A2 Literature - 1st draft checklist

Before you hand your 1st draft in at the end of this week, please self check it to make sure it's as good as you can make it:

- Does your opening paragraph introduce each text (full titles, authors, dates) and make explicit reference to the question? Do you set up your thesis?

- Does the first line of each paragraph set up each paragraph? (ie, is it a topic sentence?) Does the first sentence of each paragraph refer back in some way to the previous one (even if only briefly, through 'We can also see this idea developed by ...'; 'In contrast...' etc)

- Is each text handled fairly equally?

- Are you including (and preferably embedding) quotations from each text?

- Have you included specific, detailed textual analysis?

- Is the essay genuinely comparative?

- Have you used appropriate secondary criticism? Is it genuinely contributing to your essay?

- Does your essay make clear your appreciation of the contextual influences on each text? (You might want to go back & watch the short video on this blog which reminds you of the key contextual points for each text)

- Have you added footnotes?

- Is there a bibliography?

- Is there a word count?

- Have you spell-checked it? Checked the basics?

- Have you looked again at the examples of previous students' coursework I gave you?

I will be having 1-1s with you next week to give you feedback on your essays. We will sort the appointment times out in Thursday's lesson.  Your first draft needs to be handed in to me by Friday 11am, please.

If possible, please could you double space your essay & make sure it's in size 12 or 14 font. Thanks!