How to actually plan an essay

How do i plan an essay so that its conceptual in terms of english gcse grading and how do i build up a central theme

ibrahim_hu2008

for an english lit essay, i always use a three-part thesis and include writer's intention at the last sentence. for example it could be:

In An Inspector Calls, Priestley portrays many female characters as constrained by societal expectations, ultimately being emblems of exploitation which is perpetuated by the patriarchy in 1912. Perhaps Priestley reinforces the oppressive and corrupt patriarchy to promote Socialist reform where equality will be achieved for all women.

so the first point in the thesis would be the fact that women are constrained by societal expectations which I'll develop in the first paragraph, perhaps talking about Sheila
second point would be that women are emblems of exploitation for the second paragraph, perhaps talking about Eva
third point would be the oppressive and corrupt patriarchy that Priestley reinforces through the Inspector

this makes your essay conceptualised and fine-grained whilst also having grade 9 analysis in all of your paragraphs. then write a conclusion by revisiting the thesis but summarising your main points in your analysis and talk about the writer's intention. hopefully this made sense