Writing in A-level English literature essays: Professional reflections on text organisation

There appears to be little research on the standard of post-16 students’ writing and how it can be improved. In respect of such students, the focus of teaching professionals seems to be on content rather than on the writing process; arguably this leads to weaknesses in written expression. This article examines some current research and follows one teacher’s attempts to put in place some strategies in her classroom to improve the overall text cohesion of analytical essay-writing of post-16 students. Following analysis of the work of ten, post-16, English Literature students, the article focuses on how the explicit teaching of planning, openings/introductions, paragraphing within the main body of the text and conclusions, affected students’ analytical essay-writing. The article then reviews whether there are differences in how best to improve the writing of students of different abilities. Finally the article considers what implications the research has for teachers and for teacher education providers.