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   Paper 1 Home Free Access Weekend! P1 - Examination Questions P2 - Examination Questions Start Here Paper 2 Individual Oral HL Essay The Learner Portfolio Extended Essay Essential Knowledge Resources  

• Paper 1 - Frequently Asked Questions
• Paper 1 - Structuring a Guided Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Video Guide to Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Writing Guiding Questions
• Paper 1 - Student Examples: Comic Strip
• Paper 1 - More Samples
• Paper 1 - Dealing with Infographics
• Paper 1 - Examination Strategy
• Paper 1 - Sample texts and student work

This page gives examples of the types of non-literary texts you might receive for text-heavy and image-heavy analyses in Paper 1. Take a look and consider how you would perhaps respond to them - use the structure guide in this site to help you. Try assessing the student examples, too, and improve your understanding of what is expected.

Taken from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger

• How does the organisation use layout, form and content to appeal to the reader to participate and take action?

There is always hope.

Banksy (2002). Girl With Balloon. London.

• How does the artwork use image and medium to portray a message about society?

Student Responses - Text B:

This wall art is from Banksy, and was made in 2002 in London. The same way a piece of writing can have hidden meanings beyond only what words mean, this visual art also has a deeper meaning. This is not achieved through words, but through image and the medium in which the artwork is shown. In this essay I will show how with the use of contrast, shapes, and spray paint, banksy is portraying a message about several flaws in society.

On the picture there is a young girl in a dress who is painted in black and white. The only other element of the picture is the red heart shaped balloon, which seems to have been let go by the little girl and is being carried away by the wind. In the scene of the picture there is wind that can be observed by looking at the girl’s hair and dress which flow in the same direction. This is then confirmed by the balloon flowing in that same direction, that being to the left.

Through the use of contrast in colors, Banksy is showing how the loss of color in one's life is sad. The little girl is only a grey scale person with no color. Color here could represent any emotion in one’s life, but red usually signifies a positive emotion such as excitement, or love which is reinforced by the fact that the balloon is a heart. Without this color, the girl is rendered to a grey and emotionless being. The message relating to society could be that as children lose their sense of wonder, they become regular dull humans.

Just like color, Banksy is using shape to represent emotions, and how they are easily lost by society. The shape of the balloon floating away for the girl is a heart, which can signify a whole range of positive emotions, the most common one being love. The fact that Banksy is using a little girl plays on the prejudice that girls are more emotional than men, which would make the loss of this balloon more impactful to the one seeing the painting.

Lastly, through the use of graffiti, Banksy is denouncing the fact that society doesn't appreciate ethos type of art to make his own more impactful. Society doesn’t like graffiti, this way of making art is frowned upon and is seen as vandalism. Banksy uses this view of his art type to make it more striking since it breaks the people's expectation of museum art being presented in the form of street art. 

In conclusion, through the use of contrasting colors and shapes representing emotions, in addition to a uncommon medium for this type of art, Banksy is making an impactful art piece by utilising and denouncing common social dogmas. Color and shape are used to show the loss of emotions in people, and the way the art is presented as graffiti uses the fact that people think its vandalism to break expectations and portray another type of art.

  Student #2

The non-literary text at hand is a graffiti, sprayed on the bare urban wall in London, UK by the artists under the alias Banksy. The spray-painted graffiti depicting a heart-shaped red balloon escaping the grasp of a little girl appeared in the streets of London in 2002. The caption of the piece: “There is always hope” reveals that the primary message of the image is to give people a sense of hope. However, upon closer analysis, the secondary purpose is to convey an ambiguous message on society, mental health, and love to passersby’s. In order to understand the content, context, and hidden messages of the artwork, the artist’s choice to use an intricate blend of image and medium to effectively communicate these ideas, all the while leaving room for personal interpretation while being discussed in this essay. 

The artwork depicts a young girl in a skirt reaching out with one arm to either catch a balloon or let go of it. The bright red, heart-shaped balloon is being carried away by a gust of wind, which blows towards the girl’s back, gently blowing her short hair in front of her face and her skirt forwards. The artwork was spray-painted on a bleak wall with multiple shades of chipped white paint. Behind the girl, an electricity box with multiple cables runs along the surface, indicating that the graffiti is located in an urban environment, perhaps even on the side of an industrial establishment.  

The image of the text and the extensive use of symbolism is vital in understanding the secondary message of the artwork. One interpretation of the artwork is that it is the visual representation of the age-old saying: “if you love someone, let it go”. This is supported by the shape and color of the balloon, as the heart shape is a classical symbol of love. However, the interpretation doesn’t just stop at romantic love, but also familial love, platonic love, and even love for a set of ideas and values. Furthermore, the authors chose to employ the symbol of a girl as effective as it radiates innocence, implying that the person “letting go” of a relationship is pure at heart. The girl’s outstretched arm represents the longing of  The second interpretation of the artwork’s purpose is that it is trying to give hope to people that are suffering from mental health issues such as depression, and offers encouragement, reminding them that ‘there is always hope’ as a way to aid them in their struggle. The girl, a symbol of innocence, loses the ultimate symbol for hope and love, the heart-shaped balloon. The caption reminds people that even when it feels like hope is lost, represented by the girl’s outstretched arm, it still exists and will return. In this interpretation, the girl symbolizes uncertainty and even desperation, as a child is often associated with helplessness. Next, the wind, which is blowing the balloon away from the girl, represents society. The society around the girl fails to help her, instead of working against her, highlighting the struggle and isolation that people with mental health issues experience.  Page successfully saved!

The medium is extremely important to decipher the hidden messages of the artwork. The fact that the image was placed in a presumably public space supports the interpretation that the artwork relates to depression as it is meant to be seen by random passerby’s and brighten their day. The fact that the artwork itself is graffiti emphasizes the anti-authority, rebellious tone of the image. Graffitis are, by nature, caricatures, and scribbles on surfaces within public view without explicit permission. Hence, the message feels like it is being whispered in secret, further highlighting how little support people with mental illnesses receive. Graffitis can be provocative and can also carry a deep message such as this one. The bright red balloon visually contrasts against the grey and white shades of the wall, insinuating that the balloon, the symbol for hope and love, is the center of attention of the piece. 

In conclusion, the author effectively employs symbolism such as the girl to symbolize purity and innocence, the heart to represent love and hope, and the wind to portray the counterproductive and damaging effects of society to highlight the message. The beauty of the artwork is that several interpretations can be extracted. For example, the earpiece can be seen as a statement on the difficulty and pain of the abstract concept of love, as well as a critique on how society treats people suffering from mental health problems. As the graffiti exists in a public space, it is hidden in plain sight, to be discovered by anyone whose eye it catches. Graffitis such as these casually and subtly promote internal discourse. 

Marchant, N. (20.1.21). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/climate-change-link-infectious-diseases-covid-19-study/ Extracted 8.3.21

How does the author's tone aid in conveying an important message about the issue at hand?

Cover of TIME magazine (July 2020). New York: TIME inc.

How are textual elements used to create impact and create a call to action?

In this magazine cover of the TIME magazine published in July 2020, the author attempts to inform the reader of the severity of global warming, while also providing a glimpse of hope to the reader. This is done via the usage of a headline as well as a plethora of different trend graphs depicting the general trends regarding different things about climate change.

At the top of the cover, stands a headline - ”One Last Chance” - of one of the articles within the magazine. Below this headline there is the name of the magazine, which gets partly cut off by the trend graph of “CO 2 emissions” (In the middle left of the text) over the “last two centuries” (In the middle left of the text). The TIME logo being cut off here and seemingly being consumed by the CO 2 graph is a metaphor about the dangers of climate change, and creates the message in the future, our CO 2 emissions might ‘consume’ the planet.  Below there are a bunch of graphs showing the trends of different things having to do with climate change. These graphs are filled with the thing they are representing, for example the “SEA LEVEL” (Bottom right of the text) graph looks like water, the “LAND ICE” (Bottom right of the text) looks like ice and the “RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION” (Middle left of the text) is filled in with trees. This creates a contrast between the different graphs, and immediately gives an idea of what the different graphs are supposed to depict without even having to read the captions. This makes these graphs very easy to read and understand for the reader. Furthermore these graphs also don’t have a scale or specific numbers, which clearly caters to a non-scientific audience. Instead the graphs only show a general trend over the last two centuries, which is the only thing the reader really has to know. This way the author doesn’t give the reader unnecessarily specific information. 

The graphs mostly depict causes and effects of climate change. They show that “CO 2 EMISSIONS” are going up, and in turn so is the “AVERAGE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE” as well as the “SEA LEVEL”, while “LAND ICE” is decreasing. These things are all commonly talked about when it comes to climate change and inform the reader about the negative effects of climate change and how they’re developing. Additionally however, there are two key details about these graphs. First of all, the CO 2 graph shows a “PROJECTED 7% DROP IN 2020” (Top right of the text), and the graph of “RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION” (Middle right of the text) is going upwards. These two things show that actually, there is a chance to combat climate change. The message that these graphs create is that, while climate change is a threat to us and our environment, there is still hope for humanity in the form of renewable energy sources.

The headline shown at the top of the text - “ONE LAST CHANCE” - and the subheading below it - “THE DEFINING YEAR FOR THE PLANET” - expand on this message of a glimpse of hope in a dire situation. The headline means that humanity has one last chance of combating climate change, and informs the reader that we need to act now or it will be too late. Specifically, the thing that is made out to be our one last chance is the year of 2020. Looking back at the graphs, specifically the text saying “PROJECTED 7% DROP IN 2020”, together with the publishing date of July 2020 (Which was well into the covid pandemic) as well as the subheading calling 2020 the “DEFINING” year for the planet, it shows how the author tries to portray the year 2020 and the Covid pandemic as a positive thing for the planet, since it decreased our CO 2 emissions by 7%. This implicitly informs the reader that, to cut down on climate change, everybody needs to cut back on their CO 2 emissions much like they did during the pandemic.

In conclusion, the author utilizes simplified graphs to inform a non-scientific audience about the trends of the causes and negative effects of climate change. Additionally they use a headline and small annotations on the graph to create their overall message, that climate change is a dire issue, and that our one last chance to fight it is now. This chance refers to the growing renewable energy usage, as well as the dropping CO 2 emissions caused by the Covid pandemic.

The TIME magazine (incorporated - inc.) has released a new double edition with the title “ONE LAST CHANCE”, released on the 20th of July 2020. Barely any text and mostly visuals attempt in informing the reader about the drastic changes to resources associated with climate change through the use of colors, image/clip arts, and special textual features. However, the clip art does not only make the cover appealing, it also informs the reader about this history of the environmental factors and the beginning of climate change. 

