ESSAY WRITING

A SIMPLE 8 STEP GUIDE

The structure is like a hamburger

Conclusion

Introduction

Main body

You don’t necessarily eat a

burger for the buns, but they hold

the burger together……in the same way the

introduction and conclusion are not the most important part but they hold your essay together and stop it being messy!

INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSION

KEY IDEA ONE

KEY IDEA TWO

KEY IDEA THREE

Always leave a

line between

paragraphs

Read all the questions

1

Re-read the question you

choose

2

Underline the

keywords

3

Plan your key ideas

4

Plan your evidence

5

Write the introduction

6

Write the main body

7

Write your conclusion

8

Read all the questions1

You need to read all the questions on offer. Reading all the possibilities allows you to make an informed choice. Some questions you will recognise, some you will not.

There will usually be a question on each aspect

below:•Character

•Issues/ideas•Setting

•Structure (opening/incident/ending)•Feelings and emotions

Re-read the question you

choose2

Once you have made a decision on the question you should re-read this question. This is to ensure that you under stand all parts of the question. If there are any words you do not understand then choose another question.

Underline the keywords3

This is to ensure that you are focused on the important parts of the

question

For example:Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

Becomes:Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

You should keep repeating those

keywords throughout your essay…

Plan your key ideas4

This is the time that you decide how to answer the question. Usually the answers can be found from the box below. Just relate these to the question asked.

KEY IDEAS SHOULD COVER POINTS ON:

1. Plot2. Characters3. Setting4. Themes5. Feelings6. Style

7. Language8. Symbolism9. Genre10. Author11. Society’s

views12. Comparisons

For example:

Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

Possible answers:• Plot – they are involved in key moments which

can create suspense or moments of conflicts• Characters – they help us to better understand

other characters• Setting – they help us to appreciate the setting

more• Theme – the character helps reveal the theme• Feelings – through the actions and dialogue of

the character they cause us to feel particular emotions

Plan your evidence5

At this point you need to be able to back up your key ideas. To do this you must provide detailed and specific information from the text.

EVIDENCE MEANS:

EVENTSQUOTESACTIONS

ANECDOTES

Write the introduction6

INTRODUCTION

You should keep this paragraph as short and to the point as possible. You need only include the following.1. The name of the text and the author2. Clearly answer the question using

key words3. List your key ideas

An important character in I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale is Kirby. She is important because she reveals the themes the theme of personal identity, provokes an emotional response for the reader and is involved in moments of tension.

Uses key words

Gives Title – and

underlines it!!!

Names author –

uses capital

letters!!!

Answers question

Lists 3 key

ideas

1

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Let’s look at another question:

Describe an interesting idea and explain why it

is interesting.

An interesting idea in How Dare You by Jane Westaway is family violence. This is interesting because it makes the reader feel both sad and angry, gives the reader an insight into a world they may not experience themselves and provides moments of suspense in the text.

Names author –

using capital

letters!!!

Answers question

Uses key words

Gives title – and

underlines it!!!

Lists 3 key

ideas

12

3

Write the Main Body of you essay

For each key idea you have you need to write one paragraph. These paragraphs all follow the same format:

1. A topic sentence stating your key idea2. Evidence from the text to support your key idea3. An explanation linking your evidence back to the question clearly answering

it

MAIN BODY

7

• state your key idea• use the keywords from the

question• should be short and to the point• are like a signpost indicating

what your paragraph is about

TOPIC SENTENCES:

Firstly, an important character in the text is Esther.

Uses key words

The key idea here is that Esther is the important

characterShort and to

the point

Esther is important because she reveals a theme.

Uses key wordsThe key idea here is that

Esther is an important character because we learn about a theme

through her

Again, short and to the

point

• Can be quotes, examples, actions details

• Quotes should only be 5-6 words long

• You must use “ ’’ around them• They must be embedded

EVIDENCE:

This idea is shown when Mr Poata says “It’s private, isn’t it?” when she asks for help.

Uses quote marks

Short quote

The quote is embedded: words

before and after it to explain the context.

I felt sorry for the Grandmother as she was described as being “frail with age”, lived in a “shabby room” and only has one “good brown dress”.

Uses quote marks

short quotes

short quotes

The quotes are embedded: they flow into a sentence which

is easy to read and clear.

• Should refer back and answer the question

• Can include some personal response

• Will usually answer the second half of the question

EXPLANATION

This idea is important because it makes the reader aware of how we need to take action if we suspect violence even if it is in people’s homes.

Uses key words from

questonDoesn’t use I but uses ‘the

reader’ instead

Answers the second half of the question:

Why is the idea important?

This character is interesting because he reveals the idea of how people are too scared to interfere in domestic violence.

Uses key words from

question

Relates back to the ideas of the story

Answers the second half of the question:

Why is the character intersting?

Write your conclusion8

Once again this should be kept simple and to the point. You need only include the following1. Clearly answer the question once again2. State your key ideas again3. Include a personal response

In conclusion, Kirby is an interesting character in I Am Not Esther. She was interesting because through her the themes of courage and personal identity were raised. Finally she was interesting because she provoked an emotional response from the readers. I admired the way she dealt with the obstacles and hoped she would be able to sort her problems out.

Uses the key

words

Uses the key

wordsUses the key

words

Clearly answers

the question.

Includes a

personal response

Clearly outlines the key ideas

again.

32

1

And it’s that simple!