Writing a good English Literature Essay

1. The first thing you need to do is to read the question carefully, underlining the key words. The question is your starting point and your guide throughout. Address the question in your opening sentence. Show the examiner that you mean business and know how to answer.
2. Write a quick paragraph plan before starting to write the essay. This will help to ensure that you cover all the aspects of your answer to the question in a logical, progressive way.
3. You will often be building an argument, so do have a logical order to the points you make. There’s no place for random remarks. Make sure all your arguments answer the question and are ordered sensibly in your plan.
4. As you write, keep checking, ‘Is this actually answering the question?’ Stay on track.
5. As you make a point, use a quotation to re-inforce it and then show how the quote builds your argument. This is the Point Evidence Explain method. Appropriate, embedded quotations will raise your mark.
6. Remember that writing about literature involves an informed personal response with close reference to the text. The examiner wants your opinion and analysis, not your teacher’s, not Google’s and not your mum’s. Engage with the text and answer the question!