Intermediate 2/ Higher
Critical Essay
Prelim Support Notes
Assessment Requirements
• Write 2 critical essays from different genre
• Drama, Prose, Poetry, media
• 25 marks each
Purpose
• A critical essay is designed to test your ability
to respond thoughtfully to a literacy text. The
examiner looks for three things:
• To know you have understood the writer’s
purpose (U)
• If you can comment effectively on the writer’s
use of literary techniques (A)
• Genuine personal response to text (E)
Important tips
•
•
•
•
Do not re-tell the story
Do not use the word ‘quote’
Do not write ‘in this essay’
Do not use comma splice(comma instead of
full stop)
• Do answer the question
The Question
• There are two parts to the question
-the first identifies the focus of your answer
and the second tell you exactly what you are
to do.
• Part 1- Choose a poem which deals with a
strong emotion such as love, hate or anger.
• Part 2- Explain what the emotion is and show
how the poet used the techniques of poetry
to convey her feelings on the strong emotion.
The question
• You may refer to relevant features including:
characterisation, setting, key incident(s),
climax/ turning point, structure, narrative,
theme, conflict, ideas, description, symbolism,
imagery, tone, rhythm etc
Structure
• Introduction
• Main body
• Conclusion
The Introduction
• Title and author
• Re-phrase question
• Mention which features you intend to include
• You may write a sentence about key incidents
in text
Introduction example
• A poem in which the speaker’s personality is
gradually revealed is ‘Before you were Mine’
by Carol Ann Duffy. The poem is a dramatic
monologue about the lifestyle the poet’s
mother led before she was born. With close
reference to imagery and tone, this will
explore how the speaker’s personality is
gradually revealed and indicate how, through
content and language, aspects of the
character gradually emerge.
Main body
• Should have 3-5 paragraphs(remember PEE)
• Each paragraph should have
a point
evidence-quotation to back up point
an explanation of how the quotation backs up
the point, and answers the question
Paragraph Structure
• Statement/point- what is the topic sentence/
point you are making within the paragraph?
• Evidence/ Quote- what is the evidence you
are going to back up your point with
• Analysis- detailed explanation of the quote
linked to the point and to the question=
sympathy with character.
Analysis
• Do not use ‘this shows’
• Try substituting the latter for the following:
This reveals
This displays
This indicates
This demonstrates
This highlights
This conveys
This deploys
This implies
This illustrates
This proves
This presents
This explains
Linking Paragraphs
• Paragraphs should be linked together. Some
useful transitional words and phrases that can
be deployed include;
• In addition
Furthermore
• Therefore
Rarely
• As a result
Occasionally
• Nevertheless
Often
• Moreover
Commenting on
Quotations
• Quotations should flow into your sentence or
become part of it via the use of a comma for
example:
• The author reveals sympathy towards Lennie by
using a direct comparison with a ‘child’.
OR
• Repetition of the title, Before you were Mine’
reveals that the child thinks that what she says
goes, which indicates her selfishness.
Quotations
• Quotations that do not flow into your
sentence should be introduced using a colon.
E.g.
• There is a strong contrast between the girl in
the photo and the mother she turned out to
be. As a teenager she is seen as a rebel: ‘Your
ma stands at the close with a hiding for the
late one.’ The poet seems to admire this in her
mother...
Evaluation
• Say what you thought about the text
• Do not review it or give it a recommendation
• Use personal reflection/ response to comment
upon how well you feel the writer has
conveyed or explored a particular theme or
viewpoint. The key point in making an
evaluation is to justify what you are saying by
reference to the text.
Conclusion
• Re-introduce topic/ refer back to the question
• Sum up your opinion of the text or what you have
learned in a personal reflective comment without
using ‘I’.
• In conclusion, Tolkien effectively uses the
characters of Frodo and Gollum to explore the
themes of good and evil throughout ‘The Lord of
the Rings’, highlighting that neither one, nor the
other, is totally ‘good’ or ‘evil’. This is
accomplished through his effective use of word
choice and imagery which emphasises the
differences between the two characters physical
appearance, personality and motivation.
Performance Criteria
• Content
• Structure
• Expression
• Technical accuracy