essay_writing_skills

FINAL REVISION DOCUMENT- IGCSE English Literature
Consider the essay question. Consider the question and different ways you could
make arguments about the topic. Doing this preliminary brainstorming will not only
direct you towards the appropriate research, it will help the writing process go more
quickly.[3]
 Make sure you understand what the question is asking for! If you provide a summary
when the essay prompt asked you to “analyze,” you’re unlikely to do very well.
If it’s an EXTRACT based question. Read and annotate the extract. If not, make
notes from what you remember of the story.
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!!!!!- depending on the length of the exam, plan for the first 20%
of the time. i.e. for a 1 hour exam plan for 20 min. Read and reread the question then
make a list, mindmap or outline to structure what you are going to write. Create your
thesis statement which will be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph. Work
in 3’s i.e. SAMPLE THESIS- ‘Keats uses strong words and phrases in his poem ‘Last
Sonnet’ to create a memorable effect by his use of imagery, religious allusion and
alliteration’. For this sample thesis, I suggest the following planning structure but you
may vary it as you wish.
1. Paragraph 1- Intro + thesis statement (brief)
2. Paragraph 2- discuss imagery and use a quote (make sure to imbed

your quote) + effect on the reader
3. Paragraph 3- discuss religious allusion and use a quote (make sure to

imbed your quote) + effect on the reader
4. Paragraph 4- discuss alliteration and use a quote (make sure to imbed

your quote) + effect on the reader
5. Paragraph 5 – conclusion
EFFECTS, EFFECTS, EFFECTS!!! Please don’t forget to not only mention the
poetic, literary or dramatic device but MENTION THE EFFECT OF THAT DEVICE
ON THE READER (you can usually make this up as long as it makes sense)
 Develop your argument or thesis statement. Your argument or thesis statement is

the point you’re making in the essay through evidence and analysis. Avoid personal
pronouns i.e. ‘I’. Instead of writing ‘I think Napolean had a complex’ turn it into a
statement and write ‘Napolean had a complex because of blah, blah and blah’.
Write a catchy introduction. The introduction does exactly what the word says: it
explains to the reader what you’re going to say in the essay. The introduction should
grab, or hook, your reader’s attention and entice them to read the rest of the essay.
[15]
 The most important part of your introduction is your argument or thesis statement.
This tells the reader the point you are trying to make in the essay.[16]
 Write a “hook” that will grab the reader’s attention to start, then introduce the
argument with a few relevant facts woven into the narrative. End by stating how you
will demonstrate your points.[17]
 An example of a hook could be, “People say Napoleon had a complex because of
his size, but he was actually an average height for the time in which he lived.”
 It is sometimes helpful to write the introduction after have written the body so
you know how to introduce the topic and your arguments best.
 IGCSE Intro’s can be brief (2-4 sentences maximum)
Write as clearly as possible. If you’re writing quickly, it will simplify the process to
write easy sentences without difficult grammatical structures. This also makes it less
likely that you’ll improperly use convoluted jargon.[24]
 Avoid "fat" language when you write. Text that includes long prepositional phrases,
passive verbs, and paragraphs that don't further your argument waste time that you
could spend writing or revising your essay.
LANGUAGE- use the appropriate language to fit the question type.

Poetry – poem, poet, writer, stanza’s, (poetic devices), reader
Prose: (In our case Short Stories) – writer, story, (literary devices), reader
Drama: playwrite/writer, play, Acts, scenes, stage directions, performance, audience,
(dramatic devices)
DEVICES
Poetry
Metaphor
Simile
Imagery
Allusion
Enjambment
Theme
Symbol
Tone
etc
Prose
Hyperbole
Sarcasm
Foreshadowing
Plot
Climax
Characterization
Narrative structure
Metaphor
Simile
Imagery
Allusion
Theme
Symbol
Tone
Etc.
Drama – see Cliff Notes ‘Inherit the Wind’

 Foil
 Dramatic Irony. occurs when the reader knows a secret, but the characters in a play
or work of fiction do not. ...
 Sarcasm
 Humour
 Dialect
 Romance motif
 Paradox. ...
 Monologue
 Foreshadowing

essay_writing_skills

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

essay_writing_skills

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

essay_writing_skills

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

FINAL REVISION DOCUMENT- IGCSE English Literature

1. Paragraph 1- Intro + thesis statement (brief)

2. Paragraph 2- discuss imagery and use a quote (make sure to imbed

3. Paragraph 3- discuss religious allusion and use a quote (make sure to

4. Paragraph 4- discuss alliteration and use a quote (make sure to imbed

 Develop your argument or thesis statement. Your argument or thesis statement is

LANGUAGE- use the appropriate language to fit the question type.

Drama – see Cliff Notes ‘Inherit the Wind’

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.