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How to write a thesis statement (with examples)

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What exactly is a thesis statement?

What if I told you that one sentence in your essay or thesis could be the difference between a First and a Fail?

It may sound absurd – perhaps even unfair – but it’s true. I refer, of course, to the thesis statement. A thesis statement is your entire essay if it were condensed into a single sentence. If your essay title is a question, then your thesis statement is the one-sentence answer.

It tends to arrive near the end of the first paragraph of a thesis.

Let’s take a look at an example from a Master of Education degree thesis:

Thesis title What constitutes ‘good writing’ for GCSE students of English?

Thesis statement The examination rubric by which GCSE English writing performance is assessed, influenced by a long history of variable ‘tastes’, may now be said to describe ‘good writing’ as that which is grammatically accurate, sophisticated, and suited to purpose, genre and audience.

(The thesis statement would be located in paragraph 1, after a brief overview of the subject).

Why is a thesis statement important?

As I mentioned, the way your thesis statement is written can be the difference between a First and a Fail. But how?

To answer that, let’s think about what ‘thesis’ means. From the Greek thésis, meaning ‘proposition’, your thesis is your main argument.

It is the position you have to support and defend for the remainder of your essay. Without something clear to defend, the fortress you build will crumble and the army you deploy will run about like headless chickens.

In essence: without a clear thesis statement, you don’t have an essay.

“Establishing a clear thesis at the start of your essay is crucial for both you and your examiner. For your examiner, it’s evidence that you have answered the question. For you, it can function as an essay plan.”

For both of you, it’s a litmus test for the quality of the argument: if you can’t fit your essay’s arguments into a sentence, they are too diffuse; and if you can’t stick to your thesis statement’s focus throughout your essay, you are not focused.

A precisely focused and well-grounded essay is more worthy of a First Class grade than one with a scattergun approach.

What should a thesis statement include?

What your thesis statement includes is determined by three things:

1. The subject and topic of the essay. 2. The purpose of the essay. 3. The length of the essay.

Let’s examine each of those in more detail to see how they can help us refine our thesis statement.

The subject and topic of the essay

Look at this real-life title from an undergraduate Sports Science essay:

What are the key differences between training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and maximising muscular hypertrophy?

The first task is, of course, to determine the subject of the essay.

In this example, that would be ‘training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and training recommendations for maximising muscular hypertrophy’.

Knowing that means that I know I will need to deploy my knowledge about those two similar but distinct areas. It also means that I should be using the specialist terminology relevant to the field, such as load, isotonic and volume.

Next, I need to determine the topic.

Here it would be ‘the key differences’ between training recommendations for those two goals. That phrase ‘key differences’ is likely to be at the heart of my thesis statement, to show that I’m on track.

With that in mind, my thesis statement might look like this:

Whilst both training outcomes require resistance training centred upon isotonic contractions, it is likely that the absolute load requirements may need to be higher for strength purposes, whilst the total training volume may need to be higher for hypertrophy purposes.

It is by no means a complete essay, but it states clearly what the ‘short answer’ to the question is, whilst paving the way for the ‘long answer’ to follow.

But what if the essay isn’t just looking for the facts organised into a specific order? What if the essay is asking for analysis? Or an argument?

The purpose of the essay

Different essay purposes require different thesis statements. Fortunately, there are only three main essay purposes, and they’re pretty easy to recognise:

1. The expository essay: This is an essay type that asks for the key facts on a subject to be laid out, with explanations. The Sports Science question above is an example of this. It asks for the WHAT and HOW of something.

2. The analytical essay: This essay type asks you not only to lay out the facts, but also to analyse and deconstruct them to better understand them. It is typical in subjects such as English Literature and Fine Art. It asks for the WHY of something.

3. The argumentative essay: This type of essay asks you to use the facts available, to analyse them for value, and then to provide a point of view about the subject. It moves more quickly through the WHAT, HOW and WHY of a topic through to: WHY DOES IT MATTER?

All of the above essay types need a thesis statement that includes a proposition (a statement which answers the question or addresses the title).

Beyond that, these three essay types all require different additions.

For the expository essay , you need to add an overview of the details of the conclusion. Let’s look at an example:

Expository essay title: What are the key differences between training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and maximising muscular hypertrophy? (BSc in Sports Science)

Expository thesis statement: Whilst both training outcomes require resistance training centred upon isotonic contractions, it is likely that the absolute load requirements may need to be higher for strength purposes, whilst the total training volume may need to be higher for hypertrophy purposes. (The basic conclusion is that both approaches need isotonic resistance training; the details are teased out in bold.)

For the analytical essay , you need to add an overview of the analysis performed. Here’s an example:

Analytical essay title: Why did England and Wales vote to leave the European Union? (BA in Politics)

Analytical thesis statement: A close consideration of the voter demographics, the populist nature of political messages leading up to the referendum, and the history of Britain’s status in the EU, will demonstrate that Brexit was primarily motivated by the machinations of the Right.

(The basic conclusion is that Brexit was influenced by politicians; the analytical approach is in bold.)

For the argumentative essay , you need to add an overview of your reasoning. Another example:

Argumentative essay title: To what extent do you consider the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays to be in question? (BA in English Literature)

Argumentative thesis statement: Shakespeare’s authorship of his plays is beyond question, given both the entirely unconvincing nature of any counter-theories and the relatively unstable conception of the playwright’s identity as it stands. (The basic conclusion is that Shakespeare did write his plays; the reasoning is in bold.)

As you can see from these examples, the purpose of the essay gives a very clear demand for something beyond a simple answer.

But, there’s more!

The length of the essay

The prescribed length of the essay also defines what you need to do with your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is a microcosm : a miniature, compressed version of your whole essay.

So, it makes sense that the length of the actual essay is going to impact upon the content of the thesis statement.

If, for example, your essay is expected to be 800 words long and on the subject of Eve in the Bible, then it would be overly ambitious for your thesis statement to say: ‘through comprehensive study of the Bible and extant criticism’. For an 800 essay, more precision will be necessary. It would be better for your thesis statement to say: ‘with due awareness of the complexity of the issue, focusing on feminist readings of Genesis .’

“Matching the scope given in your thesis statement to the depth you provide in your essay is a very effective way to ensure precision.”

Contrastingly, if your essay is expected to be 80,000 words long (a PhD thesis, for example), on the subject of stop-motion animation, it would be rather unambitious to suggest that the essay will ‘provide a visual analysis of Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers’, only. For a PhD, we would expect more content to be covered, and multiple approaches to analysis to be considered.

Indeed, matching the scope given in your thesis statement to the depth you provide in your essay is a very effective way to ensure precision.

So, to summarise, how do I write a thesis statement?

It’s a simple, three-part process:

1. Identify the question in the title (or make a question from the statement). 2. Answer that question in as few words as possible. 3. Complete the sentence by providing an overview of the foundation behind your answer.

Easy, right? It can be!

That said, there are plenty of traps that essayists can fall into with this part of the essay. Let’s look at some of these pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Pitalls to Avoid

Pitfall #1: amateurish style.

This is common throughout academic essays written by beginners. It’s not just the thesis statement that falls foul of sounding amateurish. There are plenty of ways this happens, which are beyond the scope of this argument, but the following example is a prime example: In this essay, I will explore the various pieces of evidence before concluding.

This is amateurish for a few reasons. Firstly, it doesn’t actually say anything. You could otherwise word it, ‘I will write an essay which answers the question’ – a rather wasted sentence. The next, and more forgivable issue is the use of the first-person. We want to get a sense that an individual wrote this essay, but we never want to hear them mentioned! Make sense? No? Sorry.

This should instead read more like:

This essay considers evidence from X in light of Y which ultimately reveals Z at the heart of the issue.

(It focuses on the specifics, X, Y, and Z, and is devoid of any mention of its author.)

Pitfall #2: empty phrasing

This is similar to amateurish style. However, empty phrasing is not just amateur-sounding; it’s manipulative-sounding.

Using phrases such as “in order to” instead of, simply, “to” – or “due to the fact that” instead of just “as” – look like attempts to fill up the word count with waffle rather than content. The same goes for phrases that can be substituted for one word: ‘it is evident that’ can (and should) become ‘evidently’.

Watch this thesis statement from a GCSE essay on Music go from hideous to tolerable:

Beethoven was unable to hear his work, due to the fact that he was deaf, so it is evident that he musically conceptualised the notes in order to compose. (Wordy!)

Beethoven was unable to hear his work, as he was deaf, so it is evident that he musically conceptualised the notes to compose. (Slightly less wordy.)

Beethoven’s deafness made him unable to hear his work, so evidently he musically conceptualised the notes to compose. (About as concise as such a complex sentence will get…)

Do not mistake wordiness for sophistication. Your ideas should be sophisticated; your writing should be clear.

Pitfall #3: non-standard grammar

For an examiner, the English language is not just a vehicle for your ideas. It should be, but the academic process always involves the assessment of your expression.

So, to satisfy our examiners’ prescriptive tastes, we need to adhere to the basic tenets of Standard English.

Take a look at the following thesis statement example from an A Level Sociology essay: Considering the status of BAME in Internet culture, the demonstrably racist treatment at the hands of the police, and the energy behind the BLM protests, concluding that there is hope for the future.

This sentence has no finite main verb, so it is technically not a sentence. To become a grammatical sentence, we would need to make ‘concluding’ finite: ‘it can be concluded’, or ‘we conclude’.

The writer got lost in this example because the sentence was so long!

Long sentences can also lead to a failure to make subject and verb agree, like in the next thesis statement example from a school Geography essay:

The most populous municipalities of Spain, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Zaragoza, does not rank in the top ten most dense populations of the country, with the exception of Barcelona.

Because the subject ‘municipalities’ is separated from the verb ‘does’ by eight words, it is easy to forget that they do not agree. It should, of course, be ‘do, not ‘does’.

Final words

The thesis statement, as I said at the start, can be the difference between a First and a Fail. So, take your time with it.

Write it carefully.

Then redraft and refine it several times, until it’s as good as you can make it.

The payoff is a slick, coherent thesis statement that paves the way to a great essay that really impresses your examiner.

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Table of Contents

Collaboration, information literacy, writing process.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Megan McIntyre - University of Arkansas

The main idea. The argument of an essay. The thesis. It’s a tricky thing to define “thesis” because theses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. A thesis can be a sentence, two sentences, perhaps even an entire paragraph. Every thesis, though, regardless of where in an essay it appears, does a few important things:

• A thesis acts as a unifying idea for every piece of evidence in an essay.
• A thesis results from research in addition to the writer’s own beliefs or opinions.
• A thesis answers a specific question.

There are lots of ways to create a successful thesis because good theses come in all sorts of varieties. What all successful argumentative theses have in common, though, are the following characteristics:

• A good thesis statement is arguable. In other words, the writer’s claim might be challenged or opposed.
• A good thesis statement expresses one main idea, and that idea controls what is said, what is left out, and how the delivered evidence is organized.
• A good thesis statement is specific and insightful.
• A good thesis statement encourages discussion.
• A good thesis statement is supported by relevant evidence. Every paragraph should contribute to proving the thesis to be valid

Developing a Thesis

• Define the Rhetorical Situation: The key to developing an appropriate thesis is to begin by examining the rhetorical situation: What is the purpose of your essay (e.g., to inform, to persuade, to analyze)? To whom are you writing (e.g., classmates, members of a particular interest or age group)?
• Choose a Topic: Based on the purpose of and audience for your essay, what is an appropriate topic? Moreover, what is an appropriate topic that also interests you personally?
• Start with What You Know: What do you know about your topic? What have you heard on the news about your topic? Do you have personal experiences related to your topic? If so, what are they?
• Research What You Don’t Know: Start by searching the library databases (e.g., with Academic Search Premier or WorldCat). It’s best to begin by searching with your general topic and then refining your initial results. Gather a variety of sources and start reading. Some general reading on your topic will help you with the next step.
• Take a Position: Before you take a position, be sure you have done ample reading and you are aware of the various positions regarding your topic. Most issues have more nuances than basic understandings suggest. It is not enough to be “for” or “against” an issue. You must be able to support your position with evidence and logical reasoning, and research can help you in this regard.

Refining Your Thesis

After choosing a position, in forming reasoning for your decision, you must be clear and specific. You must be able to substantiate your claim using authoritative, credible, and relevant source material. Theses tend, in draft form, to begin as general and to become more specific as you do more research. Let’s look at how we might turn a weak thesis into a strong thesis.

Weak thesis:

On April 20, 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform caused the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history.

This thesis has a serious problem for two reasons: it doesn’t actually make an argument. It simply states an unproven fact: that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history. In order to be successful, a thesis must be arguable and supported by evidence. If we consider that a thesis must be a statement that reasonable people may disagree with and a position substantiated with credible evidence, this thesis is problematic because no one will disagree with the date the oil spill occurred and because the claim that the oil spill was the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history is unsubstantiated.

A still weak thesis:

Many people are to blame for the oil spill that resulted from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which caused the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history.

This thesis is better than the first because it does more than state a fact, but it is still problematic: it is not specific enough, and the claim that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the “largest man-made” disaster is still unsubstantiated. This thesis might, instead, attempt to answer the following questions: “Who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?” and “Why might it be considered the largest man-made environmental disaster in the U.S. history?” A successful thesis must be arguable and must answer a specific question.

A better thesis:

BP, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, Republicans in Congress, Democrats in Congress, and every citizen in the United States share the blame for the oil spill that resulted from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which some consider the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history, and in order to prevent another such disaster, Congress must develop better regulations, oil companies must enact better maintenance procedures, and Americans must decrease their dependence on oil.

This thesis is certainly more specific, but it’s trying to do too much. Proving that all parties mentioned are to blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and that the solutions mentioned will prevent another oil disaster requires covering a lot of ground. A good thesis is arguable and specific, but also has one main idea. This thesis has too many main ideas.

An even better thesis:

Oil companies and the federal government share responsibility for the Gulf oil spill that resulted from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.

This thesis works better than the previous versions because it’s arguable, specific, and focused on one main idea, but not so specific as to greatly limit discussion of the topic. From an essay based on such a thesis, readers will expect evidence that supports the claim that oil companies and the federal government hold joint responsibility for the Gulf oil spill.

