anything. Be prepared to be surprised. Typically, at least one of the text types will include some visual element like an image, photo, or cartoon. Here's the (non-exhaustive) list of Lang Lit text types:

• Magazines, blogs, articles and editorials
• Speeches, interview scripts, radio transcripts
• Instruction manuals, brochures
• Comic strips, political cartoons
• … and the list goes on…

What do I write in a guided analysis?

For each Paper 1 text, the IB English Gods pose a short, open-ended question.

This question is called the guiding question , and your essay must focus on answering this guiding question using analysis (we'll explain “analysis” in a second).

Examples of guiding questions:

• How does the writer characterize the protagonist's state of mind?
• How and to what effect do textual and visual elements shape meaning?
• How is narrative perspective used to create meaning and effect?

Even though you're technically allowed to choose your own focus and ignore the default guiding question, it's highly recommended that you go along with what's given… unless you really don't know how to answer it, or you're super confident in your Paper 1 skills.

Now, what are we supposed to do with the guiding question?

Guiding questions always ask you to explain how and why certain language or visual choices are used to build one or more central ideas .

And so the vague instruction "Answer the guiding question" actually translates to something very specific:

Explain  how and why the writer uses specific language to build their central idea(s).

This sentence pretty much sums up not just IB English Paper 1, but the gist of analysis and IB English overall.

Writing Deep, Insightful Analysis

If you want to get a high score on Paper 1 (and every IB English assessment in general), you must know how to write deep, insightful analysis.

After helping numerous IB English students at LitLearn, we've found that weak analysis is the #1 reason students struggle in IB English.

Biggest Mistake

The main mistake you're likely making is that your analysis doesn't dig deep enough .

Students make the mistake of only touching the surface-level meaning of the texts. For example, common mistakes include:

• only recounting the plot
• mentioning techniques and ideas without digging into the how and why
• not identifying the most relevant techniques for analysis.

The diagram below shows the difference between surface-level meaning, deep analysis, and deeper analysis.

If you're unsure about how to write strong analysis for IB English, or you're not confident in what to look for in your texts, then you should watch this free 7-minute video lesson from Learn Analysis: Analysis Foundations.

Learn Analysis

No sign up or credit card required.

Essential Techniques you need to know

So how do we write strong analysis that scores highly on Criterion B?

First things first, we need to know how to analyze the major literary and visual techniques (visual for Lang Lit), so that we can quickly find and analyze them under exam stress.

If you're cramming for Paper 1, here are the 7 most important techniques and concepts that you should know for IB English Paper 1. They apply to all text types in Lang Lit as well as Literature:

• Tone, atmosphere and mood
• Diction and voice
• Metaphor, simile, and personification
• The 4 main types of imagery
• The 3 types of irony
• Juxtaposition and contrast
• Grammatical and structural techniques

There's a bunch more, but these 7 categories make a great starting point. The first step is to learn their names and definitions, and flashcards are an excellent way to do this.

Of course, memorizing isn't enough. We also need to know the common effects and purposes behind each of these core techniques, so that we can build a mental library of the most common ways to deeply analyze each technique. If you don't study each technique in detail, it's much harder to invent deep analysis on-the-spot during an exam.

We go deep into each of the techniques in Learn Analysis . Here are just a couple of them to get you started.

Level 1 Techniques

Your One Mission in Paper 1

Let's quickly recap what you need to do in a Paper 1.

• You need to discuss the characters, themes and plot of a chosen  literary text, OR the visual and stylistic elements (diagrams, headings, titles, images) for a non-literary text.
• You then need to explain how and why these aspects were achieved by the writer or artist.

These two points are helpful as a basis for understanding, but they won't help you get concrete words onto the exam page. What we need now is a practical guide to writing an actual essay:

• Deciding on a good  thesis
• Choosing the right  points
• Choosing the right structure

A Practical Guide to Writing a Paper 1 essay

An IB English Paper 1 essay boils down to 3 separate parts:

• An introduction paragraph : contains a thesis and an outline of your points
• A body (usually 3 paragraphs) : contains your points
• A conclusion : wraps up the essay

Choosing a thesis

The thesis or subject statement is a single sentence in the introduction of the guided analysis that states how the writer achieves their overall purpose.

This is also the main argument that you are trying to prove in your essay, and it's typically related to the guiding question . The examiner can usually judge the strength of your analytical skills JUST from your subject statement alone, so it needs to be well-written!

Choosing the right essay structure for IB English Paper 1

Every text works best with a specific paragraph structure. Finding this match isn't always easy, but it's also one of the most important things to get right in your Paper 1 guided analysis.

You can organise your essay by:

• ideas or themes
• sections (sequential, e.g. stanza by stanza for poems)
• the ‘Big 5'
• and probably a whole host of other acronyms that English teachers love to invent.

Criterion C for IB English Paper 1 is Organisation . It's worth a whole 5/20 marks, so it's definitely in your best interest to choose the most appropriate structure for your essay.

Pro Tip: I recommend students to stay away from the Big 5 . Sure, it's useful as a memory device to tell you what elements to look for in a text, but it's not a good essay structure for analysis.

Why? Because analysis is about examining the causal interplay between techniques, stylistic choices, audience, tone, and themes. The Big 5 and SPECSLIMS artificially silo these components in your discussion.  Heed my advice or pay the price! (notice that rhyme?)

So in my opinion, there are only two types of structure that are most  conducive (yep, another new vocab, omnomnom) to getting a 7. Ideas/themes  and Sections . Take this as a hot tip and run with it. If your teacher is forcing you to use other structures, then you'll need to know why this is recommended.

We go into much more depth and explain it all inside Learn Analysis.

Pro members only

Writing body paragraphs: Why and How

Once you've chosen the best structure for your essay and decided on a strong thesis as your central argument, the rest of the essay needs to revolve around proving  this argument.

How do you prove this subject statement? You do it by looking at individual points. These smaller points support smaller, more specific aspects of the overall thesis.

The idea is that each body paragraph, or point, aims to prove a separate, smaller aspect of the bigger thesis. It's like a jigsaw puzzle : You must piece together smaller, more manageable pieces to build the bigger argument (i.e. the thesis).

In reality, this translates into writing 2, 3 or 4 points, each of which fits snuggly it its own paragraph or multiple paragraphs (depending on the complexity of the point).

In each point, you must include:

• Quotes, references to images, titles, headings, or visual elements. This is the evidence.
• Analysis of language and literary techniques.  Use specific quotes from the text and explain how and why they are used by the writer to shape his/her message.

Obviously, this is a quick summary of how to write a high-quality body paragraph. We dive deeper into the specific details of how to structure a body paragraph in the guided analysis.

Planning ahead

Ironically, the most important part of IB English Paper 1 is not the analysis itself (well it is, but not really). The part you have to get right the first time is the plan. Most students do not know how to plan effectively, or get flustered in the exam and don't plan, or don't even try to plan because they think they're above it. Big mistake!

Before you even begin writing, you should plan out your essay in sufficient detail. You will lose track of time, thought and sanity if you do not have a clear road map of every part of your essay before you begin writing.

You can learn how to annotate and plan quickly & efficiently using the flowchart method, which we demonstrate inside Learn Analysis and Paper 1 .

In the Pro lesson below, we go into detail on exactly how to plan a Paper 1 essay effectively and efficiently under exam conditions.

How do I practice for Paper 1?

Most students think that doing a lot of practice papers is the best way to improve in Paper 1. However, there's a much more efficient, targeted method to study for Paper 1.

We work our way up from the smallest, most manageable chunks of analysis to the full Paper 1 exam. It's a good idea to reserve real IB English past papers for 2 months before your final exam so that you don't run out of past papers--they are the best preparation for the final exam. Also, if your analysis skills aren't already strong, doing real past papers is a waste of an excellent exam prep resource.

Questionbank

Quote analysis exercises with exemplar IB7 solutions

Short guided analysis exercises with exemplar IB7 solutions

1 hour practice exams with detailed markschemes or video solutions

IB past paper solutions: Exemplar essay plans and full essay responses

Question​bank

Paper 1 Practice Exams

Past Paper 1 Solutions

Paper 2 Guide

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How to Format and Structure Your College Essay

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College essays are an entirely new type of writing for high school seniors. For that reason, many students are confused about proper formatting and essay structure. Should you double-space or single-space? Do you need a title? What kind of narrative style is best-suited for your topic?

In this post, we’ll be going over proper college essay format, traditional and unconventional essay structures (plus sample essays!), and which structure might work best for you. 

General College Essay Formatting Guidelines

How you format your essay will depend on whether you’re submitting in a text box, or attaching a document. We’ll go over the different best practices for both, but regardless of how you’re submitting, here are some general formatting tips:

• There’s no need for a title; it takes up unnecessary space and eats into your word count
• Stay within the word count as much as possible (+/- 10% of the upper limit). For further discussion on college essay length, see our post How Long Should Your College Essay Be?
• Indent or double space to separate paragraphs clearly

If you’re submitting in a text box:

• Avoid italics and bold, since formatting often doesn’t transfer over in text boxes
• Be careful with essays meant to be a certain shape (like a balloon); text boxes will likely not respect that formatting. Beyond that, this technique can also seem gimmicky, so proceed with caution
• Make sure that paragraphs are clearly separated, as text boxes can also undo indents and double spacing

If you’re attaching a document:

• Use a standard font and size like Times New Roman, 12 point
• Make your lines 1.5-spaced or double-spaced
• Use 1-inch margins
• Save as a PDF since it can’t be edited. This also prevents any formatting issues that come with Microsoft Word, since older versions are sometimes incompatible with the newer formatting
• Number each page with your last name in the header or footer (like “Smith 1”)
• Pay extra attention to any word limits, as you won’t be cut off automatically, unlike with most text boxes

Conventional College Essay Structures

Now that we’ve gone over the logistical aspects of your essay, let’s talk about how you should structure your writing. There are three traditional college essay structures. They are:

• In-the-moment narrative
• Narrative told over an extended period of time
• Series of anecdotes, or montage

Let’s go over what each one is exactly, and take a look at some real essays using these structures.

