Love Through the Ages - How to Plan for your A2 Coursework From Mrs Sims

1. Choose 3/4 key sections from each text which focus on your main Completed
theme.

2. The exploration stage By Monday

• read closely 15th Feb
• annotate
• make notes on how form, structure and language are used to
convey the theme
• pull out key quotations (preferably short ones) and ‘unpack’
them
3. Think about alternative readings/ interpretations. How might other By Tuesday
readers interpret the quotations or ideas you have unpacked? You can 16th Feb
select some short quotations from critics if you wish, but you do not
have to do this. You can talk about the general alternative readers.
Make notes.

4. Find similarities and differences between your texts and list them. By Tuesday
These comparisons might be to do with the theme and ideas or the ways 15th Feb
the writers present those ideas e.g. form, structure and language

5. Plan your essay: By

Remember that the key words in the question must drive your essay. If Wednesday
your focus is the ‘darker side of love’, then you are presenting an 16th Feb
argument about how the different writers present this theme. So… the
darker side of love drives all your comments.
For 3000 words you will need to write 11 – 12 chunky well developed
paragraphs. And if we’re staying with the Maths, then that means 3 – 4
chunky well developed paragraphs on each text… Give each paragraph
a topic heading. Add a few well-chosen quotations. Write a few brief
comments.
6. Write your first draft: Hand in
• The introduction: Tuesday
Here you want an overview of your argument, so try to begin 23rd Feb
with a fundamental comparison between all three texts.
• The body of your essay. Be prepared to stay with your first text Feel free to
to develop your ideas in sufficient detail. All your comments hand in
and ideas must grow from a close analysis of the text and before if
unpacking of quotations. Don’t forget to consider alternative you are
interpretations and build to a point of comparison at the end of ready?
the paragraph to lead into your second text and third paragraph Mrs Sims
(chunky!) x
• The conclusion should grow from the arguments presented in
your essay. Try to avoid simplistically restating what you have
said before. Look back to the fundamental point of comparison
stated at the beginning of your essay. Has your argument
changed in the light of your close analysis? Has it been
reinforced? Do you have something new to say? Is there a
quotation that sums up your view?