For the essays, I went with
-quick intro introducing the theme/character and overview of how they're presented or whatever the question is asking
-then roughly 3-4 points, eg for an OMAM about the importance of animals which was the question I sat, I did
point 1: Lennie being described as an animal (paws, etc)
Point 2: Lennie accidentally killing animals (deaths get bigger as it goes on, begins with mice and leads to dog, suggests he is capable of accidentally killing a human which he does)
Point 3: candy and his dog being the same as George and Lennie (Lennie depends on george like a dog, George shoots Lennie in the same way as candys dog is shot (and George takes on what candy says when he says that a stranger shouldn't shoot his dog; George can't let Curley kill Lennie) etc)
-conclusion basically rewording the intro to summarise
Obviously it won't be the same question but the same structure can be applied to other essay questions, remember to include quotations to show you know the text well
So basically intro, 3 strong and well explained points, and a conclusion
Also if you're aiming for higher grades, if you are analysing a quotation you can say 'this could show *interpretation of quote*, but perhaps it could also show this *insert alternative interpretation* as this shows that you're thinking about possibilities and making tentative judgements which is a higher level skill and will get you more marks
And if you think of an unusual (but relevant and plausible) point, say it towards the end of your essay - perhaps in your conclusion - as examiners like points they haven't heard before (don't get hung up trying to think of new points though, just don't be afraid to write them down if you think of them)
Hope I helped
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