How to write essays

13

Hey yall,so pls help me ( i do english lit GCSE AQA paper 2)
Im really struggling on how to write an essay, i remember most of my quotes but i think it is the structure in which im losing my marks
Im currently working at a grade 6, like 3 marks away from a 7.
The structure my teacher gives me is
Point,evidence,analysis,evidence,analysis and then link back to message
For me i think its basic and i dont like it.
Ive seen the PRTZEL structure by Mr everything English and it looks way better but idk if it works as i havnt tried it yet,
My teacher is a harsh marker and idk what to do
He has given me the EXACT same mark for my last like 5 essays ( 19/30) so yea
Also any tips in how to remember quotes and grade 9 analysis?

Thanks
byyeeee

Reply 1

Super Sprinkles

12

You only need like 10 key quotes from each text - just keep writing down the same grade 9 analysis down without looking at your notes and you'll get there eventually

In terms of essay structure, my teacher wanted us to always write a 3-point thesis statement at the start (I found I could make like 5 generic phrases and apply 3 of these to the question). Then each paragraph always links back to one of these points in your introduction. In each paragraph, analyse two quotes/structure/character points with symbolism/context - always end each bit of analysis with, "perhaps [author] did this to ___". This means you deeply analyse like 4-6 quotes, which will almost guarantee an 8-9 if you spam out enough (semi-quality) writing

Reply 2

Trollhunter1312

10

Original post

by Liamgriff18

Hey yall,so pls help me ( i do english lit GCSE AQA paper 2)
Im really struggling on how to write an essay, i remember most of my quotes but i think it is the structure in which im losing my marks
Im currently working at a grade 6, like 3 marks away from a 7.
The structure my teacher gives me is
Point,evidence,analysis,evidence,analysis and then link back to message
For me i think its basic and i dont like it.
Ive seen the PRTZEL structure by Mr everything English and it looks way better but idk if it works as i havnt tried it yet,
My teacher is a harsh marker and idk what to do
He has given me the EXACT same mark for my last like 5 essays ( 19/30) so yea
Also any tips in how to remember quotes and grade 9 analysis?
Thanks
byyeeee

To get the most marks possible in an exam, related to structuring your analysis, I would recommend looking at the mark scheme so you know what your being marked for and to base your answer on the AO's (assessment objectives). These include AO1=point (worth 12 marks of the essay), AO2=language, structure and form (worth 12 marks) and AO3=context (worth 6 marks). Make sure you use each AO throughout the whole of your analysis.

Another way to get pick up marks marks may be to add a strong introduction and conclusion - you should never go straight into the analysis.

Tips on remembering quotes: umm... ig going over several quotes each day or reciting them could help with remembering them in the exam but it depends on how many quotes you have to remember. Don't forget that you can use [ and ] in quotes if you don't know exactly how something is quotes or if you need to alter the language.

Good luck! I hope this will help. :smile:

How to write essays

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