How do I plan an English essay?

The first step is to read the question very carefully, checking it three times over to make sure that you fully understand it. The worst mistake you can make in an English essay is to write about the wrong character or even (it has been known to happen) the wrong book! After this you should jot down your first impressions of the question. Your response will almost always sit somewhere along the spectrum of complete agreement and complete disagreement with the opinion laid out in the question. Decide where you sit on this line before you put pen to paper. The final step of planning is to find a variety of quotes from the text, some of which should support your argument, while others should oppose it - both will be useful in writing a balanced answer to the question.