1. In-the-moment narrative

This is where you tell the story one moment at a time, sharing the events as they occur. In the moment narrative is a powerful essay format, as your reader experiences the events, your thoughts, and your emotions with you . This structure is ideal for a specific experience involving extensive internal dialogue, emotions, and reflections.

Here’s an example:

The morning of the Model United Nation conference, I walked into Committee feeling confident about my research. We were simulating the Nuremberg Trials – a series of post-World War II proceedings for war crimes – and my portfolio was of the Soviet Judge Major General Iona Nikitchenko. Until that day, the infamous Nazi regime had only been a chapter in my history textbook; however, the conference’s unveiling of each defendant’s crimes brought those horrors to life. The previous night, I had organized my research, proofread my position paper and gone over Judge Nikitchenko’s pertinent statements. I aimed to find the perfect balance between his stance and my own.

As I walked into committee anticipating a battle of wits, my director abruptly called out to me. “I’m afraid we’ve received a late confirmation from another delegate who will be representing Judge Nikitchenko. You, on the other hand, are now the defense attorney, Otto Stahmer.” Everyone around me buzzed around the room in excitement, coordinating with their allies and developing strategies against their enemies, oblivious to the bomb that had just dropped on me. I felt frozen in my tracks, and it seemed that only rage against the careless delegate who had confirmed her presence so late could pull me out of my trance. After having spent a month painstakingly crafting my verdicts and gathering evidence against the Nazis, I now needed to reverse my stance only three hours before the first session.

Gradually, anger gave way to utter panic. My research was fundamental to my performance, and without it, I knew I could add little to the Trials. But confident in my ability, my director optimistically recommended constructing an impromptu defense. Nervously, I began my research anew. Despite feeling hopeless, as I read through the prosecution’s arguments, I uncovered substantial loopholes. I noticed a lack of conclusive evidence against the defendants and certain inconsistencies in testimonies. My discovery energized me, inspiring me to revisit the historical overview in my conference “Background Guide” and to search the web for other relevant articles. Some Nazi prisoners had been treated as “guilty” before their court dates. While I had brushed this information under the carpet while developing my position as a judge, it now became the focus of my defense. I began scratching out a new argument, centered on the premise that the allied countries had violated the fundamental rule that, a defendant was “not guilty” until proven otherwise.

At the end of the three hours, I felt better prepared. The first session began, and with bravado, I raised my placard to speak. Microphone in hand, I turned to face my audience. “Greetings delegates. I, Otto Stahmer would like to…….” I suddenly blanked. Utter dread permeated my body as I tried to recall my thoughts in vain. “Defence Attorney, Stahmer we’ll come back to you,” my Committee Director broke the silence as I tottered back to my seat, flushed with embarrassment. Despite my shame, I was undeterred. I needed to vindicate my director’s faith in me. I pulled out my notes, refocused, and began outlining my arguments in a more clear and direct manner. Thereafter, I spoke articulately, confidently putting forth my points. I was overjoyed when Secretariat members congratulated me on my fine performance.

Going into the conference, I believed that preparation was the key to success. I wouldn’t say I disagree with that statement now, but I believe adaptability is equally important. My ability to problem-solve in the face of an unforeseen challenge proved advantageous in the art of diplomacy. Not only did this experience transform me into a confident and eloquent delegate at that conference, but it also helped me become a more flexible and creative thinker in a variety of other capacities. Now that I know I can adapt under pressure, I look forward to engaging in activities that will push me to be even quicker on my feet.

This essay is an excellent example of in-the-moment narration. The student openly shares their internal state with us — we feel their anger and panic upon the reversal of roles. We empathize with their emotions of “utter dread” and embarrassment when they’re unable to speak. 

For in-the-moment essays, overloading on descriptions is a common mistake students make. This writer provides just the right amount of background and details to help us understand the situation, however, and balances out the actual event with reflection on the significance of this experience. 

One main area of improvement is that the writer sometimes makes explicit statements that could be better illustrated through their thoughts, actions, and feelings. For instance, they say they “spoke articulately” after recovering from their initial inability to speak, and they also claim that adaptability has helped them in other situations. This is not as engaging as actual examples that convey the same meaning. Still, this essay overall is a strong example of in-the-moment narration, and gives us a relatable look into the writer’s life and personality.

2. Narrative told over an extended period of time

In this essay structure, you share a story that takes place across several different experiences. This narrative style is well-suited for any story arc with multiple parts. If you want to highlight your development over time, you might consider this structure. 

When I was younger, I was adamant that no two foods on my plate touch. As a result, I often used a second plate to prevent such an atrocity. In many ways, I learned to separate different things this way from my older brothers, Nate and Rob. Growing up, I idolized both of them. Nate was a performer, and I insisted on arriving early to his shows to secure front row seats, refusing to budge during intermission for fear of missing anything. Rob was a three-sport athlete, and I attended his games religiously, waving worn-out foam cougar paws and cheering until my voice was hoarse. My brothers were my role models. However, while each was talented, neither was interested in the other’s passion. To me, they represented two contrasting ideals of what I could become: artist or athlete. I believed I had to choose.

And for a long time, I chose athlete. I played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse and viewed myself exclusively as an athlete, believing the arts were not for me. I conveniently overlooked that since the age of five, I had been composing stories for my family for Christmas, gifts that were as much for me as them, as I loved writing. So when in tenth grade, I had the option of taking a creative writing class, I was faced with a question: could I be an athlete and a writer? After much debate, I enrolled in the class, feeling both apprehensive and excited. When I arrived on the first day of school, my teacher, Ms. Jenkins, asked us to write down our expectations for the class. After a few minutes, eraser shavings stubbornly sunbathing on my now-smudged paper, I finally wrote, “I do not expect to become a published writer from this class. I just want this to be a place where I can write freely.”

Although the purpose of the class never changed for me, on the third “submission day,” – our time to submit writing to upcoming contests and literary magazines – I faced a predicament. For the first two submission days, I had passed the time editing earlier pieces, eventually (pretty quickly) resorting to screen snake when hopelessness made the words look like hieroglyphics. I must not have been as subtle as I thought, as on the third of these days, Ms. Jenkins approached me. After shifting from excuse to excuse as to why I did not submit my writing, I finally recognized the real reason I had withheld my work: I was scared. I did not want to be different, and I did not want to challenge not only others’ perceptions of me, but also my own. I yielded to Ms. Jenkin’s pleas and sent one of my pieces to an upcoming contest.

By the time the letter came, I had already forgotten about the contest. When the flimsy white envelope arrived in the mail, I was shocked and ecstatic to learn that I had received 2nd place in a nationwide writing competition. The next morning, however, I discovered Ms. Jenkins would make an announcement to the whole school exposing me as a poet. I decided to own this identity and embrace my friends’ jokes and playful digs, and over time, they have learned to accept and respect this part of me. I have since seen more boys at my school identifying themselves as writers or artists.

I no longer see myself as an athlete and a poet independently, but rather I see these two aspects forming a single inseparable identity – me. Despite their apparent differences, these two disciplines are quite similar, as each requires creativity and devotion. I am still a poet when I am lacing up my cleats for soccer practice and still an athlete when I am building metaphors in the back of my mind – and I have realized ice cream and gummy bears taste pretty good together.

The timeline of this essay spans from the writer’s childhood all the way to sophomore year, but we only see key moments along this journey. First, we get context for why the writer thought he had to choose one identity: his older brothers had very distinct interests. Then, we learn about the student’s 10th grade creative writing class, writing contest, and results of the contest. Finally, the essay covers the writers’ embarrassment of his identity as a poet, to gradual acceptance and pride in that identity. 

This essay is a great example of a narrative told over an extended period of time. It’s highly personal and reflective, as the piece shares the writer’s conflicting feelings, and takes care to get to the root of those feelings. Furthermore, the overarching story is that of a personal transformation and development, so it’s well-suited to this essay structure.

3. Series of anecdotes, or montage

This essay structure allows you to focus on the most important experiences of a single storyline, or it lets you feature multiple (not necessarily related) stories that highlight your personality. Montage is a structure where you piece together separate scenes to form a whole story. This technique is most commonly associated with film. Just envision your favorite movie—it likely is a montage of various scenes that may not even be chronological. 

Night had robbed the academy of its daytime colors, yet there was comfort in the dim lights that cast shadows of our advances against the bare studio walls. Silhouettes of roundhouse kicks, spin crescent kicks, uppercuts and the occasional butterfly kick danced while we sparred. She approached me, eyes narrowed with the trace of a smirk challenging me. “Ready spar!” Her arm began an upward trajectory targeting my shoulder, a common first move. I sidestepped — only to almost collide with another flying fist. Pivoting my right foot, I snapped my left leg, aiming my heel at her midsection. The center judge raised one finger. 

There was no time to celebrate, not in the traditional sense at least. Master Pollard gave a brief command greeted with a unanimous “Yes, sir” and the thud of 20 hands dropping-down-and-giving-him-30, while the “winners” celebrated their victory with laps as usual. 

Three years ago, seven-thirty in the evening meant I was a warrior. It meant standing up straighter, pushing a little harder, “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am”, celebrating birthdays by breaking boards, never pointing your toes, and familiarity. Three years later, seven-thirty in the morning meant I was nervous. 

The room is uncomfortably large. The sprung floor soaks up the checkerboard of sunlight piercing through the colonial windows. The mirrored walls further illuminate the studio and I feel the light scrutinizing my sorry attempts at a pas de bourrée , while capturing the organic fluidity of the dancers around me. “ Chassé en croix, grand battement, pique, pirouette.” I follow the graceful limbs of the woman in front of me, her legs floating ribbons, as she executes what seems to be a perfect ronds de jambes. Each movement remains a negotiation. With admirable patience, Ms. Tan casts me a sympathetic glance.   

