How to compare and contrast the authors of one text with another when writing an essay.

This is a standard A Level essay question which is asked across multiple exam boards with an ultimate theme that the student must write about. It is also a good question to work through with students as it encompasses various elements of studying English literature at A Level:Comparing and contrasting more than one textWriting an essay on a specific theme rather than on a single novelCrafting the essay itself
The best way to aid the student in answering this question would be to help them plan an essay, as it is often more productive to complete working examples rather than talk about analysing literature in an abstract sense. For example, I would use the topic of illicit love to give a focus to the student's learning, and encourage them to think carefully about texts that fit together to write a cohesive argument surrounding this topic. I would work with the student to think of examples in both texts and then begin to think about how they compare and contrast, as mastering A Level essays takes a lot of time and practise. Most importantly, I would continue to remind the student of the theme of the essay/example, in this case illicit love, as arguments and analysis generally become more cohesive and more easily formed when being considered with one theme in mind. Using this systematic method, the student will ultimately improve their analytical skills as well as essay technique.