How should you go about planning an A-level English lit essay?

user01906002

I’m y12 and have been set homework to write an essay about the tragic potential of act 1 of Death of a Salesman (AQA). I have no idea what I’m doing, just wondering if anyone could explain how to approach this and how tips for planning an A-level essay? Thanks

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 1

SomeonesDad

Well, I typed "write an essay about the tragic potential of act 1 of Death of a Salesman" into Google. The first couple of results included an entire example answer of around 1400 words available for free.
For goodness sake don't copy it. Your college/school will have plagiarism detection software. But looking a the two, you should be able to see what sort of framework to use.
Intro: Set the scene of what the play is about and whether it is unusual / the first / normal Miller to tackle the theme / use a perspective.
Define what is meant by tragic potential.
Next set out some examples of how this is depicted within the text.
Finally summarise your main points and how these support your position.

A Level work rewards you demonstrating your ability to analyse and bring together supporting material. But working with your teacher will help you hone this skill as time progresses.