Critical Essay Guide
Writing a critical essay on a text is actually quite straightforward. The question is often very simple
and your answer is simple and each paragraph is used to back up the answer with points, evidence
and analysis.
The art of critical essay lies in following this simple answer (or line of thought) throughout the essay
while backing it up in each paragraph before coming to a strong conclusion which basically sums up
the points you’ve made to answer the question again.
In order to get to the stage of writing the essay there are four stages of learning:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the text.
Identify the main areas of the text: Setting, Characterisation, Plot, Theme etc
Develop Critical Essay writing skills: TARTS, PEAL, Conclusion
Adapting answer to question when writing essay
We will go through the stages until you reach the final stage of writing an essay which answers the
question.
Stage 1: Read the text
Although this seems obvious some people do not read the text before starting. Obviously it is
difficult to talk about a person you have never heard of, a film you have never seen or a book you
have never read.
Make sure you have read the text before starting.
Stage 2: Identify the main areas of the text: Setting, Characterisation, Plot, Theme etc
You should have a good knowledge of these basis aspects of the text. Normally these are studied in
depth in class to develop that knowledge before we begin writing.
If you have missed this work in online class (or indeed if you haven’t and are revising) you should
read the attached quotation and techniques sheet which explains all of these areas.
It looks at all of the areas of Setting, Characterisation, Plot, Theme etc describing them and it also
gives quotations that you can use while discussing them in your essay.
Stage 3: Develop Critical Essay writing skills: TARTS, PEAL, Conclusion
There are very specific formulas which have been developed for writing the different parts of the
essay. These are very useful. You should familiarise yourself with these and use them to structure
your essay. They are also very easy to remember in an exam-style situation so this will help you
when you are under stress.
Work through each part step-by-step and you will have a foolproof plan for writing an essay.
a) Structure Plan: It’s always sensible to make a plan before you start. Think of which
techniques you will use in each paragraph in order to answer the question well. Then fill in
the structure plan below:
Introduction (TARTS):
PEAL Paragraph 1:
PEAL Paragraph 2:
PEAL Paragraph 3:
PEAL Paragraph 4:
Conclusion:
Structure Plan: Example
Introduction (TARTS):
Paragraph 1: Setting
Paragraph 2: Characterisation
Paragraph 3: Turning Point/Climax
Paragraph 4: Resolution/Ending
Conclusion:
b) Introduction (TARTS): Title, Author, Refer to Task, Summary
Put all of these elements in to create an introductory paragraph:
Title, Author, Refer to Task (which means answer question), Summary (and also include the
techniques you will talk about).
As part of your summary include a sentence to say which techniques you’ll discuss.
Title: A Sound of Thunder
Author: Ray Bradbury
Refer to Task: is a science fiction short story with an interesting theme.
Summary: It tells the story of a man who travels into the past to hunt a dinosaur. He uses a time
machine but inadvertently kills a butterfly and changes the future. It uses various techniques such as
setting, characterisation and resolution to develop the interesting theme of time travel and its
dangers.
Final version of intro par becomes:
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story with an interesting theme. It tells
the story of a man who travels into the past to hunt a dinosaur. He uses a time machine but
accidentally kills a butterfly and changes the future. It uses various techniques such as setting,
characterisation and resolution to develop the interesting theme of time travel and its dangers.
c) PEAL Paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Analysis, Link
Point: A topic sentence which introduces the topic (normally a technique) for the sentence, it
focuses on the question and uses linking words.
Evidence: An appropriate quotation that backs up your point, introduced appropriately.
Analysis: Explain how the quotation backs up your point. Analyse the language used exploring the
technique.
Link: Link back to the question, showing how everything you’ve said in the paragraph answers the
question.
Paragraph 1: Example:
Point (Topic Sentence): One of the main ways Bradbury makes this theme interesting is through its
setting in the future.
Evidence: The time travel company has a time machine which has “a sound like a gigantic bonfire
burning all of Time.”
Analysis: This shows that the company has a machine which is doing something potentially
dangerous like destroying time itself. It even sounds terrible and frightening.
Link: This setting in the future with a dangerous time machine helps to develop the interesting
theme of time travel and its dangers.
Paragraph 1: Example:
This then becomes a paragraph like this:
One of the main ways Bradbury makes this theme interesting is through its setting in the future. The
time travel company has a time machine which has “a sound like a gigantic bonfire burning all of
Time.” This shows that the company has a machine which is doing something potentially dangerous
like destroying time itself. It even sounds terrible and frightening. This setting in the future with a
dangerous time machine helps to develop the interesting theme of time travel and its dangers.
Do this for at least three paragraphs, with a different topic in each.
d) Conclusion
Your conclusion should sum up everything you have said while focusing on answering the
question.
Use the PEAL formula here too:
Point: A topic sentence that answers the question. It should always start with “In conclusion”.
Evidence: Three or four sentences about the topics discussed in each paragraph.
Analysis: Evaluate how well the topics answer question. Show how good the story was in the area
the question asks about.
Link: End with a sentence linking back, saying how everything you have written has answered the
question.
Conclusion example:
Point: In conclusion A Sound of Thunder is very much a short story with an interesting theme of the
dangers of time travel.
Evidence: We see this theme apparent in the setting of the future where time travel is worryingly
possible. The characterisation of Eckels reflects the theme as we see his growing fear. The turning
point when Eckels treads on a butterfly shows the dangers of time travel. Finally the ending shows
the potential for terrible consequences from the dangers of time travel.
Analysis: The story has powerfully explored and expressed the theme of the dangers of time travel
giving us all a warning of its unintended consequences.
Link: In this way Bradbury has created a story with an immensely interesting and important theme.
One we would do well to heed.
4) Focus on answering question:
The German commander Rommel said that “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” What he
meant was circumstances always change. So do exam questions. The exam question can be quite
unexpected and sometimes different to what you have read before.
You must be prepared to adapt your answer to whatever the question asks.
Remember you are answering a question.
Carefully read the question and adapt your answer so that it focuses on answering that question.

PROSE
MAKE SURE IT IS IN THE RIGHT CATEGORY!!!!!!!
Answers to questions in this part should refer to the text and to such relevant features as
characterisation, setting, language, key incident(s), climax, turning point, plot, structure, narrative
technique, theme, ideas, description . . .
3. Choose a novel or short story or work of non-fiction which explores a theme that interests you.
By referring to appropriate techniques, explain how the writer makes this theme interesting.