What's the best way to structure an A-Level English essay?

Having a clear structure is essential to making sure the examiner is able to easily understand your answer, so you should spend a few minutes before beginning writing planning your structure. In your introduction, which should be no longer than a short paragraph, you should introduce the key texts your answer will be using, any essential background information about the author, and reveal the aspects which you will be considering to arrive at your conclusion. It can sometimes be helpful to hint at the opinion your essay will ultimately be asserting, but try not to give everything away!The main body of your essay, depending on time, should include three or four paragraphs, each of which address a different aspect of the question. For example, in a question asking me to analyse the character of Caliban in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I could have a first paragraph discussing his presentation as a monstrous creature, a second one on more sympathetic interpretations of him as a being connected closely with nature, and a final paragraph considering the post-colonial implications of Caliban getting his island back at the end of the play. Remember to begin each paragraph with a linking sentence, reminding the examiner how this aspect relates back to the question you are trying to answer. Eventually, you need to come to a strong conclusion; like your introduction, this should be no more than a short paragraph at the end of your essay. In this conclusion, you should sum up your opinion and list the aspects that you have considered which have led you to this conclusion. It also often helps to include a quotation from a literary critic to lend your answer authority.