What do I need to do to write an A* essay?

The key skill you need to display is an in-depth knowledge of the text. This means you should be able to back up every point you make with at least one quote from the text, and you should use AO2, 3 & 4 in every paragraph. The difference between the A and A* is how effectively you USE these tools. This means you shouldn’t deploy critical quotes and context randomly, without explaining why they are relevant and how they give us a new insight into the text. The critical quotes don’t have to back up your point: it’s ok if the critic disagrees with you, as you are entitled to an opinion and everyone reads texts in different ways, and it is much better to present a two-sided argument than blindly accept everything the critics say, they aren’t always right, that’s the beauty of Literature! Try to present a range of A03 & 4 sources to show off your knowledge of the topic: this can include film adaptations, plays and their reviews, responsive poetry, and anything you can get your hands on, the more variation the better! The marker will form an opinion of your essay very quickly, so make sure your introduction is strong: aim to include all of the AO’s at this point, otherwise you are wasting time on something that won’t directly hit the marking objectives. The same goes for your conclusion – try to say something new, don’t just re-hash your essay, and make sure you leave enough time to finish on a strong note, an essay that tails off won’t get the top band. Good luck!