How do I best interpret the essay question?

Before starting your essay, it is crucial to figure out what the question is asking you to do. If you miss out this crucial step then you risk writing the wrong essay altogether! It is very difficult to achieve a high mark when this happens. Firstly, spend some time analysing the question. It is useful to identify the broad topic by highlighting the main theme. In the case of AQA English literature, this addresses the 3rd assessment objective about contextual elements. Secondly, underline instruction words. These tell you what the aim of the essay is (evaluate/discuss/analyse). By knowing exactly what these mean will help you structure the essay accordingly. Finally, if there are different sections to the question, work out what proportion of the essay will be spent on each one.