AS and A Level: English Literature Essays, Coursework and Assignments

"Good and informative"

"#1# While some very good points are made in this essay the lack of a conclusion lets it down greatly. This essay goes a long way in tackling the issues of conflict in Wuthering Heights, the points are linked well together and the essay maintains a strong focus on conflict. One of the major problems is it doesn't have a clear introduction or conclusion. The introduction should set out the topic of the essay and the themes that are going to be covered and the conclusion should sum up the points made in the essay and reach a conclusion. This is essential as it shows an ability to make a judgement as well as an ability to synthesis points previously made. Even under time pressure it is better to miss out a point and have a conclusion than have an extra point but no conclusion. #2# The student demonstrates very good analysis in this essay; they cover the conflicts of Wuthering Heights and the Grange, civilised society and uncivilised society and go some way to look into why these conflicts arise in terms of plot. One thing they do not seem to show awareness of is the fact that as fiction this is made up, thus they could have talked about why Emily Bronte may choose to use these conflicts and how they help the story rather than merely accepting the conflicts. The use of quotations is mainly very strong here, the student uses short quotations to add to their points and also goes further than the quotation in their analysis. Where they describe the Grange however the quality falls as they use a quote for a whole sentence. It is important not to do this as it doesn't show the examiner anything other than the fact you are aware of the quote, you need to be able to demonstrate how it links to the topic and what is so important about that quote. The student also paraphrases a critics point of view. This is really useful as it shows that you have done reading apart from the text. It is much easier to learn roughly what the critic says and then paraphrase in the essay but if you can learn a short quote from a critic that is great as well. #3# Overall there is a strong level of spelling and grammar although proof reading does need to be done. It is always key to make sure you can spell the character's names (Edgar not Edger). Also some basic errors such as where/were slip in. Furthermore a few sentences seem to not be full complete e.g. "She thinks she can do what she pleases and she, although her bond with Heathcliff wants a commanding position in society." This is often the case when writing under time pressure as your brain is jumping forward to the next thought, therefore proofreading will make sure that these errors are noticed and corrected. It would also be useful to use more critical terminology such as juxtaposition to show a more intellectual way of thinking about the text."

"#1#From the introduction there is a very clear focus on the dual nature of the question, with the writer considering both the literal and metaphorical significance of the poem. This is good as the writer clearly understands what the 'question' or discussion point is asking. The essay question is not asked as a question, however, limiting the extent to which the writer can evaluate – if the title was rephrased 'To what extent is this a metaphorical and...' et cetera, there would have been far more scope for the writer to evaluate 'this point means that to a small extent it is a literal journey, whereas to a large extent this point does this', adding a vital level of evaluating points to the essay. Evaluation shows that the writer doesn't merely take interpretations at face value and can see how the points could be refuted, or alternatively, just how strong a point it is. #2#There is a good level of the writer connecting the poem to a wider meaning and considering how the poem reflects the great philosophical questions. However, this does tend to overshadow the more detailed analysis of quotes – in some paragraphs, such as para. 7, there is a conspicuous lack of quotes where the writer seems to assert without backing up their points (though the reader feels that they could if they wanted to). Quoting is vital for higher band marks as the writer must show that points aren't just thought of randomly, but driven and supported by evidence from the text. The paragraph considering the syntax of the title of the poem is particularly effective as it analyses the title and then goes on to evaluate and interpret the meaning behind it. Asking questions, as the writer does in this paragraph (para 5), can seem clunky unless the writer makes some attempt to answer them as they do here, which makes them seem more evaluative and thus a good technique to use. The writer concludes in a manner which corresponds with the introduction, which is good as it makes the essay come together as a whole. #3#The direction of the essay is shown from the very first sentence, and the writer lays out the aspects of the poem they will focus on, making the essay structurally clear. Something which shows an advanced level of understanding is the way in which they write in the language of the poem (“the 'autumn' of his life” in particular), showing a deeper connection to the text. A good analysis of structure and form, as they analyse the rhyme scheme and rhythm. This shows a higher-level attention to technical patterns, which clearly shows to the reader that the writer knows what they are writing about and giving an air of knowledge to the essay as a whole. Perhaps more technical language could be used to further this sense – for instance, Frost loosely uses iambic tetrameter, but the writer could consider where the divergences from said rhythm creates a more colloquial tone. This would give more technical weight to, say, the 7th paragraph, and elsewhere when discussing tone."

"Awesome! Really insightful and accurate."

"great lab"