The magazine cover is a normal A4 sized cover with a red border. The cover is mostly a graph with some statistics such as “7%” for carbon emissions. The header occupies roughly one seventh of the entire cover. The infographic consisting of clip art features takes care of the remaining space. Different environmental factors have been listed including “carbon emissions”, “Average global temperatures”, “land ice”, “renewable energy consumption”, and “sea level”. Each section is represented by the literal meaning of the factors; the sea levels are represented by a water clip art feature, land ice represented by ice crystals, renewable energy by trees, temperature by yellow contour lines, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through greyish tones. Not are the factors colored through their literal meaning, but also where these are located in the infographic. Sea and ice are at the bottom, followed by trees and temperature at the top, with GHGs at the very top and the title doing the rest. This is why the cover of the magazine looks similar to a mountain landscape with the water at the bottom, followed by trees and forest, with bare rocks at the top of the mountain. The colors eventually decrease in shade and increase in brightness in terms of lighting. Also each factor displayed by dotted line graphs does not necessarily start from the very left side. But looking at the infographic, one essential piece is missing; the numerical values. This emphasizes the fact that some data may be very unreliable if not even fake, as the designer may have over exaggerated certain values. All factors except for renewable energy start from the very left side of the infographic, assuming the very left side is the y-axis showing the absolute percentage of increase from 0 to 100. Assuming the x-axis would be the bottom border line representing time (same as the TIME magazine), then the ice caps would be gone half way through time, where renewable energy would begin at half time. This indicates that the clip art shows that the ice caps will have melted away even if we were to start consuming renewable resources. One does need to know how to read such infographics to avoid misinterpretation of the data presented by the factors. The area under the curve until the next line is met is the amount in percentage i.e. any factor starting at 20% going to 22% does not mean that 22% of that factor is being respected, but only 2%. Sea level shows a very slow exponential rise, or one could even see it as being linear rise. Land ice eventually decreases inversely exponentially after decreasing slowly in a linear manner. The water levels at the point of the graph meeting the ice caps show little icebergs floating in the water, showing how and where the ice will land in the end. The year 2020 has survived a global pandemic involving lockdowns and travel restrictions, which explains why there would be a projected drop in GHG emissions. The GHG emissions is the only factor that appears to be in a decline for the year 2020 based on the infographic. Every other factor has either not made it to 2020 or is in a steady state at which it is increasing. The paradoxical presentation of the infographic shows a GHG emission, temperature and sea level increase, while renewable energy also increases. According to geographical sciences, as renewable energy increases, the other factors should decrease due to the less enhanced greenhouse effect (aka global warming). The enhanced greenhouse effect as used in physics describes the warming of the earth. The infographics showing such a dramatic increase in temperature is therefore clearly exaggerated, since the one GHG responsible for most of the temperature increase is water vapour, which is why carbon and nitrogen emissions are only responsible for a maximum of 1.5°C increase, compared to water vapour accounting for the other 30°C since water vapour is also more abundant that other GHGs. 

The magazine is a TIME magazine, enhanced by the fact that the word “TIME” is written largely on the upper half of the magazine using the Times New Roman font, which also has the word “time” in it. The header is clear of color and visuals, but fully packed with words, statements, and the names of known people. The title “TIME” is displayed largely across the cover, and the carbon dioxide emission graph intersects with the title, with the letter “E” to be specific. People who do not know what magazine this is would think that this is a “TIMF” magazine with an “F” instead of the “E”. This means that the actions against the enhanced greenhouse effect should be taken seriously, as we are seemingly running out of time, hence the letter “E” being covered by the emission graph. The running out of time can be seen in many ways; either the 2015 Paris agreement of 1.5°C cannot be halted if emissions continue to rise this year (2020), and/or climate change will be irreversible after a certain period of time with a certain amount of GHG emissions if nothing is done to reduce GHG emissions. One weird thing however is that reports have come out early June 2020 claiming that carbon levels world wide dropped by 7%, which is more than ever before, and exactly one month later the TIME magazine releases this Magazine stating that it is our last chance to handle the situation. ANother way of looking at it would be that one year is not going to be enough, the reductions should take place every year, and a reduction of 7% would not have caused major changes in the reduction of greenhouse gases. The title expresses very clearly that it is “one last chance” with the subtitle “the defining year for the planet” as if 2021 would be everything similar to what happened in the movie 2012 (2009 - the world going down according to the Mayan Calendar). But looking at the title from another perspective, 2020 seems like the year where either GHGs are not reduced and the Paris Agreement is not executable, or that reductions will buy us more time in achieving the 1.5°C annual temperature change goal. This is what could be meant under “the defining year”. The “one last chance” part could be understood as if humans have attempted to reduce GHG emissions in the previous years however failed, and 2020 would be the absolute deadline. Yet the title seems to be over exaggerated, especially when it is know that time progresses and that 2021 will not result in the world going down and that it is not our last chance of anything, especially if the overall temperature rise is only 1.5°C. Since this magazine happens to be a double edition, which is stated very faintly at the top left corner inside the red border, the magazine also contains an addition of “The Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Oliver Jeffers, Stacey Abrams, Angelina Jolie & more”. This is writing very small under the subtitle. This shows that the magazine attempts to reach a larger audience that may not be interested in the topic of climate change. However as these people are being targeted, their main focus (to spread awareness on climate change) also gets spread even further. These people are either famous due to governmental actions like the Dalai Lama, protests and activism such as Greta Thunberg, or entertainment such as A. Jolie. Everyone reading this magazine might not know who these people are and what they did, which is why these people are probably the ones for more GHG restrictions, but displayed in such a way as if these people belong to the additional stuff from the magazine in the second half of the double issue. 

Overall the author has successfully attempted to raise awareness about the time we are running out of slowing down the enhanced greenhouse effect (climate change cannot be halted as it is a natural phenomenon which was present since the creation of earth). This was achieved through the well laid out graphical analysis of certain issues impacting the climate and the hyperbolic title of our last chance of doing something to slow down the enhanced greenhouse effect. Many statistics are obviously over exaggerated and the graphics are not to scale, since the human population has already started consuming renewable resources before all ice has melted away, which is stated otherwise in the graphics. These large details however can mostly only be detected through a handful of pre-knowledge of the reader who studied the topics of science and atmospheric physics. Most people do not know these research results and hence fully believe and hysterically spread the news around about the last chance and the topic of climate change by referring to the graph on the cover page, which is what the TIME magazine hopes to achieve in my option. Especially if they are not only to inform the reader, but to also get as many viewers as possible to get more money through subscriptions. Yet the magazine is well designed.  

Things to Consider

What would an examiner take into account when reading these responses?

Is the response a response to the Guiding Question? Is it explicit? If not, and the student has rejected the guiding question, have they established their own question or line of inquiry?

I think the answer to this is mixed. One or two of the responses do take the guiding question into account and frame the response around it. Whether it is explicit enough, though, is questionable. One or two others would be perfectly good commentaries on the full text, but don't really establish themselves as guided textual analyses responding to the question.

It is worth noting that in both examination sessions to date (December 2021, at time of writing), the visual has been an infographic rather than a magazine cover as above.

How would you grade these four examples? Perhaps, instead of marking them /20, consider ranking them in order of quality, to see if you can identify what good things can be taken from each.

How much of Paper 1 - Sample texts and student work have you understood?

Which of the following best describes your feedback?

English Composition I - ENGL 1113

• Find eBooks
• Find Articles
• Search Tips
• Write It, Cite It
• Ask a Librarian
• This I Believe Invention Strategy
• The Annotated Bibliography

Requirements

Suggested writing prompt in "this i believe" format.

• Essay 2 - The Informative Essay
• Essay 3 - The Classical Argument Essay

The purpose of Essay 1 is to compose an essay that relates your prior experience and assumptions to new perspectives about a larger issue.  Your connections should provide deeper insight to your audience.  For this assignment you will identify something you believe to be true.  You will then tell a story about how you came to believe it to be true.

• 2-3 pages (double-spaced), not including the Works Cited page, if required
• Utilize invention techniques : Before writing the essay, begin identifying your issue through a series of invention techniques, including but not limited to the following: brainstorming, listing, clustering, questioning, and conducting preliminary research.
• Plan and organize your essay : After the invention process, it is important to begin planning the organizational pattern for the essay.  Planning includes identifying your thesis, establishing main ideas (or topic sentences) for each paragraph, supporting each paragraph with appropriate evidence, and creating ideas for the introductory and concluding paragraphs.
• Draft and revise your essay : Once you have completed the planning process, write a rough draft of your essay.  Next, take steps to improve, polish, and revise your draft before turning it in for a final grade.  The revision process includes developing ideas, ensuring the thesis statement connects to the main ideas of each paragraph, taking account of your evidence and supporting details, checking for proper use of MLA citation style, reviewing source integration, avoiding plagiarism, and proofreading for formatting and grammatical errors.

Your instructor may suggest another prompt and/or format.  Follow your instructor's directions.

• Tell your story: Be specific.  Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events that have shaped your core values.  Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed.  Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things your know that no one else does.  Your story need not be heart-warming or gut wrenching - it can even be funny - but it should be real.  Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs.
• Be brief:   Your statement should be between 500 and 800 words.  That's about 2 to 3 pages double-spaced.
• Name your belief: If you can't name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief.  Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief. For example: "I believe humans are essentially good." "I believe professors are really mentors." "I believe getting a college education is the key to success." "I believe everyone has a soul."
• Use chronological order: Narratives have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• Be positive: Write about what you do believe, not what you don't believe.  Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.  This isn't an essay to "teach" someone.
• Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the fist person.  Avoid speaking in the editorial "we."  Tell a story from your own life; this is not an opinion piece about social ideals.  Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak.  We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.  Yes, you may use first person in this essay only.

This assignment helps you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in school and your professional life beyond school.  In this assignment you will:

• Utilize descriptive language effectively to tell a story
• Describe things using sensory details and figurative language
• Compose a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• << Previous: The Annotated Bibliography
• Next: Essay 2 - The Informative Essay >>
• Last Updated: Mar 1, 2024 4:41 PM
• URL: https://libguides.occc.edu/comp1

Study Guide for Paper 1 and Paper 2

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The Complete Study Guide for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is part of our IBDP English A Student Toolkit and includes:

• 250+ pages of updated review material!
• The best of our website videos and documents 
• NEW content not available on our website
• 20 highlighted papers with examiner notes 
• Discussion videos justifying marks on sample papers
• Full assortment of graphic organizers
• Sentence stems and guidance for analysis

Paper 1 Exam Review Video Course

Looking for more detailed instruction?  Try our Paper 1 Exam Review course.  This complete course features two non-literary texts to prepare you for the next Lang/Lit Paper 1 assessment.  We’ll show you how to read closely, write a strong response, score your own work, and make a personal improvement plan.  This is for serious students…go for it!

Part of our  IBDP English A Student Toolkit , this resource includes:

• 8 synchronous lessons with downloadable documents
• More than 100 minutes of NEW instructional video
• 2 exam texts
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• Paper 1 checklist
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New Videos for 2024

Political Cartoons – Reading

Political Cartoons – Writing

Poetry – Reading

Poetry – Writing

Advertising – Reading

Advertising – Writing

Prose Fiction – Reading

Prose Fiction – Writing

Comics – Reading

Paper 1 – Quick Tips and Tricks For All Students

We get it. Sometimes you don’t have the time to watch lots of videos and sort through lots of documents. If that describes you, then Andrew and Dave highly recommend checking out the videos below. They are short, sweet, and have loads of critical tips and tricks to help you succeed on Paper One.

Watch this before your next Paper 1 for important reminders.

Ten Tips for Paper One

Don't make these mistakes! Easy fixes that add points.

Ten Pitfalls to Avoid for Paper One

Nobody wants to sound like a robot. Add some voice, would you?

Adding Voice to Academic Writing

Start with a firm handshake and finish strong.

Sample Intro and Conclusion

Remember: Discuss HOW the author USES text to impact the READER.

Discussing Reader Effect

Criteria B demands evaluation of the effectiveness of authorial choices.

Adding Evaluation

Don't forget to read between the lines and discuss implications.

Discussing Implications

Watch this video right before your exam. Don't miss this checklist!

Paper 1 Checklist

Best of luck to May 2024. You've got this!

