COMPARATIVE ESSAY TEMPLATE

Some guidelines to assist in preparation for the Textual

Investigation AHE

Name ___________________________

Assessment: Refer to Rubric

You will be assessed on
Quality of understanding and interpretation
Relevance of your response
Use of supporting material (references to texts)
Coherence of structure
Fluency and coherence of expression
Organisation of ideas
Technical accuracy (spelling, expression, punctuation, grammar, structure)

Submission:
All students need to refer to the guidelines governing plagiarism, attendance and submission.
The Essay

The Topic
This is a line that introduces the scope of the essay. It operates in place of an essay
question. The topic must set a task that is manageable in the word count. It must also be
broad enough that you do not find yourself repeating the topic word for word in the thesis
statement.
eg. TOPIC: Appropriation as resistance, challenging colonialist discourse: Jean Rhys navigates
the Wide Sargasso Sea.
THESIS STATEMENT: Wide Sargasso Sea explicitly challenges the embedded patriarchal
values of Brontes master narrative, Jane Eyre, revealing with exquisite pathos, the mask of
pain (Rhys, 29) and the marks of pain (Rhys, 30) borne by colonized and Creole women in the
wake of Emancipation.

The Introduction
Introduction: An effective introduction fulfills a number of functions:
1. Hook your reader, use a quotation, dramatic anecdote, or a striking generalisation
about the text(s) or the topic you are addressing. (A great intro is a springboard into
the rest of your essaythe reader has to want to go there!!!)
2. Outline your position in relation to the topic. Work through a position (thesis)
statement which summarises your perspective on how the element you have chosen
is presented in (the/each) text. (Essays are a journey of discovery, so dont give away
too much before you start and remember to avoid heavy handed definitions of the
Oxford or Macquarie variety).

The Body

Explain and Expand your view stated in the introduction. You need to use the texts as
supporting evidence. Carefully consider what you want to say and the order in which you
want to say it. Ensure you maintain relevance in your discussion.

Paragraphing
Good paragraphs have nice open-ended topic sentences which introduce your key
idea but leave your paragraph with room to develop.
All subsequent sentences enlarge, exemplify, explain and develop your ideas.
Most paragraphs benefit from several direct quotations which serve to reinforce
your argument, break the text by introducing a different tone or voice to
substantiate your claims, and can add energy and conviction to your discussion
(they are the icing on the cake of your argument)
In the body of the textual inquiry you need to develop/explore around 3-4 different
aspects/ideas for your topic (this is all you have words for!!!). Each of these
aspects/ideas should have been alluded to in the introduction. Explore only one
aspect/idea per paragraph.
Comparative Essays: ensure you discuss both texts within the one paragraph. Within
the same paragraph, identify both similarities and differences between both texts in
relation to the particular aspect/idea.

1. Introduce your first main point of exploration/comparison. Provide a topic

sentence and then develop this idea with discussion and exploration of both texts.

...

2. Now, introduce your second main point (use a topic sentence) and provide a detailed
exploration and comparison. Ensure that your topic sentence is connected/linked in some way
to the final sentence of your previous paragraph.

3. And introduce your third point of discussion/exploration and provide detail to

support your view. Ensure that your topic sentence is connected/linked in some way to the final
sentence of your previous paragraph.

4. Introduce your fourth point of discussion/exploration and provide detail to support your
view.

The Conclusion
At the risk of stating the obvious, it is the last thing your examiner will read so that makes it your
last opportunity to impress!
A great conclusion will:
Draw your ideas together using fresh language to give your summing up a sense of
flourish and connection to your overall topic.
End on a poetic or lyrical note. Leave your reader with a vision of the larger relevance of
the discussion/text. You have done all the hard work and you can allude to the
inspiration your deep familiarity with the text has given you. Quotations can be used to
great effect here, but strong statements work well too.

 Essay Checklist
Now read back over your work carefully (preferably aloud to hear your
mistakes).
Reading your paragraphs in reverse helps your eye to pick out errors more effectively.
Read the introduction, every topic sentence, and every linking sentence as well as the
conclusion. This should flow seamlessly and will also tell you everything that has been
argued in the essay (all that is missing is the evidence/examples).
Leave yourself time to walk away from the essay, lay it aside for days preferably. Then
come back to it. This will give you the necessary distance to edit/see errors.

Check - Have you:

Addressed your topic?

Provided a clear topic sentence for each paragraph?

Provided supportive evidence/material from both texts?

Provided relevant, appropriate material?

Checked your spelling, punctuation, expression, grammar?

Written a fluent, coherent and logically organised response to the topic?

Filled in the cover sheet on the back of the assignment?

Followed recommended modes of citation?

Created a title page with your name, teachers name, unit and topic?