© Boardworks Ltd 2001 Key Stage 4 English Essay Writing.

© Boardworks Ltd 2001

Key Stage 4 English

Essay Writing


Essay Writing

UNIT CONTENTS

• Planning Slides 3 - 16• The Introduction Slides 17 - 29• The Main Body Slides 30 - 44• The Conclusion Slides 45 - 58• The Completed Essay Slides 59 - 62


Essay Writing - Planning

CONTENTS

• Introduction Slide 4 • Approaching an Essay Question Slide 5• Writing your Plan Slide 6• Sample Essay Plan Slide 7• Example Essay Question Slides 8 - 13• Example Essay Plan Slides 14 - 16


IntroductionEssay Writing - Planning

In this first part of this unit you will be studying essay writing. You will be looking at how to plan and write an effective essay.

In this first section we will be looking at planning an essay. Making a plan is essential, whether you are writing a coursework essay or an essay in an examination. Why do you need to plan an essay?

• To ensure that you include all the information you need.

• To make sure that your essay is well structured.

• So that you answer the essay question fully.

• In an examination, so that you don’t run out of time.


Approaching an Essay QuestionWhen you first see an essay question, for instance in an English examination, you should take the following steps:


Read the essay question very carefully,

noting what you are asked to do.

Read the text that the question refers to

several times, keeping the question in mind.

Make any annotations you need to on the text.

Start to plan your essay.


Writing your PlanBefore you start to make your plan, it is always a good idea to write out the essay question. This will help you ensure that you stick to the question in your essay.

A good way to make a plan is to use a brainstorm, or a series of brainstorms. If your essay is going to be a long one, you could use a separate plan for each paragraph.

On each brainstorm, you should make brief notes about what you are going to include in that paragraph. Your notes need only be single word reminders or short phrases that will jog your memory when you come to write your essay.



Sample Essay PlanFirst, write out the essay question.


Next, make notes about what to include in your introduction.

Introduction

Now, create a series of brainstorms for each paragraph of your essay.

The Essay Question is ...

Paragraphs

Finally, make notes on what to include in your conclusion.

Conclusion


Example Essay QuestionOn the next few slides you are going to be given an example essay question, then taken through the steps we have just seen for planning your answer.

The essay question is based on an unseen piece of poetry, just like you might find in your English Literature examination. You can find more information on analysing poetry in the unit called “Textual Analysis”.

First, we will look at the essay question and the poem. Then we will annotate the poem, keeping the essay question in mind. Finally, we will make our plan as a series of brainstorms.



Essay Question: Analyse “Upon Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth, looking particularly at how the writer feels about his subject. What effects does he use to develop the images he sees?


“Upon Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth

Earth has not anything to show more fair:Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:This City now doth, like a garment, wearThe beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lieOpen unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;And all that mighty heart is lying still!




Read the essay question very carefully,

noting what you are asked to do.

You are being asked to ‘analyse’, so you must study the piece and techniques in detail.

The phrase ‘looking particularly at’ directs

you to analyse in detail the writer’s feelings.

The question has a second part, where you are asked to look at the effects Wordsworth uses in the poem.










Read the text that the question refers to

several times, keeping the question in mind.

Analyse “Upon Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth, looking particularly at how the writer feels about his subject. What effects does he use to develop the images he sees?


Essay Writing - PlanningMake any annotations you need to on the text (brief example below).








Starts with a declaration of its beauty

Only ‘dull’ people could pass this by

Personifies the city, using a simile

Lists its attractionsUses words

that suggest light As beautiful

as the countrysidePersonifies

the river Personifies the whole city


First, write out the essay question.


The Essay Question is …

Analyse “Upon Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth, looking particularly at how the writer feels about his subject. What effects does he use to develop the images he sees?

Start to plan your essay.



Introduction

Next, make notes about what to include in your introduction. (You will find more information about writing introductions in the next presentation.)

Wordsworth normally associated with nature and countryside

Here talks about beauty of the city

Clearly feels very positive about what

he is seeing

Compares city beauty to that of the countryside



Now, create a series of brainstorms for each paragraph of your essay. (Only the two paragraphs are shown here. Your essay would probably have at least two further paragraphs in its main section.)

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 4

Uses personification City and river personified

Strengthens positive feelings

They seem human to him

Feels positive re. subject

Starts with declaration

‘Dull’ if pass by

Calls it ‘touching’



Finally, make notes on what to include in your conclusion. (Again, you will find more information about writing conclusions later on in this unit.)

Positive feelings throughout poem

Sight makes him feel calm and happy

Conclusion

Images both of city and country are used

Strengthens images through use of personification


Essay Writing - The Introduction

CONTENTS

• Introduction Slide 18 • Structuring your Introduction Slide 19• Writing your Introduction Slide 20• Example Essay Question Slide 21• Example Introduction Slides 22 - 29


Introduction


In this section you will be looking at how to plan and write an introduction to an essay. The techniques that you learn here will be useful not only in writing English essays, but also in writing essays for other subjects.