Exam Pep Talk

Language and Literature - Countdown to Paper 1!

Do you have a summative assessment or mock exam coming up?  Are you cramming content at the last minute?  If you are a Language and Literature student and this describes you, then you have come to the right place.  Each of the following TEN text types has CLOSE READING and SAMPLE RESPONSES WITH EXAMINER COMMENTS.  There are also documents with text type conventions and various other resources you need to achieve academic success.  Watch the videos and crush Paper 1.

TEXT TYPE 1: WEBSITE

Conventions

Stimulus Text

Student Response

TEXT TYPE 2: SPEECH

Conventions More Conventions Stimulus Text

TEXT TYPE 3: LETTER

TEXT TYPE 4: PRODUCT REVIEW

Conventions Stimulus Text

TEXT TYPE 5: COMIC

LINK: BoW Grant Snider

TEXT TYPE 6: FILM REVIEW

TEXT TYPE 7: BROCHURE

TEXT TYPE 8: PSA

TEXT TYPE 9: TRAVEL WRITING

TEXT TYPE 10: TABLOID COVER

TEXT TYPE 11: ADVERTISING

TEXT TYPE 12: INFOGRAPHICS

Political cartoons.

Political cartoons are self-contained commentaries on an important current event or key aspect of society, and they’re humorous.  Look out for colors, symbols, and other hidden ideas lurking in the subtext.  Remember: just like literary authors, cartoonists make a series of choices in their work intended to shape meaning.  Look carefully.  Detect nuances and implications.  Evaluate.  Ace Paper 1.

Learn how to deconstruct political cartoons.

Cartoon Terms

Cartoon of Cartoon Terms

Now that you’ve learned some basic terms, let’s apply them to more cartoons.

Apply your new cartoon skills to academic writing.

Cartoon and Sample Writing

Sentence Stems for Analysis

Put it all together and check out this 7.

Advertising

They’re everywhere on our phones and screens.  Advertisers work to cut through the clutter, grab our attention, and subtly influence us to make choices to buy, buy, and buy some more.  Accordingly, Dave and Andrew believe it’s essential to learn the tips and tricks companies use to manipulate our attention and persuade us to act.  Check out these videos.  Not only will you improve your Paper 1 performance, but you will also be a more skilled and savvy consumer who is attuned to the features our favorite brands employ in their ads.

Learn key terms and how to break down ads.

Features of Advertising

Mnemonic for Deconstructing Ads

There's more to learn! Add these skills to your toolbox.

15 Techniques of Advertising

More Tools of Persuasion

Put it all together and write an organized piece of academic writing.

The Model Paragraph

Opinion Articles

Whether they agree with what’s happening in our world or not, writers of opinion columns implement a series of choices in their work to maximize their persuasive effect.  A close cousin of speeches, these short and complete texts pack a punch.  Look carefully at how they’re structured, how they use rhetoric, and how they end strong.  Learn this stuff.  It’s Paper 1 gold.

What tools do these writers use? Add these terms to your list.

Persuasive Elements in Opinion Articles

Now that you’ve got some basic skills and some terms under your belt, let’s apply them to three different opinion articles and see what we can do.

Put it all together and see what it looks like.

Paper One Student Sample (original)

Paper One Student Sample (highlighted)

Literary Text Types

Regardless of the course you are enrolled in, we’re all studying literature.  How is prose fiction different than prose nonfiction?  What about drama and poetry?  Are there any special skills and tips to learn?  We’ve got the answers to these questions and more down below.  Consume these resources and become a better critical reader and writer.  

Prose Fiction

What’s prose fiction?  Think novels.  Think short stories.  Think “imaginative” writing.  It’s one of the cornerstones of the course for a reason, as it teaches us about the human condition and fosters empathy.  Learn how to be a close reader of prose fiction and let your knowledge shine when you write your Paper 1.

Literature can be tough. This acronym for deconstruction will help.

SCASNI acronym for annotating fiction

Learn more about how our SCASNI protocol can foster deeper analysis.

SCASNI applied to a Paper One Text

Put it all together and check out this full Paper 1 response.

Paper One – Full Student Response

Prose Non-Fiction

This course requires exploration of nonfiction texts as well.  So what exactly is this stuff anyway?  Think memoirs.  Think travelogues.  Think philosophy and other insightful texts that present factual information in an entertaining and literary way.  We love prose non-fiction, and so do our students.  These were our mock exams as well as former IB exams.  

Remember: Paper 1 is a reading test first. Watch this video.

Assessment Text (original) Assessment Text (annotated)

Yes, diaries show up on assessments. Familiarize yourself with this text type.

Assessment Text (original)

Assessment Text (annotated)

We love a good memoir. Another former IB Lit assessment here.

Check out what this writer does. They know what they're doing!

Student Response (original) Student Response (highlighted)

Another strong Lit response. You getting the hang of this yet?

Student Response (original)

Student Response (highlighted)

Our final mock exam in this Lit series. Another strong response.

Student Response (original and highlighted) Three Different Styles of Introductions

Sure, we understand poetry is abstract, but we promise it can be fun! It’s complex and requires deep thinking, but that’s where the magic lives.  Check out the videos and documents below.  You’ll find poetic terminology, close reading strategies, and sentence stems to guide your writing.  Watch.  Learn.  Master.  You’ve got this!  

Just like any text type, poetry has its own set of terms. Learn them!

Poetic Terms

Sample Poem with Annotations

Now you know some terms. A few more pieces and you're on your way.

How to Read a Poem

Acronym for Analyzing Poetry

Words to Describe Mood and Tone

Maya Angelou Poem For Analysis

Let's practice our new skills with a nature poem from Mary Oliver.

Mary Oliver Poem for Analysis

Mary Oliver Poem (fully annotated)

Check out this former IB Exam where we break down a great poem.

Document: Poem – “Tyre Shop” by Bob Orr

Check out the full student response and compare your work to the sample.

Document: “Tyre Shop” – Full Student Response

Andrew and Dave love drama.  But, you’ve got to remember to pay attention to the stage directions. What can you see and hear on stage?  What props do you notice?  How are costume and staging used for effect?  So many things to explore!  It’s important to learn the basics for now, but stay tuned for more content in the future.  Our students love drama, and so will you.  Immerse yourself in this text type and enjoy!

We'll add more content soon. For now, master these important conventions of drama.

Dramatic Terms Annotated Passage

IB English Guys

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IB English A (Lang & Lit) EE examples

Filter exemplars, how does everything everywhere all at once explore the impact of generational trauma on the expression of individuality using stylistic devices, to what extent do the contrasting themes of feminism and power intersect throughout the literary texts of macbeth and the handmaid’s tale, want to get full marks for your ee allow us to review it for you 🎯, how does jeffrey eugenides explore the theme of decay in the virgin suicides, to what extent does the author’s perception of reality affect the portrayal of the american dream’s futility in death of a salesman and of mice and men, how and why do albert camus in the outsider and john barth in lost in the funhouse explore absurdist themes through characterization and narrative perspective to comment upon humans’ reactions to societal turning points, fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by ib examiners. upgrade now 🚀, how and to what effect do patterns in speech and behavior demonstrate internalized misogyny in season 4 of bravo’s reality tv show the real housewives of beverly hills, how do symbolism and dystopian atmosphere communicate john wyndham’s fear in ‘the day of the triffids, how does carol ann duffy construct the female voice in “mrs. quasimodo”, “pilate’s wife”, and “medusa” in her anthology “the world’s wife”, how are the revolutionaries and aristocracy of the french revolution characterised through shared symbolism in charles dickens’ a tale of two cities and baroness orzcy’s the scarlet pimpernel, to represent their differing social perceptions, how is art portrayed as a coping mechanism in emily st. john mandel’s station eleven, gender: the skinning of identity how is the characterization of clarice and buffalo bill in “silence of the lambs” used to critique societal perspectives and expectations of gender identity, how is visual imagery used to portray the black women experience in the poetry of audre lorde and maya angelou, how does george r.r. martin use the characters sansa and arya stark to represent the outcomes of challenging or aligning with gender-based societal norms in westerosi society, how does lewis carroll portray the theme of growing up through the perspective of the child protagonist, alice, in through the looking-glass, how does the recurring motif of absence in integral traditional customs of society impact the treatment of morality in “oryx and crake”, how do martin luther king jr’s eulogy for the martyred children and queen elizabeth i’s speech at tilbury compare in the methods used to achieve their respective purposes, in what ways do heathcliff from wuthering heights conform or differ from the aristotelian depiction of a tragic hero, to what extent are the remains of middle english present in the english we speak today based on the analysis of vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling in geoffrey chaucer’s the canterbury tales: the general prologue, how can the idolization of technology alter human behavior according to jungian theories, as portrayed through the use of film techniques and language in the episodes “nosedive” and “men against fire” from the netflix series black mirror, how does f. scott fitzgerald explore man’s downfall in pursuit of the american dream in the novel 'tender is the night', how are the black female characters in the novel the color purple used by alice walker to resist the narratives forced upon black women, how does t.s. eliot use the technique of linguistic code-switching (lcs) to contribute to the content and form of the waste land, how does khaled hosseini’s characterization of women in his novel ‘a thousand splendid suns’ challenge the stereotypical notion of afghan women as being ‘weak & oppressed’, how effective is the language and the visuals in the documentary the game changers in persuading viewers about the benefits of veganism, how does maya angelou portray feminism in her famous poems, ‘still i rise’, ‘phenomenal woman’ and ‘i know why the caged bird sings’, to what extent has the godfather portrayed the idea of the great american dream, and how does the movie challenge the myths related to this american ideal, how do female characters in kate chopin’s the awakening utilize music to constitute rebellion against nineteenth century patriarchal social expectations, to what extent does disney propagate heteronormativity in their g-rated movie the princess and the frog, to what extent can friends portrayal of gender and sexuality be considered problematic for modern viewers, how does kendrick lamar depict racial discrimination against african americans in his album to pimp a butterfly (tpab) through both the album cover photo and a song titled alright, how is suicide presented in the tragic plays 'hamlet' and ajax', how do dreams characterize winston smith in george orwell’s 1984 and rodion raskolnikov in fyodor dostoevsky’s crime and punishment, exploring the theme of covid-19 in advertising campaigns, how and to what effect were the connotations to the pandemic transformed in the #socialiseresponsibly campaign into representing values, how is the theme of female friendship portrayed in khaled hosseini's a thousand splendid suns in regard to a patriarchal society, how does george saunders’ the brief and frightening reign of phil utilize satire to portray the corruption and power imbalances present within us society during the 2001-2005 administration of george w. bush, what role do odours and tastes play in the evaluation of core memories in "10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world" by elif shafak, to what extent does madeline miller challenge the traditional gender roles of males through the representations in the song of achilles, in her novel banana heart summer, how does merlinda bobis explore the nature of personal belief through the character of nenita and her participation in systems of belief, in what ways are themes of feminism portrayed in the play, “hedda gabler” by henrik ibsen and the poem “the drunken husband” by marilyn chin.

Exam guide, practice papers, past paper solutions.

IB English Paper 1

Access the paper 1 exam guide, ib-style practice papers and ib past paper solutions., study the essentials, ib english paper 1 explained.

Planning & Writing

Full Exam Study Guide

Practice paper 1s with detailed solutions.

After completing our fundamental Learn Analysis lessons, use this collection of practice papers to hone your practical Paper 1 analysis and essay organization skills.

IB English Lang Lit Practice Paper 1s

Each Practice Paper is accompanied by detailed written and/or video solutions by LitLearn's IB45 instructors.

