The most important thing about the essay-writing process is planning. The amount of time that you spend planning an essay determines how well that essay will flow and ultimately, the mark that you will get.

Begin by looking at the question and finguring out exactly what it is asking you to do.

An example: 'How does Miller present fear in The Crucible?'

Write about:

• the characters and the fears they have

• the methods the writer uses to present fear

This question is simply asking you to describe what the author does to show the characters' fear, and why this is signficant.

Ask yourself the following questions:
What do I need to think about?
How does the author do it?
Why does the author do it? In doing this, what point do they try to make?

When you have answered these questions, you can begin planning.

Start by writing down relevant events that you can remember from the text.

Then, list what needs to go into each section of your essay;

Introduction: My argument and what I will talk about in each paragraph.
Paragraph 1: What? (an aspect of fear), How? Why?
Paragraph 2: Repeat with different material.
Conclusion: Do not reiterate, evaluate. This means do not simply repeat what you have already said, give some extra information about why what you have said is important.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a brief answer to a complex question. A much more detailed response will be given in tuition sessions, along with some practice and examples.

Example

Related English Literature GCSE answers

How do I start writing an essay?

Show how the theme of manners is explored in the novel Pride and Prejudice.

Explain the importance of Love as a theme in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

What is the best way to structure an essay?