Writing an effective introduction is very important to your essay. A good introduction should:

• Give your reader a ‘taste’ of what your essay is about.

• Lead your reader into the rest of the essay.

• Encourage them to continue reading, because what you are writing seems clear and interesting.


Structuring your IntroductionTo be effective, your introduction should include the things below. You may find that you need more than one sentence to cover each point.


A ‘general’ comment on or statement

about the subject of your essay.

Some specific information, for example about the writer you are

studying.

In addition, you should try to give a ‘taste’ of what the essay will be like, through the way that you write.

A statement of the position you will be

taking on the question.


Writing your Introduction

Before you start to write your introduction, you will have made a plan to tell you what to include. As well as helping you structure your essay, your plan will also help you ensure that you stick to the question you have been asked.

Once you have made your plan, you are ready to write your introduction. Probably the best way to see how to do this is to study an example. The example introduction is for the essay we planned in the first section of this unit.

Let’s look again at the essay question that was asked.












Example Essay

Question


Introduction

Here are the notes that were made in the plan, saying what should be included in the introduction.

Wordsworth normally associated with nature and countryside

Here talks about beauty of the city

Clearly feels very positive about what

he is seeing

Compares city beauty to that of the countryside

Example Introduction






Have a go at writing your first sentence(s) here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________



Here is an example:

It is clear from the very start of the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” that the poet feels very strongly about his subject. From the way that he writes, it is apparent that his feelings are both positive and admiring.





Have a go at writing the next sentence(s) here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________


studying.



Here is an example:

Wordsworth is well known for his love of the country, and of nature. Here, however, we see him viewing the city in much the same way as he traditionally talks about the countryside.


studying.



Have a go at writing this here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________





Here is an example:

It is clear that the view ‘upon Westminster Bridge’ has affected him deeply.





Now let’s look at the completed

introduction.

It is clear from the very start of the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” that the poet feels very strongly about his subject. From the way that he writes, it is apparent that his feelings are both positive and admiring. Wordsworth is well known for his love of the country, and of nature. Here, however, we see him viewing the city in much the same way as he traditionally talks about the countryside. It is clear that the view ‘upon Westminster Bridge’ has affected him deeply.


Essay Writing - The Main Body

CONTENTS

• Introduction Slide 31• Structuring the Main Body Slide 32• Writing the Main Body Slides 33 - 44


Introduction


Now you will be learning how to write the main body of your essay. This means all the content except for the introduction and the conclusion. Again, the techniques that you learn here will be useful for writing essays in many different subjects.

The main body of your essay should:

• Be clearly structured.

• Work through the points you make in a logical sequence.

• Be written in a clear, concise style.

• Include quotations if you are referring to a specific text.


Structuring the Main BodyWhen you write the main body of your essay, there are various ways that you can structure the content. Much will depend on exactly what your essay is about. Here are two ideas:

• Work chronologically (in order) through the text. This is useful for a poem, where you could work on each verse in turn, or a story extract, where you could work on each paragraph.

• Write about various different subjects or topics in each paragraph. This is most helpful when the essay question asks you to answer a variety of different points



Writing the Main BodyWhen writing each paragraph in the main body of your essay, you may find it useful to take the following steps.


Make a comment or statement about the

text or topic.Give evidence to

support the statement you have made, for

instance a quotation.

Explain how the evidence you have given supports your original statement.

Develop your point, perhaps by showing an interesting link to other

parts of the text.

STATEMENT

EV IDENCE

EXPLAIN

DEVELOP


While writing your plan, you will have decided exactly how you wish to structure the main body of your essay. For each paragraph you should have one brainstorm with notes about what to include.

Let’s look again at the plans we made for the example essay on the poem by William Wordsworth.

Then, we shall see how you can apply the four steps - statement, evidence, explain, develop - to writing the fourth paragraph of the essay.


Writing the Main Body


Here are the notes that were made in the plan, saying what should be included in the first and fourth paragraphs of the essay. We are going to write the content of paragraph 4 together.

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 4

Uses personification City and river personified

Strengthens positive feelings

They seem human to him

Feels positive re. subject

Starts with declaration

‘Dull’ if pass by

Calls it ‘touching’




Have a go at writing your statement here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

STATEMENT


text or topic.



Here is an example:

In “Upon Westminster Bridge” Wordsworth uses personification to help him create vivid and meaningful images of the city.

STATEMENT


text or topic.



Have a go at writing the next sentence here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

EV IDENCE

Give evidence to support the statement you have made, for




Here is an example:

He describes the city as wearing the beauty of the morning “like a garment”.