'Pine Hikes' - Lang Lit

Speech script

'Obama' - Lang Lit

Opinion article

'Arrogance' - Lang Lit

Infographic

'Skateboarding' - Lang Lit

'Go Green' - Lang Lit

IB English Literature Practice Paper 1s

'Eveline' - Literature

'The Black Cat' - Literature

'Departure' - Literature

'War' - Literature

Dramatic play

'Pygmalion' - Literature

IB Past Paper Solutions - Lang Lit

Detailed plans and full guided analysis essay response by IB7 graduates. Currently we only offer IB English Lang Lit Past Paper solutions.

Radio Script

Nov 2017 SL - Lang Lit

Comic Strip

May 2019 SL - Lang Lit

Nov 2019 SL - Lang Lit

Journal Entry

Nov 2021 SL - Lang Lit

May 2021 HL - Lang Lit

How can LitLearn help me?

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Detailed step-by-step guide that breaks down the Paper 1 guided analysis into two clear stages: Planning and Writing.

We share practical advice on how to write a bullet-proof thesis and how to choose the right essay structure.

Simplify and accelerate your IB English Paper 1 preparation with our curated collection of IB-style Practice Paper 1 exams, complete with detailed video solutions or written markschemes.

Perfect preparation for your final Paper 1 exams. Learn from our exemplar solution (thesis, plan & full essay) for six IB English Language & Literature Past Paper 1 exams. More solutions will be added for Literature in future.

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Paper 1 Checklist

With this in mind here’s a simple checklist with links that you can refer back to whenever you need them. This may sound obvious but I’ll say it anyway – any words that appear in BLUE are clickable and will take you directly to the blog post in question…

So here goes nothing!

1. Comprehensions – begin with the General Advice post, then take a look at the different Types of Comprehensions which appear. You need to get practice in Describing a Personality and exploring the Feelings & Atmosphere created in a text. If you want help Answering Style Questions , once you’ve downloaded the spreadsheet of techniques have a look at this Sample Comprehension Answer which examines common mistakes.

Don’t forget that you must be confident discussing Visual Texts so this Sample Visual Text Answer should come in useful, along with these tips for discussing Book Covers and this wonderful post from my mate Michelle on The Art of Photography .

This is not an exhaustive list. Off the top of my head I know in the past students were asked if they considered a piece of writing funny and had to explain why – not an easy task but this post on Comedy might help.

One year recently students were asked to explore the enduring power of the mysterious in tv, books and film but I haven’t gotten my head around answering that one myself yet (which is weird really because I obsessively read my way through over 50 Agatha Cristie novels when I was 14).

You also need to be able to clearly distinguish between the language of information , language of argument , language of persuasion and the language of narration/description because sometimes they specifically ask you to identify and comment on the features of one type of writing (informative/argumentative/persuasive/descriptive) which are evident in the text. Sometimes this is phrased slightly differently and you are asked to comment on features of speech writing , or travel writing or autobiographical writing or on the journalistic style used in a newspaper/magazine article .

Occasionally students are asked to comment on the Title of the passage, or to suggest an alternative title. You could be asked to select a quote(s) used by the writer and comment on how effective and appropriate it is. You can also be asked to trace the logic employed in a text or to discuss how effectively the writer has constructed their argument to bring you around to their way of thinking.

Ultimately, practice practice practice is what will help you to improve – by all means read these blog posts to your hearts content but then DO SOMETHING with them. Apply the knowledge by practising using past exam papers or whatever speeches, articles, stories, travelogues you want.

If yet more individual written work sounds too hideously boring, sit down with a friend, pick a text (any text), come up with sample questions based on what usually comes up and discuss what you’d put into your answer. This is a really effective way of getting the brain active and bouncing ideas off someone else is always a good study technique.

Perhaps you could draw your own infographics for information, argument, persuasion, narration, description, speeches, articles, short stories, personal essays etc…  We’ve been doing this to some success in class recently, it really forces the brain to clarify things.

2. Question B – begin with the General Advice, then make sure you get clarity around the layout and style required for the following:

• Reports/memos ,
• Leaflets/Guidelines ,
• Proposals ,
• Advertisements ,
• Diary Entries ,
• Dialogue/Script ,

and don’t forget Speeches/Radio Talks and Articles which can come up both here and in the extended essay section.  Personally I don’t think you should choose the same Question B and extended essay (ie write two speeches, or two articles) because you can’t really show off your range of skills to the examiner if you do this. Pay close attention to the wording of the question – for example a ‘report’ and a ‘news report’ are not the same thing! One is an informative document compiled from surveys and questionaires on a particular topic, the other is a newspaper article reporting on an event or incident which has just occured.

3. Composing – this is the section that requires you to write an extended essay (in a particular genre) twice as long as the Question B above. It is worth 25% of your overall grade in English.

You may want to begin with the Six Rules of Essay Writing , then check out the type of Essay Topics that come up and some Sample Essay Titles I gave my Leaving Certs for their house exam. Read this blog post if you’re searching for Inspiration .

Then there are the questions: What is an Appropriate Topic? How do you move from Word to Paragraph ? How do you achieve Originality vs Cliche ? And a discussion of why you really need to Trust Your Voice .

There are four basic genres that recur in this section: Short Stories , Personal Essays , Speeches/Debates and Newspaper/Magazine Articles . Very ccasionally you’ll see a “ series of 3 diary entries ” or “ a descriptive essay ” in here too.

Short stories – so you need to be familiar with the Language of Narration/Description and you might want to check out Sample Short Story 1 and Sample Short Story 2 .

If you want to buy and read a collection of short stories try the newly released “ Silver Threads of Hope “.

Personal Essays – you need to be clear on the difference between a personal essay and a short story but the Language of Description remains central to this genre. You may want to check out Sample Personal Essay 1 and Sample Personal Essay 2.

If you want to buy and read a collection of personal essays try “A Page in the Life” , a collection from the Marian Finucane radio show (they are each only 500 words long however – your personal essay would need to be in the region of at least 1200 words in the exam). Two of my favourite personal essays are available online “ I’m still alive and writing is my fighting ” and “ The five funniest things people said to me when my father died ” – even though they were published in a newspaper and a magazine respectively their style falls into the category of the personal essay.

Articles – get reading newspapers and magazines and start paying attention to the style used. You may want to check out this Sample Newspaper Article .

You could also get a giggle a day by regularly visiting www.thepotato.ie an Irish satirical website which proves that you can make something up and still make it sound utterly convincing if you adopt the appropriate journalistic style. Also see our Links page for a longer list of online newspapers.

Speeches / Debates – ensure you understand the difference between them. Debates almost exclusively make use of argumentative techniques whereas speeches combine argument and persuasion . Check out these sample debate topics ; better still practice writing one!

Check out this debate “Does God Exist?” on this link – but feel free to skip the first 12 minutes which are just introductions. Of course if you’ve taken part in the Concern Debates, the Mental Health Public Speaking competition or any form of public speaking through your local Dail na nOg or Soroptimists society then you’ve at a real advantage going into the exams.

If you want to buy a book of famous speeches I recommend “ Speeches that Changed the World ” and “ Great Irish Speeches “. Alternatively, just browse speeches on youtube or better still check out www.ted.com for mindblowing talks on every topic imaginable!

If you’d like to try some collaborative writing with your mates you could either use edmodo (see this post on the benefits of online collaboration ) or you could just use google docs – all you need is a gmail account, click on “drive”, start a new document and then email the link to the people you want to write the piece with you…

I think that’s it folks! There are so many links in this post it’ll be a miracle if they’re all working so if any of the links lead you to the wrong place please send me a message and I’ll fix it.

Hope this helps,

9 responses to “ Paper 1 Checklist ”

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How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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How to Write an English Essay

Last Updated: March 31, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,615,366 times.

When taking English courses in high school and college, you'll likely be assigned to write essays. While writing an essay for an English class may seem overwhelming, it does not have to be. If you give yourself plenty of time to plan out and develop your essay, however, then you will not have to stress about it.

Sample Essays

Getting Started

• Your instructor will expect to see a well-crafted thesis early on in your essay. Place your thesis at the end of your first paragraph.
• If you don't understand how to write a thesis, ask your instructor for help. This is an important concept that will keep coming up in courses where you have to write papers.

• Telling a personal anecdote
• Citing a surprising fact or statistic
• Overturning a common misconception
• Challenging the reader to examine her own preconceptions

• You can create a numbered outline using a word processor or just put it on paper.
• Don’t worry about being too detailed when you create your outline. Just try to get the major ideas on paper.
• A really solid outline helps you figure out how you're going to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Drafting the Essay

• Make sure that you have your outline handy as well. You can build on your outline by expanding on each of the points in the order that they are listed in.

• Think of the topic sentence as a way to tell readers what you'll talk about in the rest of the paragraph. You don’t need to summarize the whole paragraph—just provide readers with a taste.
• For example, in a paragraph that describes Okonkwo’s rise and fall in Things Fall Apart, you might begin with something like: “Okonkwo starts out as a poor young man, but then rises to a position of wealth and status.”

• Returning to the invention stage . This includes exercises such as freewriting, listing, or clustering. You can also revisit your notes and books to see if there's anything you missed or forgot.
• Visiting your school’s writing lab . You can find a writing lab on most college campuses. They are free to students and can help you improve your writing at any stage in the writing process.
• Talking to your instructor . Take advantage of your professor's office hours or one-on-one appointments. Meet with them and discuss ways that you can improve your essay before you hand it in.

• An MLA style works cited page starts on a new page at the end of the essay. Provide entries for each of the sources that you used. These entries should include the information necessary to allow the reader to find the source with ease. [7] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• MLA style in-text (also called parenthetical) citations provide readers with the author’s last name the page number for the information. It's necessary to include an in-text citation for any information that you quote, summarize, or paraphrase from a source. It comes right after the sourced information, and it includes the author’s last name and page number in parentheses. [8] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• Qualify or complicate the information in your essay
• Suggest a need for further research
• Speculate on how the future will change the current situation

Revising the Essay

• If possible, give yourself at least 5 days to work on your essay. Dedicate separate days to researching, crafting your thesis, outlining your ideas, drafting your paper, and making revisions.

• Have I answered the question in a satisfactory way?
• Do I have a clear thesis? Is my thesis the focus of my essay?
• Do I include adequate support for my argument? Is there anything else I could add?
• Is there a logic to my essay? Does one idea follow the next? If not, how might I improve the logic of my essay?

• Try swapping essays with a friend from class. You can read and comment on each other’s essays to make sure that both of you have done the best work possible.
• Make sure that you swap papers at least one day before the paper is due so that you will have time to correct any errors that your friend finds.

• As you read, correct any errors that you find and make a note of anything that you think could be improved, such as adding more details or clarifying the language.

Planning Your Essay

• Always ask your professor if you don't understand the assignment. It's important to have a clear idea of what they want before you start working on the assignment.

Aly Rusciano

“Think of your thesis as the point you're trying to prove in your essay. If the essay came with a prompt question, your one-sentence answer is your thesis.”

• A well-detailed answer that satisfies the assignment requirements
• A clear and direct piece of writing that is easy to follow
• A polished paper with no minor errors, such as typos or misspellings

• For example, if you are tasked with writing about a character in a book, then you will need to provide lots of details about that character. This will probably require rereading some passages of your book as well as revisiting your notes from class. [16] X Research source
• To ensure that your paper is easy to follow, you'll need to make sure that there's a logical order to your essay. Do this by creating an outline and checking your work for logic.
• Start early and give yourself lots of time for revision. Try to complete your first draft about one week before the paper is due.