There is no time to wallow in the misery that is my right foot. Taekwondo calls for dorsiflexion; pointed toes are synonymous with broken toes. My thoughts drag me into a flashback of the usual response to this painful mistake: “You might as well grab a tutu and head to the ballet studio next door.” Well, here I am Master Pollard, unfortunately still following your orders to never point my toes, but no longer feeling the satisfaction that comes with being a third degree black belt with 5 years of experience quite literally under her belt. It’s like being a white belt again — just in a leotard and ballet slippers. 

But the appetite for new beginnings that brought me here doesn’t falter. It is only reinforced by the classical rendition of “Dancing Queen” that floods the room and the ghost of familiarity that reassures me that this new beginning does not and will not erase the past. After years spent at the top, it’s hard to start over. But surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become. In Taekwondo, we started each class reciting the tenets: honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet. 

The thing about change is that it eventually stops making things so different. After nine different schools, four different countries, three different continents, fluency in Tamil, Norwegian, and English, there are more blurred lines than there are clear fragments. My life has not been a tactfully executed, gold medal-worthy Taekwondo form with each movement defined, nor has it been a series of frappés performed by a prima ballerina with each extension identical and precise, but thankfully it has been like the dynamics of a spinning back kick, fluid, and like my chances of landing a pirouette, unpredictable. 

This essay takes a few different anecdotes and weaves them into a coherent narrative about the writer’s penchant for novel experiences. We’re plunged into her universe, in the middle of her Taekwondo spar, three years before the present day. She then transitions into a scene in a ballet studio, present day. By switching from past tense to present tense, the writer clearly demarcates this shift in time. 

The parallel use of the spoken phrase “Point” in the essay ties these two experiences together. The writer also employs a flashback to Master Pollard’s remark about “grabbing a tutu” and her habit of dorsiflexing her toes, which further cements the connection between these anecdotes. 

While some of the descriptions are a little wordy, the piece is well-executed overall, and is a stellar example of the montage structure. The two anecdotes are seamlessly intertwined, and they both clearly illustrate the student’s determination, dedication, reflectiveness, and adaptability. The writer also concludes the essay with a larger reflection on her life, many moves, and multiple languages. 

Unconventional College Essay Structures

Unconventional essay structures are any that don’t fit into the categories above. These tend to be higher risk, as it’s easier to turn off the admissions officer, but they’re also higher reward if executed correctly. 

There are endless possibilities for unconventional structures, but most fall under one of two categories:

1. Playing with essay format

Instead of choosing a traditional narrative format, you might take a more creative route to showcase your interests, writing your essay:

• As a movie script
• With a creative visual format (such as creating a visual pattern with the spaces between your sentences forming a picture)
• As a two-sided Lincoln-Douglas debate
• As a legal brief
• Using song lyrics

2. Linguistic techniques

You could also play with the actual language and sentence structure of your essay, writing it:

• In iambic pentameter
• Partially in your mother tongue
• In code or a programming language

These linguistic techniques are often hybrid, where you write some of the essay with the linguistic variation, then write more of an explanation in English.

Under no circumstances should you feel pressured to use an unconventional structure. Trying to force something unconventional will only hurt your chances. That being said, if a creative structure comes naturally to you, suits your personality, and works with the content of your essay — go for that structure!

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Structure and Flow - Skills Guide

Essay structure.

• Paragraph Structure
• Creating Flow
• YouTube Playlist This link opens in a new window
• Audio Playlist
• Downloadable Resources
• Further Reading

Introduction

What is a good structure?

A good structure to your academic work is vital to make it understandable, easy to read and engaging. An essay or report tells a story, so as any good story does, it needs a beginning, a middle and an end. It's not just the work as a whole that needs structure but your paragraphs too. This section includes guidance on how to create a good overall essay structure. For more information about creating structure for your individual paragraphs see our paragraph structure guide .

Why do I need to learn structure?

To gain good marks and fulfil the learning outcomes of your assignments, you need to demonstrate that you understand the concepts and the work that you have used to form your argument. Structure also ensures that:

• you avoid repeating yourself
• you include information that leads from one concept to another
• you show understanding of your thought process
• you don't forget a piece of information along the way

How do I use structure?

The basic structure of any academic work looks something like this:

• Title/Question
• Introduction (approx. 10% of the word count)
• Main body - development of argument (approx. 80% of the word count)
• Conclusion (approx. 10% of the word count)
• References/Bibliography

Creating sections helps you to plan how much you need to write on each area. This breaks the task down into smaller chunks.

For example:

Essay word count - 3,000 words Introduction - 300 words Main body - 2,400 words Conclusion - 300 words

If your subject has three major themes you can then break the main body down again:

Essay word count - 3,000 words Introduction - 300 words Main body - 2,400 words (theme 1 - 800 words; theme 2 - 800 words; theme 3 - 800 words) Conclusion - 300 words

This is not a precise rule; you can adjust the word counts to accommodate where more emphasis is needed or not, but it can be used to break a large word count into manageable sections.

Structure Resources

• Essay planning table
• Point, Evidence, Explain Example
• Academic Language at Level 6
• Words to Create Flow

Structure and Planning Podcast

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• Last Updated: Aug 23, 2023 3:52 PM
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A clear, arguable thesis will tell your readers where you are going to end up, but it can also help you figure out how to get them there. Put your thesis at the top of a blank page and then make a list of the points you will need to make to argue that thesis effectively.

For example, consider this example from the thesis handout : While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake”(54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well”(51) is less convincing.

To argue this thesis, the author needs to do the following:

• Show what is persuasive about Sandel’s claims about the problems with striving for perfection.
• Show what is not convincing about Sandel’s claim that we can clearly distinguish between medically necessary enhancements and other enhancements.

Once you have broken down your thesis into main claims, you can then think about what sub-claims you will need to make in order to support each of those main claims. That step might look like this:

• Evidence that Sandel provides to support this claim
• Discussion of why this evidence is convincing even in light of potential counterarguments
• Discussion of cases when medically necessary enhancement and non-medical enhancement cannot be easily distinguished
• Analysis of what those cases mean for Sandel’s argument
• Consideration of counterarguments (what Sandel might say in response to this section of your argument)

Each argument you will make in an essay will be different, but this strategy will often be a useful first step in figuring out the path of your argument.  

Strategy #2: Use subheadings, even if you remove them later  

Scientific papers generally include standard subheadings to delineate different sections of the paper, including “introduction,” “methods,” and “discussion.” Even when you are not required to use subheadings, it can be helpful to put them into an early draft to help you see what you’ve written and to begin to think about how your ideas fit together. You can do this by typing subheadings above the sections of your draft.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how your ideas fit together, try beginning with informal subheadings like these:

• Introduction  
• Explain the author’s main point  
• Show why this main point doesn’t hold up when we consider this other example  
• Explain the implications of what I’ve shown for our understanding of the author  
• Show how that changes our understanding of the topic

For longer papers, you may decide to include subheadings to guide your reader through your argument. In those cases, you would need to revise your informal subheadings to be more useful for your readers. For example, if you have initially written in something like “explain the author’s main point,” your final subheading might be something like “Sandel’s main argument” or “Sandel’s opposition to genetic enhancement.” In other cases, once you have the key pieces of your argument in place, you will be able to remove the subheadings.  

Strategy #3: Create a reverse outline from your draft  

While you may have learned to outline a paper before writing a draft, this step is often difficult because our ideas develop as we write. In some cases, it can be more helpful to write a draft in which you get all of your ideas out and then do a “reverse outline” of what you’ve already written. This doesn’t have to be formal; you can just make a list of the point in each paragraph of your draft and then ask these questions:

• Are those points in an order that makes sense to you?  
• Are there gaps in your argument?  
• Do the topic sentences of the paragraphs clearly state these main points?  
• Do you have more than one paragraph that focuses on the same point? If so, do you need both paragraphs?  
• Do you have some paragraphs that include too many points? If so, would it make more sense to split them up?  
• Do you make points near the end of the draft that would be more effective earlier in your paper?  
• Are there points missing from this draft?  
• picture_as_pdf Tips for Organizing Your Essay

Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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Your English Literature

we see , we read , we experience

Essay Structure – Edexcel A Level English Literature

14th June 2017

by Aimee Wright

The first thing you need to consider when writing an English essay is the structure, and how you can make sure it is one that you can remember and will give you a good grade.

• Generic Introduction :You will need to know the book , the author , the publication date and the literary period / monarchy era – g. Frankenstein , Mary Shelley, 1818, Romantic period. Then, you will need to state the genre of the book(s) – e.g. Frankenstein is a gothic novel. Lastly, you will need to briefly summarise the theme / character that the question asks of you. Below are some example generic introductions :
• (For the Prose exam): Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was published in 1818, during the Romantic Period, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood was published in 1985, and is a postmodern text. Both of these texts are science fiction novels, but Frankenstein is a gothic novel, written in the first wave of gothic literature, while The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel. *The role of gender in the misuse of science* is seen in both texts in the way that the writers have used linguistic techniques and contextual factors, and this is what will be explored in this analysis.
• (For Othello ): Othello by William Shakespeare was published in 1604 during the Elizabethan era. The play is considered a tragedy, but many critics have picked up on the use of satire that Shakespeare has used, however it is not used so much that it could be seen as a comedy. In this analysis, it will be explored how Shakespeare has used his linguistic abilities and contextual factors to present the *theme of betrayal*, and subsequently how critics have viewed this.
• (For A Streetcar Named Desire ): A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams was published in 1947, making it a modernist play. The play is a tragedy which aligns with the context of events such as World War Two, and the Great Depression, as these are very tragic. In this analysis, the *character of Blanche* will be explored, and it will be considered whether Williams uses linguistic, structural and contextual techniques to impact Blanche’s character.
• (For Post 2000 Poetry): Please Hold by Ciaran O’Driscoll is a poem that presents the themes of frustration, manipulation and irritation that the modern day society brings. As a postmodern poem, the twenty-first century challenges that the narrator undertakes align with each other. On first reading Somewhat Unravelled by Jo Shapcott, the reader can perceive that the narrator also represents strong emotions to represent how the narrator is feeling. By comparing these two poems, the analysis will explore how *strong emotions* are used in order to relay a story, such as through linguistic and structural crafting.
• (For Keats ): The Eve of St Agnes by John Keats was written in 1819, just two years before Keats’ death, in the Romantic period. The *theme of physical sensations* in this poem are represented through linguistic and structural methods, as well as contextual factors of the time. Physical sensations are not just seen in The Eve of St Agnes , however – Keats has also used this theme in La Belle Dame sans Merci , which was written in 1819 like The Eve of St Agnes . In this analysis, it will be seen whether La Belle Dame sans Merci shares a similar approach to physical sensations, and whether the time period had impact on this.

