Post by missmcgrory on Sept 29, 2010 21:34:01 GMT
A Guide to Planning and Writing an Essay
1. Pick an appropriate question and ANSWER it.
Do not just write everything you know about the text, you need to show that you are answering the specific question set. You’re presenting an ARGUMENT, like a lawyer presenting a case in court. You are making several points throughout the essay, using evidence from the text, to build up your overall argument.
E.g. For At The Bar, you were asked to write about how the writer creates an effective, surprising ending. Your ARGUMENT was that he creates an effective ending through his use of characterisation, setting, plot and narrative perspective.
You will need to PLAN your essay. You can do this any way you wish - using a mind map or spider diagram, or bullet points if you wish - whatever works for you. Decide what your overall argument will be, the techniques you will focus on and the quotations/evidence you plan to use in each paragraph.
2. The essay should have an introduction, main body and conclusion.
3. The introduction should contain:
- the name of the text and the author/director if it is a film
- a brief summary of what happens in the text
- what your essay is going to be about
- the names of the specific techniques you will be looking at e.g. camera, acting, lighting, sound
4. In the main body, you present all the points you want to make to build up your argument. You will use evidence from the text to support what you are saying. Each pargraph will be a new point. Use the P.E.E method to structure each paragraph.
5. P.E.E stands for
Point
Evidence
Explain
Point - “The opening scene uses sound to create an eerie, sinister atmosphere”
Evidence - “The diegetic sound of the dogs barking is distorted and mixed in with unsettling sounding non-diegetic xylophone music”
Explanation - This helps create the atmosphere, because………………………………etc
6. Conclusion
In the conclusion you sum up what you have said in your essay. Summarize your points into one or two sentences. You should then give some personal response - say what YOU thought was good about the text/particularly effective
1. Pick an appropriate question and ANSWER it.
Do not just write everything you know about the text, you need to show that you are answering the specific question set. You’re presenting an ARGUMENT, like a lawyer presenting a case in court. You are making several points throughout the essay, using evidence from the text, to build up your overall argument.
E.g. For At The Bar, you were asked to write about how the writer creates an effective, surprising ending. Your ARGUMENT was that he creates an effective ending through his use of characterisation, setting, plot and narrative perspective.
You will need to PLAN your essay. You can do this any way you wish - using a mind map or spider diagram, or bullet points if you wish - whatever works for you. Decide what your overall argument will be, the techniques you will focus on and the quotations/evidence you plan to use in each paragraph.
2. The essay should have an introduction, main body and conclusion.
3. The introduction should contain:
- the name of the text and the author/director if it is a film
- a brief summary of what happens in the text
- what your essay is going to be about
- the names of the specific techniques you will be looking at e.g. camera, acting, lighting, sound
4. In the main body, you present all the points you want to make to build up your argument. You will use evidence from the text to support what you are saying. Each pargraph will be a new point. Use the P.E.E method to structure each paragraph.
5. P.E.E stands for
Point
Evidence
Explain
Point - “The opening scene uses sound to create an eerie, sinister atmosphere”
Evidence - “The diegetic sound of the dogs barking is distorted and mixed in with unsettling sounding non-diegetic xylophone music”
Explanation - This helps create the atmosphere, because………………………………etc
6. Conclusion
In the conclusion you sum up what you have said in your essay. Summarize your points into one or two sentences. You should then give some personal response - say what YOU thought was good about the text/particularly effective