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Please help with English essay writting skills

Heyy guys,

Umm for a while now, I have been constantly fluctuating between a B+ grade and a B grade but these arent really good enough from the viewpoint of both my teacher..and myself. I geuss im struggling really. I kept being told to use the 'PEE' (Point Evidence Evaluation) or the 'PQE' (Point Quote Explanation) technique, as easy as it may sound i really cant seem to incorporate these nescessary and dare i say, fundamental skills into my writting. Does anybody have any ideas to help me practice on improving pleaseee!!!! Especially as i want to do english lit for A level and a B grade isnt very encouraging.. :frown:

Reply 1

milkytea

My 3 main tips for effective essay writing would be as follows:

-Your introduction should be clear and to the point. You should also make sure the sentences flow effectively and it sounds fluent in your head, whilst using a decent vocab. If the examiner, or teacher, reads through the introduction and thinks "ok, this guy/girl knows what they're talking about" then they are likely to read whatever else you have written in a more positive light. Due to this, it is also important that your essay consistently remains both grammatically correct and diverse in vocabulary - you want to maintain a competent impression.

-Refrain from waffling about irrelevant subject matter. It is important that everything you write in the essay has a degree of relevance to the title. Also, try and make sure that everything proposed in the title has been covered by your work. Most of the general conclusions you make should directly support, or link to, what you say at the end of the essay.

-In your conclusion, both recap what you talked about in the introduction, and discuss how the points you made in the main chunk of the essay serve in some way to answer the title. You should attempt to summarise fluently and concisely.

Reply 2

nolongerhearthemusic

You really need to practise PEE. When you find a quote you want to use, underline at least one word or phrase in it that seems important and that you can explain the impact of. Then after you have quoted it in your essay, write a sentence or two about the word/phrase - the connotations of the word(s), the literary techniques used (metaphor, alliteration, stuff like that), and the impact on the reader. That way you always get language analysis and literary vocabulary all through your essays.

Thank you!!

Well, I do a study group with the early entry Year 10s to teach them how to achieve an A/A* using that specification. Here are the main points:

1) The P.E.E system in our school was changed to P.E.E.ing for longer which means P.E.E.E. This is Point. Evidence. Explain. Effect system. Make a broad statement, give a quote to support it, explain the meaning of it and then say how this effects you as the reader (emotive response).

2) Sometimes a good idea to open with a quote and build on it, it gives an instant impact and can easily impress an examiner.

3) Keep everything precise and to the point, if you go on about nothing they just ignore it.

4) As mentioned above you have to try and mention as many literary techniques as possible and then say the relevance and effect of each of these.

5) The BEST tip I ever got was picking something rare and obscure in the text and pulling something out from it that no one else will have done.

If you need any more help or anything just PM me, I am better at poetry, but still I might be able to give a few handy pointers.