How do I plan an essay to get the maximum number of marks possible?

Firstly, read the question given very carefully; highlight the key words within the question - key characters, themes, and elements the examiner wants you to look for. Then, read the extract, again, very carefully, and highlight anything you can that relates to the question in hand. These will form the basis of your essay. Make notes of the key points you have gleaned from your annotation of the given text, as you will be able to expand on this to begin writing the essay. If the question asks you to use the whole novel, make a short list of any other scenes in the novel that are relevant to the question, and make a few short notes based on those scenes to use as a starting point. Writing the essay itself is fairly simple once you have your notes on what to include, just remember to use the question, use the extract and use the whole text.