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

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•   2022 Exam: Introduction & Walkthrough of the June 2022 Paper! (20:13)
•   2022 Exam: Grade 9 Response for Question 1 (Camping Exam) (0:57)
•   2022 Exam: Grade 9 Response for Question 2 (Camping Exam) (5:13)
•   2022 Exam: Grade 9 Response for Question 3 (Camping Exam) (5:39)
•   2022 Exam: Grade 9 Response for Question 4 (Camping Exam) (10:45)
•   2022 Exam: Grade 9 Response for Question 5 (Camping Exam) (15:51)
•   AQA English Language Paper 2: Live Exam Paper Walkthrough For The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (32:28)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Written Model Answer for Question 1 Of The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (3:29)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Written Model Answer for Question 2 Of The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (14:41)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Written Model Answer for Question 3 Of The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (13:12)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Written Model Answer for Question 4 Of The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (34:09)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Written Model Answer for Question 5 Of The 2019 Fogle and Hudson Paper! (32:29)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Exam Paper Walkthrough For The 2017 Paper (Other Side Of The Dale / Ragged School) (28:17)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 1 Of The 2017 Paper (Other Side of the Dale / Ragged School)! (3:21)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 2 Of The 2017 Paper (Other Side of the Dale / Ragged School)! (16:00)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 3 Of The 2017 Paper (Other Side of the Dale / Ragged School)! (18:34)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 4 Of The 2017 Paper (Other Side of the Dale / Ragged School)! (31:23)
•   Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 5 Of The 2017 Paper (Other Side of the Dale / Ragged School)! (42:41)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Walkthrough of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (21:32)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 1 of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (2:40)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 2 of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (13:33)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 3 of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (9:41)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 4 of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (20:27)
•   English Language Paper 2: Live Model Answer for Question 5 of the Specimen 2 Exam (Day and Dickens) (23:32)
•   English Language Paper 2 - 2019 (Orwell & Bartlett): How To Answer Question 1! (20:02)
•   English Language Paper 2 - 2019 (Orwell & Bartlett): How To Answer Question 2! (8:39)
•   English Language Paper 2 - 2019 (Orwell & Bartlett): How To Answer Question 3! (9:53)
•   English Language Paper 2 - 2019 (Orwell & Bartlett): How To Answer Question 4! (15:06)
•   English Language Paper 2 - 2019 (Orwell & Bartlett): How To Answer Question 5! (20:06)
•   English language paper 2: GCSE Exam questions practice... Part 1! (58:36)
•   English language paper 2: GCSE Exam questions practice... Part 2! (33:30)
•   English language paper 2: GCSE Exam questions practice... Part 3! (52:57)
•   Reviewing English language Paper 1 and Paper 2! (2:41)
•   June 2017 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Children" Paper (Question 1-5)! (133:36)
•   November 2017 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Cycling" Paper! (155:28)
•   November 2017 Exam: Live Model Answer For Question 5! (64:41)
•   June 2018 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Surfing" Paper (Question 1-5)! (144:21)
•   November 2019 & June 2020 Exams: Live Model Answers For Q1-5 Of Both Exams! (206:20)
•   June 2020 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Mountains" Paper (Question 1-4)! (94:16)
•   June 2020 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Mountains" Paper (Question 5)! (64:55)
•   June 2021 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Sweets" Paper (Question 1-4)! (102:40)
•   June 2021 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Sweets" Paper (Question 5)! (71:43)
•   Specimen Paper 2: Question 5 - Letter On "Festivals" (56:44)
•   Paper 2: How To Answer A Paper On "Schools" (Questions 1-5) (169:11)
•   Paper 2: How To Answer A Paper On "Warehouses & Workhouses" (Questions 1-5) (207:05)
•   Paper 2: How To Answer A Paper On "Travel To Blackpool / Verona" (Questions 1-5) (154:39)
•   Paper 2: How To Answer A Paper On "America" (Questions 1-5) (113:03)
•   Paper 2: How To Answer A Paper On "War" (Questions 1-5) (214:21)
•   Question 5: "Article" Practice GCSE Question On "Children Should Be Forced To Cycle Or Walk" (49:59)
•   Question 5: "Article" Practice Question On "Technology Being Banned" (94:41)
•   Question 5: "Article" Practice Question On "Travelling" (100:56)
•   Question 5: Two "Article" Model Answers On School Qualifications & Social Media (161:43)
•   Reviewing ALL Question 5 Statements And How To Answer Them! (107:01)
•   June 2019 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Boats" Paper (Question 1-5)! (243:10)
•   November 2018 Exam: Live Model Answer For The "Letter" Question (Question 5 Practice) (76:28)
•   Introducing Macbeth (18:49)
•   Macbeth: The Entire Play Summarised in FIVE MINUTES! (4:36)
•   Macbeth context explained in depth (7:05)
•   Tragedy Genre explained! (2:53)
•   Act 1: Detailed Reading and Analysis (61:16)
•   Act 2: Detailed Reading and Analysis (49:37)
•   Act 3: Detailed Reading and Analysis (51:30)
•   Act 4: Detailed Reading and Analysis (51:28)
•   Act 5: Detailed Reading and Analysis (50:01)
•   Top FIVE Macbeth Quotes explained! (14:46)
•   Top FIVE Lady Macbeth Quotes explained! (13:55)
•   Top FIVE Witches Quotes explained! (10:59)
•   Top FIVE King Duncan Quotes explained! (11:51)
•   Top FIVE Macduff Quotes explained! (10:21)
•   Top FIVE Banquo Quotes explained! (10:09)
•   Macbeth character and key quotes: word level analysis! (10:19)
•   Lady Macbeth character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:07)
•   Witches character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:54)
•   King Duncan character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:40)
•   Macduff character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:23)
•   Banquo character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:10)
•   Macbeth: Theme of Ambition explained! (10:41)
•   Macbeth: Theme of Supernatural explained! (9:55)
•   Macbeth: Reality and Appearances explained! (7:45)
•   Macbeth: Theme of Loyalty and Guilt explained! (10:15)
•   Macbeth: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (67:09)
•   Macbeth Exam Paper Practice (61:38)
•   Macbeth Exam Question Practice: A Level 8 Answer! (30:41)
•   2017 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Shakespeare Presents Ambition (69:55)
•   2018 Exam: How Shakespeare Presents Macbeth and Banquo's Attitudes to the Supernatural (71:15)
•   2019 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Shakespeare Presents Macbeth As A Violent Character (74:10)
•   2020 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Shakespeare Presents Lady Macbeth As A Character That Changes (81:11)
•   2021 Exam: Live Model Answer On The Relationship Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (168:48)
•   Practice Question: How To Answer A Question On The Witches! (155:19)
•   Practice Question: How Ambition Is Presented In Macbeth (82:22)
•   Practice Question: How Lady Macbeth Is Presented As A Character (103:58)
•   Practice Question: How Kingship Is Presented In Macbeth (157:34)
•   19th Century Novel | Introducing Jekyll and Hyde (12:35)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: The Entire Novel Summarised in FIVE MINUTES! (5:02)
•   Context: Connecting Dr Jekyll's Dual Nature with 'Iceberg Theory' Psychology! (12:55)
•   Sigmund Freud's 'Tip of the Iceberg' Theory Explained! (14:54)
•   Context: 'Physiognomy' in Victorian society explained! (6:02)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 1 (19:46)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 2 (24:45)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 3 (10:25)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 4 (16:15)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 5 (15:16)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 6 (15:59)
•   Jekyll and Hyde chapter 7 (6:20)
•   Jekyll and Hyde chapter 8 (34:18)
•   Jekyll and Hyde chapter 9 (48:42)
•   Jekyll and Hyde chapter 10 (54:55)
•   Dr Jekyll character and key quotes: word level analysis! (7:03)
•   Mr Hyde character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:17)
•   Utterson character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:37)
•   Dr Lanyon character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:15)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Theme of Science explained! (11:33)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Theme of Dual Nature of Man explained! (10:09)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Theme of Secrecy! (9:16)
•   Jekyll and Hyde: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (24:13)
•   Jekyll and Hyde exam questions (65:19)
•   GCSE Sample Exam Paper: How Stevenson Uses Setting To Create A Disturbing And Threatening Atmosphere (175:48)
•   2018 GCSE Exam: How Stevenson Creates Mystery And Tension (158:51)
•   2019 GCSE Exam: How Stevenson Presents Mr Hyde As An Inhuman And Disturbing Member Of Society (155:59)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Overview (40:13)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Prologue (3:23)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 1 (53:35)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 2 - Chorus (3:59)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 2 (40:16)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 3 (52:54)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 4 (30:55)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Act 5 (27:51)
•   Romeo character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:32)
•   Juliet character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:01)
•   The Nurse character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:41)
•   Mercutio character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:31)
•   Tybalt character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:01)
•   Benvolio character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:07)
•   Lord Capulet character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:56)
•   Friar Lawrence character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:23)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Theme of Conflict explained! (14:56)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Theme of Love explained! (11:59)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Theme of Family explained! (12:26)
•   Romeo and Juliet: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (22:32)
•   'Romeo and Juliet' Exam questions explained (14:50)
•   'Romeo and Juliet' Model Essays explained (29:04)
•   2020 Exam: Live Model Answer On The Effects Of Conflict (179:19)
•   2021 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Juliet Shows Strong Emotions (168:48)
•   Sample Exam Paper: How Shakespeare Presents Relationships Between Adults And Young People (70:12)
•   'A Christmas Carol' Overview (11:46)
•   A Christmas Carol: The Entire Novel Summarised in FIVE MINUTES! (4:57)
•   'A Christmas Carol' Stave 1 (42:33)
•   A Christmas Carol Stave 2 (35:54)
•   A Christmas Carol Stave 3 (47:17)
•   A Christmas Carol Stave 4 (32:01)
•   A Christmas Carol Stave 5 (13:32)
•   Scrooge character and key quotes: word level analysis! (7:03)
•   Bob Cratchit character and key quotes: word level analysis! (2:59)
•   Jacob Marley character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:13)
•   Ghost of Christmas Past character and key quotes: word level analysis (5:14)
•   Ghost of Christmas Present character and key quotes: word level analysis (5:56)
•   Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come character and key quotes: word level analysis (5:03)
•   A Christmas Carol: Theme of Christmas explained! (13:26)
•   A Christmas Carol: Theme of Redemption explained! (12:15)
•   A Christmas Carol: Theme of Injustice explained! (14:27)
•   A Christmas Carol: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (16:24)
•   A Christmas Carol past papers examples (15:54)
•   A Christmas Carol Model Answer Explained (30:36)
•   2018 Exam: How Dickens Presents Scrooge's Fears (158:51)
•   2019 Exam: How Dickens Uses The Ghosts To Change Scrooge's Attitudes and Behaviour (71:40)
•   2020 Exam: How Dickens Presents The Suffering Of The Poor (83:56)
•   Introducing The Merchant of Venice! (0:57)
•   Antonio character and key quotes: word level analysis! (11:34)
•   Shylock character and key quotes: word level analysis! (13:52)
•   Portia character and key quotes: word level analysis! (10:06)
•   Nerissa character and key quotes: word level analysis! (8:29)
•   Gratiano character and key quotes: word level analysis! (7:36)
•   Bassanio character and key quotes: word level analysis! (10:16)
•   Jessica character and key quotes: word level analysis! (9:59)
•   Lorenzo character and key quotes: word level analysis! (7:53)
•   The Merchant of Venice: plot, character and summary mindmap! (13:45)
•   The Sign of the Four - plot explained! (19:32)
•   The Sign of the Four - context explained! (11:33)
•   Context: Connecting Sherlock Holmes' Dual Nature with Iceberg Theory Psychology (9:02)
•   'Physiognomy' in Victorian society explained! (6:02)
•   The Sign of the Four - characters explained! (17:26)
•   The Sign of the Four - themes explained! (16:24)
•   The Sign of the Four - language explained! (8:31)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction" (18:44)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 2: "The Statement of the Case" (13:07)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 3: "In Quest of a Solution" (11:54)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 4: "The Story of the Bald-Headed Man" (21:04)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 5: "The Tragedy of Pondicherry Lodge" (15:39)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 6: "Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration" (18:46)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 7: "The Episode of the Barrel" (23:55)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 8: "The Baker Street Irregulars" (19:13)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 9: "A Break in the Chain" (19:39)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 10: "The End of the Islander" (19:09)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 11: "The Great Agra Treasure" (12:33)
•   The Sign of the Four, Chapter 12: "The Strange Story of Jonathan Small" (52:59)
•   Sherlock Holmes character and key quotes: word level analysis! (10:31)
•   Dr Watson character and key quotes: word level analysis! (7:41)
•   Miss Mary Morstan character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:59)
•   Jonathan Small character and key quotes: word level analysis! (8:16)
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•   SIGN OF THE FOUR: 2017 AQA PAST PAPER MODEL ANSWER! (32:06)
•   SIGN OF THE FOUR: 2018 AQA PAST PAPER MODEL ANSWER! (31:22)
•   Jane Eyre: plot, character and summary mindmap! (11:18)
•   Jane Eyre character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:40)
•   Mr Rochester character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:17)
•   Mrs Reed character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:23)
•   Helen Burns character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:46)
•   Bertha Mason character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:05)
•   St John Rivers character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:28)
•   Victor Frankenstein character and key quotes: word level analysis! (12:15)
•   The Creature character and key quotes: word level analysis! (10:58)
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•   Elizabeth character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:17)
•   Justine character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:12)
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•   Frankenstein: Theme of Prejudice explained! (13:12)
•   Frankenstein: Theme of Justice explained! (14:21)
•   Frankenstein: plot, character and summary mindmap! (12:57)
•   Introducing An Inspector Calls! (19:39)
•   An Inspector Calls Act 1 (52:47)
•   An Inspector Calls Act 2 (48:20)
•   An Inspector Calls Act 3 (48:09)
•   Inspector Goole character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:24)
•   Mr Birling character and key quotes: word level analysis! (2:56)
•   Mrs Birling character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:47)
•   Sheila Birling character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:52)
•   Eric Birling character and key quotes: word level analysis! (3:51)
•   Gerald Croft character and key quotes: word level analysis! (2:52)
•   An Inspector Calls: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (21:19)
•   An Inspector Calls Exam Questions practice (66:19)
•   GCSE Model Answer On How Priestley Uses Inspector Goole To Suggest Ways Society Can Be Improved (192:13)
•   2017 Exam: How To Answer BOTH Exam Questions On Mrs Birling And The Inspector! (172:18)
•   2018 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Eric Changes His Attitudes Towards Himself And Others (95:18)
•   2020 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Mr Birling Cares Only For Himself (65:19)
•   2021 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Gerald Croft Shows No Social Responsibility (119:27)
•   2021 Exam: Live Model Answer On How Priestley Presents Society As Unfair (73:46)
•   Introducing Unseen Poems: What will be tested and how to answer questions (4:16)
•   The difference between "Language," "Form" and "Structure" explained! (4:31)
•   Different types of "form" in poetry! (7:07)
•   Five poetic techniques you will find in ALL poems! (5:27)
•   Unseen Poems: Exam Questions Practice (68:56)
•   2015 Specimen Paper: Unseen Poetry GCSE Exam Model Answer (142:00)
•   2018 Unseen Poetry GCSE Exam Model Answer (105:40)
•   2019 Unseen Poetry GCSE Exam Model Answer (93:51)
•   2020 Unseen Poetry GCSE Exam Model Answer (96:19)
•   2021 Unseen Poetry GCSE Exam Model Answer (103:58)
•   Practice Question: How To Answer Two Unseen Poems On "Childhood" (91:37)
•   Practice Question: How To Answer Two Unseen Poems On "Loss" (103:49)
•   Poetry Anthology - How to analyse and write about Poems (4:35)
•   Introducing Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology (41:45)
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•   When We Two Parted: Live Poetry Annotations! (22:55)
•   Love’s Philosophy: Poem and Analysis (6:01)
•   Love's Philosophy: Live Poetry Annotations! (18:38)
•   Porphyria’s Lover: Poem and Analysis (11:45)
•   Porphyria's Lover: Live Poetry Annotations! (39:56)
•   Sonnet 29: Poem and Analysis (5:45)
•   Sonnet 29: Live Poetry Annotations! (17:44)
•   Neutral Tones: Poem and Analysis (7:35)
•   Neutral Tones: Live Poetry Annotations! (19:35)
•   Letters From Yorkshire: Poem and Analysis (8:13)
•   Letters From Yorkshire: Live Poetry Annotations! (22:19)
•   The Farmer’s Bride: Poem and Analysis (12:58)
•   The Farmer's Bride: Live Poetry Annotations! (34:56)
•   Walking Away: Poem and Analysis (9:45)
•   Walking Away: Live Poetry Annotations! (21:20)
•   Eden Rock: Poem and Analysis (11:40)
•   Eden Rock: Live Poetry Annotations! (19:13)
•   Follower: Poem and Analysis (8:39)
•   Follower: Live Poetry Annotations! (18:22)
•   Mother, Any Distance: Poem and Analysis (7:42)
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•   Before You Were Mine: Poem and Analysis (13:27)
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•   Winter Swans: Poem and Analysis (9:02)
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•   Singh Song: Poem and Analysis (13:34)
•   Singh Song: Live Poetry Annotations! (24:42)
•   Climbing My Grandfather: Poem and Analysis (10:22)
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•   Animal Farm Overview (25:55)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 1 (15:39)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 2 (17:54)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 3 (16:09)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 4 (13:48)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 5 (20:53)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 6 (18:13)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 7 (22:58)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 8 (27:04)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 9 (24:16)
•   Animal Farm Chapter 10 (24:04)
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•   Boxer character and key quotes: word level analysis! (6:59)
•   Clover character and key quotes: word level analysis! (4:24)
•   Old Major character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:05)
•   Mr Jones character and key quotes: word level analysis! (5:24)
•   Animal Farm: Theme of Class explained (9:50)
•   Animal Farm: Theme of Power explained (10:33)
•   Animal Farm: Theme of Equality explained (11:46)
•   Animal Farm: Last Minute Mindmap Revision! (18:14)
•   Animal Farm past papers examples (10:58)
•   Animal Farm model answers (21:08)
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•   My Last Duchess: Live Poetry Annotations! (35:03)
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•   The Charge of the Light Brigade: Live Poetry Annotations! (24:31)
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•   Exposure: Live Poetry Annotations! (33:20)
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•   Storm on the Island: Live Poetry Annotations! (22:49)
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•   Remains: Live Poetry Annotations! (30:15)
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•   Poppies: Live Poetry Annotations! (26:37)
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•   War Photographer: Live Poetry Annotations! (19:35)
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An Inspector Calls Essays

