1. ESSAY WRITING
A SIMPLE 8 STEP GUIDE

2. The structure is like a hamburger
Introduction
Main body
Conclusion

3. You don’t necessarily eat a burger for the buns, but they hold the burger together…
…in the same way the introduction and conclusion are not the most important part but they hold your essay together and stop it being messy!

4. INTRODUCTION CONCLUSION Always leave a line KEY IDEA ONE between
paragraphs
KEY IDEA ONE
KEY IDEA TWO
KEY IDEA THREE
CONCLUSION

5. 1
Read all the questions

6. Re-read the question you choose2
Re-read the question you choose

7. Underline the keywords3
Underline the keywords

8. 4
Plan your key ideas

9. 5
Plan your evidence

10. Write the introduction6
Write the introduction

11. 7
Write the main body

12. 8
Write your conclusion

13. 1
Read all the questions
You need to read all the questions on offer. Reading all the possibilities allows you to make an informed choice. Some questions you will recognise, some you will not.

14. There will usually be a question on each aspect below:
Character
Issues/ideas
Setting
Structure (opening/incident/ending)
Feelings and emotions

15. Re-read the question you choose2
Re-read the question you choose
Once you have made a decision on the question you should re-read this question. This is to ensure that you under stand all parts of the question. If there are any words you do not understand then choose another question.

16. Underline the keywords3
Underline the keywords
This is to ensure that you are focused on the important parts of the question

17. Describe an important character and explain why they are important.
For example:
Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

18. Describe an important character and explain why they are important.
Becomes:
Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

19. You should keep repeating those keywords throughout your essay…

20. 4
Plan your key ideas
This is the time that you decide how to answer the question. Usually the answers can be found from the box below. Just relate these to the question asked.

21. KEY IDEAS SHOULD COVER POINTS ON:
1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Setting
4. Themes
5. Feelings
6. Style
7. Language
8. Symbolism
9. Genre
10. Author
11. Society’s views
12. Comparisons

22. Describe an important character and explain why they are important.
For example:
Describe an important character and explain why they are important.

23. Possible answers:
Plot – they are involved in key moments which can create suspense or moments of conflicts
Characters – they help us to better understand other characters
Setting – they help us to appreciate the setting more
Theme – the character helps reveal the theme
Feelings – through the actions and dialogue of the character they cause us to feel particular emotions

24. 5
Plan your evidence
At this point you need to be able to back up your key ideas. To do this you must provide detailed and specific information from the text.

25. EVIDENCE MEANS:
QUOTES
EVENTS
ACTIONS
ANECDOTES

26. Write the introduction6
Write the introduction
You should keep this paragraph as short and to the point as possible. You need only include the following.
1. The name of the text and the author
2. Clearly answer the question using
key words
3. List your key ideas
INTRODUCTION

27. Title – and underlines it!!! Answers question Uses key words
Lists 3 key ideas 1 3 2
Gives
Title – and underlines it!!!
Answers question
Uses key words
Names author – uses capital letters!!!
An important character in I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale is Kirby. She is important because she reveals the themes the theme of personal identity, provokes an emotional response for the reader and is involved in moments of tension.

28. Let’s look at another question:
Describe an interesting idea and explain why it is interesting.

29. Names author – using capital letters!!!
Lists 3 key ideas 1 2 3
Answers question
Uses key words
Names author – using capital letters!!!
An interesting idea in How Dare You by Jane Westaway is family violence. This is interesting because it makes the reader feel both sad and angry, gives the reader an insight into a world they may not experience themselves and provides moments of suspense in the text.
Gives
title – and underlines it!!! 3

30. Write the Main Body of you essay7
For each key idea you have you need to write one paragraph. These paragraphs all follow the same format:
1. A topic sentence stating your key idea
2. Evidence from the text to support your
key idea
3. An explanation linking your evidence
back to the question clearly answering it
MAIN BODY

31. TOPIC SENTENCES: state your key idea
use the keywords from the question
should be short and to the point
are like a signpost indicating what your paragraph is about

32. The key idea here is that Esther is the important character
Uses key words
Firstly, an important character in the text is Esther.
The key idea here is that Esther is the important character
Short and to the point

33. Again, short and to the point
Esther is important because she reveals a theme.
Again, short and to the point
Uses key words
The key idea here is that Esther is an important character because we learn about a theme through her

34. EVIDENCE: Can be quotes, examples, actions details
Quotes should only be 5-6 words long
You must use “ ’’ around them
They must be embedded

35. The quote is embedded: words before and after it to explain the context.
This idea is shown when Mr Poata says “It’s private, isn’t it?” when she asks for help.
Uses quote marks
Short quote

36. The quotes are embedded: they flow into a sentence which is easy to read and clear.
Uses quote marks
I felt sorry for the Grandmother as she was described as being “frail with age”, lived in a “shabby room” and only has one “good brown dress”.
short quotes

37. EXPLANATION Should refer back and answer the question
Can include some personal response
Will usually answer the second half of the question

38. This idea is important because it makes the reader aware of how we need to take action if we suspect violence even if it is in people’s homes.
Answers the second half of the question: Why is the idea important?
Uses key words from queston
Doesn’t use I but uses ‘the reader’ instead

39. Answers the second half of the question: Why is the character intersting?
Relates back to the ideas of the story
This character is interesting because he reveals the idea of how people are too scared to interfere in domestic violence.
Uses key words from question

40. 8
Write your conclusion
Once again this should be kept simple and to the point. You need only include the following
1. Clearly answer the question once again
2. State your key ideas again
3. Include a personal response

41. Clearly answers the question. Clearly outlines the key ideas again.3 2 1
Includes a personal response
In conclusion, Kirby is an interesting character in I Am Not Esther. She was interesting because through her the themes of courage and personal identity were raised. Finally she was interesting because she provoked an emotional response from the readers. I admired the way she dealt with the obstacles and hoped she would be able to sort her problems out.
Uses the key words

42. And it’s that simple!