Year 11 - English
Planning an essay on societal expectations in 'An Inspector Calls'
'An Inspector Calls': societal expectations of gender and class
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn about how Priestly questions societal expectations of gender and class in 'An Inspector Calls'. They look at three female characters, Sheila, Mrs Birling and Eva, and also explore how masculinity is presented. They finally plan and write an essay on the topic.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to create a detailed plan for an essay on societal expectations in 'An Inspector Calls'.
Key Notes
- A thesis statement is a clear, overarching argument.
- Topic sentences give focus to individual paragraphs.
- The planning of supporting details needs to be concise.
- Supporting details should identify keywords, methods, both supporting and main quotations from across the play.
- Concluding sentences can focus on a writer's intention and draw your paragraph to a close.
Vocabulary To Learn
- topic sentence: the first sentence of a paragraph, which states the paragraph's main idea
- thesis: the overarching argument to an essay, supported by the entire text
- concise: giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words, being brief and to the point
- concluding sentence: the final sentence of a paragraph, which draws together the main idea in the paragraph, and links to the writer's intentions
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Planning an essay just means listing points I want to cover and then writing a draft straight away.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A thesis statement is a clear, overarching argument. Topic sentences give focus to individual paragraphs.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'topic sentence'
the first sentence of a paragraph, which states the paragraph's main idea.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Planning an essay just means listing points I want to cover and then writing a draft straight away. Correction: Whilst this can work, clearly understanding your argument, structuring your ideas, and deciding what evidence or quotations to use before you start writing can be much more efficient and effective.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Contextualising gender expectations in 'An Inspector Calls' Study Guide
- Eva Smith in 'An Inspector Calls': representation and symbolism Study Guide
- Exploring interpretations of masculinity in 'An Inspector Calls' Study Guide
- Sheila and changing attitudes toward gender and class in 'An Inspector Calls' Study Guide
- Understanding gender and class through Mrs Birling in 'An Inspector Calls' Study Guide
- Using quotations and context effectively in an 'An Inspector Calls' essay Study Guide
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