It is important to mention what you are going to be discussing in the essay. But, you do not need to use specific details in your introduction, otherwise the rest of your essay will seem sort of shallow. So, use phrases such as ‘In this analysis, the linguistic and structural crafting will be explored’, for instance.

If the question is particularly linked to a specific one contextual factor – maybe it is about monarchy or social hierarchy, or war? – you should give a brief overview of that contextual factor. E.g. “The social hierarchy in Shakespearean times was based on the chain of being , which will be discussed in this analysis.”

• In comparison essays – so the Prose and Poetry exams – it is important to highlight which text is your primary text . In the Prose exam, your primary text is Frankenstein , because it “comes first” in literary history. In Post 2000 poetry, the primary text is the poem from the anthology , accompanied by the unseen poem . In Keats, the primary text is the poem it gives you , and you “support” your points with another poem. But, it is important not to compare . So, when exploring your point further, you could say “To support this point, this is also seen in *insert other poem name* by using the same techniques.”
• In non-comparison essays – the Drama exam – you will need to write the same number of points that you would use for a comparison essay (the average is 2-3), but you may need more substance and expansive analysis. For example, if you wrote two paragraphs for one point in the Prose exam (which includes two texts ) you would still need to write two paragraphs for one point , even though you only have one text .
• So the structure of your essays need to be clear , concise and understandable . Especially for comparison essays, you will need to split up your points into more than one paragraph so that the examiner can understand your analysis more clearly.Having said this, in the Prose exam, it is important to note that you must state the points for both texts in the initial paragraph. This is so that the examiner can see where your point is going from the beginning.In the comparison essays in the Poetry exam, the first paragraph of the point should be about the primary text , which will then lead you to explore the secondary text . So, the advice for this would be: do not plan points for both poems – if you want to plan, just think of points for the primary text , and then think about how that same technique or concept is seen in your secondary text .
• Quoting / quotations: It is important to follow the succeeding points when considering the quotations that you use –
• Think about the context that you are talking about, and how you are putting the quotation in a sentence. Generally, it is better to put a quotation in a sentence like: “This is seen in the declarative sentence , ‘We are two-legged wombs.’ (p.146).” (this is a quote from The Handmaid’s Tale ). But if you are going to use the quotation like this: “The narrator said that ‘We are two legged-wombs’ to present the idea that the Handmaids are irrelevant.” you will need to think about the structure of the sentence. Instead of using the pronoun ‘We’ in the quotation, put ‘they’ in square brackets to show that you have modified the quotation . So, the sentence would look like this: “The narrator said that ‘[they] are two-legged wombs’ to present the idea that the Handmaids are irrelevant.”
• Think about the length of the quotation that you are using. If there is a long quotation – perhaps one that includes a stream of consciousness or syndetic listing , or just lengthy description – you may want to use snippets of the quotation to ensure that the examiner does not get bored. So instead of saying: “Walton (who is speaking) is seen to be a man who has power. Shelley presents this by saying, ‘One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.’” (This is a quotation from Frankenstein ). you could use specific words or phrases to portray the same point. For instance, if your point was: “Walton (who is speaking) is seen to be a man who has power. Shelley presents this is seen in his fourth letter with a semantic field of power and knowledge, with words such as ‘acquirement’; ‘knowledge’; ‘dominion’’ and ‘transmit’.”
• Terminology : I know that terminology is difficult to use, especially if you can’t think of the name for a technique. But, you are marked on your terminology use as it “proves” that you know what you’re talking about.
• Where to use terminology: when structuring your point, you should use terminology either before you mention the quotation – this is if you are making a point that the technique has a direct impact on the theme or character – or after you mention the quotation – this is just to show that you know what technique the author has used.Before the quotation: If you are making the point that the author uses declarative sentences to depict the theme or character, you could say: “Atwood uses declarative sentences to represent how straightforward prejudice is as a theme in society: ‘We are two-legged wombs.’ (p.146).” The idea that prejudice is ‘straightforward’ is your point .After the quotation: So, after the point made above, you could expand by saying: “Atwood uses this declarative sentence to represent that the Handmaids are discriminated against in a simple way, otherwise she may have used another sentence mood, such as exclamatory sentences . In addition, the metaphor of Handmaids being ‘two-legged wombs’ shows Atwood’s linguistic crafting to portray that Handmaids are only seen as women who give birth to children, and nothing else.” The use of further terminology in your essay – in this case ‘exclamatory sentences’ and ‘metaphor’ – will show more knowledge.
• Word Specific Analysis: Instead of using terminology for the analysis of a whole quotation , you can use Word Specific Analysis to really unpick the underlying ideas. For instance: “Atwood uses the pronoun ‘We’ to represent that the Handmaids are a collective. This shows that if one Handmaid is victimised or targeted, the whole group of Handmaids are discriminated against. In addition, the use of the noun ‘wombs’ indicates the part of the body that the Handmaids are seen as: they are just seen as being able to conceive a child, and nothing more.”

For instance: “ Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art by John Keats uses the Petrarchan sonnet  form. Petrarch was famous for using themes such as unrequited love, and the sonnet will always use a Volta . The Volta is the beginning of the ninth line of the sonnet and, in Keats’ poetry, is often representative of his own personal change in mood or thought, so the Volta ‘No’ in Bright star! could be Keats changing his mind, or disagreeing, with his previous comments.”

In the Drama exam, it is important to know the names of speech and structure:

For instance: “ Othello by William Shakespeare uses a variety of structures to symbolise the theme of betrayal. For instance, Iago often speaks in prose when his plan is beginning to unravel. Prose, in comparison to the poetic speech that characters usually speaks in, is used to represent the unstoppable thoughts and ideas that a character may have.”

• Context: It is explicitly important to use contextual information to back up your ideas.
• The Prose Exam:The most important piece of context for this exam is about the science of the time and how it is used in your texts. This is because the section of the exam is ‘Science and Society’. This also means you have to have a substantial knowledge of the society at the time of the novels as well.
• Other exams:It is just as important to use author-personal context as well as societal This includes the author’s family, associates, events that happened to them etc.You should use a balance of societal and personal context to show your varied knowledge. In fact, you can often use a piece of context as your point e.g. “Keats wrote in the second generation of the Romantic poets, so he had influence from the work of Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, for instance. The Romantics have many different conventions, but to represent the theme of physical sensations in The Eve of St Agnes , Keats has employed the Romantic connection to nature.”
• Critics and Different Interpretations:The Drama exam is the only exam that you get marked on for critical analysis and using different interpretations, but it does not hurt to use them in each exam.

“In Othello , Shakespeare represents Desdemona as being associated with everyone, or having an impact on each character for a different reason.”

This can be supported by Anna Jameson , a critic of the play. You do not need to remember every detail of her critical evaluation, but you need to remember the general idea or snippets of quotes:

“To support this point, Anna Jameson said that Desdemona is the ‘source of the pathos’ of the play. This links to the idea that she is associated with everyone because she emits the ‘pathos’ and diffuses it to each character, and this is what creates the tragedy in the play.” What is important to mention , however, is that you should back up the critical reading with a quotation from the play, rather than just your “point”:

“This is seen just before Desdemona’s death when she says ‘I never did / Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio’, then Othello says ‘Honest Iago hath tane order for’t.’ This represents Desdemona’s impact on multiple characters through the possessive pronoun ‘you’ and the mention of ‘Cassio’ and ‘Iago’, and the bitter tone of these declarative sentences portrays pathos, therefore showing where Jameson got her idea from.”

To make another point, you could challenge the critic. Another point could be:

“Desdemona is seen as ‘fair’, and innocent, and Shakespeare represents this by repeatedly having Othello call her the epithet ‘gentle Desdemona’.”

Therefore, you could use Jameson’s idea to challenge this point:

“To challenge this point, Anna Jameson said that Desdemona is the ‘source pathos of the play’. If Desdemona is the ‘source pathos’, it can be analysed that she is not truly ‘gentle’, but is actually sorrowful.”

You could disagree with the critic as well, but do not use first person . Say it as though you are disagreeing on behalf of the audience:

I hope that this is all helpful for the exam, the exams start tomorrow so good luck!

Bibliography

Atwood, M. (1985). The Handmaid’s Tale. London: Vintage Random House.

Keats, J. (2007). Selected Poems. London: Penguin Classics.

Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry. (2011). London: Forward Ltd.

Shakespeare, W. (1622). Othello. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein (3 ed.). London: Penguin Group.

Williams, T. (1947). A Streetcar Named Desire. London: Penguin Group.

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IBDP English A: Language & Literature

InThinking Revision Sites for students

Website by Neil Allen

Updated 2 February 2023

Free Access Weekend!

P1 - examination questions, p2 - examination questions, individual oral, the learner portfolio, extended essay, essential knowledge.

