A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PREPARING

TO WRITE YOUR COURSEWORK . . .

The hourglass approach to how much time you

spend on planning, writing, editing your essay . . .

Planni
ng
Writin
g

Editing

STEP 1: Assemble your tools.

These are:
Your brain
Pens and
highlighters
Your targets from
previous essays
The text/s
Your notes
Previous essays
Grids
Worksheets

STEP 2: QUESTION THE QUESTION

What about
the men?
Might they be
powerless
too? Could
bring in AO4
here

In THT and --- women are

presented as dependent on men
and ultimately powerless. How
far would you agree?
Directive:
argue
AO1/3
How the
writer
uses
language,
structure
and form
AO2

Are they
powerless at
the end as
well as the
beginning?
AO2:
structure

In what way
are they
powerless?
Could bring in
AO4 here as
well as AO2

Step 3: Mindmap your thoughts.

Vomit out your ideas.
Click this lin
k for
a guide on
how to min
dmap

See
next
slide
for an
exampl
e of a
mindm
ap

First mindmap

HAVE A BREAK!!!

Step 4: Pick out the carrots

Select and reject:
using highlighters,
select points to be
included and group
them by colour
Assemble them into a
new, more organised
mindmap. See
example on next
slide . . .

Second mindmap

Step 5: Now you have done the thinking,

rework the question into your thesis

In the opening pages of THT

and ---- the women are
presented as powerless and
dependent on their men,
however . . .

Some of the women in THT and

---- are depicted both as
dependent and powerless
throughout both novels,
however . . .
The women in THT and --- are
depicted both as dependent
and powerless throughout both
plays, however . . .

ASK YOURSELF:
Which arguments
resonate with you best?
Which ones can you
argue the most
effectively?
Can you use one as a
main argument and the
others as alternative
interpretations?

Step 6: Write your topic sentences

Dont forget to check that
they:

Click here for

an
explanation
of a topic
sentence

Answer the question

Dont repeat the same
point
Arent evidence rather than
a point
Give you a chance to
compare similarities and
differences between the
plays
Allow you to cover the AOs

HAVE A BREAK!!!

Step 7: assemble the quotes to match your

topic sentences

Step 8: Start writing!

Step 9: Edit your work

Have you:
Covered all the AOs?
Evaluated your points?
Used short, precise quotes?
Embedded and introduced your quotes?
Used academic language?
Used correct literary terminology?
Addressed your argument throughout the essay?
Checked your spellings?
Included a bibliography?
Presented your essay as per my instructions?
Checked for unintentional plagiarism?
Asked your parents/carers/friends to read it for sense?

Step 10:
Make
yourself a
cup of tea
and
relax . . .