Writing Skills – Analytical Writing

Description Analysis
vs

Focus is on WHAT Focus is on WHY and HOW

Deals with events Focuses on the causes and

consequences of an event
Recounts what happened
Evaluates strengths and weaknesses
Sounds like a story
Focuses on the significance of what
Follows chronological sequence happened

Shows why something is relevant

Breaks up the event into separate

components and discusses them in
order of importance

Makes comparisons

Makes judgements and conclusions

Activity 1 – Distinguishing between descriptive and analytical writing.

State whether each piece of writing is descriptive or analytical.
1. The British landed on the Indian Subcontinent at the port of Surat, on August 24,
1608. They immediately realised that India offered many riches that they could trade
and goods that they could use. The British Emperor, James I, sent Sir Thomas Roe as
his ambassador to the court of Emperor Jehangir. The two men became friends and
the British were granted permission through a royal order (Farman) to establish a
factory at Surat.
Analytical / Descriptive

2. The British landed in India in 1608 and established contacts at the Mughal court,
trying to gain permission to establish factories within the subcontinent. They were
motivated by the need to refill their ships en route to China as well as by the potential
that trade with India offered.
Analytical / Descriptive
 3. The women of Paris were very angry that there was no bread in the market. This
meant that they did not know how to feed their families. They began to gather
together and discuss the situation. Then they realised that the morning’s newspapers
had news of a party held at Versailles the night before where a great deal of food had
been wasted. Some revolutionaries who noticed how angry the women were
suggested that they go to Versailles to meet the King. The women gathered together
and decided to march to Versailles.
Analytical / Descriptive

 In the space below, rewrite any one of the above in an analytical form.

Activity 2. How to deepen your analysis.

Select which piece of writing has more analysis by marking a tick against the number.
Underline the portions which show more analysis.

1. a) The British were motivated by profit when they decided to trade in India.

b) The British were motivated by the need to refill their ships en route to China as well as
by the potential that trade with India offered.

2. a) Louis was removed from power because he was an incompetent monarch. He could
never make a decision and preferred to spend his time hunting or building clocks, his
favourite hobbies. He spent too much money on luxuries and did not know the condition
of his people.

b) Louis was disinterested in administration and disliked the daily routines of government.
He was indecisive and thus could not make up his mind how to react to the revolution,
swaying between giving concessions and being authoritative. He was disconnected from
the people and thus did not realise the extent of their anger.
Activity 3 – How to avoid unnecessary details and write in a concise manner. Concise writing is
more analytical.

Look at the following pieces of text and try to rewrite them in a shorter, more concise manner,
keeping only the essential details. One example has been done for you.

1. Louis was an incompetent king who did not know how to rule properly. He could never
make a decision and preferred to spend his time hunting in the forests or building clocks,
his favourite hobbies. He spent too much money on luxuries like clothes and renovating
the palace of Versailles. Since he lived secluded at Versailles and never travelled around
the kingdom, he did not know the true condition in which the people of France lived.

 Louis was incompetent, indecisive and uninterested in administration. He was

disconnected form the people and unaware of the condition of France.

2. The Subsidiary Alliance was an alliance between the British and Indian rulers, called
princes. They British forced the Indian princes to sign a treaty which had several clauses.
Some of the clauses were that the British would place a resident at the court of the Indian
prince who would act as an advisor to the prince. The British would control what the
prince could do, how he was to govern his lands, and who he could go to war with. The
prince would give the British some lands and money and in return the British would give
the prince their support and protect him from his enemies.


3. The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy created by the British to gain more lands in India. The
policy stated that if a ruler died and he did not have a son who was his natural heir, his
kingdom would automatically go into British hands. Adopting an heir had long been
allowed in the Indian system but now the British said that adopted sons were not allowed
to take over after the death of the ruler.
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