One of the best things you can do to revise for any english exam is to read examples of essays. below you'll find a range of essays which you can read at your leisure., though there are always benefits in reading essays, becoming use to "active reading" is also important. to do this, use one of these strategies to help:, print the essay off and highlight key phrases or pieces of analysis that you like, keep some notes on the ways the essays use key vocabulary, cherry-picking the best phrases for use yourself, note down the structures of the essays but making a note of the focus of each paragraph, remember that there are hundreds of ways to write a successful essay, as the examples below will highlight. but they all manage to link the big ideas of the play with the language and structure; they all write about priestley's intentions and the audience's responses; they all recognise that this play is written to make a political point, not just to entertain the audience., a) how does priestley explore responsibility in an inspector calls , in the play, priestly wanted the audience to take responsibility for each other, to see that society was "one body." he wanted the audience in 1945 to recognise that although there had been positive changes since 1912, he didn't want them to regress and, in fact, wanted them to demand even more social reform., firstly , priestley uses the inspector to demonstrate to his audience that morality is a much more admirable quality in a person than mr birling's selfish manner. in act 3 mr birling offers "thousands" to help eva, though the inspector tells him that he is “offering money at the wrong time.” this shows that the inspector has the moral high ground and, although from a lower class, is holding all the power over the birling's treasured reputation. to the audience it would be obvious that birling should have given the money earlier, that it was inevitable that eva would end up costing him. it is also revealing that birling wouldn't give eva smith a small pay rise as it would have meant he couldn't "lower prices" but when it came to saving his status he was prepared to “give thousands.” by this stage, mr birling seems quite flustered and somewhat embarrassed as although in the outside world his authority is growing in his own home he can't control a man of “that class.” from a psychoanalytic perspective you could argue that this reflects birlings upbringing and the values that he was taught to respect as a younger man when he worked had and was kept poor in a way that taught him the value of hard work. in this way, mr birling feels that all the people who have money deserve it while the people who don't have money clearly don't deserve it. also, it is from his background that birling being taught to prioritise materialistic things could be the root of his difficult relationship with eric; he comes across as very cold and unforgiving which possibly reflected onto his son. this could easily be a subconscious cause of eric's addiction (looking for escape and comfort in the absence of his father's approval) and be linked to why eva viewed him to be more juvenile than gerald. the need for superficial things in his life like power and wealth is portrayed in the play as quite harmful and only something which will hold a person back, the inspector seems to be free from all these hindering social constructs and is definitely a much more favourable character because of this., in spite of their strong differences in beliefs, both mr birling and the inspector are very self-assured characters who are equally set in their ways . this is not mirrored in the younger characters like eric or sheila. priestly emphasizes a message directed towards the younger generations that they are the hope for change. throughout the play birling refuses to accept the need for reform or responsibility , he represents the stereotypical man of his age and class that priestley uses to contradict sheila's growing outward-looking empathy. when she promises the inspector that she will “never never do it again to anybody” she is acknowledging her privileges and shows that she understands how people must take responsibility for each other. i would say that her materialistic upbringing and the damage that has done makes her incredibly naive and impacts hugely on her opinion of others' worth. when talking about eva smith in act 1 one of the first things she asked was “is she pretty” from this line alone it is clear to the audience where her priorities lie and what kinds of values were instilled in her from a young age probably by her shallow mother. priestly highlights that it's the duty of the young to bring about reform and for this to happen they firstly need to realise the older generations won't do it for them. he also stresses that it's not ok for people like the birlings to take credit for their achievements but never accept responsibility for the consequences of their profit., priestley uses the contrast between age groups and class to explore universal divides caused by pride, reputation and lack of accountability, things that mr and mrs birling value highly but sheila is willing to let go of by accepting her mistakes and returning gerald's engagement ring (also rejecting her father's business interest in gerald.).

Examiners commentary:

The simple, clear first paragraph is fine.

The second paragraph, however, contains some interesting points that could be related to the question but which aren't. As a result, a lot of what's good in this paragraph is lost. This could have been easily fixed if the student had remembered to continually link their points back to the question.

The third paragraph is an improvement in that it does mention responsibility more often and has some interesting observations about the generation gap.

The third paragraph feels unfinished and unclear - it sounds like it's saying that Mr and Mrs Birling value accountability highly, or that the view a "lack of accountability" highly, neither of which are true.

AO1: Lots of AO1, though it isn't connected to the question often enough

AO2: Not enough AO2 at all - hardly any specific language analysis

AO3: Nothing of note outside of the first paragraph

Grade: This is a difficult essay to grade. There are lots of interesting points, especially about how our upbringings affect our outlook, but they're not always linked to the question which means they won't score as well as they should. Also, a complete lack of AO2 causes real problems. This is probably a G5 though with a few minor changes it could easily be pushed up two grades.

B) How does Priestley explore responsibility in An Inspector Calls ?

Priestley presents a strong message about responsibility throughout the play. he wants us all to take more responsibility for each other., firstly, he uses the character of mr birling to convey the ignorance of those who refuse to take responsibility. we can see this when mr birling says, “community and all that nonsense”. the use of the noun “nonsense” shows the audience that mr birling is mocking socialists and those who believe society should be a community. you can almost hear his sarcastic tone as if ‘community’ is an absurd idea. the word “all” also highlights his belief that anything to do with community, such as helping others and being responsible for one another, is ridiculous. this links to when he says, “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.” the repetition of the pronoun “his” emphasises that he only takes care of his possessions and doesn’t think twice about others. also, it exposes to the audience his sense of higher class entitlement linked to his lack of responsibility for things that are not directly his fault. the audience of 1945 would have been shocked because by this time, after the labour movement and war, people were becoming more open-minded about mixing social classes and community responsibility. this links to priestley’s message because he was a socialist and believed people should have equal rights., in contrast to mr birling, priestley uses the character of sheila to present those who are willing to take responsibility. we see this in the line, “i’ll never, never do it again to anyone”. the repetition of “never, never” reveals that sheila feels guilty and deeply regrets her actions. it also tells the audience that she is open-minded about changing how she behaves, regardless of her social class. the use of the noun “anyone” reveals that she doesn’t care if the person is upper class or lower class. she doesn’t want to put anyone in that position again and has taken full responsibility. if this play had been shown in 1912, the audience may have been more likely to agree with the birling’s ideas and would have thought sheila may be acting foolishly. however, the audience of 1945 would have been more sympathetic towards sheila because at this time, society was shifting towards the creation of the nhs, the introduction of education for all and the building of social housing. this reflected how society was coming together more and caring more for the poor instead of brushing them aside., similarly, the character of inspector goole is the main voice of responsibility in the play and is the voice of priestley himself as he is trying to show the birling family that being upper class doesn’t make them any less responsible for the community than the next person. this sense of responsibility is also reflected in the stage directions when the light goes from “pink and intimate” and “brighter and harder”, when the inspector enters. immediately, this tells us that the i nspector has a presence on the stage and that he has come to say something important. perhaps it is about bri nging light to the things that the upper classes like to hide in the shadows, or the harsh lighting works almost like he is interrogating the family. the spotlight is now on them and what they have done., additionally, priestley conveys a message of responsibility through the inspector when he says, “we are members of one body.” the noun “members” highlights that we are all joined together and if one member falls, then it brings everything down. furthermore, it links to the idea that community is like a family who should take care of each other no matter what. it could also have religious connotations because in the last supper jesus said, “this is my body that will be given up for you, take this in memory of me.” here, jesus said that people should eat the bread because it would bring everyone together and he always believed that people should be equal. in 1912, people were very divided and the poor would rarely move up to the higher classes. priestley was aiming to ensure that the shifts in society happening in 1945 were strengthened and that everyone felt that responsibility for others was important..

Really clear structure, with a clear target for each paragraph

Doesn't make a wide range of points but has a quote to backup each point and explores the quote in depth

Each section ends with something about the context

Though each point is presented with a quote attached, this could have been improved with some other references from the play even if those quotes or references weren't analysed in depth

AO1: Not much AO1 really, no real refernces to key moments of plot

AO2: Lots of great AO2 - quotes analysed in depth

AO3: Good AO3, all key points linked to context

Grade: A really neat, clear and well organised essay. A lack of AO1 is a problem, as is the fact that although each paragraph was linked to an idea connected to responsibility the link isn't always made clear. However, there's loads of AO2 and AO3 so it would be a comfortable G7. With a couple of sentences added to each paragraph which referenced a few key moments of plot it would go up to a G8.

C) How does Priestley explore responsibility in An Inspector Calls ?

