How to answer essay questions

When an essay asks you to decide between two statements or asks if something is true or false.

·         Organise your answers in to paragraphs for and against the argument.

·         Try to be open minded and see things from both perspectives

·         Be objective

·         It is perfectly acceptable to conclude that both arguments are true to some extent

·         Make sure your conclusion at the end makes it clear which argument or arguments you are stating to be true but make sure it is not too subjective

Writing style

·         Use the language carefully and try not to use slang or colloquial speech

·         Do not use ‘I think’ but rather write ‘This novel is about...’

·         It is very important to link what you are writing about. It is important to look at both sides of an argument. This could be looking at similarities and differences. NEVER write about two things without linking them to each other or to the essay question.

Themes

·         Take a few minutes to look at themes. For example Romeo and Juliet clearly has the theme of love but if you look closer you can also see themes of life and death, honour, family, friendship and many others. By finding themes you can earn extra points as it shows you have looked closely at the text.

·         Themes do not have to be themes in the play/novel/poem. It is important to look at the themes of imagery, language, time, meaning i.e the ‘building blocks’ of  the piece.

Look closely at the question

·         Are you being asked to compare/contrast or are you being asked to look for something in particular? The question itself can offer clues as to how to form the structure of your essay. Always link what you are writing to the question and try to go off topic. You may have a word limit so make a point and then move to the next one; do not waste time elaborating a point that you have already made. As long as you have explained why that point is there, given an example and linked it to the question then that is fine.

Examples

·         If you are making points try to use examples from the play/novel/poem to illustrate your point. Keep the reference short and relevant and don’t forget to add the title, author and page number.

Writing Articles

When writing an article you need to:

Include a catchy headline

Put a box with a description of the picture in- don’t waste time drawing it as you are not marked on your artistic skills

Use sub-headings

Use a catchy opening sentence that will entice the reader to continue.

Involve the reader with words such as ‘you’ and ‘us.

Perhaps you could use questions in your piece.

Make the article relevant and do not add intricate details until later in the article.

Give relevant facts and figures that support your comments.

Use standard English

Begin each paragraph with a sentence that sets the tone for the rest of the piece.

Use discourse markers such as ‘clearly’ and ‘therefore’.

Create a sense of trust with the reader.

Add quotes or an interview with an expert.

Do not use jargon (technical terms) or if you have to then ensure the terms are explained.

Be objective; do not use emotive language.

Is the article capturing attention, interesting, informative, persuasive and convincing?

William Blake

Many comparisons can be made between ‘The Tyger’ and ‘The Lamb’

 

THE TYGER

Poem begins by questioning who could have made such a fearsome creature.

The poet wonders how the creator of the tiger could be brave enough to continue the job.

The poet compares the creator to a blacksmith.

The poet wonders how the same creator of the tiger could make the lamb.

Six quatrains in rhymed couplets

The meter is regular and rhythmic- symbolising the striking of the hammer

The poet questions whether the tiger is made in its creator’s image (are humans made in God’s image?)

How can there something so beautiful be so evil?

Theme of fire which is beautiful but destructive.

The poem is related to ‘The Lamb’ poem and the lamb is referenced in this poem.

Harsh vowels represent the striking of the hammer and fierceness of the tiger.

Religious poem

THE LAMB

How has the lamb come to be?

Two stanzas with five rhyming couplets.

Soft vowels represent soft and gentle lamb.

Lamb symbolises Jesus

‘Little Lamb’ repetition

Written in an interrogative form- lots of questions (information seeking and rhetorical questions)

Religious poem

Poem is ended by child blessing the lamb

Writing About Poetry

For poetry questions you may be asked to-

Comment on the ideas and attitudes in the poem

Look at how the poet’s ideas are expressed

Look at how the poem effects you

Look at the poet’s intentions

Look at how the poet describes the senses (smell, taste, touch etc)

Look at imagery and symbolism

Look at the form, structure, rhyme scheme, use of language, etc

FORM

How is the poem constructed?

Line length

Rhyme scheme

Number and length of lines

LANGUAGE

The choice of adjectives (describing words).

Look at images and symbols that convey particular ideas.

Poetry techniques such as simile, metaphor or onomatopoeia.

SOUND

Look at rhyme and decide whether they reinforce meaning

Use of repetition

Use of rhythm

MEANING

Look at deeper meanings in the poem such as the change of power between the male and female in ‘The Beggar Woman’ or the use of imagery and the theme of plants/trees in ‘Search For My Tongue’.

Look at what message the poet wants to convey and analyse how well he/she achieves this.

How does the poet want the audience to feel?

What context did the poet write the poem? (eg. Was it written in a specific time period such as the political poem ‘Troubles’ which focuses on Northern Ireland unrest). Perhaps it is a poem written by a male but is empathetic towards women’s point of view or perhaps the poem has an unusual message considering the date it was written.

Looking at these deeper meaning will score you extra marks.

 

QUOTING

 

Always do the following-

 

Make a point  Use a quotation  Make a comment

 

Use short, relevant quotes and say how they support your point.

Story Arc

Most stories (and movies) follow a ‘Story Arc’ which is a kind of formula for a good story.

The above diagram is a story arc. It is the common structure of a story and it helps to base your story around this in order to create tension/ suspense/ drama etc.

 

Set the scene by describing where the story is set and introduce the characters.

Create a conflict or problem for the character(s) to face.

There may be a challenge the character(s) have to face in order to solve the problem.

There will be a climax where the action takes place. This is the most exciting part of the story.

The character(s) solve their problem and the story comes to an end.

Semicolons and Colons

Semicolon

 

Used often to add a point that would not make sense by itself.

 

Eg. I went to the beach; I was told it was closed due to a shark attack.

In the above example if you look at the point after the semicolon it would not make sense by itself in a sentence.

They are also used in sentences that have internal points.

Eg. I have been to Nome, Alaska; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco, California and Miami, Florida.

 

Here if you just used commas like Nome, Alaska, Las Vegas, Nevada it would look like you have been to each of these places but Nome is in Alaska and Las Vegas is in Nevada so what we are really saying is we have been to Nome, Alaska.

It is the same as saying you have been to London, England. London is in England so you would not list that you have been to London and England.

Colon

 

Often used to add another point but you need to read the sentence as a whole

Eg. There was only one explanation: the jewellery had been stolen.

 

In the above sentence you need to continue reading beyond the colon to understand the statement whereas in a semicolon the sentence makes sense even if you miss out what is after the semicolon.