This introduction covers The Essay That Started With "In this essay I will…" within Structuring an AQA Response for GCSE English Literature. Revise Structuring an AQA Response in Exam Skills for GCSE English Literature with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 12 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

📖 The Essay That Started With "In this essay I will…"

Thirty-nine seconds into reading your essay, an AQA examiner puts a pencil mark in the margin: Level 1. The opening sentence is "In this essay I will discuss how Shakespeare presents ambition in Macbeth." No argument. No interpretation. Just a table of contents.

The examiner is not being harsh. The mark scheme simply cannot award higher than Level 2 for an essay that has no claim yet — only a promise to make one later. The fix takes exactly one sentence. This topic teaches you what that sentence looks like.

Practice questions for Structuring an AQA Response

AQA mark-scheme descriptors for Level 5-6 use two specific words to describe what a high-band essay must do. Which pair of words is correct?

A. Perceptive and convincing
B. Detailed and comprehensive
C. Fluent and structured
D. Accurate and analytical

1 markfoundation

Describe the structural principle that separates a band 5-6 AQA English Literature response from a band 3-4 response. (2 marks)

2 marksstandard

Quick recall flashcards

What is an interpretive claim?

An interpretive claim is a statement that argues HOW or WHY a writer has constructed something — not what a character feels or does. A claim can be argued against. 'Shakespeare presents Macbeth's ambition as self-defeating from the start' is a claim. 'Macbeth is ambitious' is a description.

Why does PETAL reliably produce Level 3 essays?

PETAL asks students to name a technique before making a claim. This produces retrofitted analysis: the 'Analysis' step is added after the technique is named, not before the quotation is selected. The thinking flows from text → technique → claim, instead of claim → proof → explanation. AQA Level 5-6 descriptors reward sustained argument — argument that is constructed before the quotation, not discovered by it.

The Problem with PETAL

The Essay That Started With "In this essay I will…"