1. A formal essay This sounds daunting and off-putting doesn’t it?
You’ll find yourself having
to write essays at some
time in your education.
The good news is that I
am here to give you some tips.
Follow my advice and
make things easier
for yourself.
My aim is to look at how to write a formal essay.

2. Look at the following list
Look at the following list. Which features do you think are important for a formal essay?
a plan
a friendly style
quotations or examples
humour
understanding of and references to the question
use of Standard English
organisation into paragraphs
subheadings
clearly written points

3. These are the areas which you should have highlighted:
a plan
quotations or examples
understanding of and references to the question
use of Standard English
organisation into paragraphs
clearly written points
Humour and a friendly style may be useful at times, but are not essential. Subheadings should be avoided.

4. PLANNING
This is an essential part of any essay. It is the foundation on which your essay will be built. So how can a plan help?
It enables you to structure and organise your ideas
It can help you to develop and explore ideas.
A plan helps to prevent you from running out of ideas.
It can help you keep to the time available.
NOTE: The presentation ‘Plan, draft and present’ may be a useful reminder for students on how to plan their writing.

5. In what ways does Shakespeare create a mood of evil in this scene?
THE QUESTION
An essay title may ask you to analyse a text, such as a Shakespeare play. How do you decide what to write about?
The question will tell you.
Look at how the important parts have been highlighted in this question.
You are looking for a number of ways.
In what ways does Shakespeare create a mood of evil in this scene?
You are looking at how the writer works
You are looking for the theme of evil

6. Now read these questions and decide on the important parts.
THE QUESTION
Now read these questions and decide on the important parts.
How do the audience’s impressions of Henry as a leader change during this scene?
asking for our opinion
It is the leadership qualities of Henry we must look at
We must discuss the change
Discuss the arguments for and against fox hunting
Write about/explain
We must look at both sides of the argument

7. STRUCTURE
A clear organisation and structure to your essay is very important if it is going to be easy to follow.
In the KS3 SATs, you will be asked to write an essay on one of Shakespeare's plays.
You will be given 1 hour 15 minutes to answer one question.
You will need to structure your writing to ensure you make all the points you wish to make, as well as using the time wisely.

8. Sometimes a structure will be given to you.
In the SATs you may be given bullet points to consider. These are not questions, but starting points for you to develop your own points.
However, you can easily deal with each bullet point in one or two paragraphs, as long as you find the evidence to support you.
Sometimes, you may need to create your own structure.

10. Now you will need to add an INTRODUCTION and a CONCLUSION
In your introduction:
introduce the subject of the essay
refer back to key words in the question
avoid waffling and being vague
grab your reader’s attention

12. What did you think?
1) The first writer makes it clear what s/he is writing about - the witches. S/he makes a good point about how they are there to frighten the audience. The phrases ‘I am going to…’ and ‘I think…’ sound a little immature and vague.
2) The second writer starts with a relevant quotation - a striking start. The vocabulary used is mature - ‘sinister’, ‘echo’. The use of a question grabs the reader’ attention. This is the stronger opening.

13. LANGUAGE
It’s important to use the right sort of language or words in a formal essay. You should avoid ‘slang’ or colloquial words, using Standard English instead.

15. LANGUAGE
Connectives can also be very useful when writing a formal essay. They can help you change smoothly from one topic to another, and from one paragraph to the next.
The most appropriate connectives are (in this order)
although
Similarly
For example
An extension activity could be to ask students to list as many connectives as they can that figure highly in formal essays.

17. In pairs, make a list of 5 essential features of a formal essay.
Plenary
You are likely to be asked to write a formal essay in a limited period of time. It is essential that you know how to tackle an essay quickly.
In pairs, make a list of 5 essential features of a formal essay.
GOOD LUCK, for when the formal essay strikes. Now you should be ready for it!
Students could be asked to create a display/poster to advise on how to tackle a formal essay.