1. Learning Intentions I will understand what PCQE stands for and will be able to use it to structure paragraphs Why? In order to pass your critical evaluation, you must structure each main body paragraph in a clear way. An easy way of getting to grips with the main body is to use the PCQE method.

2. Structure of main body paragraphs P: Point. Each paragraph must start with a Point or a Topic Sentence. This sentence should start with a linking word or phrase, should introduce the ideas of your paragraph and link back to the question. C: Context. In your essay you need to give a context. This means you should explain what is happening at that part of the text. Q: Quotation. Each main body paragraph should contain at least one quotation from the text that you can analyse fully and that will help answer the essay question. E: Evaluation. This will form the largest part of the paragraph and will contain the analysis of the quotation and answer the question. You must refer back to the question by rewording certain key phrases from the question.

3. Using the question “Choose a poem in which the creation of mood or atmosphere is an important feature. Show how the poet creates the mood or atmosphere, and discuss its importance in your appreciation of the poem as a whole” would the following introduction be suitable? You must guide your examiner and continually link back to the question. A topic sentence or point is needed. Answer: The poem starts off with the poet going around the battlefield. He says the place is “nightmare ground”. This metaphor is effective. This is not a topic sentence. Why? It has nothing to do with the question. It was not relevant as you cannot tell what question is being answered. A better topic sentence would be: Answer: The eerie atmosphere is firmly established from the outset. Douglas’ sombre tone and vivid imagery clearly gives us an insight into the uncomfortable place. As the poet travels through the old battlefield as sense of desolation and fear is present and he labels the area a “nightmare ground”. This is much better. The atmosphere/ mood is explicitly described. The techniques used are present. Evaluation - the reader's feelings are described.

4. Using the question “Choose a poem in which the creation of mood or atmosphere is an important feature. Show how the poet creates the mood or atmosphere, and discuss its importance in your appreciation of the poem as a whole” would the following introduction be suitable? Answer: The sinister atmosphere that is evident becomes even more shocking as the true extent of the man's injuries are revealed. Graphic imagery and emotive word choice emphasise the brutal and barbaric death faced by soldiers. The atmosphere/mood is explicitly described and relevant to question. The techniques used are present. Evaluation - the readers feelings are described.

5. Context In your essay you need to give a context. This means you to need to explain what is happening at that part of the text. Do not give too much plot, but give enough in order to help your examiner establish what is happening. For example: "Poet Douglas, in stanza 1, looks around the battlefield that is now completely barren and clearly describes this ominous place. As the poet travels through the old battlefield a sense of desolation and fear is present and he labels the area." This outlines what is happening and explains what the poet is actually writing about.

6. Evidence No essay can pass in National 5English without evidence. Just like a lawyer needs evidence in court to win a case, you need evidence for your arguments to pass National 5 English. Quotes provide this evidence. You need to have a range of quotes that back up your main points. Quotes must be relevant to the question and back up any comments or thoughts that you make. For example, adding the topic sentence, context and quote together would look like this:

7. Evidence Topic sentence: The eerie atmosphere is firmly established from the outset, Douglas’ sombre tone and vivid imagery give the reader a clear insight into the discomfort of the place. Context: Poet Douglas, in stanza 1, looks around the battlefield that is now completely barren and clearly describes this ominous place. As the poet travels through the old battlefield a sense of desolation and fear is present and he labels the area: Quote: “nightmare ground” The quote backs up what already has been said, yet can also now be analysed fully.

8. Analysis In analysis you need to look at your quote. Ask yourself, what can I say about...? A particular word An image - simile, metaphor, personification Tone Symbol Repetition Sentence structure Imagine you have a rope. Throw the rope into the quote and pull specific features that stand out to you and make sense. For example: “nightmare ground” What does this suggest? What figure of speech is here? What does this description make you envision?

9. Sample analysis: This metaphor implies the carnage of the event and of how it is indelibly printed in Douglas’ mind. The suggestion of “nightmare” illustrates his strong desire to escape from this war ground which is almost comparable to hell. He is so terrified that the place haunts his subconscious. It is clear that horrific events have occurred here and there is a lingering eerie atmosphere. This is a brilliant piece of analysis with reference to the metaphor and connotations of "nightmare" which is relevant to the question.

10. Evaluation The final element of a paragraph within an essay is evaluation. Better candidates will evaluate continually in an essay - but what does this really mean? Evaluation is asking yourself: How effective has the poet/author/writer been? Have they achieved their aim? What techniques have they used? How do I feel? What have I learned on a wider scale?

11. Evaluation We can clearly see how Douglas has been affected mentally by the war and that he is confined within a never ending nightmare that he cannot escape from. The reader begins to feel sympathy for the poet as we now know the anguish and distress he is going through and of how this place holds bad memories for him. The poet uses vivid imagery to convey how terrible war is and that it impacts profoundly on an individual. He is immersed in this eerie atmosphere and we are forced to think about the effects of war even after the battle has transpired.