• Freewriting . Write as much as you can without stopping. If you can’t think of anything, write “I can’t think of anything to write,” until something comes to mind. After you finish, go over what've written and underline or highlight any useful information for your essay.
• Listing . Make a list of all of the details and information that are relevant to the essay prompt. After you have listed everything that you can think of, read over it and circle the most important information for your essay.
• Clustering . Write your topic in the middle of the page, then branch out with other connected ideas. Circle the ideas and connect them to the main one with lines. Keep going until you can't do any more.

• Good sources to use for English essays include books, articles from scholarly journals, articles from trustworthy news sources (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.), and government or university sponsored web pages.
• Many instructors include “research quality” in their grading criteria, so including poor sources, such as blogs, may result in a poor grade.
• If you are not sure if a source is of good quality, ask your instructor or a librarian.

Expert Q&A

• If you choose to have someone critique your essay, try to find someone who fits your essay's target audience. You won't be able to improve your literary analysis of "To Kill a Mockingbird" if you hand it to someone who's never read it. Thanks Helpful 17 Not Helpful 5

• Don’t procrastinate on starting and developing your essay. Good writing takes time and careful planning. Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/thesis_statement_tips.html
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/introductions/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/types_of_outlines.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/paragraphs_and_paragraphing/index.html
• ↑ https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-11-developing-a-convincing-argument/
• ↑ https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/mlacitation/intext
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/index.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/index.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/argumentative_essays.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/understanding_writing_assignments.html
• ↑ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/second/en228/how_to_write_an_essay/
• ↑ http://writing.ku.edu/prewriting-strategies

About This Article

To write an English essay, start by collecting your notes and sources to brainstorm a thesis, also known as your main argument. Once you have an argument, begin your essay by writing a paragraph that introduces your topic and thesis. After the introduction, write out body paragraphs, which should each start with a topic sentence and develop your thesis by providing specific examples. Finally, finish your essay with a conclusory paragraph, then, edit it for grammar, clarity, and any filler content. For more, like how to write an outline, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Understanding Different Text Types: A Guide for IGCSE 0500 First Language English students

In the vast landscape of English writing, various text types serve distinct purposes, each with its unique characteristics and structure.

In the IGCSE 0500 First Language English exams, you need to demonstrate that you can produce (as in, write!) these different text types in the last section of Paper 1, as well as in the Directed Writing question, which is the first question in P2.

You’ll need to demonstrate that you understand six fundamental text types: letter, report, journal, speech, interview, and article.

Ready? Let’s dive right in!

A letter is a written form of communication that can be either formal or informal. It is usually addressed to a specific person or group.

• Formal Letters are structured with a clear greeting, introduction, body, conclusion, and sign-off. They are used for professional or official communication, such as job applications, business inquiries, or formal requests.
• Informal Letters are more personal and relaxed in tone, often used to communicate with friends or family. They may not strictly follow the formal structure and allow for a more expressive style.

Note for students:

In the FLE exam, you typically won’t need to pay too much attention to the format as you should pay attention to the linguistic style or nuance of your piece.

What this means is that you don’t have to fret about putting in the address of the recipient and your own address as well as the title – it certainly won’t harm you and I would recommend it if you feel that it’s helpful for getting your head into the game, but it’s not a dealbreaker for your grade if you don’t write it down.

Here’s what’s actually important:

The tone and the appropriacy of your language, because that demonstrates how and whether you understand how to use language in these different contexts, which is the main focus.

If you’re writing an informal letter to a friend, you don’t want to write as if you’re addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations, and if you actually are addressing the General Assembly, you probably wouldn’t open your remarks with a “Yo, yo, what’s up?”

Reports are structured and detailed documents that present information clearly and analytically. They are often used in academic, business, and technical contexts to convey research findings, project updates, or analysis.

• Characteristics: Includes a title, overview, findings (preferably with subheadings that structure and organize the report). Typically written in third person and with a formal and objective voice and style.
• Purpose: To provide a thorough analysis or account of a particular issue or situation, often followed by recommendations.

Note to students: Writing a report is as much about reading comprehension as it is about maintaining a formal and objective style. You will need to be able to read texts carefully and distinguish skillfully between facts and opinions. Make sure that everything that you write down in your report is supported by evidence that you can take from the text, preferably with a clear understanding of where the evidence occurs within the text and which lines support the It may seem challenging at the outset, but practice makes perfect. If you’d like more guidance along the way, and lots of example sample reports, make sure to join our Premium Membership Program, so you can discover tons of different samples and prepare for your journey with the best possible support that you can have.

Journals are personal records where individuals document their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. While traditionally kept as private diaries, journals can also be academic or professional.

• Personal Journals are intimate spaces for self-expression and reflection.
• Academic Journals involve critical analysis and reflection on academic work or experiences.
• Characteristics: Regular entries, personal tone, and a focus on reflection over structure.

Note to students:

If you are asked to write a journal entry, this means you are being asked to show that you can reflect upon the contents of a text and also imagine that you had the experience which was described or otherwise understand the context of what was presented to you well enough that you can take a different perspective from your own and perform reflections on the basis of events presented to you or hypothetical in nature.

This skill is vital in many different areas of life, but as with report writing, it’s not always natural or intuitive. Reading journal entries can be valuable, but don’t go out there and steal your family members’ diaries. Also, if you haven’t tried it just yet, journaling is often a relaxing and meaningful activity that can help you personally gain clarity and a deeper mastery over your experiences. If you haven’t tried it before, I highly recommend it as a path towards self-knowledge.

A speech is a formal address delivered orally to an audience. It aims to inform, persuade, or entertain listeners through effective verbal communication.

• Structure: Includes an introduction (to establish the speech’s purpose and engage the audience), body (main points and supporting details), and conclusion (summarizing the key messages and providing a strong closing).
• Styles: Can vary from persuasive and motivational to informational or ceremonial, depending on the context and objective.

Speeches are the most natural and intuitive way of remembering that whatever form of communication that we perform, whether written or spoken, ultimately is communicative in nature.

As you read the prompt, think about the people who would be on the other end if you were to really write out a speech. Who are these people? What do they actually care about? Having a formal process to think about who the audience is and what they care about as a guide for you to decide your tone, style, content, and even language grading can be quite useful.

For example, if a question asks you to write a speech to a group of children, you’d obviously want to think about what children would care about as you write. Additionally, you’d also want to make sure that the contents of what you’re saying can be easily understood, which means that you’ll want to show rather than tell and also use vocabulary that is sufficiently simple that it can be understood by all. At the same time, knowing the attention span of kids, you may also want to pay attention to ways in which you can increase engagement in the audience along the way!

As you practice, consider writing the way you speak. If that sounds simpler than it actually is, that’s because it is. You’ll probably want to practice by reading out what you’ve written on a page and asking yourself whether what you’ve said would actually be something that someone would say in a speech.

Here, in all likelihood, you can trust your intuition. If you need further guidance, consider also asking a friend or a relative to listen to what you’re saying and asking them if it sounds like it would captivate their attention or if it sounds like what someone would say during the course of a speech. Refine, reiterate, and practice again and again. This will give you a clearer idea of how to create an effective speech, which is not only going to be beneficial for you during the exam but also in other areas in life.

5. Interview

An interview is a conversation where questions are asked to elicit information from a participant. It can be conducted for various purposes, including journalistic, research, or employment.

• Types: Can range from structured (with a set list of questions) to semi-structured or unstructured (more open-ended and flexible).
• Characteristics: Involves an interviewer and an interviewee, with the goal of obtaining detailed information, insights, or personal stories.

Interviews typically take the form of a question-and-answer format, and in the IGCSE, it’s usually pretty clear what the context is, and you’ll have to demonstrate not only that you understand the question-and-answer format, but also that you understand how to take in the written content, and then convert that into those questions and answers which you will eventually create.

This is as much as a form of writing as an act of meeting comprehension that takes in all of your skills.

As it is with every single one of the text types here, getting exposure to actual examples is going to be extremely helpful. Lots of sources out there will provide you with interesting interviews. With people across the world, and a potential lifetime of stories to go through. So read widely, and familiarize yourself. For many interview samples, consider signing up for a premium membership of the site. To gain access to this wonderful knowledge.

It can help to watch interviews with actual news anchors. Or to read interviews.

PS: A small plug – If you want to watch a collection of interviews done by me, consider watching my YouTube series, Pathways to Excellence, in which I interview some of the very best students from Malaysia, as well as leaders across the nation, which will give you an idea of what that question-and-answer format might actually be like. Subscriptions are most appreciated!

Articles are written works published in newspapers, magazines, journals, or online platforms. They are intended to inform, discuss, or argue on a specific topic.

• News Articles provide factual information about current events in a straightforward, objective manner.
• Feature Articles explore topics in depth, offering background, analysis, and personal opinions.
• Structure: Generally includes a headline, introduction, body (with supporting details and evidence), and conclusion.

As with pretty much any form of communication, context matters in article writing, and as with pretty much any form of communication you’re asked to produce in the exam, the prompt is your Bible, your guide, your true north. If nothing else, ensure that you follow the prompt. Understand it, comprehend it, drill it into your mind as you read during these few crucial moments. Once you get past that though, you will start realizing that there is a higher plane and there is more that you can do along the way.

Yes, it’s true that you can indeed write an article about your experiences in going for an extreme endurance event.

But ask yourself, what more can you do? Do you simply leave a factual record? Or do you include humorous and interesting anecdotes that you manage to understand from the context?

In a directed writing or ERTR piece, demonstrating that type of comprehension is tremendously important, and being able to play with that comprehension in order to create something that blends it together with your unique and distinct style is the mark of mastery.

Understanding the distinct characteristics of these text types is fundamental for English students to navigate various writing and reading contexts effectively.

Whether it’s crafting a compelling speech, documenting personal experiences in a journal, or writing a report, recognizing the purpose and structure of these text types enhances both writing skills and comprehension.

However, reading all of this will only give you a small portion of what you need to succeed. In reality, understanding how these texts are structured is only the beginning – One that will help you understand the characteristics of everything that you read at a later point, but only that.

To obtain a true mastery, you will have to find good examples of actual texts to reference, comprehend, and understand.

As you do that, try creating some of these texts for yourself.

Your first attempts aren’t likely to be well-organized or beautiful, but what matters is that you begin, and even if you are terrible, you can improve along the way – Something that certainly will never happen if you never even start in the first place.

In the Premium section , you’ll find examples of each of these text types, carefully curated for your reading purposes. There, you’ll also receive access to a variety of helpful formats and structures that you can use to create these texts.

So do stay tuned, look forward to more posts ahead, and thank you for reading!

Hello everyone!

Not everyone is incredible at writing summaries – they’re difficult, and they require some good insight into understanding the texts that you read!

With that in mind, here is a resource to help with that: A compilation of summaries for the 2022 and 2023 exams! (Up until May 2023) The May/June 2022 response is made freely available to you, and you may access it with a free membership. The responses are tailored directly to the rubric for P1 and all Cambridge requirements, and they will help you to learn how to write your responses in a way that will meet the criteria and also accomplish the goal of getting yourself the best possible grade. If you’re struggling with Question 1f) of Paper 1, join Premium today to access this exciting resource and conquer summary-writing in 2024!

As always, hoping for the very best for your success!

2022 and beyond:

October/November

Variant 1 (not available).