• DP Chemistry
• DP English A: Language & Literature
• DP Maths: Analysis & Approaches
• DP Maths: Applications & Interpretations SL
• DP Spanish B

   Paper 1 Home Free Access Weekend! P1 - Examination Questions P2 - Examination Questions Start Here Paper 2 Individual Oral HL Essay The Learner Portfolio Extended Essay Essential Knowledge Resources  

• Paper 1 - Frequently Asked Questions
• Paper 1 - Structuring a Guided Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Video Guide to Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Writing Guiding Questions
• Paper 1 - Student Examples: Comic Strip
• Paper 1 - More Samples
• Paper 1 - Dealing with Infographics
• Paper 1 - Examination Strategy
• Paper 1 - Sample texts and student work

This page gives examples of the types of non-literary texts you might receive for text-heavy and image-heavy analyses in Paper 1. Take a look and consider how you would perhaps respond to them - use the structure guide in this site to help you. Try assessing the student examples, too, and improve your understanding of what is expected.

Taken from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger

• How does the organisation use layout, form and content to appeal to the reader to participate and take action?

There is always hope.

Banksy (2002). Girl With Balloon. London.

• How does the artwork use image and medium to portray a message about society?

Student Responses - Text B:

This wall art is from Banksy, and was made in 2002 in London. The same way a piece of writing can have hidden meanings beyond only what words mean, this visual art also has a deeper meaning. This is not achieved through words, but through image and the medium in which the artwork is shown. In this essay I will show how with the use of contrast, shapes, and spray paint, banksy is portraying a message about several flaws in society.

On the picture there is a young girl in a dress who is painted in black and white. The only other element of the picture is the red heart shaped balloon, which seems to have been let go by the little girl and is being carried away by the wind. In the scene of the picture there is wind that can be observed by looking at the girl’s hair and dress which flow in the same direction. This is then confirmed by the balloon flowing in that same direction, that being to the left.

Through the use of contrast in colors, Banksy is showing how the loss of color in one's life is sad. The little girl is only a grey scale person with no color. Color here could represent any emotion in one’s life, but red usually signifies a positive emotion such as excitement, or love which is reinforced by the fact that the balloon is a heart. Without this color, the girl is rendered to a grey and emotionless being. The message relating to society could be that as children lose their sense of wonder, they become regular dull humans.

Just like color, Banksy is using shape to represent emotions, and how they are easily lost by society. The shape of the balloon floating away for the girl is a heart, which can signify a whole range of positive emotions, the most common one being love. The fact that Banksy is using a little girl plays on the prejudice that girls are more emotional than men, which would make the loss of this balloon more impactful to the one seeing the painting.

Lastly, through the use of graffiti, Banksy is denouncing the fact that society doesn't appreciate ethos type of art to make his own more impactful. Society doesn’t like graffiti, this way of making art is frowned upon and is seen as vandalism. Banksy uses this view of his art type to make it more striking since it breaks the people's expectation of museum art being presented in the form of street art. 

In conclusion, through the use of contrasting colors and shapes representing emotions, in addition to a uncommon medium for this type of art, Banksy is making an impactful art piece by utilising and denouncing common social dogmas. Color and shape are used to show the loss of emotions in people, and the way the art is presented as graffiti uses the fact that people think its vandalism to break expectations and portray another type of art.

  Student #2

The non-literary text at hand is a graffiti, sprayed on the bare urban wall in London, UK by the artists under the alias Banksy. The spray-painted graffiti depicting a heart-shaped red balloon escaping the grasp of a little girl appeared in the streets of London in 2002. The caption of the piece: “There is always hope” reveals that the primary message of the image is to give people a sense of hope. However, upon closer analysis, the secondary purpose is to convey an ambiguous message on society, mental health, and love to passersby’s. In order to understand the content, context, and hidden messages of the artwork, the artist’s choice to use an intricate blend of image and medium to effectively communicate these ideas, all the while leaving room for personal interpretation while being discussed in this essay. 

The artwork depicts a young girl in a skirt reaching out with one arm to either catch a balloon or let go of it. The bright red, heart-shaped balloon is being carried away by a gust of wind, which blows towards the girl’s back, gently blowing her short hair in front of her face and her skirt forwards. The artwork was spray-painted on a bleak wall with multiple shades of chipped white paint. Behind the girl, an electricity box with multiple cables runs along the surface, indicating that the graffiti is located in an urban environment, perhaps even on the side of an industrial establishment.  

The image of the text and the extensive use of symbolism is vital in understanding the secondary message of the artwork. One interpretation of the artwork is that it is the visual representation of the age-old saying: “if you love someone, let it go”. This is supported by the shape and color of the balloon, as the heart shape is a classical symbol of love. However, the interpretation doesn’t just stop at romantic love, but also familial love, platonic love, and even love for a set of ideas and values. Furthermore, the authors chose to employ the symbol of a girl as effective as it radiates innocence, implying that the person “letting go” of a relationship is pure at heart. The girl’s outstretched arm represents the longing of  The second interpretation of the artwork’s purpose is that it is trying to give hope to people that are suffering from mental health issues such as depression, and offers encouragement, reminding them that ‘there is always hope’ as a way to aid them in their struggle. The girl, a symbol of innocence, loses the ultimate symbol for hope and love, the heart-shaped balloon. The caption reminds people that even when it feels like hope is lost, represented by the girl’s outstretched arm, it still exists and will return. In this interpretation, the girl symbolizes uncertainty and even desperation, as a child is often associated with helplessness. Next, the wind, which is blowing the balloon away from the girl, represents society. The society around the girl fails to help her, instead of working against her, highlighting the struggle and isolation that people with mental health issues experience.  Page successfully saved!

The medium is extremely important to decipher the hidden messages of the artwork. The fact that the image was placed in a presumably public space supports the interpretation that the artwork relates to depression as it is meant to be seen by random passerby’s and brighten their day. The fact that the artwork itself is graffiti emphasizes the anti-authority, rebellious tone of the image. Graffitis are, by nature, caricatures, and scribbles on surfaces within public view without explicit permission. Hence, the message feels like it is being whispered in secret, further highlighting how little support people with mental illnesses receive. Graffitis can be provocative and can also carry a deep message such as this one. The bright red balloon visually contrasts against the grey and white shades of the wall, insinuating that the balloon, the symbol for hope and love, is the center of attention of the piece. 

In conclusion, the author effectively employs symbolism such as the girl to symbolize purity and innocence, the heart to represent love and hope, and the wind to portray the counterproductive and damaging effects of society to highlight the message. The beauty of the artwork is that several interpretations can be extracted. For example, the earpiece can be seen as a statement on the difficulty and pain of the abstract concept of love, as well as a critique on how society treats people suffering from mental health problems. As the graffiti exists in a public space, it is hidden in plain sight, to be discovered by anyone whose eye it catches. Graffitis such as these casually and subtly promote internal discourse. 

Marchant, N. (20.1.21). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/climate-change-link-infectious-diseases-covid-19-study/ Extracted 8.3.21

How does the author's tone aid in conveying an important message about the issue at hand?

Cover of TIME magazine (July 2020). New York: TIME inc.

How are textual elements used to create impact and create a call to action?

In this magazine cover of the TIME magazine published in July 2020, the author attempts to inform the reader of the severity of global warming, while also providing a glimpse of hope to the reader. This is done via the usage of a headline as well as a plethora of different trend graphs depicting the general trends regarding different things about climate change.

At the top of the cover, stands a headline - ”One Last Chance” - of one of the articles within the magazine. Below this headline there is the name of the magazine, which gets partly cut off by the trend graph of “CO 2 emissions” (In the middle left of the text) over the “last two centuries” (In the middle left of the text). The TIME logo being cut off here and seemingly being consumed by the CO 2 graph is a metaphor about the dangers of climate change, and creates the message in the future, our CO 2 emissions might ‘consume’ the planet.  Below there are a bunch of graphs showing the trends of different things having to do with climate change. These graphs are filled with the thing they are representing, for example the “SEA LEVEL” (Bottom right of the text) graph looks like water, the “LAND ICE” (Bottom right of the text) looks like ice and the “RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION” (Middle left of the text) is filled in with trees. This creates a contrast between the different graphs, and immediately gives an idea of what the different graphs are supposed to depict without even having to read the captions. This makes these graphs very easy to read and understand for the reader. Furthermore these graphs also don’t have a scale or specific numbers, which clearly caters to a non-scientific audience. Instead the graphs only show a general trend over the last two centuries, which is the only thing the reader really has to know. This way the author doesn’t give the reader unnecessarily specific information. 

The graphs mostly depict causes and effects of climate change. They show that “CO 2 EMISSIONS” are going up, and in turn so is the “AVERAGE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE” as well as the “SEA LEVEL”, while “LAND ICE” is decreasing. These things are all commonly talked about when it comes to climate change and inform the reader about the negative effects of climate change and how they’re developing. Additionally however, there are two key details about these graphs. First of all, the CO 2 graph shows a “PROJECTED 7% DROP IN 2020” (Top right of the text), and the graph of “RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION” (Middle right of the text) is going upwards. These two things show that actually, there is a chance to combat climate change. The message that these graphs create is that, while climate change is a threat to us and our environment, there is still hope for humanity in the form of renewable energy sources.

The headline shown at the top of the text - “ONE LAST CHANCE” - and the subheading below it - “THE DEFINING YEAR FOR THE PLANET” - expand on this message of a glimpse of hope in a dire situation. The headline means that humanity has one last chance of combating climate change, and informs the reader that we need to act now or it will be too late. Specifically, the thing that is made out to be our one last chance is the year of 2020. Looking back at the graphs, specifically the text saying “PROJECTED 7% DROP IN 2020”, together with the publishing date of July 2020 (Which was well into the covid pandemic) as well as the subheading calling 2020 the “DEFINING” year for the planet, it shows how the author tries to portray the year 2020 and the Covid pandemic as a positive thing for the planet, since it decreased our CO 2 emissions by 7%. This implicitly informs the reader that, to cut down on climate change, everybody needs to cut back on their CO 2 emissions much like they did during the pandemic.