12. Topic sentence: The eerie atmosphere is firmly established from the outset. Douglas’ sombre tone and vivid imagery clearly give us an insight into the uncomfortable place. Context: Poet Douglas, in stanza 1, looks around the battlefield that is now completely barren and clearly describes this ominous war zone. As the poet travels through the old battlefield, a sense of desolation and fear is present and he labels the area: Quote: “Nightmare ground” Analysis: This metaphor implies the carnage of this event and of how this is indelibly printed in Douglas’ mind. This suggestion of “nightmare” illustrates that he wants to escape from this war ground which is almost comparable to hell. He is terrified so greatly that this place haunts his subconscious. It is clear that horrific events have occurred here and an extremely eerie tone lingers. Evaluation: We can clearly see how Douglas has been affected mentally by the war and that he is confined within a never ending nightmare that he cannot escape from. The reader begins to feel sympathy for the poet as we now know the anguish and distress he is going through and of how this place holds bad memories for him. The poet uses vivid imagery to convey how terrible war is and that it impacts profoundly on an individual. He is immersed in this eerie atmosphere and we are forced to think about the effects of war even after the battle has transpired.

13. Example Question Choose a novel or short story which deals with a powerful human emotion: for example love, shame, hatred, fear, embarrassment, despair, joy, or any other strong emotion. Show how the emotion you have chosen affects one, or more than one, of the characters, and go on to show how it affects the course of the story. In you essay you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: theme, structure, setting, symbolism, or any other appropriate feature. All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice

14. The symbolism of the glitter pens helps to emphasise the theme of hope in “All That Glisters.” The pens offer Claire an escape from her dad’s illness and the poverty that surrounds her. When Claire first uses the pens she is instantly excited by them and says: “It wis pure brilliant so it wis. There wis four colours, rid, green, gold and silver….And when ah’d finished something amazing happened. Ah canny explain whit it wis but the glitter jist brought everythin tae life, gleamin and glisterin agin the flat cardboard.” The colours of the pens represent hope in different ways. The word “rid” has connotations of love – the love that Claire has for her father. Claire’s unwavering love for her dad and desire to please him provides the reader with hope throughout the story as it makes us realise that love can survive in even the bleakest of situations. The silver and gold pens represent riches, luxury and money and these pens help Claire, in a way, to be rich herself. She is rich in her imagination and creativity and these are fuelled by the pens. Through the pens, Claire escapes the reality in which she does not possess money or riches. The green pen symbolises nature and life. This also provides hope in the story as Claire’s dad is losing life. Claire acknowledges the hope the pens provide her when she says “The glitter jist brought everything to life.” The pens offer Claire things she does not have in reality. The “flat cardboard” that Clare refers to could represent her life. Her life is “flat”; it is filled with poverty and death. The effect the pens have on the cardboard really represents the effect the pens have on Clare’s life. They give it sparkle and provide hope. I found this an interesting way to help convey the theme of hope and I was pleased that the pens offered Clare an enthusiasm for life.

15. Choose a short story which describes the impact of death on a main character When Clare’s father dies from asbestosis, Donovan uses disassociation to portray the utter shock and devastation that Clare feels on learning about his death. When her mum tells her the news, she – without meaning to – disassociates from her own shock: “…but when she said the words the coldness shot through me till ah felt ma bones shiverin and ah heard a voice, far away in anither room, shoutin but the shouts were muffled as if in a fog, and the voice wis shoutin naw, naw, naw!” Firstly, the feeling of loss and shock is described as a “coldness”, which has connotations of numbness. This tells us that Clare literally felt numb from the shock of it all. The word choice of “shot” has connotations of moving quickly and makes the reader think of guns. This suggests that the feeling of shock went through her as fast and with as much impact as a bullet from a gun. Furthermore, this feeling of numbness, or disassociation from the pain of it all, is continued by the phrase “ah heard a voice”. Here, Clare says “a” voice, not “my” voice, which tells us that she has disassociated from her pain. It is almost like it is happening to somebody else as she has so little control over herself. Therefore, Donovan explores the impact of death on Clare by showing how the sheer shock of the news of her father’s death causes her to disassociate from her own pain, as it is almost too much for her to take.

16. Critical Essay Poetry POETRY 2015 Answers to questions on Poetry should refer to the text and to such relevant features as word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, rhyme, theme, sound, ideas... 5. Choose a poem in which setting is an important feature. By referring to poetic techniques, show how setting contributes to your appreciation of the poem as a whole. 6. Choose a poem which makes you think more deeply about an aspect of life. By referring to poetic techniques, show how the poet explores this aspect of life.

17. POETRY 2014 Answers to questions on Poetry should refer to the text and to such relevant features as word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, rhyme, theme, sound, ideas... 5. Choose a poem which you find particularly thought- provoking. By referring to poetic techniques, explain how the poet makes this poem so thought-provoking. 6. Choose a poem which deals with human experience. By referring to poetic techniques, show how the poet makes this experience come alive and helps you appreciate the poem as a whole.

18. Answers to questions on Poetry should refer to the text and to such relevant features as word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, rhyme, theme, sound, ideas... 1. Choose a poem which made a lasting impression on you. Explain briefly what the poem is about, then, by referring to appropriate techniques, show how the poem has made this lasting impression. 2. Choose a poem which features an encounter or an incident. By referring to appropriate techniques, show how the poet’s development of the encounter or incident leads you to a deeper understanding of the poem’s central concerns.

19. Task Answers to questions on Poetry should refer to the text and to such relevant features as word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, rhyme, theme, sound, ideas... Question: Choose a poem which deals with the theme of love/relationships/loss/the horrors of war. By referring to appropriate techniques, explain how the theme is explored.