Move from shared ideas and oral rehearsal to focused paragraphs and an independent argument.
Identify the audience, purpose, command verb and evidence required. Does the task ask for a defended position, a balanced exploration, an explanation or an evaluation? Labels such as “discursive” vary; the actual question governs the structure.
Use pairs to generate ideas and a table of claim / supporting reason / evidence. Compare possible positions. Select ideas for their relevance and strength of evidence, rather than simply counting ideas on each side.
Model point, evidence, explanation and a link to the question. Show how the evidence supports the reasoning. PEEL is a useful scaffold, not a requirement to write four sentences or to use identical openings.
Writing the body first can help learners discover their argument. Then state a clear position or scope in the introduction. The conclusion synthesises what the evidence supports, acknowledges limits and avoids a new main argument.
Use teacher-written or anonymised paragraphs to examine focus, support and cohesion. Ask learners to repair a weak explanation or reconstruct a missing topic sentence. Provide time to act on one reasoning priority and one language priority.
A shared class plan is useful early practice. Progress to learner-selected evidence and independently organised responses. A five-paragraph plan is one starting scaffold; reports, proposals and scientific explanations retain their own conventions.
Question: Should the school expand its shaded outdoor areas?
Point: More shaded areas could make outdoor spaces usable during hot weather. Illustrative evidence: In a fictional school survey, 18 of 25 learners said they avoided the uncovered courtyard at lunchtime. Explanation: This suggests that heat may reduce access, although the survey does not establish the effect of shade by itself. Link: A small trial would help the school decide whether further investment is worthwhile.
“Shade is good. Everyone loves it. The school should build lots of it because it is nice.”
Shade could improve lunchtime access to the courtyard. In the fictional survey, 18 of 25 learners avoided it because of heat. A shaded trial area could test whether more learners use the space. The survey is small, so the school should check use before and after the trial.
Compare relevance, evidence and qualification; there is no single correct wording.
Draft here, download an editable HTML copy, or print the guide and plan. Drafts are stored in this browser when available. Use anonymised observations.
Adapted from Duncan Rose’s supplied essay-writing teaching material. Examples and activities below are newly written. Use the task’s actual genre, syllabus and assessment criteria; historical examination details in the source are not presented as current rules.