Priestley explores ideas about responsibility through the way the birlings behave towards eva smith. arthur birling explains the family’s capitalist philosophy when he says ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own’ which suggests that he feels that he only has responsibility for his own family and himself . this is reinforced by the way the birlings treat eva smith. first of all, arthur fires her from his factory to make an example of her because she asks for higher wages and dares to take responsibility for others by speaking up on their behalf. it is revealed that arthur’s prime motive is to keep wages down so that he could make more profits. priestley reinforces this through arthur’s constant repetition of ‘hard headed man of business’, to remind the audience that he is representative of capitalism and the damage it causes. the word ‘business’ is later used by birling to refer to the death of eva smith as he states how her death is ‘horrid business’ which emphasises the message that birling only sees people’s lives in terms of profit. priestley is showing the audience that a blind belief that generating profits and prosperity for the good of everyone is fundamentally wrong as it causes innocent people to suffer tragic consequences., although all the birlings are responsible for eva’s mistreatment and death in some way, they react differently when they find this out from the inspector. mr and mrs birling do not change and are only concerned about their reputation - the possible ‘scandal’ or arthur’s ‘knighthood’. however, priestley’s intention is give the audience a message of hope as sheila and eric do recognise that they have behaved badly by the end of the play and therefore he is suggesting that it is the younger generation that have the responsibility for adopting more socialist principles. through the younger birlings’ attitudes, priestley suggests that socialism is the modern way and that it is young people who will change society for the better., this change of views in the younger generation is also shown through the play’s structure as eric dramatically exits the stage at a crucial point suggesting he is struggling to contain his guilt over his mistreatment of eva smith. likewise, sheila is struggling with her guilt and tries to show that she has changed by directing others to realise their own responsibility in eva smith’s suicide. for example, sheila warns her mother not to ‘build up a wall’ this metaphor describes the separation of the social classes as mrs birling believes she is superior to the lower classes. the irony is that the opposite is true as priestley reveals how mrs birling’s behaviour is morally wrong – she punished a pregnant girl by refusing her charity when she needed it the most just because the girl used her name and in doing so angered mrs birling., through using the form of a morality play, priestley is able to identify what each family member’s sins and how it was these sins that they demonstrated and caused their mistreatment of eva smith. for instance, eric’s lust for eva smith meant that he forced himself upon eva and then his sloth – his inability to earn his own money meant he stole money from his father instead of facing up to his responsibility and earning money himself. by the end of the play, priestley shows that eric fully accepts his responsibility and describes how he cannot even remember his assault of eva as being a ‘hellish thing’. the use of this metaphor implies he is being tortured by his own guilt and knows he has been committed to hell due to his sins., priestley constructs the inspector’s role as that of a priest as he extracts all the confessions from the birlings and attempts to force them to accept their responsibilities through asking questions which challenge their capitalist way of life and challenges their edwardian values of social class and hierarchy. in addition, the inspector’s language has religious tones to it as he warns the birlings and gerald croft that if they do not stop exploiting the poor, they will learn their lesson with ‘fire, blood and anguish’. there is an inference that they will be punished in hell for not caring about the way those less fortunate are treated. through the inspector’s voice, the audience hear the socialist message that the birlings are being taught and we left knowing that this is a warning to us all – we need to accept responsibility and take better care of others around us., how does sheila change during an inspector calls, - summary paragraph, - stage directions, - confrontation with the inspector – she takes responsibility, - standing up to her parents, - the young are more impressionable, - ending – grown up, throughout inspector calls, sheila is the character who changes the most. at the beginning of the play she is a young, naïve girl who is happy to be told what to think and do; by the end she is the only character who really takes responsibility for the death of eva and is happy to tell her parents that she thinks they are wrong., the stage directions describe her as being “very pleased with life” a phrase which reflects her luxurious upbringing. she’s also described as being “excited” an adjective that suggests she is looking forward to her life. in both these respects she could be viewed as being ignorant to the reality of what her luxury costs others, or how difficult the times ahead will be., sheila refers to her parents as “mummy” and “daddy,” nouns that are associated with young children and not young adults; she is also told off by her mother for squabbling with her brother, a fact that reinforces our vision of her as being infantilised by her parents. sheila is then given a ring by her fiancé gerald. “is it the one you wanted me to have” she asks him, a phrase that suggests she wasn’t really interested in what she wanted but only what gerald wanted her to have. throughout the opening she is presented as a child, with no real desires or wishes of her own. in many respects, she is the traditional rich young woman – without a real mind of her own by virtue of her gender., when the inspector arrives, he explains how her spoilt behaviour in a shop led to eva being sacked. “then i’m really responsible,” she accepts, quickly recognising her role in the girl’s downfall. also, she observes that the inspector is getting ready to speak to gerald next and pushes this through, asking direct questions to gerald and working out the reasons why he wasn’t where he said he was the summer before. in both these cases, she is showing independent thought – by accepting responsibility even when others don’t and by pushing gerald against his wishes., during their time with the inspector, her parents and gerald repeatedly try to send sheila out of the room to protect her from his news – her mother argues that she is “looking tired,” something that we would only really say to a very small child. sheila repeatedly refuses, arguing that she will stay until “i know why that girl killed herself.” here, she clearly shows herself standing up to her parents, sticking to her desire to discover the truth of the situation., at one point arthur argues that the inspector is making “quite an impression” on sheila, suggesting that she’s coming around to the inspector’s way of thinking. “we often do on the young ones,” the inspector replies, suggesting that his socialist values are more affective on younger people. this reflects a view of priestley’s which was that socialism and left wing values are more impactful on younger people, a fact that’s often reflected in even modern opinion polls where right wing conservatives tend to be older. this is also shown in how, by the end of the play, mr and mrs birling remain unchanged by the arrival of the inspector, while their children change – even gerald admits that the events “affected him,” before he reverts back to his old ways., even after the inspector leaves, sheila continues to push his ideas trying to make sure that her family don’t forget him. she claims they are beginning to “pretend” that nothing has happened, clearly accepting that things won’t be the same again. her use of the verb is interesting as well, as games of “pretend” are really childish things. it seems that the girl who was once infantilised is now accusing her parents of playing make-believe. she also argues that her parents “don’t seem to have learnt anything,” behaving almost like a school mistress arguing that a lesson has been missed. she also says, in response to a speech from eric in which he accepts responsibility, that he makes her feel a little less “ashamed” of them, a word which really shows just how powerfully sheila sees her parents’ remorseless behaviour., her frustration is clear throughout the ending, where she says her parents’ behaviour “scares” her. this clearly references the inspectors closing words about “fire and blood and anguish” which referenced the years of war that would follow the period between the play being written and being performed. the audience at this point would doubtless be agreeing with sheila regarding her fear. her parents continue to ignore her desire to grow up, infantilising her again by suggesting that she’s just “tired” and “hysterical,” though they can’t ignore her final words when she refuses gerald’s ring again which clearly shows that she has grown up enough to express herself completely, how does priestley present mrs birling as an unlikeable character (high level response), priestley presents mrs birling as an unlikable character as she doesn’t change throughout the play. in acts 1 and 2 she doesn’t say much about the tragic death of eva at all, showing her lack of remorse., on the other hand, characters like sheila do realise the horror of the suicide. in act 2, gerald says “sorry, i’ve just realised a girl has died”. this is ironic [sic] as he had found out in act 1, but it had only sunken in in act 2. the word “sorry” shows he feels embarrassed about his emotional side, as many men of the time (1912) did., sheila also changes throughout, creating a stark contrast to her mother. in act 1 she refers to her mother as “mummy” like when she says “mummy, isn’t it a beauty” this shows she was dependant on her and worried about material things. she later says, “but these girls aren’t cheap labour, they’re people” to mr birling, showing his daughter isn’t afraid to voice her opinion but her mother is. in act 2, sheila says, “we really must stop these silly pretences”. the inclusive pronoun “we” not only presents sheila as the family member doing the right thing and trying to influence others, as her mother should, but also involves the audience, trying to give them a message. the noun “pretences” is significant as it was mrs birling who pretended not to remember eva smith., when she was shown the photo it was evident that mrs birling didn’t change throughout as at the end of the play in act 3 gerald suggests that “he’s been had”, and the birlings are keen to accept it, whilst sheila and gerald remain guilt-stricken. the audience of the time, in 1945, would have just experienced the war and realised everyone must start taking care of one another. they may have not been so quick to change, as, at the time, only rich, most-likely capitalist, people would have gone to the theatre to see the play, whereas a modern audience is more diverse and open., priestley also presents mrs birling as an unlikable character as she is dismissive towards many different groups. for example, she says “a girl of that class” when her part in the suicide is revealed. the noun “girls” shows mrs birling’s views that working class girls are undeserving of names. this derogatory comment would have infuriated an audience of 1945 as the working class were extremely beneficial during the war, though the class divide was massive in 1912. she is even misogynist, like mr birling, who says “clothes mean something different to women”. she says “sheila and i had better go to the drawing room”, which shows her views on women’s place in society, due to gender roles. she also says men have to spend a lot of time working away, but sheila challenges it and says she won’t get used to it. it is obvious priestley has used the younger generations as a symbol for more open-minded people as eric also challenges mr birling on war. mr birling says the titanic is “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”. the repetition and qualifiers enhance the dramatic irony as he was wrong about both of these things. it is almost as though priestley is mocking people like mr birling., mrs birling also has capitalist views which don’t change throughout the play. she believes in a social hierarchy as seen in the stage directions before the play begin, where the characters are placed around a rectangular table which gives power to those at the top and bottom, and when she says, “be quiet and let your father think of what we should do next”. the imperative verb “be” shows how she is even being rude towards her own children., this contrast with shelia’s feminism, which was popular due to the suffragette movement in 1912, significant after 1945 as many women helped the war effort and important to a modern audience who have achieved so much. mrs birling uses her powers for bad as she “influenced” the committee to refuse eva help., priestley uses the play as an allegory for his socialist views. by inducing a sense of hatred towards mrs birling he allows the audience to see the flaws in a capitalist mind-set. priestley, having served in the war himself, developed strong socialist views. this is reflected in the inspector, who is a mouthpiece for priestley as he uses the metaphor, “we are all part of one body” to imply everyone should look after one another. priestley had a popular radio programme which was cancelled for being too “left wing” by the bbc. as time progresses, the audience becomes more socialist and the play is more effective., priestley presents mrs birling as having double standard. this can be seen in the quotation, “i’m sorry eric… didn’t know”, after finding out it was her son she was talking about when she said he should take full responsibility for eva’s pregnancy., despite stage directions calling for pink, intimate lighting at the beginning, mrs birling never seems to be intimate with her children. when the inspector asks if eric drinks, she says “of course not, he’s only a boy”, which shows she is either lying or not close with her family. however, sheila says he’s been “steadily drinking for two years”, showing she is either trying to get him into trouble or is keen to get him help. either way, she is closer with him than his own mother. the siblings also exchange comments when she calls him “squiffy”. the colloquialism has mrs birling unaware of the changes and reluctant to change her mind-set. this also foreshadows the importance of alcohol in the play as it was the cause of eric’s behaviour., how does priestley present the views of the inspector in an inspector calls (high level response), inspector goole is presented as an omnipotent, powerful figure throughout the whole play; his presence immediately has the power to change the light and cheerful atmosphere of the birlings' dinner party. the lighting changes from "pink and intimate" to "brighter and harder" once the inspector arrives. here, priestley's use of the adjectives "pink and intimate" suggests a warm and happy atmosphere whereas the adjective "harder" opposes this. priestley uses the inspector as a dramatic device. not only could it be argued that the inspector is an immensely powerful figure but also that priestley uses the stage directions that inspector goole's arrival to act as a symbol for how he wants society to improve. the lighting before the inspector arrives suggests that the birling family – who are a stereotypical portrayal of a middle class family – were happy whilst they were ignorant to the working class. the lighting change tells us how priestley wants society to change; he wants society to stop being ignorant to the working class., furthermore, j. b. priestley uses the inspector to convey that he wants society to change and become more empathetic towards the working class instead of perceiving them as being disposable. when the inspector arrives, he tells the birling family about eva smith’s suicide in which she drank a lot of strong disinfectant that “burnt her inside out”. priestley’s language persuades the audience to feel immense sympathy not only for eva smith but also for all of the working class; it could be argued that eva smith’s suffering and suicide is used as a metaphor to highlight the continuous struggled faced by the working class, throwing into relief the issues within society and how these problems are ignored by the wealthier classes. priestley’s gory imagery alternately makes the audience feel guilty because they may realise how ignorant they have been to ignore the struggles of the working class and persuade them to change by being more empathetic., priestley suggests that a pressing issue with the twentieth century society is that people are reluctant to take responsibility for their actions. this view is encapsulated through the use of the elder members of the birling family, arthur birling and his wife mrs birling – who do not take responsibility for their actions towards eva smith. however, priestley uses the inspector to try to change this. the inspector states that if we share nothing else, “we have to share our guilt”. here priestley uses the personal pronoun “we” to give society a sense of unity, implying everyone must do the same and follow the inspector’s teachings. ‘an inspector calls’ was set in 1912, a time in which society was divided by not only gender but by social class. priestley wants the middle and upper classes to transform from abusing their power to dominate and exploit the working class to instead being more responsible for their actions and treating people more sympathetically ., priestley uses the inspector to convey the consequences of what will happen if members of society do not change. he states that we will be “taught” in “fire and blood and anguish”. priestley’s use of a triplet of nouns act as metaphors for the two world wars. the entire play is used as a motif for the wars; if society proceeds to not improve the way in which members of society treat each other, the world wars will repeat in an endless cycle until we learn. here, the inspector is presented as an omnipotent being. ‘an inspector calls’ was written and first performed at the end of the second world war therefore the contemporary audience will have experienced the perpetual suffering that comes with them. priestley uses the inspector to make the audience fearful as they are persuaded to think that the inspector is a god-like character imposing judgement on society. this will persuade all audiences to change their actions and embrace socialist ideologies of caring for other members of society which is what priestley intended them to do., priestley wants the middle and upper classes to stop being selfish and exploiting the poor for their own financial gain, but instead be more generous and empathetic towards other members of the working class. the inspector is almost an impartial figure in the play because he does not fit into the distinct levels of society. this gives the audience the impression that the inspector is an unbiased figure; they will be persuaded to listen to him and change their views., compare priestley’s presentation of eva smith and shelia birling., in the play ‘an inspector calls’ we see a family called the birlings that consist of many different characters, personalities and beliefs. we only begin to see these different aspects when the family begin to learn how each one of them was involved in causing the chain of events which led a girl, eva smith to commit suicide. there are two characters in particular who are very different in the way that they live their lives and their own outlook on life. these two characters are eva smith and shelia birling., shelia is the daughter of sybil and arthur birling. they are a well-known family in brumley and are in the public eye constantly because of the position her father holds within the town as he is on the bench and the owner of the big birling and company and is due to marry gerald croft whose parents are very well-known also., eva smith is almost the opposite of the social scale to shelia. she has no friends or family to rely on and is quite an independent woman. she struggles to get by and is unable to cope with the strains that she is forced to be under at her age., at the beginning of the play we see shelia at the table with her family and how she is influenced by her family’s thoughts. she was quite childish and used petty excuses for her actions ‘i told him that if they didn’t get rid of that girl, i’d never go near the place again’. this shows that shelia had the same approach about how to treat others of the lower class as her father, which is not a good quality that shelia and arthur birling share., when we first hear of eva smith in the play we learn about the time that she experienced while working at birling and company. she was outspoken, resilient and gutsy as she led a group of workers on strike in an attempt to get higher wages ‘she’d had a lot to say-far too much- so she had to go’., there we see the huge difference in the lives that each of them live, but it is the way that shelia changes as the play goes on and learns more about eva smith’s life., once shelia knows more about the family’s effect on eva’s life she becomes more defiant, and mature. she begins to stand up to her parents who still look down on eva. she realises that there is no need to treat a person the way that the birling family did, no matter whether it was the same girl or not ‘everything we said had happened really hadn’t happened. if it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. but it might have done.’ she has a more compassionate approach to eva and her life as she learns about the suffering that this girl the same age as herself had to go through., priestly shows the importance of caring for others within your community by showing that if the birling’s had looked after eva smith and treated her with any respect then maybe it would have prevented her suicide, because she would have been in a lot happier state of mind. this also takes place near to every one of us. if you treat one person unacceptably then you never know what effect that may have on them and others around them, if you do your bit to treat every person with decency that you meet then you will have no regrets with what you have done., priestly also shows through shelia that she was the next generation, with the new ideas of how people of another class should be treated and how the other birling’s are still living in the old, traditional frame of mind, which is harsh and uncaring to others. whereas shelia would be a middle aged woman when priestly wrote the book, he wanted to show the difference of views between the younger and older generations of 1912., shelia birling and eva smith are very different characters, but it is the effect that they can have on each other’s lives which highlights priestley’s views about community., to what extent could you argue that mr birling is the most important character in an inspector calls , as the ‘head of the household’ mr birling is, arguably, the central character to an inspector calls. throughout the beginning of the play he displays the kind of arrogance that priestley expected to see from a selfish capitalist; throughout the exchange, he is completely unapologetic about the death of eva; and after the inspector leaves, he tries his hardest to get out of trouble. also, if you argued that an inspector calls is really a morality play, then you could see mr birling as representing the deadly sins of greed and pride, both things that priestly attacked capitalists for., at the beginning of the play, mr birling is described as “heavy looking” which immediately reminds us of a large, well fed, rich man, enjoying the luxuries of life. his “easy manners” but “provincial speech” remind us that although he is now rich (as symbolised by his knowledge of manners) he is from working class roots (provincial means from the country, or of a lower class.) mr birling is one of those men who had made money during the industrial revolution and, priestley argues, was then exploiting the working classes for his own profit., during the opening exchanges over dinner, birling shows off to gerald croft – his daughter’s new fiancé – by mentioning some rather expensive port he bought, and then gives a long and stuffy speech about how lucky his children are to be born into a time of such good fortune. throughout the speech priestley uses a lot of dramatic irony as he mentions birling’s belief that there would be no labour issues (despite the fact that the russian revolution was just five years away;) there would be no war in germany (despite two being on the horizon,) and – in a moment of comedy – that the titanic was “unsinkable.” throughout this speech, audience members are reminded of how little we know about the future, and how important it is that we prepare for the unexpected. birling is shown to be arrogant, small minded, and selfish; all features that a socialist like priestley would expect to see in a capitalist like birling., priestly times the inspector’s arrival so that he cuts birling off during one of his selfish rants: “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself,” he is saying as the doorbell rings. his initial response to the inspector is immediately defensive: he delivers a short speech detailing the members of the local police force that he knows, and the fact that he used to be mayor. the inspector seems uninterested though. throughout their exchange birling makes it clear that he feels no responsibility saying a number of times that he had nothing to do with this “wretched” girl’s death. the use of this adjective is