From PEE to Analytical Paragraphs (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Exam code: 8702
A PEEL paragraph or PETAL paragraph gives you a simple structure for writing about a text. It’s a useful place to start, but the highest marks in your AQA GCSE English Literature essays go to answers that use each analytical paragraph to develop an idea.
This page explains what PEE, PEEL and PETAL mean, then shows you how to turn a PEE paragraph into a strong analytical paragraph, with worked examples from A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls. It ends with a phrase bank of analytical verbs and sentence starters.
What is a PEE paragraph?
A PEE paragraph is a paragraph built in three steps: Point, Evidence, Explain. Many students meet the Point Evidence Explain structure early in secondary school, because it reminds you to back up every idea with the text and then say what the evidence means.
What is PEE in English?
In English, PEE is a mnemonic for the three parts of an analytical paragraph. A PEE paragraph in English works like this:
Point: a sentence that makes one clear point about the text
Evidence: a quotation or a reference to the text that supports the point
Explain: an explanation of how the evidence supports your point
So what is PEEL? PEEL adds a fourth step, Link, where you connect the paragraph back to the question. A PEEL paragraph in English is probably the version you’ll see most often. PETAL is a longer version that asks you to name a technique and analyse the writer’s language.
Letter | PEE | PEEL | PETAL |
|---|---|---|---|
P | Point | Point | Point |
E | Evidence | Evidence | Evidence |
E / T | Explain | Explain | Technique |
A | – | – | Analysis |
L | – | Link | Link |
PEEL vs PETAL: what is the difference?
A PEEL paragraph keeps the explanation general. It’s a good structure if you tend to forget to link your paragraph back to the question, because the final step reminds you to do it.
A PETAL paragraph splits the explanation into two parts: the technique the writer uses, and your analysis of its effect. Teachers often use PETAL when students need to say more about the writer’s methods. Both structures help you make a point, support it with the text and explain its effect.
Why move beyond PEE in English Literature?
PEE is a helpful starting point, and there’s nothing wrong with it. If you already know how to write a PEEL paragraph, you’ve learned the most important habit: every idea needs evidence, and every piece of evidence needs explaining.
However, a fixed order can make your writing repetitive. The AQA English Literature mark scheme rewards a “critical, exploratory, conceptualised” response at the top level. In practice, this means each paragraph should develop an idea about the text, and the structure should follow the idea. Moving beyond PEE helps you in three ways:
You can use more than one quotation in a paragraph, so you can trace an idea across the text
You have room to offer an alternative interpretation, which shows the examiner you’re thinking critically
You can weave context into your analysis, so the context helps to explain the writer’s purpose at the point where it matters
You don’t need to completely abandon PEE. Think of it as the minimum each paragraph needs, and then build on it.
How do you write an analytical paragraph?
Here’s how to write a strong analytical paragraph in five steps:
Write a topic sentence that answers the question with one clear idea
Embed a short quotation, or a precise reference to the text, that supports the idea
Analyse the key words in the quotation, and name the writer’s method where it helps
Explain the writer’s purpose, using context where it is relevant to the point you’re making
Link back to the question by taking your idea one step further than your topic sentence
Your topic sentence matters most, because it tells the examiner what the paragraph will argue. A topic sentence that uses the key words of the question keeps the whole paragraph relevant.
How to write a comparative paragraph
When a question asks you to compare two poems, a PEEL structure for each poem in turn can split your answer in half. A comparative paragraph works better when it follows this shape:
Write a topic sentence that names both poems and the idea they share or treat differently
Analyse a short quotation from the first poem
Use a comparative connective, such as “similarly” or “in contrast”, to move to the second poem
Analyse a short quotation from the second poem, and explain how the two poets’ methods differ
This shape keeps both poems in every paragraph, so the examiner can see that you’re comparing throughout.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The most useful habit to develop is to start each paragraph with an idea about the question. A topic sentence such as “Dickens uses a list” names a feature, but it doesn’t make an argument yet. A topic sentence that answers the question tells the examiner what you think, and that’s what the top marks reward.
Before you write, ask yourself what the paragraph will prove. Then use the key words of the question in your opening sentence. For example, you could write: “At the start of the novella, Dickens presents Scrooge’s greed as so extreme that it seems almost violent.”
What does an analytical paragraph look like?
The table below shows a PEE paragraph, a PEEL paragraph example and a strong analytical paragraph. All three answer the same question: how does Dickens present Scrooge as greedy in Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol?
Version | A Christmas Carol |
|---|---|
PEE | Dickens presents Scrooge as greedy. This is shown when the narrator calls him a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” This shows that Scrooge is greedy and wants to keep all his money. |
PEEL | Dickens presents Scrooge as greedy. The narrator calls him “grasping” and “covetous”, which suggests that he wants to hold on to everything he has. This shows that Scrooge cares more about money than people, which links to the question because Dickens presents him as a greedy man. |
Analytical paragraph | At the start of the novella, Dickens presents Scrooge’s greed as so extreme that it seems almost violent. The narrator calls him a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner”. Five of these words are present participles (verbs ending in “-ing”), so the list makes Scrooge sound as if he is always grabbing at money. The word “wrenching” also suggests force, as if he takes money from people who don’t want to give it. However, the final word, “sinner”, could suggest that Dickens sees greed as a moral failing that Scrooge could still repent of. This prepares the reader for his redemption. Dickens wrote the novella in 1843, partly in response to poverty in Victorian England, so Scrooge’s greed stands for the selfishness of the wealthy. Later in Stave 1, Scrooge says that if the poor die, they should “decrease the surplus population”, which shows that his greed shapes how he sees other people. |
What changed?