Now most of you know that Writer’s Effect (Question 2(d) of Paper 1) is the most difficult part of the 0500 First Language English examinations and I’ve received so many questions and comments from those of you out there who have questions about this.

With that in mind, here is a resource I created for every single one of you!

This is a sample response that you can use for the purpose of understanding how to write an effective Writer’s Effect (Question 2(d)) response.

The first sample response is tailored for the Writer’s Effect question in March 2022, Paper 1 Variant 2, and you will need a free or premium membership in order to access it and also the rest of the responses, which are all written to the highest possible specifications according to the rubric and will help you get a clear idea of how to write effectively.

The question is provided – please reference the relevant past year paper and insert in order to understand it – you may get your past papers from online resources such as PapaCambridge or PastPapers.co – download 0500_m22_in_12 and 0500_m22_qp_12 in order to get the question papers. 🙂

Writer’s Effect Sample Answer – March 2022, Paper 1 Variant 2

Sample Answer:

The overall effect of paragraph 4 in “Into the Delta” is to evoke a sense of peace and deep connection with nature. The phrase “utter tranquillity of swishing through the water lilies in the open lagoons” uses auditory imagery to create a serene and calming atmosphere. The description of the mokoro as “gently floating as though blown through the perfectly clear water” further enhances this sense of peacefulness and harmony with the natural world. The imagery of the narrator “lay[ing] back on my backpack” contributes to a feeling of relaxation and being at one with the environment.

Hope you enjoyed that! The responses are tailored directly to the rubric for P1 and all Cambridge requirements, and they will help you to learn how to write your responses in a way that will meet the criteria and also accomplish the goal of getting yourself the best possible grade.

Join Premium today to access this exciting resource and conquer Writer’s Effect in 2023!

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Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don’ts

College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

• Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
• Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
• Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
• Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

• Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
• Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
• Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
• Tell you what to say and how to say it
• Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
• Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

• An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
• An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
• An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

• If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
• If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
• If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

• Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
• Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
• Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

• Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
• How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
• Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
• Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

• Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
• Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
• Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
• Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
• What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

• You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
• A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
• A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
• A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
• All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
• Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
• If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
• Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

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Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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How to Write a GCSE English Literature Essay

I was an English teacher for many years, both at GCSE and A Level , and I found that students did best when they knew exactly what examiners wanted (and crucially, didn’t want) to see in any English essay. This guide will give you some of my top tips for success when it comes to achieving the top grade in any GCSE English Literature paper.

English Senior Content Creator

6 months ago

• 1 . What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 
• 2 . How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?
• 3 . Planning the GCSE English Literature essay
• 4 . How do you structure an English Literature essay?
• 5 . How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?
• 6 . GCSE English Literature essay examples

Whichever exam board you are studying as part of your GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas or WJEC), or if you’re studying for an IGCSE (Edexcel or CIE), you will be required to write a long essay on at least one type of text. These texts could include a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, a modern text, or poetry, either from an anthology or unseen. Because some of these essay questions can be worth up to 40 marks (and therefore a huge chunk of your overall GCSE mark), it is vital that you have a good grounding in essay writing to get the top marks in your English Literature exam. 

What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 

My experience also working as an examiner means that I have first-hand knowledge of the conversations that exam boards have with their individual examiners. The first thing to say is that examiners always want to give students credit: GCSE exams are “positively” marked, which means that they don’t deduct marks for mistakes. Instead, they start from the top of the mark scheme and fit students into a level, working down until they find a “best fit” between the student and a level.

So what? I hear you cry. Well, this means that if you - as a student - understand the English Literature mark scheme, and the assessment objectives, then you know exactly what you have to do to succeed. I always talked to my students about “thinking like an examiner”. The best way to do this is to look at the mark scheme on your exam board’s website. Even better, here at SME we have created student-friendly mark schemes, where we have “translated” them into everyday language. Here’s one for the Shakespeare essay question for AQA Paper 1.

How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?

This is a great question, and one my students always asked me! The simple answer is: not as long as you might think. A “good essay” is certainly not the same as a long essay. In fact, I drummed into my students a favourite phrase of mine: “write less, plan more”. Much like the writing questions in the GCSE English Language paper, it is a much better idea to write a shorter, well-planned essay than including everything you can possibly remember about the character or theme that has come up in the exam question. In fact, when I was an examiner, I was often instructed to mark an essay down a level if it was too long, because inevitably these hyper-long pieces of writing lost focus and became unstructured. A shorter essay, focused throughout on the exam question, will always do better than a 10-page mega-essay that includes as many points as a student can remember in the timeframe. I have seen a whole essay that is only four sides of A4 achieve full marks. As a result, it can be a good idea to spend at least 20-30% of your allocated time on planning your answer.

Planning the GCSE English Literature essay

As already mentioned, planning can be the key to unlocking the very highest marks at GCSE. At SME, we have detailed, step by step guides on how to plan essays for Shakespeare , and also for the AQA GCSE English Literature 19-century novel (including A Christmas Carol ) and modern text (including An Inspector Calls ). However, before you start writing your essay, some great tips include:

Make sure you understand the exam question. Underline the key words of the question

Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract)

Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question

Write down your overarching argument (this is often called a “thesis statement”) at the top of your page

Select evidence that backs up your thesis statement (if you have been given an extract, try to select evidence from elsewhere in the text as well)

Based on your selected evidence, organise your argument into two or three main points (these will form your paragraphs)

How do you structure an English Literature essay?

A lot of schools and colleges teach students very specific paragraph structures, such as PEE, or PETAL. Although this can be a great way to learn how to write essay paragraphs, for the very highest marks at GCSE these rigid structures can be limiting. Exam boards say that they would prefer students to move away from PEE-style structures, because this allows students the space to be more “exploratory” and “conceptualised”: both of these words really mean that they want a lot more of that second “E” in PEE: explanation. 

Overall, I always asked my students to follow this broad structure for any essay:

Introduction: for the very highest marks, this must include a thesis statement, or a summary of your overall argument

Paragraph 1: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 2: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 3: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence. Depending on the exam board, and question, this could include a counter-argument

Conclusion: This would make the case that the argument, as set out in the introduction, has been proved

How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?

Conclusions are tricky. Lots of English teachers have slightly different opinions on how to write conclusions for a GCSE English Literature essay. Some teachers might even say that it is not necessary to write a conclusion, but here at SME we always think it’s a great idea. This is because it really helps create what examiners call a “coherent response”: an argument that is focused all the way through, right to the end. Here are my top tips for writing a conclusion for a GCSE English Literature essay:

A conclusion should only summarise the proof you have provided for your argument

It only needs to be two or three sentences long

It should include the words of the question and your thesis statement

Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same information twice, so try to be brief when summarising the points you made in the main body of your essay

GCSE English Literature essay examples

At SME, we have lots of annotated model answers for GCSE English Literature questions, including one for Macbeth , and another for A Christmas Carol.

Here is an excerpt from our model answer on whether Lady Macbeth is a character who changes throughout the play:

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play: she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is side-lined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that unchecked ambition and hubris, particularly for women, have fatal consequences.

Here’s an excerpt from our model answer for A Christmas Carol on how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor:

In this extract, Dickens uses the two characters, Ignorance and Want, as an allegory, as they are symbolic of society’s cruelty towards the suffering of the poor. Dickens uses these two characters to expose the consequences of society’s greed and avarice. The children are first depicted as emerging from the spirit’s robe which underscores Dickens’s message of how poverty, and its devastating consequences, remain largely shrouded, unseen and ignored by society. Furthermore, Dickens’s imagery depicts the children as emaciated and wretched which induces both horror and pity in the reader.

For lots more model answers, tips and step by step guides, please do visit the GCSE English Literature pages of SME. 

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Written by Nick Redgrove

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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The Federalist , commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers, is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays were published anonymously, under the pen name "Publius," in various New York state newspapers of the time.

The Federalist Papers were written and published to urge New Yorkers to ratify the proposed United States Constitution, which was drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. In lobbying for adoption of the Constitution over the existing Articles of Confederation, the essays explain particular provisions of the Constitution in detail. For this reason, and because Hamilton and Madison were each members of the Constitutional Convention, the Federalist Papers are often used today to help interpret the intentions of those drafting the Constitution.

The Federalist Papers were published primarily in two New York state newspapers: The New York Packet and The Independent Journal . They were reprinted in other newspapers in New York state and in several cities in other states. A bound edition, with revisions and corrections by Hamilton, was published in 1788 by printers J. and A. McLean. An edition published by printer Jacob Gideon in 1818, with revisions and corrections by Madison, was the first to identify each essay by its author's name. Because of its publishing history, the assignment of authorship, numbering, and exact wording may vary with different editions of The Federalist .

The electronic text of The Federalist used here was compiled for Project Gutenberg by scholars who drew on many available versions of the papers.

One printed edition of the text is The Federalist , edited by Jacob E. Cooke (Middletown, Conn., Wesleyan University Press, 1961). Cooke's introduction provides background information on the printing history of The Federalist; the information provided above comes in part from his work.

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The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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SSC CHSL Exam Analysis 2024: Tier 1 Shift-wise Paper Review, Difficulty Level, Good Attempts

Ssc chsl exam analysis 2024 is available here. going by the candidates' feedback, the overall difficulty level was easy to moderate and the good attempts range from 60 to 84. the staff selection commission (ssc) is conducting the ssc chsl 2024 exam from july 1 to 11 to fill 3712 vacancies. check the detailed day-wise and shift-wise ssc chsl paper review, difficulty level, number of good attempts, topics asked, and questions weightage..

SSC CHSL Exam Analysis 2024

The Staff Selection Commission has started conducting the SSC CHSL 2024 exam, which began on July 1 and will conclude on July 11. The exam aims to fill 3,712 vacant posts for LDC, JSA, and DEO. A large number of candidates are expected to compete for these positions, which require a class 12th qualification. 

In this article, we provided a detailed analysis of the SSC CHSL 2024 for all days and shifts. This analysis is designed to help candidates, whether they are preparing for the exam or have already taken it, by providing insights into the exam's overall difficulty, section-wise breakdown, and participant feedback.

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Ssc chsl exam analysis 2024: good attempts.

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SSC CHSL Exam Analysis 2 July 2024

Ssc chsl paper analysis 2024: good attempts.

SSC CHSL Paper Analysis 2024: Difficulty Level

SSC CHSL Exam Analysis 2024, 1st July: Good Attempts

As the shift 2 has concluded, here we have provided the section-wise good attempts in the table below. The overall good attempts for SSC CHSL 2024 exam range between 60 to 84.

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• What was the total number of good attempts in the SSC CHSL 2024 exam? + For the shift 1, the total number of good attempts range from 60 to 84.
• What was the overall difficulty level of the SSC CHSL 2024 exam? + The overall difficulty level of SSC CHSL exam conducted on July 1, 2024 was easy to moderate.
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Exploring the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance the writing of english academic papers by non-native english-speaking medical students - the educational application of ChatGPT

• Jiakun Li 1   na1 ,
• Hui Zong 1   na1 ,
• Erman Wu 1 , 4   na1 ,
• Rongrong Wu 1 ,
• Zhufeng Peng 1 ,
• Jing Zhao 1 ,
• Lu Yang 1 ,
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• Bairong Shen 1 , 3  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  736 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Academic paper writing holds significant importance in the education of medical students, and poses a clear challenge for those whose first language is not English. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of employing large language models, particularly ChatGPT, in improving the English academic writing skills of these students.

