How do I approach the ELAT essay?

The ELAT is an exciting exam because it gives you a lot of freedom. But of course, this is also what makes it challenging. You’re given about extracts all linked by a theme; your task is to pick two or three to focus on and to formulate a clear thread of argument which guides your analysis of the two. That’s all. Of course the challenge lies in the fact that you can choose any of the extracts and write on whatever you choose, which can cause analysis paralysis. You start to overthink the situation and delay starting the essay itself. DO NOT fall into this trap. The ELAT is a timed exam. There is no room for perfectionism. You don’t have time to change your mind or redraft, you just have to pick an idea and follow it through. It doesn’t matter which extracts you choose, just choose the ones that you feel most comfortable with. Here are a few steps you can follow to get the best out of those crucial 90 minutes:

1.Read all the extracts through first in chronological order. Don’t start analysing, and don’t flick through and read them in the wrong order, it’s just a waste of time. 

2.Once you’ve read them all, pick two (or three, its up to you), and start annotating. Do them one at a time. Analyse them individually, looking out for techniques and themes. When you find aspects (formally or thematically) which connect the texts, note them down. 

3.Pick a theme, concept or technique that links the works (I prefer themes and concepts because it allows you to start with the broad and hone into the specific).

4.PLAN YOUR ESSAY - don’t spend too long - maybe five minutes, sorting each paragraph into specific sections which correspond to a technique the author uses - such as phonology, figurative language, tone, etc. This will give your essay structure and ensure you have covered good ground. 

5.After the prep stage is over - this should last about half an hour - start writing!

Now you have your structure, there are things you have to remember while writing. Don’t try to do something complicated or flashy just for the sake of it. The examiners are looking at how good you are at close, critical analysis. So each point you make should have a number of levels of analysis and look at multiple techniques, and then link up with broader ideas at the end of the paragraph. So each paragraph should move from the broad to the specific and back to the broad. And its totally fine to compare poetry with prose - I did this, and ended up discussing how the prose was poetic and the poem prosaic. Remember, its a comparative essay, so don’t talk about one extract for too long, even if you have more to say! You will be penalised for this. And don’t talk about the extracts in isolation - keep linking them back to each other. And don’t worry about referencing external sources - there is no gain to this. Remember to keep your eye on the clock, because you don’t want to run out of time without tying up your essay in a conclusion. 

Now, I keep saying you should be using specific techniques for analysis - but what are these? I always tend to discuss poetic techniques in this order: 

1.Voice, talking about use of speaker, asking where the speaker stands vis-a-vis his subject matter

2. Structure/form - looking more specifically at rhyme, rhythm, line arrangement, end stopping, enjambment, caesurae, etc

3. Use of figurative language - metaphors, similes

4. Sound patterns - phonology - sibilance, alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme 

And into this structure, I would thread in ideas about or shifts in tone, and the emerging values of the poet which emerge from analysis. This should cover all formal aspects of the poem and give you a solid basis for analysis.