To understand and apply a process for successful essay writing Think about the last essay you wrote. How did you approach the task? Write a bullet point list of your process. (eg.) Read the question Panic! (Try to be honest and reflective – I want to know what you did, not what you think you should do!)

Essay Writing What do all essays have in common? Question Assessment objectives Limitations (time/ word limit)

Essay Writing Checklist Give yourself time before writing. Breakdown the question – key terms What are you being asked to do? Brainstorm ideas (this is not your plan!) Choose a focus Use your readings/ find quotations Create a plan (What’s doable in 1000 words?) Introduction

Introduction: what, why and how? Define your understanding of the key terms in the question. Briefly outline your understanding of the debate in the question. Use a quotation (‘Other readers’) to establish an understanding of the main theme. Set out the key aspects of your argument, in relation to the debate, that you will examine in the essay (avoid: In this essay I will . Adopt a more critical register: The key areas for exploration are…) Nominalise your writing in the introduction – set the tone!

Introductions Define the key terms in the question Summarise the debate (use your mindmap) Choose a focus Outline plan (3 points)

Intro 1 It could be argued that both Willy Loman in Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' and Johnny Byron in Butterworth's 'Jerusalem' were abandoned as children, and that this is the root cause of their failures: particularly their problems with attachment to others. David Ryan said that ‘boys need to observe how a father behaves... to learn how to manage and appreciate their masculinity... how to relate to females and other males’ (2010), and one could argue that Willy and Johnny display opposite reactions to being placed in this situation. Johnny appears excessively stereotypically masculine throughout ‘Jerusalem’, seemingly without effort – to the extent that his lifestyle is damaging to his health. Willy, however, is not taken seriously by the audience due to desperate insistence that he is a ‘real’ man, despite evidence to the contrary.

Introductions vs. conclusions What’s the difference between an introduction and a conclusion? How might you want to end something differently to beginning it? Exit Velocity! Importance of the final line!

Use of style In conclusion, I agree with the statement because… From even the most furtive glance at Miller’s Death of a Salesman, it is clear that…

Example 1 Both protagonists are victims of conflicting worlds as no matter how much they try to fight off the opposing world and fit into the world in which they live, neither man can overcome the overwhelming force of a capitalist society and an evolving modern world. It seems as though every aspect of the men’s lives have been affected to the point that there is no escape and they have become completely consumed by the divergence.

Example 2 In conclusion, it can be strongly argued that Johnny Byron is more of a tragic hero than Willy Loman as he possesses more of the needed traits as put forward by Aristotle to be considered a tragic hero. Though Willy Loman’s character includes a fair amount of these attributes, his character is not necessarily defined by them as they do in Johnny Byron.

Conclusion Conclude your argument- link back to the question. Answer it! Save a little something extra Link to overall message in the texts, effect on reader and ideas and concepts, writer’s purpose in writing the drama

AO3 AO4 AO1 AO2

LO: To understand how to write academically using nominalisation Willy was embarrassed about losing his job and decided to commit suicide. The embarrassment Willy felt about the loss of his job directly led to his decision to commit suicide. Which of these statements ‘sounds’ better? What is different about them?

Nominalisation Judge judgement Develop development Admire admiration Academic language uses more nouns than verbs. Turn actions (verbs) into concepts (nouns) Much less personal than everyday speech. Judge judgement Develop development Admire admiration