Essay writing tips
Before you start writing your essay, you should spend five or ten minutes reading the extract, highlighting / underlining anything you feel is important and planning what you will write. Think about how you can break down your answer into logical paragraphs.
A good approach to begin with is to highlight any language or narrative techniques which relate to the key terms of the question. In the sample question the key terms you must think about are ‘the character’s feelings and reactions’, ‘how other characters react towards them’ and ‘the writer’s use of language, structure and form’.
Make sure you address each of these three areas and use the key terms throughout your essay. This helps to keep your answer focused as you create your argument.
Here are some questions which may guide your reading of this extract.
- What is the extract about?
- Where is the extract set?
- How does the extract start?
- What is the structure of the extract? Are there any links between sections?
- How does the extract engage the reader?
- How is character developed in the extract?
- What is the tone and mood of the extract?
- What narrative style is used? Is there an authorial voiceThe voice of the controlling presence behind the plot and characters of a story. The authorial voice could be a fiction created by the author, rather than truly representing their views.?
- What linguistic devices Ways in which an author plays with language in order to influence the reader – for example by using rhyming words, clichés and metaphors. are used in the extract and why?
- What style of language and form is adopted by the writer?
- How does the author use punctuation? What is the effect?
- How does the extract end? What is the significance of ending the extract at this point?
Language and stylistic devices
It is also important to include comments on the effects of the writer’s craft and the use of language and stylistic devices. Here are some ideas to look for:
- structure of the text - beginnings, climax, sequentialHappening in a logical order. / chronologicalEvents are written or spoken about in the order in which they actually happened. ordering, flashback, conclusion
- descriptive techniques eg vocabulary choices, use of imagery and the senses
- creation of setting eg time, place, atmosphere
- creation of character eg through narrator’s descriptions, use of dialogue, actions
- narration eg omniscientAll knowing - an omniscient narrator is one who knows all of the thoughts and feelings of the characters in a story. narrator, first person narration, multiple narrators’ use of personaThe voice adopted by an author for a particular purpose, this voice does not necessarily reflect the author's true thoughts. It can also mean a mask that someone presents to the world as their real character ('persona' is the Latin word for an actor's mask). , autobiography
- cohesiveFitting together well to form a united whole. elements eg repetition of words or ideas, climax, suspense, sequentialHappening in a logical order. ordering
- disjunctiveLacking any clear connection or consistency. elements eg cliffhangerA plot device featuring a character in a perilous or difficult situation, used to ensure that an audience will return to see how the situation unfolds. endings, flashbacks
- use of punctuation and other typographical effects eg italics, capitalisation, suspension points Sometimes known as ellipses, these are usually three dots used in a sentence to indicate where a word or words have been left out, the missing words can usually be guessed from clues in in the text.
You should use short quotations from the extract to support your ideas.