The topic sentence: the analytical paragraph makes an argument about how extreme Scrooge’s greed is, so the examiner knows what the paragraph will prove
The evidence: the quotation is embedded in the sentence, and single words are then picked out to analyse
The analysis: the analytical paragraph comments on a pattern (the “-ing” verbs) and on one key word (“wrenching”)
The alternative interpretation: the word “sinner” is read in a second way, which shows critical thinking
The context: Dickens’ purpose is woven into the analysis, and a second quotation develops the idea
The link: the last sentence develops the idea further, where the PEEL version only repeats its point
The analytical paragraph is longer, but every sentence adds something new. That’s why it earns more credit than three short paragraphs that each repeat the same point.
Analytical verbs and sentence starters
The right words help you move from one step of a paragraph to the next. The table below groups useful sentence starters for an English Literature essay by the job each one does. The examples come from An Inspector Calls.
Job | Sentence starters | Example from An Inspector Calls |
|---|---|---|
Making a point | Priestley presents… as… / Priestley uses… to… / At the start of the play… | Priestley presents Mr Birling as a man who measures everything in money. |
Introducing evidence | This is clear when… / … describes himself as… / In Act 1… | Mr Birling describes himself as a “hard-headed, practical man of business”. |
Analysing | The word “…” suggests… / The image of… implies… / The repetition of… emphasises… | The adjective “hard-headed” suggests Birling is proud of being unemotional. |
Alternative interpretation | However, this could also suggest… / Alternatively… / On the other hand, an audience might feel… | Alternatively, the word “practical” could suggest that Birling dismisses moral questions as a waste of time. |
Linking to context and the writer’s purpose | Priestley may want the audience to… / Writing in 1945, Priestley… / This reflects… | Writing in 1945, Priestley uses Birling to criticise the selfishness of capitalism. |
Linking back to the question | This shows that… / As a result… / By the end of the play… | In his final speech in Act 3, the Inspector warns of “fire and blood and anguish”, which shows Priestley’s view that selfishness has consequences. |
These essay sentence starters are a scaffold. Once they feel natural, vary them, because the same starter in every paragraph makes your writing sound mechanical.
Analytical verbs
Analytical verbs say what the writer’s words do. Analytical verbs in English range from simple to precise. Choose the verb that matches how confident your claim is.
Type of claim | Analytical verbs | When to use them |
|---|---|---|
Stating what is there | shows, presents, describes | For a point the reader can see directly in the text |
Interpreting | suggests, implies, hints, conveys | For a meaning you’re reading beneath the surface, which another reader might see differently |
Arguing about effect | emphasises, reveals, highlights, reinforces | For a point about how strongly the writer makes the reader feel or notice something |
Arguing about purpose | undermines, challenges, exposes, criticises | For a confident argument about what the writer is attacking or questioning |
For example, in An Inspector Calls, Sheila says that the girls in the factory “aren’t cheap labour – they’re people”. You could write that this line “challenges” Mr Birling’s view of his workers. A more precise verb like “challenges” makes your argument clearer than “shows”, as long as you can explain it.
Analysis sentence starters
Your analysis sentence starters should point the examiner to a specific word or method, because the AQA mark scheme rewards close analysis of the writer’s methods. Useful sentence starters for analysis include:
The word “…” suggests…
The verb “…” implies…
The contrast between “…” and “…” emphasises…
By placing… at the end of the scene, the writer…
What are the common mistakes?
Following the formula mechanically: writing every paragraph in exactly the same order makes your essay repetitive, and it can stop you developing an idea across a paragraph
Evidence with no analysis: a quotation that you don’t explain earns little credit, because the examiner can’t see what you think it shows
Repeating the point as the “link”: a final sentence that restates your topic sentence wastes time, because it adds no new idea
Overlong quotations: copying out a long sentence leaves less time to analyse, and it’s harder for the examiner to see which words you’re focusing on
“This shows…” after every quotation: using the same phrase each time makes your analysis vague, so choose a more precise analytical verb
Explaining the obvious: spending a sentence on what the quotation means on the surface leaves less room for the deeper reading that earns higher marks
Writing analytical paragraphs in your AQA English Literature exam
An analytical paragraph brings together the first three assessment objectives (AOs) for AQA GCSE English Literature:
AO1: “Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.”
AO2: “Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.”
AO3: “Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.”
Your topic sentence, embedded quotations and alternative interpretations meet AO1. Your analysis of key words and methods meets AO2. Your link to context and the writer’s purpose meets AO3. AO4 asks you to “use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation”. AO4 is worth 4 marks on the Shakespeare question in Paper 1 and on the modern text question in Paper 2.
Paper 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and has two essays, so you’ll have around 50 minutes for each. Paper 2 lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and has three sections. In a full essay, four or five well-developed analytical paragraphs will usually earn more than eight short ones.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In Paper 1, Section B, the question starts with an extract from your 19th-century novel and then asks about the novel as a whole. A strong analytical paragraph can analyse both at once. Start with a quotation from the extract, then link it to a moment elsewhere in the novel that develops the same idea.
This shows the examiner your knowledge of the whole text without needing a separate paragraph. For example, you could write: “Scrooge’s wish to ‘decrease the surplus population’ in Stave 1 is thrown back at him by the Ghost of Christmas Present in Stave 3, which shows Dickens’ purpose of making Scrooge face his own cruelty.”
Sources
Priestley, J.B. (1992). An Inspector Calls. Heinemann.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. Project Gutenberg eBook #46. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46
AQA. GCSE English Literature (8702) Specification. AQA.
AQA. GCSE English Literature (8702) Paper 1 and Paper 2 Mark Schemes, June 2023. AQA.
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