How should I structure my A-level literature essay?

To begin with, it is necessary to have a thesis, which summarises your main argument in a sentence or two. This should be able to answer the questions: 'What is the writer doing', 'Why are they doing this' and 'What implications does this have?' So, for example, if you are answering the question '"Primarily, this play presents a clash between two cultures, not two individuals.’ Examine this view of A Streetcar Named Desire,' a good thesis example could be: 'Williams depicts Blanche and Stanley as exaggerated representations of their cultures in order to portray the increasing struggle between the traditional Old South, that Blanche represents, and the multicultural New South, which Stanley embodies. As Blanche is defeated by Stanley at the end of the play, Williams shows how he believes traditional values are being overthrown by modern life. By sympathetically portraying Blanche, Williams can be interpreted as critical of this shift in culture.' This thesis should be embedded into your introduction, so as to state your argument at the beginning of your essay. As well as this thesis statement you should also open up the question to explain what it means in relation to your text, discuss some context within your text sits, which is relevant to the question, and map out the points within your essay. So, it should be structured to follow these questions: What does the question say, and how does it relate to your text?How is any historical/ cultural context surrounding your text relevant to the question?What will you argue/ what is your thesis?How will you argue this/ what are your points?Your essay should consist of 4 or 5 points that all support this thesis. They should be regarding different ways in which the writer does what you claim they do, and use different examples from the text. Each point should be one or two paragraphs. They should start with a subject sentence, which summarises the point. (The reader should be able to follow your argument by reading only the subject sentences of each point.) After this, you should embed an example in quotations where you think that the claim in your subject sentence is shown. After this, analyse the quotation by saying what you think it means, and then explain why you think it defends the claim of your subject sentence. Lastly, link your claim back to explain why it supports your thesis.Lastly, in your conclusion you should summarise your points (how the writer does what you argue), re-state what you argue/ your thesis, giving more details than you did in your introduction, and then discuss why it matters in relation to a larger context (for example: culturally, societally, within literary history etc...)