What structure should we use to answer an exam question?

Whilst there is no one way of answering a question, it is important that you hit the necessary criteria to reach the higher bands of the grading system. To do that, using a methodical structure such as a PEEL paragraph can really help focus your essay, giving it greater clarity that will help you write your way towards the highest marks possible! A PEEL paragraph (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link back to the question) is a concise, but useful tool at both GCSE and A Level that can guide your essay towards the key points you are trying to make. Having a list of quotations memorised is impressive, it is however, not the objective of a literature essay. The key is to explore how these quotations are being used - an interrogation! Through PEEL paragraphs, we can make our initial point, which is consolidated through the use of quotations, explain them by doing a close reading of how the quotation works both immediately and in the wider context of the text, which can be tied up at the end by linking your findings back to the question.