1. 🧠 WHAT YOU’RE ACTUALLY DOING (CORE IDEA)
Most students mess this up.
You are NOT:
summarising
listing techniques
spotting devices like a checklist
You ARE:
explaining how the author constructs an argument to influence a
specific audience
If you’re not talking about:
content + tone + audience impact
you’re capping yourself at mid-range.
2. 🧩 THE 3 LAYER STRUCTURE (THIS IS EVERYTHING)
Every good paragraph should hit this:
Layer 1 — WHAT (argument)
What is the author saying?
What is their contention or sub-argument?
Layer 2 — HOW (methods)
Language choices
Tone shifts
Evidence
Appeals (logic, emotion, authority)
Layer 3 — WHY (effect)
How does this position the audience?
What are they meant to feel, think, or do?
👉 If you skip Layer 3 = instant mark drop
3. 🧱 PERFECT PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE (USE THIS)
🔹 Topic Sentence
, Identify argument + intention
The writer asserts that ___ in order to position the audience to ___
🔹 Evidence + Technique
Embed quotes (short, sharp)
Identify method
By describing ___ as “___”, the author employs ___
🔹 Analysis (THIS IS WHERE YOU GET MARKS)
Answer:
Why this word?
Why this tone?
Why here?
This evokes ___, encouraging the audience to feel ___
🔹 Link to Audience
As a result, the audience is positioned to ___
🔹 Mini-link to contention
reinforcing the broader argument that ___
4.HIGH LEVEL TECHNIQUES (STOP SAYING “EMOTIVE LANGUAGE”)
Examiners hate basic labels.
Upgrade your vocabulary:
Instead of:
emotive language →
✅ emotionally charged diction
✅ pathos-driven appeal
Most students mess this up.
You are NOT:
summarising
listing techniques
spotting devices like a checklist
You ARE:
explaining how the author constructs an argument to influence a
specific audience
If you’re not talking about:
content + tone + audience impact
you’re capping yourself at mid-range.
2. 🧩 THE 3 LAYER STRUCTURE (THIS IS EVERYTHING)
Every good paragraph should hit this:
Layer 1 — WHAT (argument)
What is the author saying?
What is their contention or sub-argument?
Layer 2 — HOW (methods)
Language choices
Tone shifts
Evidence
Appeals (logic, emotion, authority)
Layer 3 — WHY (effect)
How does this position the audience?
What are they meant to feel, think, or do?
👉 If you skip Layer 3 = instant mark drop
3. 🧱 PERFECT PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE (USE THIS)
🔹 Topic Sentence
, Identify argument + intention
The writer asserts that ___ in order to position the audience to ___
🔹 Evidence + Technique
Embed quotes (short, sharp)
Identify method
By describing ___ as “___”, the author employs ___
🔹 Analysis (THIS IS WHERE YOU GET MARKS)
Answer:
Why this word?
Why this tone?
Why here?
This evokes ___, encouraging the audience to feel ___
🔹 Link to Audience
As a result, the audience is positioned to ___
🔹 Mini-link to contention
reinforcing the broader argument that ___
4.HIGH LEVEL TECHNIQUES (STOP SAYING “EMOTIVE LANGUAGE”)
Examiners hate basic labels.
Upgrade your vocabulary:
Instead of:
emotive language →
✅ emotionally charged diction
✅ pathos-driven appeal