In conclusion, the author utilizes simplified graphs to inform a non-scientific audience about the trends of the causes and negative effects of climate change. Additionally they use a headline and small annotations on the graph to create their overall message, that climate change is a dire issue, and that our one last chance to fight it is now. This chance refers to the growing renewable energy usage, as well as the dropping CO 2 emissions caused by the Covid pandemic.

The TIME magazine (incorporated - inc.) has released a new double edition with the title “ONE LAST CHANCE”, released on the 20th of July 2020. Barely any text and mostly visuals attempt in informing the reader about the drastic changes to resources associated with climate change through the use of colors, image/clip arts, and special textual features. However, the clip art does not only make the cover appealing, it also informs the reader about this history of the environmental factors and the beginning of climate change. 

The magazine cover is a normal A4 sized cover with a red border. The cover is mostly a graph with some statistics such as “7%” for carbon emissions. The header occupies roughly one seventh of the entire cover. The infographic consisting of clip art features takes care of the remaining space. Different environmental factors have been listed including “carbon emissions”, “Average global temperatures”, “land ice”, “renewable energy consumption”, and “sea level”. Each section is represented by the literal meaning of the factors; the sea levels are represented by a water clip art feature, land ice represented by ice crystals, renewable energy by trees, temperature by yellow contour lines, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through greyish tones. Not are the factors colored through their literal meaning, but also where these are located in the infographic. Sea and ice are at the bottom, followed by trees and temperature at the top, with GHGs at the very top and the title doing the rest. This is why the cover of the magazine looks similar to a mountain landscape with the water at the bottom, followed by trees and forest, with bare rocks at the top of the mountain. The colors eventually decrease in shade and increase in brightness in terms of lighting. Also each factor displayed by dotted line graphs does not necessarily start from the very left side. But looking at the infographic, one essential piece is missing; the numerical values. This emphasizes the fact that some data may be very unreliable if not even fake, as the designer may have over exaggerated certain values. All factors except for renewable energy start from the very left side of the infographic, assuming the very left side is the y-axis showing the absolute percentage of increase from 0 to 100. Assuming the x-axis would be the bottom border line representing time (same as the TIME magazine), then the ice caps would be gone half way through time, where renewable energy would begin at half time. This indicates that the clip art shows that the ice caps will have melted away even if we were to start consuming renewable resources. One does need to know how to read such infographics to avoid misinterpretation of the data presented by the factors. The area under the curve until the next line is met is the amount in percentage i.e. any factor starting at 20% going to 22% does not mean that 22% of that factor is being respected, but only 2%. Sea level shows a very slow exponential rise, or one could even see it as being linear rise. Land ice eventually decreases inversely exponentially after decreasing slowly in a linear manner. The water levels at the point of the graph meeting the ice caps show little icebergs floating in the water, showing how and where the ice will land in the end. The year 2020 has survived a global pandemic involving lockdowns and travel restrictions, which explains why there would be a projected drop in GHG emissions. The GHG emissions is the only factor that appears to be in a decline for the year 2020 based on the infographic. Every other factor has either not made it to 2020 or is in a steady state at which it is increasing. The paradoxical presentation of the infographic shows a GHG emission, temperature and sea level increase, while renewable energy also increases. According to geographical sciences, as renewable energy increases, the other factors should decrease due to the less enhanced greenhouse effect (aka global warming). The enhanced greenhouse effect as used in physics describes the warming of the earth. The infographics showing such a dramatic increase in temperature is therefore clearly exaggerated, since the one GHG responsible for most of the temperature increase is water vapour, which is why carbon and nitrogen emissions are only responsible for a maximum of 1.5°C increase, compared to water vapour accounting for the other 30°C since water vapour is also more abundant that other GHGs. 

The magazine is a TIME magazine, enhanced by the fact that the word “TIME” is written largely on the upper half of the magazine using the Times New Roman font, which also has the word “time” in it. The header is clear of color and visuals, but fully packed with words, statements, and the names of known people. The title “TIME” is displayed largely across the cover, and the carbon dioxide emission graph intersects with the title, with the letter “E” to be specific. People who do not know what magazine this is would think that this is a “TIMF” magazine with an “F” instead of the “E”. This means that the actions against the enhanced greenhouse effect should be taken seriously, as we are seemingly running out of time, hence the letter “E” being covered by the emission graph. The running out of time can be seen in many ways; either the 2015 Paris agreement of 1.5°C cannot be halted if emissions continue to rise this year (2020), and/or climate change will be irreversible after a certain period of time with a certain amount of GHG emissions if nothing is done to reduce GHG emissions. One weird thing however is that reports have come out early June 2020 claiming that carbon levels world wide dropped by 7%, which is more than ever before, and exactly one month later the TIME magazine releases this Magazine stating that it is our last chance to handle the situation. ANother way of looking at it would be that one year is not going to be enough, the reductions should take place every year, and a reduction of 7% would not have caused major changes in the reduction of greenhouse gases. The title expresses very clearly that it is “one last chance” with the subtitle “the defining year for the planet” as if 2021 would be everything similar to what happened in the movie 2012 (2009 - the world going down according to the Mayan Calendar). But looking at the title from another perspective, 2020 seems like the year where either GHGs are not reduced and the Paris Agreement is not executable, or that reductions will buy us more time in achieving the 1.5°C annual temperature change goal. This is what could be meant under “the defining year”. The “one last chance” part could be understood as if humans have attempted to reduce GHG emissions in the previous years however failed, and 2020 would be the absolute deadline. Yet the title seems to be over exaggerated, especially when it is know that time progresses and that 2021 will not result in the world going down and that it is not our last chance of anything, especially if the overall temperature rise is only 1.5°C. Since this magazine happens to be a double edition, which is stated very faintly at the top left corner inside the red border, the magazine also contains an addition of “The Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Oliver Jeffers, Stacey Abrams, Angelina Jolie & more”. This is writing very small under the subtitle. This shows that the magazine attempts to reach a larger audience that may not be interested in the topic of climate change. However as these people are being targeted, their main focus (to spread awareness on climate change) also gets spread even further. These people are either famous due to governmental actions like the Dalai Lama, protests and activism such as Greta Thunberg, or entertainment such as A. Jolie. Everyone reading this magazine might not know who these people are and what they did, which is why these people are probably the ones for more GHG restrictions, but displayed in such a way as if these people belong to the additional stuff from the magazine in the second half of the double issue. 

Overall the author has successfully attempted to raise awareness about the time we are running out of slowing down the enhanced greenhouse effect (climate change cannot be halted as it is a natural phenomenon which was present since the creation of earth). This was achieved through the well laid out graphical analysis of certain issues impacting the climate and the hyperbolic title of our last chance of doing something to slow down the enhanced greenhouse effect. Many statistics are obviously over exaggerated and the graphics are not to scale, since the human population has already started consuming renewable resources before all ice has melted away, which is stated otherwise in the graphics. These large details however can mostly only be detected through a handful of pre-knowledge of the reader who studied the topics of science and atmospheric physics. Most people do not know these research results and hence fully believe and hysterically spread the news around about the last chance and the topic of climate change by referring to the graph on the cover page, which is what the TIME magazine hopes to achieve in my option. Especially if they are not only to inform the reader, but to also get as many viewers as possible to get more money through subscriptions. Yet the magazine is well designed.  

Things to Consider

What would an examiner take into account when reading these responses?

Is the response a response to the Guiding Question? Is it explicit? If not, and the student has rejected the guiding question, have they established their own question or line of inquiry?

I think the answer to this is mixed. One or two of the responses do take the guiding question into account and frame the response around it. Whether it is explicit enough, though, is questionable. One or two others would be perfectly good commentaries on the full text, but don't really establish themselves as guided textual analyses responding to the question.

It is worth noting that in both examination sessions to date (December 2021, at time of writing), the visual has been an infographic rather than a magazine cover as above.

How would you grade these four examples? Perhaps, instead of marking them /20, consider ranking them in order of quality, to see if you can identify what good things can be taken from each.

How much of Paper 1 - Sample texts and student work have you understood?

Which of the following best describes your feedback?

How to Write a GCSE English Literature Essay

I was an English teacher for many years, both at GCSE and A Level , and I found that students did best when they knew exactly what examiners wanted (and crucially, didn’t want) to see in any English essay. This guide will give you some of my top tips for success when it comes to achieving the top grade in any GCSE English Literature paper.

English Senior Content Creator

5 months ago

• 1 . What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 
• 2 . How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?
• 3 . Planning the GCSE English Literature essay
• 4 . How do you structure an English Literature essay?
• 5 . How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?
• 6 . GCSE English Literature essay examples

Whichever exam board you are studying as part of your GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas or WJEC), or if you’re studying for an IGCSE (Edexcel or CIE), you will be required to write a long essay on at least one type of text. These texts could include a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, a modern text, or poetry, either from an anthology or unseen. Because some of these essay questions can be worth up to 40 marks (and therefore a huge chunk of your overall GCSE mark), it is vital that you have a good grounding in essay writing to get the top marks in your English Literature exam. 

What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 

My experience also working as an examiner means that I have first-hand knowledge of the conversations that exam boards have with their individual examiners. The first thing to say is that examiners always want to give students credit: GCSE exams are “positively” marked, which means that they don’t deduct marks for mistakes. Instead, they start from the top of the mark scheme and fit students into a level, working down until they find a “best fit” between the student and a level.

So what? I hear you cry. Well, this means that if you - as a student - understand the English Literature mark scheme, and the assessment objectives, then you know exactly what you have to do to succeed. I always talked to my students about “thinking like an examiner”. The best way to do this is to look at the mark scheme on your exam board’s website. Even better, here at SME we have created student-friendly mark schemes, where we have “translated” them into everyday language. Here’s one for the Shakespeare essay question for AQA Paper 1.

How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?

