How should I structure an A Level English Literature Essay?

Your essay should include an introduction, 3 main points (or possibly 4, although the tight timing of A level examinations means 3 may be better as you can go in to more detail) and conclusion.
The introduction should provide a very brief overview of the novel you are discussing as a whole, in relation to any themes or key words in the question. Identifying the key word in the question in relation to themes of the novel You can provide a hypothesis-style statement to summarise your argument.By introducing brief historical context that relates to the theme of the question, you are demonstrating broad knowledge on the period, which you should more deeply discuss in your paragraphs. . It can often be effective to write your introduction after your main points, as you will be able to more concisely explain how you are going to lay out
A good way of structuring your main essay paragraphs is to follow a P.E.E.L structure.
P=PointHere, you will concisely state your first point about the text, perhaps covering one key theme throughout the novel, and explicitly linking it back to the question.
E= EvidenceNext, you should fluidly integrate textual evidence from the novel in to your essay, to back up the point you are making. Using shorter, embedded quotes will be more time-effective for you and engaging to the examiner than including many very long-winded quotes. Contextualising your quotes within the novel is key, it should always be clear which part of the novel you are speaking about.
E= ExplanationHere, you will closely analyse the quotations you have used, paying attention to language, form and structure, and explain how they support your main point. While it is important to identify literary techniques the writer has used, these must be directly linked to the question. Integrating relevant historical context should also be done in your explanation, this can provide an explanation of what motivated the writer to explore the ideas you have just analysed. This can also introduce alternate intepretations between how the novel was received when it was written and how it is received now, which is particularly effective to help you sustain an awareness of the writer's craft by considering their intended audience throughout. This can also be a great time to include critical theory, which introduces opinions on the novel from well-established literary critics. To effectively do this, make sure you give your own view and response towards the critics statement, you do not have to agree with it, but must be able to argue how it supports or contradicts your point and what their statement brings to your essay as a whole.
L= LinkYour linking should consist of several sentences that directly relate your analysis and explanation back to the question, and bring clarity to your argument by identifying links between your different paragraphs. Here, you can relate closer analysis back to the novel as a whole to make sure you address the entire novel rather than only certain sections.
This structure should be repeated for 3 paragraphs.
Conclusion= Your conclusion should concisely summarise your 3 main points, without bringing in any new ideas. It should demonstrate how you have reached your argument and why, reaching an evaluation on why the writer was motivated to explore this. Exploring the links you have made between paragraphs will help formulate a stronger argument, which you will conclude your essay explaining.