How do I come up with my thesis in an exam?

It is important to come up with a (rough) thesis as quickly as possible. This should basically be the answer to the question, that serves as a starting point for your essay and also allows you to manipulate the question in your favour. Make sure the thesis statement is short and to the point. Using a good thesis will allow you to gain high points in Criterion B (Response to the question) and Criterion D (Organisation and development), as it will allow you to construct a coherent argument. In GCSE your thesis' probably sounded something like this: ‘In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses language structure and literary devices to portray the theme of love'. This will not allow you to get high marks anymore, as it is to vague and not engaging enough. A question such as ‘How do poets use form in their poems?’ would require you to narrow down what you want to talk about in your essay. Your thesis might look something like this: ‘Poet X mainly uses standard poetic forms, however when these are broken it helps her/him to shape the tone of the poem.’ As you can see the thesis has directed your poem into a specific direction (in this case tone and meaning) allowing you to focus on specific parts.