A cohort of 25 third-year medical students from China was recruited. The study consisted of two stages. Firstly, the students were asked to write a mini paper. Secondly, the students were asked to revise the mini paper using ChatGPT within two weeks. The evaluation of the mini papers focused on three key dimensions, including structure, logic, and language. The evaluation method incorporated both manual scoring and AI scoring utilizing the ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 models. Additionally, we employed a questionnaire to gather feedback on students’ experience in using ChatGPT.

After implementing ChatGPT for writing assistance, there was a notable increase in manual scoring by 4.23 points. Similarly, AI scoring based on the ChatGPT-3.5 model showed an increase of 4.82 points, while the ChatGPT-4 model showed an increase of 3.84 points. These results highlight the potential of large language models in supporting academic writing. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between manual scoring and ChatGPT-4 scoring, indicating the potential of ChatGPT-4 to assist teachers in the grading process. Feedback from the questionnaire indicated a generally positive response from students, with 92% acknowledging an improvement in the quality of their writing, 84% noting advancements in their language skills, and 76% recognizing the contribution of ChatGPT in supporting academic research.

The study highlighted the efficacy of large language models like ChatGPT in augmenting the English academic writing proficiency of non-native speakers in medical education. Furthermore, it illustrated the potential of these models to make a contribution to the educational evaluation process, particularly in environments where English is not the primary language.

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Introduction

Large language models (LLMs) are artificial intelligence (AI) tools that have remarkable ability to understand and generate text [ 1 , 2 ]. Trained with substantial amounts of textual data, LLMs have demonstrated their capability to perform diverse tasks, such as question answering, machine translation, and writing [ 3 , 4 ]. In 2022, Open AI released a LLM called ChatGPT [ 5 ]. Since its inception, ChatGPT has been widely applied in medicine domain, especially after testing, it can demonstrate the medical level that meets the requirements of passing the United States Medical Licensing Exam [ 6 ]. It can provide personalized learning experience according to the preference style of medical students [ 7 ]. Research has shown that the explanations provided by ChatGPT are more accurate and comprehensive than the explanations of basic principles provided in some standardized higher education exams [ 8 ]. Therefore, many researchers believe that ChatGPT may improve students’ problem-solving ability and reflective learning [ 9 ].

Writing English language based academic papers is very important for the development of medical students in universities. China is a non-native English-speaking country with a large population of medical students, so it is necessary to provide medical education and offer relevant courses, especially to cultivate their ability to write English academic papers [ 10 ]. This is essential for future engagement in scientific research and clinical work within the field of medicine. However, the ability of these non-native English-speaking medical students in writing English papers is relatively limited, and they need continuous training and improvement [ 11 ].

LLMs can be used to generate and modify text content and language styles, and can be applied to the quality improvement of scientific papers [ 12 , 13 ]. ChatGPT exhibits considerable potential in medical paper writing, assist in literature retrieval, data analysis, knowledge synthesis and other aspects [ 14 ]. Students received AI-assisted instruction exhibited improved proficiency in multiple aspects of writing, organization, coherence, grammar, and vocabulary [ 15 ]. Additionally, AI mediated instruction can positively impacts English learning achievement and self-regulated learning [ 16 ]. LLMs can also perform language translation [ 13 , 17 ]. Moreover, it can automatically evaluate and score the level of medical writing, and provide modification suggestions for improvement [ 18 ]. These studies indicate that incorporating large language models like ChatGPT into medical education holds promise for various advantages. However, their usage must be accompanied by careful and critical evaluation [ 19 ]. As far as we know, there is currently no research to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of ChatGPT in medical mini paper writing courses through real classroom teaching scenarios.

Therefore, in this study, we introduce the ChatGPT into real-world medical courses to investigate the effectiveness of employing LLMs in improving the academic writing proficiency for non-native English-speaking medical students. By collecting and analyzing data, we aim to provide evidence of the effectiveness of employing a LLM in improving the English academic writing skills of medical students, thereby facilitating better medical education and improve the scientific research ability and writing skills for students.

Participants

The research included 27 third-year medical students from the West China School of Medicine at Sichuan University. These students are all non-native English speakers. These students had concluded their fundamental medical coursework but had not yet embarked on specialized subjects. Exclusion criteria were applied to those who failed to fulfill the requisite homework assignments.

Initial Stage: The task involved composing an English academic paper in accordance with the stipulations of English thesis education. Considering the students’ junior academic standing, the composition of a discussion section in paper was not mandated. Each student was tasked with authoring a concise, “mini paper.”

Experimental Phase: Upon the completion of their individual “mini papers,” students had initially submitted these under the label “group without ChatGPT.” Subsequently, they engaged with ChatGPT-3.5 for a period of two weeks to refine their English academic manuscripts. After this period, the revised mini papers were resubmitted under the designation “group with ChatGPT.” Alongside this resubmission, students also provided a questionnaire regarding their experience with ChatGPT. The questionnaire was administered in Mandarin, which is the commonly used language in the research context. We conducted a thorough discussion within our teaching and research group to develop the questionnaire. Two students, who failed to meet the stipulated submission deadline, were excluded from the study.

All mini papers underwent evaluation and scoring based on a standardized scoring criterion. The assessment process encompassed three distinct approaches. Firstly, two teachers independently scored each mini paper using a blind review technique, and the final score was determined by averaging the two assessments. Secondly, scoring was performed using ChatGPT-3.5. Lastly, scoring was conducted using ChatGPT-4.

Evaluation Criteria: The scoring was composed of three dimensions: structure, logic, and language, with each dimension carrying a maximum of 20 points, culminating in a total of 60 points. The scores for each section were categorized into four tiers: 0–5 points (Fail), 6–10 points (Below Average), 11–15 points (Good), and 16–20 points (Excellent). The minimum unit for deduction was 0.5 points.

Structure emphasizes the organization and arrangement of the paper. It ensures that the content is placed in the appropriate sections according to the guidelines commonly found in academic journals. Logic refers to the coherence and progression of ideas within the paper. The logical flow should be evident, with each section building upon the previous ones to provide a cohesive argument. A strong logical framework ensures a systematic and well-supported study. Language refers to the correctness and proficiency of English writing. Proper language expression is essential for effectively conveying ideas and ensuring clear communication, and makes the paper becomes more readable and comprehensible to the intended audience.

Experience questionnaire for ChatGPT: The questionnaire comprised 31 questions, detailed in the attached appendix. (Attachment document)

Data analysis

The Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was utilized to assess the baseline scores of students before and after using ChatGPT. A paired t-test was utilized to analyze the impact of ChatGPT on the improvement of students’ assignment quality (manual grading). Univariate regression analysis was conducted to investigate the extent of improvement in assignment quality attributed to ChatGPT. Previous studies have shown discrepancies in language learning and language-related skills between males and females. In order to mitigate any potential biases, we implemented gender correction techniques, which encompassed statistical adjustments to accommodate these gender variations [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The questionnaire was distributed and collected using the Wenjuanxing platform (Changsha Ran Xing Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. [ https://www.wjx.cn ]).

Statistical analyses were performed using the R software package (version 4.2.0, The R Foundation, Boston, MA, USA), Graph Pad Prism 9 (GraphPad Software, CA, USA), and Empower (X&Y Solutions Inc., Boston, MA, USA) [ 23 ].

Manual scoring

Ultimately, the study included 25 participants, with two students being excluded due to late submission of their assignments. These participants were all third-year undergraduate students, including 14 males (56%) and 11 females (44%). The “group without ChatGPT” consisted of 25 participants who wrote mini papers with an average word count of 1410.56 ± 265.32, cited an average of 16.44 ± 8.31 references, and received a manual score of 46.45 ± 3.59. In contrast, the “group with ChatGPT” of 25 participants produced mini papers with an average word count of 1406.52 ± 349.59, cited 16.80 ± 8.10 references on average, and achieved a manual score of 50.68 ± 2.03. Further details are available in Table  1 .

In terms of manual scoring, medical students demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of their assignments in the dimensions of logic, structure, language, and overall score after using ChatGPT, as depicted in Fig.  1 .

Using ChatGPT improved the quality of students’ academic papers. A statistical analysis of the manual scoring showed that the quality of students’ academic papers improved after using ChatGPT for revision in terms of structure, logic, language, and overall score. The results showed statistical significance. *** p  < 0.001, **** p  < 0.0001

We also conducted a univariate analysis on the impact of ChatGPT on medical students’ academic papers writing across all scoring methods. The results indicated significant improvement in all manual scores and those evaluated by ChatGPT-3.5 for paper structure, logic, language, and total score (all p  < 0.05). Papers assessed by ChatGPT-4 also showed significant improvements in structure, logic, and total score (all p  < 0.05). Although the language scores of papers evaluated by ChatGPT-4 did not show a significant difference, a trend of improvement was observed (β 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.15, 2.19, p  = 0.1). After adjusting for gender, multivariate regression analysis yielded similar results, with significant improvements in all dimensions of scoring across all methods, except for the language scores evaluated by ChatGPT-4. The total manual scoring of students’ papers improved by 4.23 (95% CI 2.64, 5.82) after revisions with ChatGPT, ChatGPT-3.5 scores increased by 4.82 (95% CI 2.47, 7.17), and ChatGPT-4 scores by 3.84 (95% CI 0.83, 6.85). Further details are presented in Table  2 .

The potential of ChatGPT in scoring support

Additionally, we investigated whether ChatGPT could assist teachers in assignment assessment. The results showed significant differences between the scores given by the ChatGPT-3.5 and manual grading, both for groups with and without ChatGPT. Interestingly, the scores from ChatGPT-4 were not significantly different from human grading, which suggests that ChatGPT-4 may have the potential to assist teachers in reviewing and grading student assignments (Fig.  2 ).

Potential of ChatGPT assisting teachers in evaluating papers. The results showed that there was a significant statistical difference between the scoring results of the GPT3.5 and the manual scoring results, both for the unrevised mini papers (left) and the revised mini papers (right) using ChatGPT. However, there was no significant statistical difference between the scoring results of GPT4 and the manual scoring results, which mean that GPT4 might be able to replace teachers in scoring in the future. ns: no significance, *** p  < 0.001, **** p  < 0.0001

Experience questionnaire

Among the 25 valid questionnaires, social media emerged as the primary channel through which participants became aware of ChatGPT, accounting for 84% of responses. This was followed by recommendations from acquaintances and requirements from schools/offices, each selected by 48% of participants. News media accounted for 44%. (Attachment document)

Regarding the purpose of using ChatGPT (multiple responses allowed), 92% used it mainly to enhance homework quality and improve writing efficiency. 68% utilized ChatGPT for knowledge gathering. 56% employed ChatGPT primarily to improve their language skills. (Attachment document)

In the course of the study, the most widely used feature of ChatGPT in assisting with academic paper writing was English polishing, chosen by 100% of the students, indicating its widespread use for improving the language quality of their papers. Generating outlines and format editing were also popular choices, with 64% and 60% using these features, respectively. (Attachment document)

When asked what they would use ChatGPT for, 92% of participants considered it as a language learning tool for real-time translation and grammar correction. 84% viewed ChatGPT as a tool for assisting in paper writing, providing literature materials and writing suggestions. 76% saw ChatGPT as a valuable tool for academic research and literature review. 48% believed that ChatGPT could serve as a virtual tutor, providing personalized learning advice and guidance. (Attachment document)

Regarding attitudes towards the role of ChatGPT in medical education, 24% of participants had an optimistic view, actively embracing its role, while 52% had a generally positive attitude, and 24% held a neutral stance. This indicates that most participants viewed the role of ChatGPT in medical education positively, with only a minority being pessimistic. (Attachment document)

Among the participants, when asked about the limitations of ChatGPT in medical education, 96% acknowledged the challenge in verifying the authenticity of information; 72% noted a lack of human-like creative thinking; 52% pointed out the absence of clinical practice insights; and 40% identified language and cultural differences as potential issues. (Attachment document)

The results from the participants’ two-week unrestricted usage of the AI model ChatGPT to enhance their assignments indicated a noticeable improvement in the quality of student papers. This suggests that large language models could serve as assistive tools in medical education by potentially improving the English writing skills of medical students. Furthermore, the results of comparative analysis revealed that the ChatGPT-4 model’s evaluations showed no statistical difference from teacher’s manual grading. Therefore, AI might have prospective applications in certain aspects of teaching, such as grading assessments, providing significant assistance to manual efforts.