interesting as “wretched” can mean poor or downtrodden, but it can also mean disliked and disgusting; birling, we have to assume, feels both are true. at one point he argues, perfectly summarising priestley’s feelings about the attitude of people like birling: “i can't accept any responsibility. if we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward.”, during the remainder of the play, mr birling continues to reveal himself as being selfish and without regret. he is continually worried about the threat to his dreamt of knighthood and, when the chance arises, is even happy to direct all the blame at his young son, eric. he also tries to bribe the inspector, offering him “thousands” now it has all gone wrong, despite the fact that he wouldn’t pay her even a few shillings more at the time. throughout act 3, it is mr birling who leads the campaign to recognise the inspector as being a fraud and he is the most relieved when it turns out that there is no dead girl. however, unlike sheila, he isn’t relieved that no-one had died but is simply pleased to have saved his own hide., however, as the main character in the play mr birling receives both the opening and closing lines. in the end, it is him who is stuck, holding the phone and revealing that there is and “inspector on the way,” and in many ways it is him that the audience will be most pleased to see get his just deserts., what is the role of the inspector in an inspector calls , an inspector calls is a parable that was set during the belle époque (meaning the beautiful period) which lasted from 1870-1914. in the play, a family have their dinner party interrupted by an inspector who comes to visit. though this is a morality play in the traditional sense, its moral compass is very much set by the author’s belief in socialism ., the inspector arrives at a critical point. mr birling, the patriarch of his family, is delivering a lecture to his son and future son-in-law, about how “men must look after themselves…” in this way he is exposing his deep selfishness – one that priestly believed was at the heart of all capitalists. at this point there is a “sharp ring on the doorbell,” the adverb perhaps foreshadowing how the inspectors arrival will cut through the birlings’ veneer of respectability ., almost as soon as he arrives, mr birling reminds him of his own social standing – that he used to be mayor and has played golf with the chief inspector. the fact that mr birling is threatening the inspector is barely concealed , though the inspector brushes it aside. as a morality play, all the characters in an inspector calls represent something else - an ideal or social group or class. here, the birlings represent the wealthy and privileged elite while the inspector represents the newly educated middle classes, who would rise up and form a bridge between the elite and the working classes below them. the inspector, as becomes clear, is here to ensure that the birlings do not get away with how they treated eva smith., the inspector is described as giving an “impression of massiveness.” this is interesting as it makes it clear that he isn’t massive but should give that “impression.” as a direction this is a bit of a nightmare for a casting agent . he shouldn’t be big, but should have a gravitas that makes him seem huge. fortunately, however, priestley has written a part that gives every opportunity for moral superiority for an actor., also, from the moment he arrives the stage directions call for the lighting to change from “pink and intimate” – perhaps reflecting the rose - tinted spectacles through which the birlings view the world – and to something more “harsh.” perhaps this change is designed to highlight how the inspector’s arrival puts the birlings behaviour in the spotlight or exposes the lies they kept hidden in the shadows ., the first to fall to his inspection is mr birling, who sacked eva after she arranged for a strike amongst his workers while they demanded more pay. though birling admitted that she was a good worker, he clearly saw his profits threatened by her behaviour and made an example of her. mr birling’s children, however, do not share his selfishness and, as his son points out, “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages we try for bigger profits.” in many ways this quote exposes the selfish, unreasonable nature of capitalists : that they see their own right to desire more profits as god given , while those who resist are “troublemakers” and “cranks.”, after mr birling, the inspector turns to sheila, who had eva sacked from her job in a local department store. it is clear from the story – which sheila tells – that she was jealous of eva’s good looks. it is also clear, however, that sheila deeply regrets her actions. not long after this, mrs birling comments that sheila’s feelings have been changed and claims that the inspector has made an “impression” on her. this is a telling word – an “impression” is something that is the result of pressure, as though she’s been bullied into seeing things differently; but it is also something that often disappears over time. mrs birling’s feelings are clear: that the inspector’s ideas have affected sheila, but only fleetingly . the inspector replies dryly , acknowledging that he will often have an effect on the young. in many ways this reflects the old adage that young people are more socialist by nature, gradually turning to the more self-centred right as they grow. this is certainly the point that is being made by priestley, as the inspector affects the younger generation far more than their elders., after sheila, he turns to gerald who, again, reveals his own role in the death of eva. by this stage she is known as daisy renton – a name that perhaps reflects the fact her position: daisies are simple flowers that call to mind the innocence of daisy chains; while the appearance of “rent” in her name reminds us of what she did to her body in order to survive., the play continues to get darker as the inspector turns to mrs birling. under pressure she tells the inspector, and the audience, about how she turned away a young pregnant woman and that if the inspector was doing his job properly he should be chasing down the father. at this point, the audience know that she is talking about eric and are tensely waiting for the big reveal. in many respects it is also at this point that the audience is forced to reflect on the nature of this play: up until this moment, the action seems relatively realistic and, although the focus has been on only one character at any time, the focus has shifted around the room without any seeming construction . this time, however, the structure is too neat to be believed; it’s too well constructed to maintain the illusion of realism , and we know that we are watching a parable in which the inspector has an almost divine control over the action., after exposing the family’s “crimes” the inspector finally delivers his closing speech, which has all the hallmarks of a sermon that is delivered to the audience as much as it is to the family. in it, he reminds us of all the eva smiths and john smiths there are in the world, and that we are “one body.” here, the inspector is addressing both the audience in 1945 and the audience in 1912. the telling difference was the two world wars, during which the working classes proved themselves to be every bit as strong and resilient as their “social superiors.” the sense of national bonding that took place during the wars led to significant social changes in the uk, not least the creation of the nhs and the welfare state, and it was characters like the inspector (and priestley) who made sure this happened., his final warning, however, that “if we do not learn this lesson we will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish,” has a slightly different meaning in the two time periods. for the family in 1912 it was prophetic ; but for an audience in 1945 it would have been suggesting that the wars were almost a punishment for their behaviour, and a way of suggesting that if they didn’t embrace socialism now then the wars, and all the horrors that came with them, would return again., at the end of the play, the birlings receive a phone call which tells them that a real police inspector is on the way, to talk about a girl who has recently died. this final moment raises questions about the role of the inspector goole we’ve just watched, and it is at this point that his name seems important: is he a goole, or a ghoul, or something else from some other world is he some angelic messenger send to bring divine judgement that question is never answered, though the audience – or the young ones at least – should have no doubts that his understanding of the world is from a “higher” place., another essay on the role of the inspector in an inspector calls ., this essay's structure is as follows:, a summary paragraph, how the inspector is introduced, mr birling and the inspector – good for ao2, a “panic” paragraph – without quotes – that picks up on some key moments from the rest of the play – good for ao1, the inspector at the end, in the play an inspector calls, a police inspector brings judgement to a rich family who live in 1912. the play is a morality play, in which each of the characters represents a particular role or opinion. in this morality play, the inspector promotes a socialist understanding of the world in a way that reflects the views of the play’s author jb priestley., when the inspector arrives he cuts off mr birling’s lecture when he is saying that “ a man must look after himself and his family …” this interruption symbolises the way that inspector is going to stop mr birling’s views. also, it says that there is a “ sharp ring on the doorbell .” the word “ sharp ” suggests that the inspector will cut through mr birling’s selfish ideas. also, from the moment he arrives the stage directions call for the lighting to change from “ pink and intimate ” to something more “ harsh .” this is because the birlings see the world through as being nice and friendly while the inspector will bring a “ harsh ” judgement on them., in the play, the inspector works as a foil to mr birling’s selfish capitalism. at the beginning of the play, mr birling calls socialists “ cranks ” – which means crazy – and says that if we all listened to socialists we’d be like “ bees in a hive .” this remark criticises socialists as bees lack individuality, they work almost like a big machine, and only do what they’re told and mr birling doesn’t want the world to be like this. the inspector, however, believes that we are “ members of one body ” and that we are “ responsible for each other .” in this way, the inspector is talking about the socialist ideas which suggest that because we all live together we should look after each other. in fact, he goes on to suggest that if we don’t learn to do this we will “ taught it in fire and blood and anguish .” this is clearly a reference to the two world wars which were fought between the time the play was set and when it was written. it is also telling that mr birling didn’t think the wars would happen – he would probably have referred to that as being an idea from some kind of “ crank .”, at the beginning of the play mr birling threatens the inspector by saying that he plays golf with the chief inspector. the inspector, however, doesn’t care and carries on his investigation. throughout the play, the inspector acts like he doesn’t care about the characters social standings and only wants to focus on the facts. he is someone logical and he doesn’t care what people think of him. he just wants the truth about eva’s death. he also has a habit of looking “hard” at the person he is addressing. this is because he is inspecting them, almost as though he’s looking through them and into their soul., in the end the inspector leaves and we are left unsure as to whether he was real or not. however, because his name is inspector goole – which sounds similar to ghoul (which is a kind of spirit or ghost) – the audience would be within their rights to think of him as a kind of spiritual prophet or divine messenger., a third essay on the role of the inspector in an inspector calls , jb priestley uses the story of an inspector calls to contrast the differences between upper/upper-middle and working class people in society during the edwardian times. the inspector questions the birling family to think about the consequences of their actions on others – predominately the working class and people whom they believe to be inferior to them. priestley uses the inspector to make society question their morals and think about accepting responsibility for their actions. each character reacts differently to the inspector and priestley uses this to represent capitalist vs socialist ideals., - nice opening – clear and specific and leaves the examiner comfortable that you know what you’re doing. may be a bit long – though it is all meaningful, when the inspector enters the birling household, the stage directions states that the lights change from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘brighter and harder’. this shows how the presence of the inspector changes the atmosphere and how he is here for a purpose. the lighting change from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘brighter and harder’ almost shows how the inspector is going to burst the birling’s protected, capitalist bubble. the idea of the lights being ‘brighter and harder’ create the idea of a spotlight shining on the birling family and how the inspector is there to expose them to the truth. in the stage directions, it also says that the inspector ‘creates an impression of massiveness’. this shows that although the birling’s are superior to him in class, the inspector still holds the authority over them all. it could also be foreshadowing that the inspector is going to create a lasting ‘impression’ over the birling family and impact their lives hopefully for the better., - super cool lots of detail, specific things being said and focusing on sections of the text. this is what you want to do, in act one, mr birling makes several threats to the inspector about his connections with the chief constable. this shows how mr birling feels threatened and uncomfortable with the inspectors presence. he tries to assert his authority over the inspector to protect himself and his pride as he’s being questioned by someone who is inferior to himself. he doesn’t want to damage his reputation and all he is thinking about is himself. this represents the capitalist society and how they refuse to think of any but themselves and how they will go to any measure to protect their reputation. mr birling also tries to emphasise his importance to the inspector by mentioning gerald and his family name. he says, “perhaps i ought to explain first that this is mr gerald croft – the son of sir george croft – you know, crofts limited.” by mentioning gerald’s family name, it shows how mr birling is trying to intimidate the inspector. also, mr birling could be mentioning the croft name to try to make himself feel more in control of the situation and back in the superior position in the room. priestley uses the reaction of mr birling to the inspector to represent how people of the upper capitalist class use their positions of power as an excuse to be ignorant to their actions. priestley wanted make people aware of this to questions their own ignorance., - again, this is great. you show a clear understanding of the relationship between birling and the inspector and clearly explain the power dynamic in the room, at the end of the play, the inspector makes a big final speech to the birling family. it opens with a reminder that there are thousands of “john smiths and eva smiths” in the world. this reminds the audience that we all have to accept responsibility for our actions and realise it is not enough to only think of ourselves but we must think of others as well. the inspector then goes on to say that “we don't live alone. we are members of one body. we are responsible for each other.” these three concise sentences summarise the lesson priestley was trying to convey to the audience. by keeping the sentences short but powerful, it leaves a lasting impression on the birling family but more importantly, the audience. this links to the beginning stage direction of the inspector creating an ‘impression of massiveness’. he then warns the family (and audience) that if ‘men don’t soon learn their lesson they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish’. this is a reference to the many years of war that had taken place between when the play was set and when it was performed. it could be seen to be served as a warning to the people that they need to change their actions or history will repeat itself., - really good as well. you’ve focused in on specific techniques here and shown a clear understanding of how those techniques have effects., overall, this is a very good essay – it’s got a wide range of detailed quotes, points and pieces of analysis. it could be improved with a few moments where you zoom in on specific words and explore the meaning of them – think about mr birling saying he “can’t” take responsibility, or mrs birling saying she “won’t” take responsibility and the inspector saying “we are responsible.” this kind of link will push this essay up into the 8-9 category., what is the significance of the ending in an inspector calls , in effect, ‘an inspector calls’ has arguably three endings, or climaxes. the first is the final speech of the inspector, before he exits dramatically, walking ‘straight out’. the second is as the family think it all may have been a ‘fake’. the third represents the justice in the final words of the play., priestly ensures that the inspector says little in the way of moral judgment until just before he exits. this in itself increases dramatic tension – the audience is waiting for a confrontation which is dependent on all the facts of the story finally emerging. his final speech is based on the great moral authority he has gained through the entirety of the play and is in a sense cathartic. as an ‘inspector’, he is symbolic of the moral and legal authority of the police force. ‘inspecting’ carries the idea of sifting carefully though the actions of the birlings in a detailed and objective manner. priestley adds objectivity and legal precision to the inspector’s character; thus by the climax of his investigation, we, the audience, instinctively trust his moral conclusions also. there is a sense of relief in hearing the birlings finally being condemned for their actions., the inspector’s final speech is, in tone, almost a sermon. the frequent use of blunt, short diction is combined with imperatives which make him seem almost a preacher or a prophetic figure, as he tells the birlings to “remember this”, and tells them that “we are responsible for each other.” although he uses often the first person plural to emphasise their common humanity, he is also accusatory with his use of ‘you’ as he threatens them with what will come if they fail to learn this lesson. the imagery priestley draw from is biblical by nature. from the eucharist service, the inspector uses the biblical metaphor that we are all “members of one body”. the well-known nature of this metaphor makes it seemingly self-evidently true to the audience. the apocalyptic imagery that follows is equally well-known, as the inspector promises “fire and blood and anguish”. the tricolon is heavily emphatic and emotive – the birlings’ rejection of it, which follows swiftly, creates a further sense of their moral vacuity. this sermonic end to the inspector’s presence onstage makes him seem a didactic mouthpiece for the play – he speaks in effect as much to the audience as to the birlings. although it is a relatively brief and restrained speech, nonetheless it is a powerful end – it seems – to the drama., birling’s absence of moral epiphany is enacted in the second ‘ending’ of the play in the ‘huge sigh of relief’ he emits when he discovers that the inspector is not actually from the police station. he rejects the inspector’s final words through this stage direction which creates a dramatic hyperbole that it is impossible for the audience to miss. eva smith’s name suggests that she represents all of the ordinary humanity, eva suggesting eve of genesis, symbolically the mother of humanity, and smith being a stereotypical working-class surname. thus birling’s ‘huge’ indifference is, symbolically, to the suffering of any human being, particularly those who are his socially inferior. indeed, his estimations of people’s worth have been entirely based on their money or their social connections; early on in the play he attempts at first to threaten the inspector by explicitly ‘warning him that the chief constable, colonel roberts, is an ‘old friend’ of his. birling’s ‘relief’ therefore is that his place in society is not damaged after all – even though it is based on corruption and inhumanity towards whose who are weaker and more socially vulnerable than him. thus birling has learned nothing at all in the play., further, birling is ‘triumphant’ when he decides that the story is nothing more than ‘moonshine’. ‘triumph’ suggests victory and winning – birling’s delight is based on his perception that he will not be in any way held to account for his misdeeds. ‘moonshine’ is a dismissive colloquialism – priestley uses this to emphasise that there is no emotional impact whatsoever on birling for the suffering of eva smith and those whom she represents. this is accentuated by mrs birling’s suggestion that in the morning eric and sheila will be as ‘amused’ as they are. the tragedy of what happened to eva through her circumstances and through the undeserved actions of others is in effect diminished to a joke. priestley ensures that this anticlimactic interpretation of the play’s events by mrs birling is morally repugnant to the audience. the older birlings and gerald are villainesque, antagonistic figures., sheila is partly redeemed from the birling’s self-seeking immorality. sheila’s response to birling’s ‘relief’ is to accuse him of ‘pretending’ that all is well. this accusation of play-acting creates an ironic role-reversal, as though birling is the one childishly refusing to engage with reality, and she becomes the parent-figure who rebukes him for his immaturity. this childishness is not an indication of birling’s innocence, but of his lack of responsibility. sheila is the youthful one in the conversation, but she is the one who is vulnerable to the corruption of her parents, and she lacks meaningful power. partly also because of her gender, she is, like eva, the victim of birling’s philosophy of greed – and yet the awakening of her moral awareness is presented as a coming-of-age epiphany. she learns to reject the selfishness and inhumanity of her parents as she realises that all the working-class are intrinsically human beings. she absorbs the relatively complex moral didacticism the inspector represents with regards to the interconnectedness of human society. this is particularly shown by her quoting the exact words of the inspector’s apocalyptic list of consequences if the rich fail to heed the social situation: she quotes his words of ‘fire and blood and anguish’. although she shows no explicit awareness of the social apocalypse of which the inspector warns, she recalls what ‘he made me feel’. her emotional engagement is presented in ironic juxtaposition with her parents’ emotional disengagement. priestley redeems her partly to show the morally repugnant nature of the birlings’ lack of redemption, through juxtaposing their response with hers., the unrepentant birlings are presented by priestley as grotesque not only through their failure to realise their wrong-doing, but also, and more importantly in their seeking of moral superiority over eva smith and the workers she represents. the callous self-righteousness they exhibit is best portrayed in mrs birling’s rhetorical question, ‘why shouldn’t we’ when sheila asks how they possibly can continue as they were before. the fact she considers the question to need no actual answer indicates her moral blindness – it indicates her assumption that the rightr of the powerful to abuse the poor is irrefutable and self-evident. priestley, through the drama, shows how society creates moral indifference to the working-class., the superficiality is also epitomised in gerald’s statement that ‘everything is all right now.’ this bland cliché becomes ironically extremely emotive for the audience as we know that the lack of a moral compass for the birlings and gerald means that others will be treated just as eva was. the superficiality of this analysis has great dramatic power to repulse the audience – and perhaps to begin to effect the social change priestley desired., the third and final ‘ending’ is mysterious. at one level, it satisfies the audience’s hope that there will be justice for eva. by instructing the actors to look ‘guiltily’ around, priestly ensures that the moral indifference of the second ending is not the concluding note of the play. birling speaking on the phone when the person has ‘rung off’ indicates also that his social authority is over; creating the sense that there is justice has lost what he really cared about. the inspector’s semi-comical surname, ‘goole’ also seems relevant right at the play’s climax. there is the suggestion that he did indeed in some way represent supernatural forces intervening in the birlings’ lives to bring justice for eva. however, the play by its nature ends inconclusively. in effect, we are left on a cliffhanger wondering what the ‘real’ police inspector will do. perhaps this reflects priestley’s aim for the audience to think about the play’s social message. the ending of ‘an inspector calls’ is a strong statement of the responsibility of those who seek money and social rank at the expense of humanity. it is strongly didactic and powerful., check this essay.

