From PEE to Analytical Paragraphs (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Exam code: 4ET1
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 Edexcel International 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 Great Expectations 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.
Pearson’s examiner reports for the unseen poetry question also suggest PETER: Point, Evidence, Technique, Effect on Reader. The reports say PETER is useful because it “addresses the points in the mark grid”.
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 Edexcel International GCSE English Literature mark scheme rewards “assured personal engagement and a perceptive critical style” 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, whether you learned the PEE English structure or the PEEL paragraph English teachers often use.
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: “In Chapter 8, Dickens presents Pip’s shame as something Estella passes on to him, almost like an illness.”
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 Pip’s shame in Chapter 8 of Great Expectations?
Version | Great Expectations |
|---|---|
PEE | Dickens presents Pip as ashamed. This is shown when Estella says “what coarse hands he has. And what thick boots!” This shows that Pip is ashamed and wants to look less poor. |
PEEL | Dickens presents Pip as ashamed. Estella calls him a “common labouring-boy” and mocks his “coarse hands”, which suggests that she looks down on him. This shows that Pip cares more about Estella’s opinion than his own, which links to the question because Dickens presents him as an ashamed boy. |
Analytical paragraph | In Chapter 8, Dickens presents Pip’s shame as something Estella passes on to him, almost like an illness. Estella mocks him because he “calls the knaves, Jacks” and has “coarse hands” and “thick boots”. These are small, physical details, so the list makes Pip’s whole body seem like proof of his class. Pip says that her contempt “became infectious, and I caught it”. The word “infectious” suggests that shame spreads like a disease, as if Pip has no defence against it. However, the word “caught” could also suggest that Pip is willing to take on Estella’s values. This prepares the reader for his snobbery later in the novel. Dickens wrote the novel in 1860–61, when Victorian society judged people by their class and manners, so Pip’s shame stands for how class could divide families. Later in Chapter 8, Pip wishes that “Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up”, which shows that his shame shapes how he sees other people. |
What changed?
The topic sentence: the analytical paragraph makes an argument about how Pip’s shame spreads, 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 physical details in Estella’s list) and on one key word (“infectious”)
The alternative interpretation: the word “caught” 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. Keep a list of the sentence starters English Literature essay plans need most, and practise them in timed answers.
Analytical verbs
Analytical verbs say what the writer’s words do. Analytical verbs in English range from simple to precise. The table below groups the analytical verbs English Literature essays use most often. 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 Edexcel mark scheme rewards close analysis of the writer’s methods in every question that assesses AO2. 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 Edexcel International GCSE English Literature exam
An analytical paragraph brings together three of the four assessment objectives (AOs) for Edexcel International GCSE English Literature:
AO1: “Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement.”
AO2: “Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects.”
AO4: “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 AO4. AO3, “Explore links and connections between texts”, is assessed only in the anthology poetry question, where your paragraphs compare two poems.
Each section assesses a different mix of AOs, so your paragraphs change a little from section to section:
Section | AOs | What your paragraphs need |
|---|---|---|
AO2 | Close analysis of the poet’s methods | |
AO2, AO3 | Analysis of methods in both poems, with comparison in every paragraph | |
AO1, AO4 | Close knowledge of the text, with context woven in. AO2 isn’t assessed in this section | |
AO1, AO2 | Close knowledge of the text and analysis of methods. Context isn’t assessed in this section | |
AO1, AO2, AO4 | Knowledge of the text, analysis of methods and context |
If you take the coursework option (Component 3), Assignment A assesses AO1 and AO2, and Assignment B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO4, which matches Paper 2.
Paper 1 lasts 2 hours and has three sections. The June 2025 paper suggests 35 minutes for Section A, 40 minutes for Section B and 45 minutes for Section C. Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and has two sections, with 45 minutes for each. 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 2, Section B, the question asks about your literary heritage text as a whole, and no extract is printed. You can take a clean copy of the text into the exam, so a strong analytical paragraph can start with one key quotation and 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, for the June 2024 question on social advancement in Great Expectations, you could write: “Pip is ashamed of his ‘coarse hands’ in Chapter 8, but in Chapter 39 Magwitch boasts ‘I’ve made a gentleman on you!’, which shows Dickens questioning what really makes someone a gentleman.”
Sources
Priestley, J.B. (1992). An Inspector Calls. Heinemann.
Dickens, C. (2008). Great Expectations. Oxford.
Pearson Edexcel (n.d.). International GCSE English Literature (4ET1) Specification. Issue 3. Pearson.
Pearson Edexcel (2024–2025). International GCSE English Literature (4ET1) Paper 1 and Paper 2 Question Papers and Mark Schemes, June 2025, and Paper 2 Question Paper, June 2024. Pearson.
Pearson Edexcel (2025). International GCSE English Literature (4ET1) Paper 1 Examiner Report, June 2025. Pearson.
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