This book is a superb all-in-one guide to success GCSE English Language and English Literature - GCSE English 2003
Analyse, Review and Comment
Section Six — Arguing and Analysing
"Analyse, Review and Comment" — it's a bit more clinical than an arguing essay (like a report).
So leave out the emotional stuff.
You Still Have to be Convincing
1) 'Analyse' and 'review' might sound like vague words. But they're not.
2) They still mean you have to be clear, logical and precise.
3) The examiner wants you to sound as though you know what you're talking about.
4) You have to write convincingly.
Q1. Analyse the merits and disadvantages of wearing uniforms to school.
Analyse — break the subject down into pieces and look at each one individually.
Merits — sense of identity, easy for others to identify, smartness.
Disadvantages — restricting, less individuality, (etc... go into detail on all these points).
Review — bring them all together again, with an overview of the whole topic.
School staff tend to feel the merits, while pupils are the ones who live with the disadvantages.
Comment — Make a balanced comment on the arguments you've discussed in your essay. Ultimately it should be recognised that not all teachers think pupils should wear uniforms, and not all pupils hate wearing them.
Make Your Writing More Detached
1) You're still trying to show readers why they agree with you — but now you have to sound detached.
2) It needs to read more like a clinical report than a persuasive essay.
3) That doesn't mean it has to be boring — it just means you can't take sides.
Make Sure You Plan All Sides of the Argument
You're presenting a report on all the different sides of an argument.
The whole point is to make it all as concise and orderly as possible.
Planning an analysis essay needs bullet points.
Make sure you have a strong argument
The main thing is to be logical. Don't use emotional pleas unless they're relevant. You'll just sound like an idiot if all you say is "oh go on, please agree with me". You need sound arguments.