There are drastic differences that are seen in people who are born in different generations. One may argue that the younger generations are more impressionable and naive while the older generations are very hardheaded and assertive. By creating characters like Sheila and Eric with a large age gap between Mr. and Mrs. Birling in the play An Inspector Calls, tension is created through their differences clashing. J.B. Priestley’s use of contrasting characterization within the Birling family in the play An Inspector Calls creates tension and communicates his theme that one must take into consideration the consequences of their actions and take responsibility for them.

The Birling’s children, Erica and Sheila, are presumed to be very naive and still listening and agreeing with their parent’s words due to their ages. Yet, thought the play both Eric and Sheila prove to be mentally mature and responsible while directly reflect the inspector’s message. Eric Birling was caught up in the complicated situation relating to the death of Eva Smith through his role in impregnating her. Although he is ashamed, he steps up to the plate and confesses his actions and even admits to the fact that “I wasn’t in love with her or anything”, yet he understands that his actions did produce consequences and he takes responsibility for them. He insists on giving her enough money to keep her going, even though it included stealing money from his father (Priestley 50). This action was done unjustly, yet it shows how determined Eric was in order to fix his mistake and take responsibility for his actions- exactly what the Inspector teaches. Sheila Birling, the sister of Eric, also starts out by admitting to her role in the death of Eva. She expresses her sorrow and regret for her actions stating how “It was my own fault… and if I could help her now, I would” right away (24-25). Even though she did not take action like Eric did, she still takes responsibility for her actions and shows that she really does care about the consequences she was unable to attend to. As the play continues and everyone finds out that inspector Goole was a fake, the parents of Sheila and Eric both start to downplay the events of that evening. Suddenly the tension starts to rise as soon as the children speak directly against their parents stating “if you must know it’s you two who are being childish” (55). Sheila is so disgusted by the actions of her parents, that her character takes an unpredictable turn and she evolves into a brave young woman annoyed enough to scold her own parents. Even Eric states directly to his parents that “well, I don’t blame you. But don’t forget i’m ashamed of you as well. Yes- both of you” (54). The characters Sheila and Eric create tension in the play through their differences regarding their view on taking responsibility that contrasts greatly with their parents. The fact that the younger generation is standing up to the older generation and doing unconventional actions like scolding them, the main theme of the novel is clearly represented.

The older generation in the Birling family consists of strong characters: unlikely to sway in their ideas easily, hard headed, and arrogant. Arthur too is confronted about his dealings with Eva Smith, but immediately states that “the girl has been causing trouble in the works. I was quite justified (19). Here, he is seemingly ok knowing that she was forced to kill herself all because of something that started out with him originally and a sign of regret is not to be found. The younger generation, prominently Sheila is verbally pointing out her contrasting viewpoint directly saying (to Mr. Birling) “I think it was a mean thing to do” (21). Tension is created as a result of her comment, but in a way she forces her father to re-examine at his actions by him hearing an opposite viewpoint and internally contemplate her and the Inspector’s message. Another situation that increases the tension overall is when Sheila hears her father describe Eva as cheap labour, and automatically she jumps in stating “but these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people” clearly showcasing the differences in the mindset of the two generations (19). Lastly, Mrs. Birling gets confronted with her mistake and does admit to her actions. Her arrogance shows through when she plainly lays out her thoughts to the inspector that “if you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me, Inspector, you’re quite mistaken. Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation… You have no power to change my mind” and like Mr. Birling does not have a hint of regret in her (44). Sybil Birling is blinded to the problems within her household and herself, and therefore tension is created when she directly contradicts the viewpoints of her children. The theme of the play is brought out because of this, when the children start to argue their point about accepting responsibility for their actions’ consequences.

Through tension between the characters, the main theme that we don’t live alone, are members of one body, and are responsible for each other is revealed. Sadly for this to be revealed, tension is built greatly dividing the Birling family- the younger vs the older generation. The children desperately try to get their parents to accept what they believe is the inspector’s lesson and purpose for visiting, yet Arthur and Sybil are set on the idea that they are just “the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke” (72). Although it may be true that the inspector is not real and the older generation will never learn, the main theme is being communicated successfully to the audience. By looking at Mr. and Mrs. Birling and the way they instigate an attack on themselves by their children, the audience feels disgusted by them and the theme reaches the audience.

Essay writing: style and substance

You have such strong words at command, that they make the smallest argument seem formidable. George Eliot

As with most subjects, the step up from GCSE to A level English literature is tough. You can get a pretty good grade at GCSE without developing a critical style or understand much about the art of constructing an academic essay. Students’ work is routinely littered with stock phrases such as “I know this because” and “this shows” all of which shift the focus from having to think about subject content in sophisticated ways to simply learning a collection of fail-safe formulas.

Of the 4 (now 5) Assessment Objectives against which students are assessed at A level, AO 1 often presents the greatest hurdle to o’erleap, so how can we teach students to “articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression?”

Here are three ideas I’ve found useful over the years:

Writing a thesis statement

Slaloming & tacking

Nominalisation

Most often students write essays in response to a question. For example,  ‘Cordelia’s death is the shocking climax of cruelty in Shakespeare’s exploration of evil.’ To what extent do you agree with this view? or, ‘Tragedies leave readers and audiences with a final sense of emptiness and disillusion.’ To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to two texts you have studied? Test designers deliberately make the questions as open as possible to allow for as great a breadth of responses as possible, but attempting an answer can seem overwhelming precisely because there are so many possibilities. The trick is to narrow the range of options by constructing a tightly focused thesis statement which sets out the terrain to be explored. In addition, a good thesis statement should present an idea which can ‘tested’ against different interpretations and aspects of the text.

In the case of the question on King Lear we might come up with something like,

Cordelia’s death, whilst shocking, has more to do with the redemption of her father than as an inevitable consequence of evil.

For the question on tragedy we might construct a statement such as,

As both Richard II and Death of a Salesman demonstrate, the aim of tragedy has always been to leave audiences with a sense of catharsis.

Both statements can be tested, both offer students a clear way into an essay, both usefully narrow the field of possible interpretations to a more manageable pool, and both demonstrate to an examiner exactly what the essay sets out to prove right from the outset. Students can easily check whether or not their ideas are helping to build a case and pursue their argument along a pre-determined path.

A line of argument should flow naturally from a well-designed thesis statement. Consider the example from King Lear above:  Cordelia’s death, whilst shocking, has more to do with the redemption of her father than as an inevitable consequence of evil.  What is the finish line? Such an essay begs for a conclusion in which death is seen in a larger context than evil, perhaps even with the sort of rhetorical flourish which links the death of Cordelia to the death of Christ, thus redeeming Lear and, by extension, the audience. Rather than setting off to stride from A to B, the path between our thesis statement and this conclusion is tacked towards indirectly.