This is a great question, and one my students always asked me! The simple answer is: not as long as you might think. A “good essay” is certainly not the same as a long essay. In fact, I drummed into my students a favourite phrase of mine: “write less, plan more”. Much like the writing questions in the GCSE English Language paper, it is a much better idea to write a shorter, well-planned essay than including everything you can possibly remember about the character or theme that has come up in the exam question. In fact, when I was an examiner, I was often instructed to mark an essay down a level if it was too long, because inevitably these hyper-long pieces of writing lost focus and became unstructured. A shorter essay, focused throughout on the exam question, will always do better than a 10-page mega-essay that includes as many points as a student can remember in the timeframe. I have seen a whole essay that is only four sides of A4 achieve full marks. As a result, it can be a good idea to spend at least 20-30% of your allocated time on planning your answer.

Planning the GCSE English Literature essay

As already mentioned, planning can be the key to unlocking the very highest marks at GCSE. At SME, we have detailed, step by step guides on how to plan essays for Shakespeare , and also for the AQA GCSE English Literature 19-century novel (including A Christmas Carol ) and modern text (including An Inspector Calls ). However, before you start writing your essay, some great tips include:

Make sure you understand the exam question. Underline the key words of the question

Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract)

Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question

Write down your overarching argument (this is often called a “thesis statement”) at the top of your page

Select evidence that backs up your thesis statement (if you have been given an extract, try to select evidence from elsewhere in the text as well)

Based on your selected evidence, organise your argument into two or three main points (these will form your paragraphs)

How do you structure an English Literature essay?

A lot of schools and colleges teach students very specific paragraph structures, such as PEE, or PETAL. Although this can be a great way to learn how to write essay paragraphs, for the very highest marks at GCSE these rigid structures can be limiting. Exam boards say that they would prefer students to move away from PEE-style structures, because this allows students the space to be more “exploratory” and “conceptualised”: both of these words really mean that they want a lot more of that second “E” in PEE: explanation. 

Overall, I always asked my students to follow this broad structure for any essay:

Introduction: for the very highest marks, this must include a thesis statement, or a summary of your overall argument

Paragraph 1: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 2: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 3: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence. Depending on the exam board, and question, this could include a counter-argument

Conclusion: This would make the case that the argument, as set out in the introduction, has been proved

How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?

Conclusions are tricky. Lots of English teachers have slightly different opinions on how to write conclusions for a GCSE English Literature essay. Some teachers might even say that it is not necessary to write a conclusion, but here at SME we always think it’s a great idea. This is because it really helps create what examiners call a “coherent response”: an argument that is focused all the way through, right to the end. Here are my top tips for writing a conclusion for a GCSE English Literature essay:

A conclusion should only summarise the proof you have provided for your argument

It only needs to be two or three sentences long

It should include the words of the question and your thesis statement

Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same information twice, so try to be brief when summarising the points you made in the main body of your essay

GCSE English Literature essay examples

At SME, we have lots of annotated model answers for GCSE English Literature questions, including one for Macbeth , and another for A Christmas Carol.

Here is an excerpt from our model answer on whether Lady Macbeth is a character who changes throughout the play:

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play: she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is side-lined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that unchecked ambition and hubris, particularly for women, have fatal consequences.

Here’s an excerpt from our model answer for A Christmas Carol on how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor:

In this extract, Dickens uses the two characters, Ignorance and Want, as an allegory, as they are symbolic of society’s cruelty towards the suffering of the poor. Dickens uses these two characters to expose the consequences of society’s greed and avarice. The children are first depicted as emerging from the spirit’s robe which underscores Dickens’s message of how poverty, and its devastating consequences, remain largely shrouded, unseen and ignored by society. Furthermore, Dickens’s imagery depicts the children as emaciated and wretched which induces both horror and pity in the reader.

For lots more model answers, tips and step by step guides, please do visit the GCSE English Literature pages of SME. 

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Written by Nick Redgrove

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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The examiner written revision resources that improve your grades 2x.

How To Write Better Essays: 5 Outside-the-Box Techniques + Writing Tips

Table of contents

Brinda Gulati

Stuck on a B, chasing that A+? We've all been there. 

I have two degrees in Creative Writing from the University of Warwick with First Class Honors. From 2013 to 2014, I also studied English Literature at the National University of Singapore. 

Translation: I’ve written a lot of academic essays.

Some good. Some inspired. And others, plain lousy.

After a few Bs and the occasional C, I cracked the code on writing good essays. An average academic essay answers a question; but an essay that gets an A+ solves a problem — whether through discussion, analysis, definition, comparison, or evaluation. 

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how to write better essays. You’ll learn how to construct bullet-proof arguments with five unique thinking techniques, cut the fluff, and discover F.O.C.U.S. to improve your essay writing skills. 

Because essays don’t have to be boring. And writing them doesn’t have to either. 

What Makes A Good Essay?

What is “good” writing? The answer is subjective. For example, I loved reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, but to some, it might be drivel. 

Nonetheless, many examples of good writing share some core qualities. 

There are five overarching qualities of good essay writing : flow, organization, clarity, unity, and specificity. 

I’ve made a fun little acronym to help you remember them better: F.O.C.U.S.™️

F low: Does the writing flow smoothly from one point to the next? 

O rganization: Have you structured your essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end?  

C larity: Is the writing clear, error-free, and unambiguous? 

U nity: Are all the elements of your writing supporting the central thesis?

S pecificity: Have you provided specific details, examples, and evidence to justify your main points? 

A Fellow at The European Graduate School, and my most cherished mentor, Dr. Jeremy Fernando , has perhaps read, written, and graded thousands of academic essays over the years. 

His advice?  

“You’re asking the reader to go on an explorative journey with you; the least you should do is ensure the trip you’re taking them on is the same as the advertised one.”

5 Creative Thinking Techniques For Writing Better Essays

The thing is, good essay writing doesn’t start at — or even as — writing . 

There’s reading, re-reading, pre-writing, revising, then actually writing, editing, and then writing some more.

As with most persuasive arguments , you need frameworks: points of reference, mental models, and structured approaches to guide your decision making.  

That's exactly what we have here. 

1. Try Reverse Outlining

A reverse outline is just what it sounds like: a process that distills a paper down to its bare essentials, leaving only the key points and topic sentences. The result? A clear, bullet-point blueprint of the paper's structure, whether it's your own work or someone else's.

Key Benefits: 

✅Creates an X-ray of a paper's structure to identify its central arguments and assess its logical flow.

✅Helps you actively engage with someone else’s work to deepen your understanding of the material.

✅Reveals structural issues in your own essay, such as missing or misplaced points, redundancies, or weak arguments.

How To Create A Reverse Outline:

This is a two-step, and perhaps infinitely repeatable process.

Take a blank page and draw a line straight down the middle.

• In the left-hand margin, write down the keywords for each paragraph in your essay. Stick to the main points. Be brief. 
• In the right-hand margin, write down how the keyword or topic supports the main argument. Again, don't sit down to write Bonfire of the Vanities . Make it concise . The goal is to persuasively explain your arguments in a few words.

2. Practice The Lotus Blossom Technique

In this structured brainstorming exercise, you plant your main problem in the center box of a 3x3 grid. Then, you’ll fill the surrounding boxes with related themes to expand your thinking. The method was developed by Yasuo Matsumura at Clover Management Research in Japan.

Key Benefits:

✅ A fun, novel alternative to traditional mind-mapping and spider-diagramming.  

✅Helps you visualize your essay slowly unfolding from its core. (Like a lotus, basically.)

✅I like how it's creative and thorough at the same time. An equal combination of freedom and structure.

How To Practice The Lotus Blossom Technique:

• Put your problem/essay question in the center square.
• Fill in the surrounding eight boxes with ideas related to the problem. At this point, you don’t need to elaborate. 
• Now, flesh out each of your eight ideas. Or, as with the lotus flower image — add another row of petals. 

When all your boxes are filled in, you'll have 64 ideas for one essay argument. As far as starting-off points go, this one’s hard to beat. 

Pro Tip : Did you know that dim light is a creative stimulant? Go dark. Light some candles.

3. Build A Toulmin Argument Model

According to philosopher Stephen E. Toulmin, arguments are broken down into six key components: claim, grounds, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing. 

There are three essential parts to every argument: the claim, the grounds, and the warrant.

• The claim is the main argument you want to prove to your audience. 
• The grounds of an argument are the evidence and facts that support it.
• The warrant is the assumption which links a claim to its grounds, whether implied or explicitly stated.

✅Craft persuasive arguments through an in-depth analysis that closely examines each part of your essay.

✅Analyzing an argument from its components can help clarify its logic.

✅The rebuttal component encourages you to anticipate and address counterarguments. The more perspectives you consider, the more well-rounded your argument will be.

How To Build A Toulmin Argument Model:

Let’s take a published paper — “ Coffee and Health: A Review of Recent Human Research ” by Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei — and break it down using the Toulmin model. 

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• Claim: Consuming moderate amounts of coffee (3-4 cups a day with 300-400 mg of caffeine) has few health risks and some health benefits. Nevertheless, caffeine may be more harmful to pregnant women, children, adolescents, and the elderly.
• Grounds: According to epidemiological studies, coffee may prevent diabetes type 2, Parkinson's disease, and liver disease. 
• Warrant: Studies suggest that coffee consumption in moderation may have some health benefits and poses minimal health risks.
• Backing : A number of well-designed prospective cohort studies with large sample sizes are cited as supporting evidence. 
• Qualifier: This study applies specifically to healthy adults who consume moderate amounts of filtered coffee. Optimal intake hasn’t been defined. 
• Rebuttal: Some may be more sensitive to negative effects. Further research is needed.

I don’t know about you, but I often get convinced of my own arguments when writing essays, and then it’s hard for me to consider other perspectives.

So, if you want a sparring buddy, here’s how Wordtune can help you with counterarguments:

First, I’ve copy-pasted our claim from above 👇🏼

Next, click on the little purple sparkle icon and choose “Counterargument” from the drop-down menu. 

Lo and behold! Not only does Wordtune provide accurate contextual suggestions for a convincing opposing opinion, it goes one step further and cites a clickable source for the research .

