KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH GENERAL RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO USING P.E.E.
A Guide to Using Point–Evidence–Explanation
INTRODUCTION TO POINT–EVIDENCE–EXPLANATION: P.E.E.
In your English assignments, we ask you to use a technique called ‘point–evidence–explanation’. It is a
very important part of your course and it is a valuable technique to master. In P.E.E., you will:
1) Make a useful point about the story/poem/play.
2) Find a quotation (evidence) to support and back up your point.
3) Explain what you have found in the evidence making sure you prove the point that you have
already made.
USING P.E.E. – EXAMPLES
Here’s an example of a P.E.E. paragraph about Fagin in the book Oliver Twist:
Charles Dickens describes the character of Fagin as an evil and villainous man. Dickens describes Fagin
as having ‘red matted hair’. This shows the reader that this character has devil qualities. The adjective
‘red’ is used by Dickens to describe Fagin and the reader associates this colour with the devil. Later on,
we also learn that Fagin holds a ‘toasting fork’ as he speaks, symbolising another devilish feature: a pitch
fork.
BOLD = Point
Underlined = Evidence
Italics = Explanation
Here is another example:
The character is presented at first
through other characters.
Tip: Only make one point at a
time – you can always write
more paragraphs!
Bert calls him ‘the outcast’, and
‘that guy’ when describing him to
the newcomers in Chapter X.
Tip: You can use more than
one piece of evidence to
support the same point.
Tip: Integrate your short
quotations so that they fit
into the sentence
Point
Make your overall
paragraph point. It
should be something
that supports your
overall answer.
Evidence
Give your proof for your point.
This should be a quotation from
the text your essay is about. It
should support what you’re
trying to say in your point.
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KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH GENERAL RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO USING P.E.E.
The reader is immediately meant
to think of the character as
different, and not known well by
the others who think of him as just
‘that guy’.
Explanation
Link your evidence to your point
or explain the connotations or
summarise the relevance of your
evidence.
Glossary
Tip: The connotations are
explained for each quotation, and
linked back to the essay title.
Connotation – an idea or feeling
that a word invokes for a person
as well as its literal meaning.
USING P.E.E. – TIPS AND LANGUAGE CHOICES
Point
These are the sorts of questions you can ask to find a point to make.
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What does this quote tell me about the character/plot/theme/setting etc? (Always try to keep
it focused on the question being asked/essay title.)
Are there any interesting word choices? What do they mean? Why has the writer chosen them?
What effect did they want to create?
Are there any techniques used (such as imagery or personification)? What overall effect do they
have? What do they help me to imagine?
What atmosphere/tone is created?
How does the quote make me feel (your personal response)?
Can I link this to other parts of the poem/story/novel?
Useful phrases:
From the extract the reader learns …
The writer tries to …
The writer uses language to create the effect that …
Evidence
Avoid using quotes that are too long; the shorter the better sometimes and always remember to use
quotation marks for your evidence.
Useful phrases:
The evidence that shows this is …
The quote that supports my point is …
The word/s that show this is …
This is revealed when [character] says, ‘_____’
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KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH GENERAL RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO USING P.E.E.
Explanation
Writing a good explanation is the key to achieving 70% or more in your reading assignments and it is a
skill you will use at IGCSE level too.
Useful phrases:
The author creates a sense of …
The result of the language used by the author is …
The use of the word/s ________ shows/produces …
This creates the impression that …
This quote shows …
The effect upon the reader is…
This shows/implies/reveals …
Language tips
You may find yourself using ‘shows’ more than once in a P.E.E. paragraph. Some alternatives are:
reveals
implies
exemplifies
indicates
suggests
infers
portrays
conveys
demonstrates
You can use a range of connectives in a P.E.E. paragraph. Some options are:
however
therefore
in contrast
thus
whereas
because
furthermore
also
then
at first
on the other hand
STRUCTURING A PARAGRAPH USING P.E.E.
In your assignments, you should think about each paragraph making a point which is then backed up
by evidence and followed by explanation.
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KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH GENERAL RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO USING P.E.E.
Remember:
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Point: Make your overall paragraph point. It should be something that supports your overall
answer.
Evidence: Give your proof for your point. This should be a quotation from the text
your essay is about. It should support what you're trying to say in your point.
Explanation: Link your evidence to your point or explain the connotations or summarise the
relevance of your evidence.
How to write a top-grade P.E.E. paragraph:
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Find the key word(s) in the quotation that you’ve chosen and/or find a technique used by the
writer.
Start your explanation off by analysing this word. What does it show us as a reader? What do
we learn from it?
Try to find techniques used by the writer. Maybe a punctuation mark is worthy of talking about,
or maybe a simile or metaphor has been used. Possibly the writer could have used lots of
adjectives to describe, including colour. These are all things you can write about in your
explanation.
AVOID repeating what you’ve already said in the point.
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