While there’s no substitute for a thorough knowledge of texts and contexts, the use of discourse markers – words and phrases that signpost our discourse – can be a real boon both in the construction of an essay and in the ease with which it can be read. Here’s a handy collection of such markers:

Adding : and, also, as well as, moreover , too Cause & effect : because, so, therefore, thus, consequently Sequencing : next, then, first, finally, meanwhile, before, after Qualifying : however, although, unless, except, if, as long as, apart from, yet Emphasising : above all, in particular, especially, significantly, indeed, notably Illustrating : for example, such as, for instance, as revealed by, in the case of Comparing : equally, in the same way, similarly, likewise, as with, like Contrasting : whereas, instead of, alternatively, otherwise, unlike, on the other hand

A note of caution: it’s perfectly possible to include these types of marker in an essay and make it less readable. The key is to be clear about the connection between each phrase and its intended purpose. Some, like the markers for sequencing, adding and cause and effect make writing more direct. Qualifying and contrasting discourse markers – on the other hand*- allow us to tack in unexpected directions. And then illustrative and emphasising markers allow for useful slaloms.

So, not only should we select textual references and position critical perspectives which allow us to follow a course we select our language too. These act as buoys around which we must navigate, always conscious of the conclusion to which we’re building. Sometimes we need to explain away or argue against an irritatingly awkward piece of information, but that’s all part of the game in a subject like literature. It’s not true to say that style is valued over substance, you still need to know your texts inside out, but the point is not to arrive at a universal and eternal truth, it is to be both erudite and stylish in the construction of your argument.

And on that point, nominalisation is one such way students can appear more erudite and take on that all-important critical style.

This is simply the act of turning verbs into nouns. Informal communication tends to be active and depends on verbs to give a sense of immediacy and action. Academic writing is abstract and depends on nouns to convey densely packed concepts or ideas. Turning an action into a concept is to nominalise it. This is sometimes the difference between a good essay and a poor one: essays which are nominalised tend to exude confidence and authority, essays which aren’t can suffer from sounding a bit vague.

Consider these brief examples:

• Because Cordelia dies at the end of the play, many people decide that King Lear is a play about the consequences of the evil things people do. Before she dies Cordelia is ready to forgive her father and because they are reunited we think the play will end happily. This is also suggested by fact that she dies offstage and that we only learn about it when Lear enters carrying her body and howling. When he says “She’s dead as earth. Lend me a looking-glass; If that her breath will mist or stain the stone” he seems pathetic and feeble; his grieving is undignified. This could suggest not so much that evil has triumphed but that Lear has to lose the last shreds of his authority in order to be truly humbled .
• Cordelia’s death at the end of the play is often seen as evidence that the consequences of evil are inescapable. Before her death, Cordelia’s reunion with, and forgiveness of, her father is suggestive of a happy ending. The arbitrary nature of her sudden death provides further evidence of the inevitability of evil, but a different interpretation of the lines “She’s dead as earth. Lend me a looking-glass; If that her breath will mist or stain the stone” might lead to the conclusion that his grief and the pathetic desperation with which Lear clings to the possibility that she yet lives is proof not of the triumph of evil but of the need for the king to lose the last shreds of royal dignity and authority before he can truly experience humility .

Although both say pretty much the same thing, is one better than the other? Or more to the point, which better demonstrates “informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression?”

Nominalisation sometimes gets a bit of bad press and Stephen Pinker demonises it as the ‘zombification of language’ with the passive lurch of an awkward noun replacing elegantly leaping verbs. Clearly nominalisation alone is not enough to elevate an essay, but teaching A level students about how to nominalise concepts provides them with a straightforward, easy to implement strategy to shift style from the clunkily informal to the confidently academic.

But, when learning to communicate in a suitably academic style, nominalisation is a useful jumping off point. It is an easily grasped concept which, once explained, allows students to see at a glance where their prose style can be spruced up. A simple N in the margin of an essay can be sufficient to prompt an elevation in their critical perspective.

I hope these thoughts are at least marginally useful, do let me know if you have any other handy essay writing tips.

* See what I did there? Sorry.

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The PIXL6 booklet on Anantomy of Writing is helpful for providing some sentence structures and starters….a little scaffold-y still, but a start. We are looking at trying to deconstruct good examples of academic writing for new GCSES as well- giving pupils higher level vocabulary and working on their complex sentence structures and embedding quotations to increase fluency and improve style. Starting sentences using phrases such as Despite…. although…..while- to try and make writing more concise as well. Great piece by the way- am going to use with my A Level pupils. We focused on writing a good introduction last lesson- essentially, your thesis statement- as they have to be able to synthesise their understanding from different parts of the text, look for commonality and then be ready to prove it. I used the analogy of the intro being nicely gift wrapped and summarised- the essay then opens up the argument and starts examining it in detail.

I’ve developed a website to help students with essay writing that elaborates some of the ideas you mention with further topics (e.g. doing the resaearch, writng the introduction) and examples of good practice.. It’s aimed at undergraduates and A level students but teachers also find it useful. It’s at http://www.essaywritingworkshop.co.uk . John

Academic style is terrible style and you shouldn’t hold it up as something to aspire to. Your paragraph #1 above is much more vigorous and readable, and if it comes across as less “confident” (not sure about that), then the lack of confidence is merited, since it’s just one writer’s opinion. I’m also not sure about “Slaloming & tacking”. I’d have to read two paragraphs using that technique versus direct, but in general, I think you do your readers a favor by being clear and direct without being barbarous. In general, I find that good writers more often have a background in the sciences than they do in liberal arts. The sciences encourage clear communication, coherent chains of reasoning, and words with clear definitions.

Hi Martin – thanks for the pushback. I’d take issue that those with a background in the sciences produce clear writing. This is very often not the case. Stephen Pinker’s A Sense of Style provides numerous amusing examples. To say “Academic style is terrible style” is quite some generalisation. The academic requirements of different subject disciplines are, well, different. In literature, we tend to value tentativity as well as confidence. Clarity is, of course, important, but so is taking in and addressing a range of dissenting views. To be clear, a paragraph should *not* slalom – an essay should. If you were to read a paragraph that tried to tack internally it would be confused and confusing. To see the effect you’d need to read an entire essay. I’ve written about the need for clarity here: https://www.learningspy.co.uk/writing/the-value-of-clarity-precision-and-economy/

Please note that I didn’t say that “all scientists write well”, I said that good writers often have a science background. In popular writing, Paul Krugman is exemplary, yet he’s sometimes criticized for his informal writing style. Personally, I was disappointed with Pinker’s book. I was hoping for something more like “Style: Toward Clarity and Grace” by Joseph Williams, which I loved.

So, “good writers often have a science background.” Equally, good writers often don’t have a science background. Maybe having a science background is irrelevant?

“I’ve written about the need for clarity here:” I like this article.

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• What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

Published on September 14, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on April 16, 2024.

A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master’s program or a capstone to a bachelor’s degree.

Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation , it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete. It relies on your ability to conduct research from start to finish: choosing a relevant topic , crafting a proposal , designing your research , collecting data , developing a robust analysis, drawing strong conclusions , and writing concisely .

Thesis template

You can also download our full thesis template in the format of your choice below. Our template includes a ready-made table of contents , as well as guidance for what each chapter should include. It’s easy to make it your own, and can help you get started.

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Table of contents

Thesis vs. thesis statement, how to structure a thesis, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your thesis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about theses.

You may have heard the word thesis as a standalone term or as a component of academic writing called a thesis statement . Keep in mind that these are two very different things.

• A thesis statement is a very common component of an essay, particularly in the humanities. It usually comprises 1 or 2 sentences in the introduction of your essay , and should clearly and concisely summarize the central points of your academic essay .
• A thesis is a long-form piece of academic writing, often taking more than a full semester to complete. It is generally a degree requirement for Master’s programs, and is also sometimes required to complete a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts colleges.
• In the US, a dissertation is generally written as a final step toward obtaining a PhD.
• In other countries (particularly the UK), a dissertation is generally written at the bachelor’s or master’s level.

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The final structure of your thesis depends on a variety of components, such as:

• Your discipline
• Your theoretical approach

Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay . Just like in an essay, you build an argument to support a central thesis.

In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction , literature review , methodology section ,  results section , discussion section , and conclusion section . These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, you might want to add an appendix .

Thesis examples

We’ve compiled a short list of thesis examples to help you get started.

• Example thesis #1:   “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807” by Suchait Kahlon.
• Example thesis #2: “’A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man’: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947″ by Julian Saint Reiman.

The very first page of your thesis contains all necessary identifying information, including:

• Your full title
• Your full name
• Your department
• Your institution and degree program
• Your submission date.

Sometimes the title page also includes your student ID, the name of your supervisor, or the university’s logo. Check out your university’s guidelines if you’re not sure.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional. Its main point is to allow you to thank everyone who helped you in your thesis journey, such as supervisors, friends, or family. You can also choose to write a preface , but it’s typically one or the other, not both.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

An abstract is a short summary of your thesis. Usually a maximum of 300 words long, it’s should include brief descriptions of your research objectives , methods, results, and conclusions. Though it may seem short, it introduces your work to your audience, serving as a first impression of your thesis.

Read more about abstracts

A table of contents lists all of your sections, plus their corresponding page numbers and subheadings if you have them. This helps your reader seamlessly navigate your document.

Your table of contents should include all the major parts of your thesis. In particular, don’t forget the the appendices. If you used heading styles, it’s easy to generate an automatic table Microsoft Word.

Read more about tables of contents

While not mandatory, if you used a lot of tables and/or figures, it’s nice to include a list of them to help guide your reader. It’s also easy to generate one of these in Word: just use the “Insert Caption” feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

If you have used a lot of industry- or field-specific abbreviations in your thesis, you should include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations . This way, your readers can easily look up any meanings they aren’t familiar with.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

Relatedly, if you find yourself using a lot of very specialized or field-specific terms that may not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary . Alphabetize the terms you want to include with a brief definition.

Read more about glossaries

An introduction sets up the topic, purpose, and relevance of your thesis, as well as expectations for your reader. This should:

• Ground your research topic , sharing any background information your reader may need
• Define the scope of your work
• Introduce any existing research on your topic, situating your work within a broader problem or debate
• State your research question(s)
• Outline (briefly) how the remainder of your work will proceed

In other words, your introduction should clearly and concisely show your reader the “what, why, and how” of your research.

Read more about introductions

A literature review helps you gain a robust understanding of any extant academic work on your topic, encompassing:

• Selecting relevant sources
• Determining the credibility of your sources
• Critically evaluating each of your sources
• Drawing connections between sources, including any themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing work. Rather, your literature review should ultimately lead to a clear justification for your own research, perhaps via:

• Addressing a gap in the literature
• Building on existing knowledge to draw new conclusions
• Exploring a new theoretical or methodological approach
• Introducing a new solution to an unresolved problem
• Definitively advocating for one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework, but these are not the same thing. A theoretical framework defines and analyzes the concepts and theories that your research hinges on.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter shows your reader how you conducted your research. It should be written clearly and methodically, easily allowing your reader to critically assess the credibility of your argument. Furthermore, your methods section should convince your reader that your method was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

• Your overall approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative )
• Your research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
• Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment
• Any tools or materials you used (e.g., computer software)
• The data analysis methods you chose (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
• A strong, but not defensive justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. These two sections work in tandem, but shouldn’t repeat each other. While your results section can include hypotheses or themes, don’t include any speculation or new arguments here.

Your results section should:

• State each (relevant) result with any (relevant) descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
• Explain how each result relates to the research question
• Determine whether the hypothesis was supported

Additional data (like raw numbers or interview transcripts ) can be included as an appendix . You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results.

Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is where you can interpret your results in detail. Did they meet your expectations? How well do they fit within the framework that you built? You can refer back to any relevant source material to situate your results within your field, but leave most of that analysis in your literature review.

For any unexpected results, offer explanations or alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your thesis conclusion should concisely answer your main research question. It should leave your reader with an ultra-clear understanding of your central argument, and emphasize what your research specifically has contributed to your field.

Why does your research matter? What recommendations for future research do you have? Lastly, wrap up your work with any concluding remarks.

Read more about conclusions

In order to avoid plagiarism , don’t forget to include a full reference list at the end of your thesis, citing the sources that you used. Choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your thesis, taking note of the formatting requirements of each style.

Which style you choose is often set by your department or your field, but common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

In order to stay clear and concise, your thesis should include the most essential information needed to answer your research question. However, chances are you have many contributing documents, like interview transcripts or survey questions . These can be added as appendices , to save space in the main body.

Read more about appendices

Once you’re done writing, the next part of your editing process begins. Leave plenty of time for proofreading and editing prior to submission. Nothing looks worse than grammar mistakes or sloppy spelling errors!

Consider using a professional thesis editing service or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect.

Once you’ve submitted your final product, it’s common practice to have a thesis defense, an oral component of your finished work. This is scheduled by your advisor or committee, and usually entails a presentation and Q&A session.

After your defense , your committee will meet to determine if you deserve any departmental honors or accolades. However, keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality. If there are any serious issues with your work, these should be resolved with your advisor way before a defense.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

• Survivorship bias
• Self-serving bias
• Availability heuristic
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• Hindsight bias
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• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

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The conclusion of your thesis or dissertation shouldn’t take up more than 5–7% of your overall word count.

If you only used a few abbreviations in your thesis or dissertation , you don’t necessarily need to include a list of abbreviations .

If your abbreviations are numerous, or if you think they won’t be known to your audience, it’s never a bad idea to add one. They can also improve readability, minimizing confusion about abbreviations unfamiliar to your reader.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

A thesis is typically written by students finishing up a bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Some educational institutions, particularly in the liberal arts, have mandatory theses, but they are often not mandatory to graduate from bachelor’s degrees. It is more common for a thesis to be a graduation requirement from a Master’s degree.

Even if not mandatory, you may want to consider writing a thesis if you:

• Plan to attend graduate school soon
• Have a particular topic you’d like to study more in-depth
• Are considering a career in research
• Would like a capstone experience to tie up your academic experience

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Good Thesis Statement & Essay Structure: Lesson Plans and Examples

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

21 November 2019

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How do I write a good thesis statement? How does my thesis statement relate to the body of my essay? What about the conclusion? Here are practical answers; an antidote to anxiety in the classroom. Immediately, you can use these lesson plans and activities that contain an element of fun. Coupled with fit-to-purpose resources, your students will build confidence and skills as they learn to -

• Create a robust Thesis Statement that sets them up for success. • Write Body Paragraphs using proven Point, Evidence, Analysis structure. • Edit ideas so that they have time for analysis. • Practice planning using a workable structure. • Stay motivated, right to the end.