The results of questionnaire indicate ChatGPT can serve as an important educational tool, beneficial in a range of teaching contexts, including online classroom Q&A assistant, virtual tutor and facilitating language learning [ 24 ]. ChatGPT’s expansive knowledge base and advanced natural language processing capability enable it to effectively answer students’ inquiries and offer valuable literature resources and writing advice [ 25 ]. For language learning, it offers real-time translation and grammar correction, aiding learners in improving their language skills through evaluation and feedback [ 26 ]. ChatGPT can also deliver personalized educational guidance based on individual student needs, enhancing adaptive learning strategies [ 27 ]. Furthermore, in this study, the positive feedback of questionnaire for the usage of ChatGPT in English language polishing of academic papers, as well as for generating paper outlines and formatting, underscores its acceptance and recognition among students. The evaluation results of three dimensions reflects a keen focus on enhancing the structural and formatting quality of their papers, demonstrating the large AI language model’s impressive teaching efficacy in undergraduate education.

In the questionnaire assessing ChatGPT’s accuracy and quality, 48% of respondents indicated satisfaction with its performance. However, it’s important to consider that the quality and accuracy of responses from any AI model, including ChatGPT, can be influenced by various factors such as the source of data, model design, and training data quality. These results, while indicative, require deeper research and analysis to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT in this field. Furthermore, ongoing discussions about ethics and data security in AI applications highlight the need for continued vigilance and improvement [ 28 ]. Overall, while ChatGPT shows promise in medical education, it is clear that it has limitations that must be addressed to better serve the needs of this specialized field.

Manual grading can be a time-consuming task for teachers, particularly when dealing with a large number of assignments or exams. ChatGPT-4 may provide support to teachers in the grading process, which could free up their time, allowing them to focus on other aspects of teaching, such as providing personalized feedback or engaging with students. However, it may not replace the role of teachers in grading. Teachers possess valuable expertise and contextual knowledge that go beyond simple evaluation of assignments. They consider factors such as student effort, creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to convey ideas effectively. These aspects might be challenging for an AI model to fully capture and evaluate. Furthermore, the use of AI in grading raises important ethical considerations. It is crucial to ensure that the model’s grading criteria align with educational standards and are fair and unbiased.

Despite its potential benefits of using ChatGPT in medical education, it also has limitations, such as language barriers and cultural differences [ 29 , 30 ]. When inputted with different languages, ChatGPT may have difficulty in understanding and generating accurate responses. Medical terms and concepts vary across different languages, and even slight differences in translation can lead to misunderstandings. Medical education is also influenced by cultural factors. Different cultures have different communication styles, which can impact the way medical information is exchanged. Recognizing and respecting the diversity of cultural perspectives is crucial for providing patient-centered care, and it should be an important part in medical education, which ChatGPT does not excel at. The model may struggle with translating non-English languages, impacting its effectiveness in a global medical education context. Additionally, while ChatGPT can generate a vast amount of text, it lacks the creative thinking and contextual understanding inherent to human cognition, which can be crucial in medical education. Another concern is the authenticity and credibility of the information generated by ChatGPT [ 31 , 32 ]. In medical education, where accuracy and reliability of knowledge are paramount, the inability to guarantee the truthfulness of the information poses a significant challenge [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].

These limitations of ChatGPT in medical education may be addressed and potentially rectified with updates and advancements in AI models. For instance, in this study, the scoring results showed no statistical difference between the ChatGPT-4 model and manual grading, unlike the significant discrepancies observed with the ChatGPT-3.5 model. This suggests that ChatGPT-4 has improved capabilities to assist manual grading by teachers, demonstrating greater intelligence and human-like understanding compared to the ChatGPT-3.5 model. Similar findings have been noted in other research, highlighting the advancements from version 3.5 to 4. For example, there were clear evidences that version 4 achieved better test results than version 3.5 in professional knowledge exams in disciplines such as orthopedics [ 35 ], dermatology [ 36 ], and ophthalmology [ 37 ].

This study aimed to explore the use of ChatGPT in enhancing English writing skills among non-native English-speaking medical students. The results showed that the quality of students’ writing improved significantly after using ChatGPT, highlighting the potential of large language models in supporting academic writing by enhancing structure, logic, and language skills. Statistical analysis indicated that ChatGPT-4 has the potential to assist teachers in grading. As a pilot study in this field, it may pave the way for further research on the application of AI in medical education. This new approach of incorporating AI into English paper writing education for medical students represents an innovative research perspective. This study not only aligns with the evolving landscape of technology-enhanced learning but also addresses specific needs in medical education, particularly in the context of academic writing. In the future, AI models should be more rationally utilized to further enhance medical education and improve medical students’ research writing skills.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank Dr. Changzhong Chen, Chi Chen, and Xin-Lin Chen (EmpowerStats X&Y Solutions, Inc., Boston, MA) for providing statistical methodology consultation.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070671 and 32270690), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2023SCU12057). The authors gratefully thank Dr. Changzhong Chen, Chi Chen, and Xin-Lin Chen (EmpowerStats X&Y Solutions, Inc., Boston, MA) for providing statistical methodology consultation.

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Jiakun Li, Hui Zong and Erman Wu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Urology and Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China

Jiakun Li, Hui Zong, Erman Wu, Rongrong Wu, Zhufeng Peng, Jing Zhao, Lu Yang & Bairong Shen

West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China

Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China

Bairong Shen

Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, China

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J.L., H.Z. and E.W. contributed equally as first authors of this manuscript. J.L., H.X. and B.S. were responsible for the conception and design of this study. J.L., E.W., R.W., J.Z., L.Y. and Z.P. interpreted the data. J.L., E.W., H.Z. and L.Y. were responsible for the data acquisition. J.L., H.Z. and E.W. wrote the first draft, interpreted the data, and wrote the final version of the manuscript. J.Z. was committed to the language editing of the manuscript. All authors critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content and approved the final version of the manuscript. H.X. and B.S. contributed equally as the corresponding authors of this manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hong Xie or Bairong Shen .

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Li, J., Zong, H., Wu, E. et al. Exploring the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance the writing of english academic papers by non-native english-speaking medical students - the educational application of ChatGPT. BMC Med Educ 24 , 736 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05738-y

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Delving deep —

The telltale words that could identify generative ai text, new paper counts "excess words" that started appearing more often in the post-llm era..

Kyle Orland - Jul 1, 2024 11:30 am UTC

Further Reading

To measure these vocabulary changes, the researchers analyzed 14 million paper abstracts published on PubMed between 2010 and 2024, tracking the relative frequency of each word as it appeared across each year. They then compared the expected frequency of those words (based on the pre-2023 trendline) to the actual frequency of those words in abstracts from 2023 and 2024, when LLMs were in widespread use.

The results found a number of words that were extremely uncommon in these scientific abstracts before 2023 that suddenly surged in popularity after LLMs were introduced. The word "delves," for instance, shows up in 25 times as many 2024 papers as the pre-LLM trend would expect; words like "showcasing" and "underscores" increased in usage by nine times as well. Other previously common words became notably more common in post-LLM abstracts: the frequency of "potential" increased 4.1 percentage points; "findings" by 2.7 percentage points; and "crucial" by 2.6 percentage points, for instance.

These kinds of changes in word use could happen independently of LLM usage, of course—the natural evolution of language means words sometimes go in and out of style. However, the researchers found that, in the pre-LLM era, such massive and sudden year-over-year increases were only seen for words related to major world health events: "ebola" in 2015; "zika" in 2017; and words like "coronavirus," "lockdown" and "pandemic" in the 2020 to 2022 period.

In the post-LLM period, though, the researchers found hundreds of words with sudden, pronounced increases in scientific usage that had no common link to world events. In fact, while the excess words during the COVID pandemic were overwhelmingly nouns, the researchers found that the words with a post-LLM frequency bump were overwhelmingly "style words" like verbs, adjectives, and adverbs (a small sampling: "across, additionally, comprehensive, crucial, enhancing, exhibited, insights, notably, particularly, within").

This isn't a completely new finding—the increased prevalence of "delve" in scientific papers has been widely noted in the recent past , for instance. But previous studies generally relied on comparisons with "ground truth" human writing samples or lists of pre-defined LLM markers obtained from outside the study. Here, the pre-2023 set of abstracts acts as its own effective control group to show how vocabulary choice has changed overall in the post-LLM era.

An intricate interplay

By highlighting hundreds of so-called "marker words" that became significantly more common in the post-LLM era, the telltale signs of LLM use can sometimes be easy to pick out. Take this example abstract line called out by the researchers, with the marker words highlighted: "A comprehensive grasp of the intricate interplay between [...] and [...] is pivotal for effective therapeutic strategies."

After doing some statistical measures of marker word appearance across individual papers, the researchers estimate that at least 10 percent of the post-2022 papers in the PubMed corpus were written with at least some LLM assistance. The number could be even higher, the researchers say, because their set could be missing LLM-assisted abstracts that don't include any of the marker words they identified.

Those measured percentages can vary a lot across different subsets of papers, too. The researchers found that papers authored in countries like China, South Korea, and Taiwan showed LLM marker words 15 percent of the time, suggesting "LLMs might... help non-natives with editing English texts, which could justify their extensive use." On the other hand, the researchers offer that native English speakers "may [just] be better at noticing and actively removing unnatural style words from LLM outputs," thus hiding their LLM usage from this kind of analysis.

Detecting LLM use is important, the researchers note, because "LLMs are infamous for making up references, providing inaccurate summaries, and making false claims that sound authoritative and convincing." But as knowledge of LLMs' telltale marker words starts to spread, human editors may get better at taking those words out of generated text before it's shared with the world.

Who knows, maybe future large language models will do this kind of frequency analysis themselves, lowering the weight of marker words to better mask their outputs as human-like. Before long, we may need to call in some Blade Runners to pick out the generative AI text hiding in our midst.

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Title: searching for best practices in retrieval-augmented generation.

Abstract: Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques have proven to be effective in integrating up-to-date information, mitigating hallucinations, and enhancing response quality, particularly in specialized domains. While many RAG approaches have been proposed to enhance large language models through query-dependent retrievals, these approaches still suffer from their complex implementation and prolonged response times. Typically, a RAG workflow involves multiple processing steps, each of which can be executed in various ways. Here, we investigate existing RAG approaches and their potential combinations to identify optimal RAG practices. Through extensive experiments, we suggest several strategies for deploying RAG that balance both performance and efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate that multimodal retrieval techniques can significantly enhance question-answering capabilities about visual inputs and accelerate the generation of multimodal content using a "retrieval as generation" strategy.

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