Nothing short of time-saving magic , if you ask me.

4. Ask The Five Whys

You need to ask “why” five times to get to the root of any problem. That’s what the inventor of the method, and founder of Toyota Industries, Sakichi Toyoda, believed. 

✅The approach identifies the real problem, not just its surface symptoms. 

✅It’s an easy-to-do and straightforward process that gets to the heart of your essay question.

✅Use this approach in combination with the Toulmin Model to build a killer essay argument.

Asking The Five Whys:

Let’s look at a sample essay question and drill down to its core.

When you have the core of the problem in your palm, you can then start thinking of solutions. Perhaps finding more cost-effective ways to train and support teachers. Or exploring alternative funding options, such as grants and partnerships with local businesses.

5. Experiment With The Ben Franklin Exercise

Franklin wasn’t always a prodigious scholar. While working at a print shop, he reverse engineered the prose from the British magazine, The Spectator , to learn how to write better without a tutor. 

He took detailed notes at a sentence level, contemplated them for some time, and then re-created the sentences without looking at the originals.

In fact, research from MIT shows that it's “not just the study of tiny details that accelerates learning; the act of assembling those details yourself is what makes the difference.” This is called constructionist learning. 

✅Improve your essay writing by studying works of skilled authors through practiced imitation.

✅Organizing your notes from memory will help you construct a solid structure for your essay, and evaluate any gaps in logic and flow.

✅Actively deconstructing and constructing the material allows you to engage deeply with it, and therefore, write better essays.

How I Use The Ben Franklin Exercise:

One of my favorite passages in Literature — as clichéd as may it be — is from Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club . 

• Note how “strongest” and “smartest” are alliterative words, creating a sense of rhythm right in the first sentence.
• The imagery of banality — pumping gas, waiting tables, etc. is at once, vivid and relatable, moving and unmoving.
• The phrase “midddle children of the history man” places the narrative in a broader, more relevant context.
• Notice how the “g” is capitalized for the first mention of war and depression, but then it switches to a small “g” for the same words in the next sentence.
• The repetition of “very very pissed off” is much more effective than simply saving “livid.”

Similarly, start by taking a paragraph from an essay you like. Make sentence-level notes and rewrite its essence without looking at it. 

My Top Tips To Write A Good Essay

1. write lousy first drafts.

You heard me. Write as if your keyboard doesn’t have keys for punctuation. Write as if no one is ever going to read your essay. The goal is to eliminate self-censorship . When you first start writing down your main points, don’t assume the role of a self-editor. 

TRY THIS : Open a blank page, set a timer for two and a half minutes, and type until the bell goes off. Take a break. Repeat. Don’t re-read what you’ve typed. 

Forget proper spelling. Forget good grammar. Those polishes are all for later, when you have something to polish. 

This is freewriting. 

And it’s wildly effective in getting you to stop thinking about deadlines, blinking cursors, and that A+. My highest-scoring essays have all begun with messy, unstructured, poorly-worded first drafts. 

2. Read Other Essays Like A Writer

Think of your favorite book. What makes you call it your favorite? Or a series you’ve watched recently. ( Behind Her Eyes is especially good.) What compels you to see it all the way through? The same principle applies to good essay writing. Have you read an essay in your research that hooked you? Or a friend’s work you wish you could put your name to? 

Read like a writer — become a proactive participant in examining why the writing works. Instead of passively drawing stars next to important observations, ask yourself, “ Why do I like these passages? What are they doing? And how are they doing it?” (Use the Ben Franklin Exercise here.)

Take apart the essay you’re reading like a forensic pathologist doing an autopsy. 

3. Start With An Outline

Speaking of autopsies, a good essay has good bones. Once you’ve disgorged your ideas on the page, start arranging them under headers. 

This blog too, was born in the Notes app on my phone. But if you’re taking the reader with you somewhere, you should know where you’re headed too. 

Pro Tip : Keep two working documents for your essay. One where you dump all the links, sources, and keywords. The other is where you work on your final draft for submission.

4. Cut The Fluff

The deadline’s in a few hours and you’re scrambling to hit minimum word count . Long, winding sentences with gratuitous adjectives you’ve just looked up in the thesaurus to sound more cerebral, erudite, scholarly.

I get it. I’ve done it. And those essays have bellyflopped. Professors know when you’re trying to game them.

Here’s an actual sentence from one of my essays I wrote in 2017:

“Ibsen’s realist drama, and in particular, A Doll’s House , is replete with the problems that chapter and verse modern life – the patriarchal model of the family, money and debt, and the performance of gender.”

And much to my embarrassment, this is the scathing comment from my then-professor: 

“This makes no sense.”

Let’s rework this sentence to make sense using Wordtune (a clever AI helper I wish I had during my university days):

“The patriarchal family model, money and debt, and gendered performance are all apparent in Ibsen's realist drama, especially A Doll's House .”

Much more sensible. 

5. Get Feedback, Edit, And Revise

I can’t emphasize this enough — don’t submit your first draft! Have someone else read it, perhaps a friend in the same class or even from a different major. Look at their eyebrows to see which sections make them frown in confusion. 

Ask them to red-pen sentences and logical gaps. And then —- edit, edit edit! 

Sleep on it. Let the essay stew in the back of your mind for a full night, and come back to it with fresh eyes.

Start (Pre-)Writing Better Essays

The ability to write persuasively will serve you well no matter what stage of your life you are in: high school, university scholar, or a professional trying to get ahead. After all, the human mind is hardwired for storytelling.

Remember, the key is to F.O.C.U.S.

Whether you’re crawling or speeding towards a deadline, bag that A+ with a smart AI assistant like Wordtune !

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• Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on October 25, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 27, 2023.

Every piece of academic writing is structured by paragraphs and headings . The number, length and order of your paragraphs will depend on what you’re writing—but each paragraph must be:

• Unified : all the sentences relate to one central point or idea.
• Coherent : the sentences are logically organized and clearly connected.
• Relevant : the paragraph supports the overall theme and purpose of the paper.

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Table of contents

Step 1: identify the paragraph’s purpose, step 2: show why the paragraph is relevant, step 3: give evidence, step 4: explain or interpret the evidence, step 5: conclude the paragraph, step 6: read through the whole paragraph, when to start a new paragraph.

First, you need to know the central idea that will organize this paragraph. If you have already made a plan or outline of your paper’s overall structure , you should already have a good idea of what each paragraph will aim to do.

You can start by drafting a sentence that sums up your main point and introduces the paragraph’s focus. This is often called a topic sentence . It should be specific enough to cover in a single paragraph, but general enough that you can develop it over several more sentences.

Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France.

This topic sentence:

• Transitions from the previous paragraph (which discussed the invention of Braille).
• Clearly identifies this paragraph’s focus (the acceptance of Braille by sighted people).
• Relates to the paper’s overall thesis.
• Leaves space for evidence and analysis.

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The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about—but why does this point matter for your overall argument? If this isn’t already clear from your first sentence, you can explain and expand on its meaning.

This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources.

• This sentence expands on the topic and shows how it fits into the broader argument about the social acceptance of Braille.

Now you can support your point with evidence and examples. “Evidence” here doesn’t just mean empirical facts—the form it takes will depend on your discipline, topic and approach. Common types of evidence used in academic writing include:

• Quotations from literary texts , interviews , and other primary sources .
• Summaries , paraphrases , or quotations of secondary sources that provide information or interpretation in support of your point.
• Qualitative or quantitative data that you have gathered or found in existing research.
• Descriptive examples of artistic or musical works, events, or first-hand experiences.

Make sure to properly cite your sources .

Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

• This sentence cites specific evidence from a secondary source , demonstrating sighted people’s reluctance to accept Braille.

Now you have to show the reader how this evidence adds to your point. How you do so will depend on what type of evidence you have used.

• If you quoted a passage, give your interpretation of the quotation.
• If you cited a statistic, tell the reader what it implies for your argument.
• If you referred to information from a secondary source, show how it develops the idea of the paragraph.

This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods.

• This sentence adds detail and interpretation to the evidence, arguing that this specific fact reveals something more general about social attitudes at the time.

Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated several times until your point is fully developed. Use transition words and phrases to show the connections between different sentences in the paragraph.

Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009). Access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss.

• The evidence tells us about the changing attitude to Braille among the sighted.
• The interpretation argues for why this change occurred as part of broader social shifts.

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Finally, wrap up the paragraph by returning to your main point and showing the overall consequences of the evidence you have explored.

This particular paragraph takes the form of a historical story—giving evidence and analysis of each step towards Braille’s widespread acceptance.

It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

•  The final sentence ends the story with the consequences of these events.

When you think you’ve fully developed your point, read through the final result to make sure each sentence follows smoothly and logically from the last and adds up to a coherent whole.

Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009). Access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Not all paragraphs will look exactly like this. Depending on what your paper aims to do, you might:

• Bring together examples that seem very different from each other, but have one key point in common.
• Include just one key piece of evidence (such as a quotation or statistic) and analyze it in depth over several sentences.
• Break down a concept or category into various parts to help the reader understand it.

The introduction and conclusion paragraphs will also look different. The only universal rule is that your paragraphs must be unified , coherent and relevant . If you struggle with structuring your paragraphs, you could consider using a paper editing service for personal, in-depth feedback.

As soon as you address a new idea, argument or issue, you should start a new paragraph. To determine if your paragraph is complete, ask yourself:

• Do all your sentences relate to the topic sentence?
• Does each sentence make logical sense in relation to the one before it?
• Have you included enough evidence or examples to demonstrate your point?
• Is it clear what each piece of evidence means and why you have included it?
• Does all the evidence fit together and tell a coherent story?

Don’t think of paragraphs as isolated units—they are part of a larger argument that should flow organically from one point to the next. Before you start a new paragraph, consider how you will transition between ideas.

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McCombes, S. (2023, March 27). Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/paragraph-structure/

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