Resources included in this pack

Confidence building activities Mini and comprehensive writing / planning activities Examples of Simple to Advanced Thesis Statements Examples of Simple to Advanced Body Paragraphs Sample templates to build essay structure

Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

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What is a Thesis?

In General , University by Think Student Editor January 29, 2023 Leave a Comment

If you are a university student, or planning for your future, you many have heard about a thesis. It can sound like a daunting word, and when looking around you will see pages upon pages of work submitted by students at university. You may have also heard of a dissertation, which has become interchanged in some places.

A thesis in the UK is an extended and long research paper based on a student’s original research and findings. It is done as part of a doctorate. It is the longest writing pieces students complete. The student will also have to demonstrate many skills, along with following a good structure.

Along with this, we will be further looking at statements and the differences between a dissertation and a thesis in the UK. If you want to know more about this, you should read on.

Table of Contents

What is a university thesis?

A university thesis is a long type of research paper that is conducted by the student . On average, it takes PhD students 3 and a half years to complete their thesis.

Within this, they will need to design and plan out their research, collect and robustly analyse their findings, from this, draw conclusions and write in a succinct way. To find out more about this, you can click on this link to the ultimate guide on theses by Scribbr.

The exact word count of a thesis will depend on what your university programmed has set out. However, they typically are between 70,000 and 100,000 words . For more on this, check out this article by Scribbr.

What is the structure of a thesis?

As mentioned above, the typical thesis has between 70,000 and 100,000 words. Due to this, it is also made up of many different sections .

The main written sections of a thesis are:

• Abstract – Here you must give a concise summary of the rest of your thesis, particularly focusing on the aims and outcomes of your thesis. To do this, you will have about 100- 300 words to give a little introduction to your thesis and then to summarise the methodology, results and discussion sections.
• Introduction – Here you must introduce what your thesis is focused on and how and why it is relevant within your wider topic area.
• Literature review – In this, you need to write about the key points and main themes that you came across within the pre-existing research in your field. In this same section, you will need to analyse and evaluate these sources.
• Methodology – The methodology includes both a detailed description about how you gathered your data and an evaluation of the methods you used and a justification as to why you used these methods.
• Results – In this, you must present your main results from when carrying out your research as well as your findings from analysing this data.
• Discussion – Here you will have to analyse and evaluate the importance and relevance of your results to your thesis and wider research area in greater depth.
• Conclusion – The idea of your thesis conclusion is that it’s where you can sum up your main findings and answer your thesis question.

To learn more about the structure of a thesis, check out this Think Student article .

How to write a thesis

One of the best ways to make writing a thesis more manageable is to break it down into specific sections. Check out the following headings to see how to write individual sections of a thesis . The following information comes from this Think Student article , which will give a more detailed explanation of writing a thesis.

How to write a thesis abstract

The abstract is a very concise summary of your thesis. Due to this, to write one, one of the best methods to use is the IMRaD structure.

This means that you will need to give a short introduction and then a brief description of the methods, results and discussion sections. You will only need to write 1 to 3 sentences for each.

How to write a thesis introduction

In the introduction, you will first need to set the scene by talking more broadly about your research area. Then you can zone in on your specific thesis and explain how your research will contribute to what already exists .

You will also need to mention and explain your research aims and hypotheses . As well as this, you will need to give an overview on what your following chapters will cover.

How to write a thesis literature review

In your literature review, you will summarise the key points, concepts and theories across the sources you have looked at to create an overview of the pre-existing research.

Next, you will need to analyse and evaluate these concepts and theories as well as any areas of debate . Then you will need to link this back to your own thesis and identify any gaps that you intend to fill with your research.

How to write a thesis methodology

First, restate your thesis and explain your research approach. This may be qualitative, quantitative or blended.

Then you will need to describe your methods for data collection and analysis. You will also need to explain these and justify why you didn’t use an alternative method.

As part of your methodology, you need to highlight any problems you came across when carrying out your research and explain how you were able to resolve them.

How to write up thesis results

In the results section, you will need to present your results in a detailed and organised way. How you do so will depend on your research approach .

For qualitative results, you will need to identify and comment on the themes within your data and present this alongside extracts of the raw data itself.

For quantitative results, you may instead opt to use graphs, charts or tables to present your finding and then explain the significance of these.

Remember that the commentary shouldn’t be too in depth as this will be done in greater detail in the discussion section .

How to write a thesis discussion

For the discussion, you need to give a summary of your results then explain what it means. You also need to identify patterns and anomalies within your data and explain if these fit in with your hypotheses or not.

Then contextualise your findings into the wider debates in your field and explain what impact your research has on these.

You must also consider the limitations of your own work, such as methodological ones, e.g., sample size . Finally, consider future research and the gaps in research that still need to be filled.

How to write a thesis conclusion

For your conclusion, you need to make sure that you are answering your thesis. To do this, you need to include several elements.

First, you need a summary about the main points of your research and then your own deductions and conclusions from these . Then you need to consider future research and make recommendations and predictions for what this might include.

Also, you need to explain how your work has made an impact on both the pre-existing research you looked at and future research.

How to access past theses

When writing your own thesis, one of the best things you can do is look at other people’s. This is because looking at other theses can help you to better understand how to write them and how each section can fit together .

Your university may allow you to access past thesis . This can be a fantastic way to learn from others about the best way to write a thesis.

To learn more, you should refer to your university’s website . For example, on the University of Birmingham’s website it allows you to view a library of past theses. You can find this by clicking here .

What’s the difference between a dissertation and a thesis?

The two terms both seem similar, but the difference comes depending on the region its being said from. In the UK, a dissertation is to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree. The thesis is used to complete a PhD and gain a doctorate.

In the US, it is the other way round. A thesis is written at the end of a bachelors or master’s degree, while a dissertation is used to complete a PhD.

As a result, both terms have been interchanged, and you may find it confusing.

What is a dissertation in the UK?

A dissertation is a research project that is completed by an undergraduate, or master’s degree students . The research can be done through investigative methods, or experience in the lab. The project is usually based around a question, argument or theme that will need to be answered, or argued for as part of the extended academic report.

To find out more about dissertations and their differences to theses, you can click on this link to a Think Student article.

Structuring the Shakespeare Essay ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Structuring the Essay

Answering just one essay question can seem daunting. However, examiners just want to see your ideas and opinions on the Shakespeare play you have studied. The guide below will enable you to best express these ideas and opinions in a way that will gain the highest marks. It includes guides on:

Answering the question

Planning your essay, writing your essay.

As Paper 1 requires you to answer two questions in 1hr 45min, you have 52 and a half minutes to plan, write and check your Shakespeare essay. A good rule of thumb is to spend:

• 7 minutes analysing the question and the extract
• 7-10 minutes of planning
• 30-35 minutes of writing

It is always a good idea to use the rest of your time to review what you’ve written, make any adjustments and check your spelling and grammar. Remember – SPaG in this question is worth 4 marks.

Students usually think that spending more time on writing will gain more marks, but this isn't true: more essay doesn’t mean more marks! Examiners prefer shorter, well-planned responses that have a clear argument throughout.

Indeed, long essays that are unstructured and sprawling can in fact lose marks for being unfocused. Therefore, it is vital to always set aside time to write a plan.

Regardless of which Shakespeare play you study, the type of question you’ll need to write an essay for will be the same. You will be asked a question that asks you to analyse and write in detail about an aspect of the play. Your answer will need to address both an extract from the play that you will be given and the play as a whole.

It is tempting to jump straight in and start analysing the extract immediately. However, completing the steps below first will ensure you answer the question in the way that examiners are looking for.

6 key steps to answer the Shakespeare exam question effectively:

1. The very first thing you should do once you open your exam paper is to look at the question:

• This sounds obvious, but it’s really crucial to read through the question a few times 
• Why is this important? Regardless of what subject you’re being examined in, the single biggest mistake most students make in their exams is not reading the question through carefully enough that they answer the question they think they’re being asked, rather than the question they’ve actually been asked 
• It’s especially important to get this right in your GCSE English Literature exams, because you only have five essay questions to answer across two papers, so if you misread a question, you’re potentially costing yourself a large number of marks

2. Identify the keywords of the question

• The keywords are the focus of the question: the specific themes, ideas or characters the examiners want you to focus on
• For the above question, the keywords of the question are “the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families” 
• This is the theme the examiners want you to explore in your essay
• Do not be tempted to write a question on a related theme, even if you have revised more for it: this will affect your overall mark badly, as you won’t be directly answering the question! 
• Although this is a related theme, your answer won’t be focused on the question and will lose you marks

3. Critically evaluate the idea or theme of the question in terms of the play as a whole

• Think: what is this question asking, and what is it not asking?
• It is asking you to explore conflict – an ongoing fight or struggle – between the two families
• The question is not asking you to explore any other conflict, for example, conflict among families (Juliet’s conflict with her own family)
• Again, writing about related ideas will actually lose you marks as you aren’t answering the exact question you have been set. The examiner isn’t going to reward you extra marks for information that is factually correct or demonstrates a great understanding of the play if the information is not relevant to the question being asked

4. Now you have identified and evaluated the key idea or theme of the question, read the contextual information above the extract:

• At this point in the play, the Prince has arrived…
• This information, alongside your knowledge of what the theme the examiners are asking you to explore in the question, are vital clues that help you decode the extract

5. Contextualise the extract further yourself, before reading it

• Think: what else happens before and after this point in the play?
• Which characters are involved?
• How does it link to other parts of the text?
• Therefore, even at this stage, it is good to think about how the theme of the question develops before and after this point in the play

6. Read the extract with all of the above information (the keywords from the question; the context) in mind

• This will enable you to pick out quotations and analyse only the most relevant parts of the extract in the context of the play as a whole, and the question you have been set

Planning your essay is absolutely vital to achieving the highest marks. Examiners always stress that the best responses are those that have a logical, well-structured argument that comes with spending time planning an answer. This, in turn, will enable you to achieve the highest marks for each assessment objective. The main assessment objectives are:

• Your plan should include all aspects of your response, covering all of the assessment objectives, but mainly focusing on AO1:
• Your overall argument, or thesis (AO1)
• Your topic sentences  for all your paragraphs (AO1)
• The quotations you will be using and analysing from the extract (AO1)
• The quotations you will be using and analysing from elsewhere in the play (AO1)
• A sense of why Shakespeare makes the choices he does (AO2)
• A sense of what contextual factors give further insight into the ideas and theme presented in the question (AO3)
• Therefore, a plan may look like the following:

Some other tips:

• The questions have been designed to enable as many students as possible to write essays 
• Examiners say that the inclusion of a counter-argument is often unnecessary and unhelpful
• It can affect your AO1 mark negatively
• Think of the extract as a stepping stone to the whole text
• Examiners prefer an “integrated approach”:  paragraphs which include related analysis of both extract and the whole play 
• Examiners dislike essays which treat the extract and the rest of the play as “separate entities”: when students analyse the extract in the first half of their essays, and then the rest of the play in the second half of their response – t his would mean your answer doesn’t cover the full scope of the question, and your AO1 mark would be affected 

Given the time pressure of the exam, there is always a temptation for students to do without a plan, especially if they feel they understand the focus of the question well. However, this is a mistake. 

The exam board states: “Where students have written a plan, there is often a sense of a coherent and organised response, for which references and quotations have been selected to support the student’s argument.”

What this means is that writing a plan not only enables you to achieve the highest AO1 marks (for organisation of argument) but also helps you select the most precise quotations and references, which will lead to a more relevant analysis of the writer’s methods (AO2).

Once you have read and evaluated the question, read and analysed the extract and created a clear plan, you are ready to begin writing. Below is a guide detailing what to include.

Your essay should include:

• An introduction with a thesis statement
• A number of paragraphs (three is ideal!), each covering a separate point. It’s a great idea to start each paragraph with a topic sentence  
• A conclusion

Introduction

• Your introduction should aim to answer the question – clearly and briefly
• The best way to do this is to include a thesis statement
• A thesis statement is a short statement (one or two sentences) that summarises the main point or claim your argument is making:
• You should include the exact words from the question in your thesis statement
• Examiners want to see your own opinion : your interpretation of what Shakespeare is trying to show
• Your thesis statement should also attempt to explain why you think Shakespeare has presented his characters in the way he has: what is he trying to say overall? What is his message?:
• A good way to think about this is to ask: what is Shakespeare’s one big idea in terms of the characters or themes addressed in the question?
• Include contextual ideas and perspectives to help explain Shakespeare’s intentions
• Including Shakespeare’s message or one big idea helps create a “conceptualised response”, for which examiners award the highest marks
• An example of a thesis statement:

Thesis statement:

“Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families as destructive and ultimately self-defeating. He does this to challenge contemporary ideas on family ties and honour, suggesting that conflicts such as these only end in an inescapable cycle of violence.”

• You will not be rewarded for including the same information twice, so don’t waste time repeating yourself
• “I believe that Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict…” ❌
• “Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families as … in order to show …” ✅
• This will ensure your response is to what examiners call the “full task”
• A topic sentence is an opening sentence which details the focus of its paragraph
• It should include the words of the question
• All topic sentences must relate to your thesis
• They should be seen as sub-points that provide a more specific and narrower focus than your thesis statement
• Everything that follows a topic sentence in a paragraph must support the point it makes

Example of a topic sentence:

“Shakespeare presents the effects of conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues as fatal, even for those characters who do not wish to fight.”

• This is what examiners call an “integrated approach”
• Don’t separate your analysis of the rest of the play into different paragraphs
• The examiners stated that the best students “dip in and out of both the extract and the whole text to select details which support their argument as appropriate”
• You may have learned PEE, PEAL, PEED or other structures for your paragraphs
• However, examiners often say that although these are excellent for learning what to include in essays, they can be limiting in an exam
• Instead, be led by the ideas in the text, and prove your own argument (both the overall thesis, and your topic sentences)
• This can result in improved marks for AO1
• A conclusion for a Shakespeare essay should only summarise the proof you have provided for your thesis
• It only needs to be two or three sentences long
• It should include the words of the question and your thesis
• Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same information twice

An example of a conclusion:

“In summary, Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families as disastrous, not just for those directly involved in the struggle, but even for those characters who wished to escape the conflict. Romeo and Juliet’s deaths – as well as the untimely murders of Mercutio and Tybalt – show how irrational family ties and ideas about honour bring about only endless violence and destroy even the youngest and most innocent bound up in these conflicts.”

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Author: Nick

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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