English Literature Structure GCSE/AQA

I'm having trouble structuring my English literature essays for my exams. I don't know where to start half the time, and it makes me waste more time. Currently, I write a little introduction and state a quote that links to the question, annotate it while writing how the audience would feel, and back it up with some context, but I'm not really getting high grades for it. Does anyone have any tips on how to structure the essays?

Reply 1

nikiiiiiii

7

Original post by Simi!!

I'm having trouble structuring my English literature essays for my exams. I don't know where to start half the time, and it makes me waste more time. Currently, I write a little introduction and state a quote that links to the question, annotate it while writing how the audience would feel, and back it up with some context, but I'm not really getting high grades for it. Does anyone have any tips on how to structure the essays?

I got a 9 in English lit and here's some tips I used to structure my essays:

•

try structuring your 3 points/paragraphs chronologically if it makes sense for the question, moving through the story and analysing how characters/themes progress (this also helps not overthink the structure).

•

don't base each paragraph on a specific quote. base it on a point and this way you can include multiple quotes to support your point.

•

make sure to consider the larger picture - you don't need to analyse every part of a quote if it's not relevant to your point

•

Start each paragraph with a strong topic sentence. make sure to mention either the author or the title in the topic sentence.

•

link back to the questions, preferably using words from the question, at the end of each paragraph

•

make sure to incorporate the context into your analysis rather than tacking it onto the end of a paragraph

•

writing how the audience feels is great but perhaps also add in authors intentions if you don't do that already. So state something like "Perhaps the author aims to create a sense of unease in the reader"etc

•

Try to embed quotes if you don't do so already

Hope this helps! Let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything

Reply 2

Simi!!

OP

5

Original post by nikiiiiiii

I got a 9 in English lit and here's some tips I used to structure my essays:

•

try structuring your 3 points/paragraphs chronologically if it makes sense for the question, moving through the story and analysing how characters/themes progress (this also helps not overthink the structure).

•

don't base each paragraph on a specific quote. base it on a point and this way you can include multiple quotes to support your point.

•

make sure to consider the larger picture - you don't need to analyse every part of a quote if it's not relevant to your point

•

Start each paragraph with a strong topic sentence. make sure to mention either the author or the title in the topic sentence.

•

link back to the questions, preferably using words from the question, at the end of each paragraph

•

make sure to incorporate the context into your analysis rather than tacking it onto the end of a paragraph

•

writing how the audience feels is great but perhaps also add in authors intentions if you don't do that already. So state something like "Perhaps the author aims to create a sense of unease in the reader"etc

•

Try to embed quotes if you don't do so already

Hope this helps! Let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything

Thank you so much!! This was super helpful and i'll definetely try these out in my next mock.
I have a few questions though. What do you mean by embed quotes?
And do you think i should follow a paragraph structure like PEEL or PETAL (I dont really know any others) . I view these structures that my school teach me as restrictive, like it feels all cramped when i try to use it.

Reply 3

nikiiiiiii

7

Original post by Simi!!

Thank you so much!! This was super helpful and i'll definetely try these out in my next mock.
I have a few questions though. What do you mean by embed quotes?
And do you think i should follow a paragraph structure like PEEL or PETAL (I dont really know any others) . I view these structures that my school teach me as restrictive, like it feels all cramped when i try to use it.

Embedding quotes means that you incorporate them into your sentences rather than acknowledging they're a quote or having them a separate part of the sentence. For example, instead of writing 'In the quote "look like the innocent flower", Shakespeare shows...' or '"look like the innocent flower." The adjective "innocent" shows....' you could write 'Lady Macbeth urges her husband to "look like the innocent flower"' , or "by telling Macbeth to "look like the innocent flower", she...." This helps your writing flow better and is useful as it provides some context for the quotes.
For paragraph structure, if you understand how to analyse without a specific PEEL/PEAZ structure than you don't have to follow it. The first thing my teachers said at A-level English lit was to forget about PEAZ as it just restricts you and you should develop your own style. So, if you know how to include everything you'd need into a paragraph without the specific structure then just write however you want. Just make sure to always have a good topic sentence at the start.

Reply 4

Simi!!

OP

5

Original post by nikiiiiiii

Embedding quotes means that you incorporate them into your sentences rather than acknowledging they're a quote or having them a separate part of the sentence. For example, instead of writing 'In the quote "look like the innocent flower", Shakespeare shows...' or '"look like the innocent flower." The adjective "innocent" shows....' you could write 'Lady Macbeth urges her husband to "look like the innocent flower"' , or "by telling Macbeth to "look like the innocent flower", she...." This helps your writing flow better and is useful as it provides some context for the quotes.
For paragraph structure, if you understand how to analyse without a specific PEEL/PEAZ structure than you don't have to follow it. The first thing my teachers said at A-level English lit was to forget about PEAZ as it just restricts you and you should develop your own style. So, if you know how to include everything you'd need into a paragraph without the specific structure then just write however you want. Just make sure to always have a good topic sentence at the start.

Ohh I understand. So I don't have to state if it's a metaphor or like a simile?I might just try a practice essay without using any structures. Thank you so much for your help!! All of your advice has been really helpful!!

English Literature Structure GCSE/AQA

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