EV IDENCE

Give evidence to support the statement you have made, for




Have a go at explaining this here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

EXPLAIN




Here is an example:

Wordsworth sees the city as a person, ‘wearing’ the beauty of the morning like a set of robes, looking as majestic as a king.

EXPLAIN




Have a go at developing the point here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

DEVELOP


parts of the text.



Here is an example:

In addition to personifying the city, Wordsworth also makes the river seem like a person, as he watches it glide “at his own sweet will”.

DEVELOP


parts of the text.



Now let’s look at the completed

paragraph.

In “Upon Westminster Bridge” Wordsworth uses personification to help him create vivid and meaningful images of the city. He describes the city as wearing the beauty of the morning “like a garment”. Wordsworth sees the city as a person, ‘wearing’ the beauty of the morning like a set of robes, looking as majestic as a king. In addition to personifying the city, Wordsworth also makes the river seem like a person, as he watches it glide “at his own sweet will”.


Essay Writing - The Conclusion

CONTENTS

• Introduction Slide 46• Structuring your Conclusion Slide 47• Writing your Conclusion Slide 48• Example Essay Question Slides 49 - 51 • Example Conclusion Slides 52 -


Conclusion


Finally, you will be looking at how to plan and write the conclusion to the essay we have been working on. Again, the techniques that you learn here will be useful in many different subjects. Writing a good conclusion is important because it will:

• ‘Round off’ your essay well, perhaps ‘echoing’ your introduction to do so.

• Leave your reader with a clear sense of what the essay was all about.

• Summarise all the points you have made clearly and concisely.


Structuring your ConclusionTo be effective, your conclusion might include the following things. You may find that you need more than one sentence to cover each point.


A ‘general’ comment summarising the content of your

essay.A brief reference to one of the major points made

in your essay.

A final summing up, perhaps including a specific, interesting

detail.


Writing your Conclusion

As you have already learnt, before you start to write your essay, you will have made a plan to tell you what to include. Once you have written the essay, you will be in a good position to round it off by writing your conclusion.

At this stage you may find that what you had planned to include needs to change slightly.

Before we start to write our conclusion, let’s look again at the original essay question, the introduction that we wrote, and one paragraph from the main body.












Example Essay

Question



It is clear from the very start of the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” that the poet feels very strongly about his subject. From the way that he writes, it is apparent that his feelings are both positive and admiring. Wordsworth is well known for his love of the country and of nature. Here, however, we see him viewing the city in much the same way as he traditionally talks about the countryside. It is clear that the view ‘upon Westminster Bridge’ has affected him deeply.


INTRODUCT ION

MAIN

BODY



Here are the notes that were made in our plan, saying what should be included in the conclusion.

Example Conclusion

Conclusion

Positive feelings throughout poem

Sight makes him feel calm and happy

Images both of city and country are used

Strengthens images through use of personification



Have a go at writing this sentence(s) here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________


essay.



Here is an example:

Throughout the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge”, Wordsworth offers the reader a very positive image of his subject.


essay.



Have a go at writing the next sentence(s) here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

A brief reference to one of the major points made

in your essay.



Here is an example:

As we have seen, he uses the technique of personification to make the city seem ‘alive’, thus enhancing his vision for the reader.

A brief reference to one of the major points made

in your essay.



Have a go at writing this here:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________


detail.



Here is an example:

Although traditionally viewed as a poet of the natural world, here Wordsworth proves himself to be also a master at describing the city.


detail.



Now let’s look at the completed conclusion.

Throughout the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge”, Wordsworth offers the reader a very positive image of his subject. As we have seen, he uses the technique of personification to make the city seem ‘alive’, thus enhancing his vision for the reader. Although traditionally viewed as a poet of the natural world, here Wordsworth also proves himself to be a master at describing the city.


Now let’s look at the completed essay. Remember, we only wrote one of the

‘main body’ paragraphs. Why not have a go at writing the full essay to test your

understanding of the techniques you have learnt?


It is clear from the very start of the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” that the poet feels very strongly about his subject. From the way that he writes, it is apparent that his feelings are both positive and admiring. Wordsworth is well known for his love of the country and of nature. Here, however, we see him viewing the city in much the same way as he traditionally talks about the countryside. It is clear that the view ‘upon Westminster Bridge’ has affected him deeply.

I NTRODUCT I ON



MAIN

BODY


Throughout the poem “Upon Westminster Bridge”, Wordsworth offers the reader a very positive image of his subject. As we have seen, he uses the technique of personification to make the city seem ‘alive’, thus enhancing his vision for the reader. Although traditionally viewed as a poet of the natural world, here Wordsworth proves himself to be also a master at describing the city.

CONCLUS I ON

© Boardworks Ltd 2001 Key Stage 4 English Essay Writing.

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