Exemplar essay analysis: why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 because King Edward had died leaving
the English throne without an heir. Harold Godwinson seized the throne but he had
two rivals, Harald Hardrada and William of Normandy. William eventually won the
battle and the throne of England, and this piece of writing explains why.
One reason that William won was because he was better prepared for the battle
than Harold. He had over two weeks to get ready after landing in Pevensey Bay.
His men were well fed and rested. Harold, on the other hand, had just fought
Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge and had to march back down south to fight
William. Some of his army had been killed, others were injured, and they were all
tired from the long march.
Another major reason that William won the battle was because his army was better
than Harold’s. Lots of Harold’s men were just farmers, but all the Norman soldiers
had good weapons. This meant that William was in a strong position at the start of
the battle.
And William also had good tactics. At first Harold’s defensive shield wall meant
that William’s cavalry could not break through. But when the Normans pretended
to retreat, the Saxons ran after them, breaking their own shield wall. This meant
that when the Normans turned back, the Saxons were not very well defended.
William also ordered his archers to fire high in the air. This meant that their arrows
landed on Harold’s fyrd-men who were not protected by armour. These tactics
allowed William’s men to break through the shield wall and shoot Harold in the eye,
winning the battle.
Harold’s bad luck also helped William win. Harold was fighting Hardrada in the
north of England when William invaded in the south. Harold had guarded the south
coast all summer, waiting for William. It was bad luck that he had to go and fight
Hardrada just when the wind changed and allowed William’s fleet to cross from
Normandy. Because the wind changed at just the right moment, William and his
men had time to rest and get organised. This bad luck was the main reason
Harold’s army was so tired and injured and no match for William’s.
In conclusion, William won the battle of Hastings because he was better prepared,
had a stronger army and excellent tactics. The most important reason was that
Harold was also really unlucky. Harold had to cope with two invasions, one after
the other, and William landed at Pevensey at the worst possible time. If William
had been able to cross the channel earlier in the summer there might have been a
different outcome as he would have sailed in to Harold’s men. William was very
lucky to win the Battle of Hastings.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2014
22328
Page 1 of 2
Exemplar essay analysis: why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
A really good essay is like a hamburger, with an introduction and
conclusion as the burger bun neatly sandwiching the meaty main
paragraphs. Each paragraph within the essay is also like a
hamburger, with a topic sentence, lots of meaty evidence to back
up the main point, and a concluding explanation.
Tasks:
This example essay has some very good bits and other areas which could be improved.
Your task is to mark it as if you were a teacher!
First, check the bun top:


Highlight a really good topic sentence. You can write praise for this in the margin!
Find a topic sentence that you think is not as good. Rewrite an improved version here:
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
Next, check the meaty filling:


Highlight a paragraph which uses lots of examples and evidence. Praise this!
Now find a paragraph which doesn’t have enough ‘meat’. What examples could you add to
make the argument stronger? Write them here:
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
Finally, check the bottom bun


Highlight an example of a really good last sentence in a paragraph. It should be explaining
why the factor was important to William’s victory.
Now find an example of a last sentence which isn’t as good. Rewrite your own version here:
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2014
22328
Page 2 of 2