Paragraphing your essays: Methods

The PEEL Approach

Point
Your first sentence must state your point. It must tell what you are going to talk about in the paragraph.
It is also called the topic sentence or thesis statement1. It is of the utmost importance that the point you
are making is clearly indicated. If it is unclear, your essay will be difficult to follow, and any impact you
may achieve via the explanation of your evidence will be lost. Try to keep it simple, short and sweet. Do
not complicate unnecessarily.

Evidence
Support your point or your thesis
statement. Give evidence to support and
elucidate the point you made earlier.
Good evidences are quotes from the text
or statements that you can deduce from
the text. Your primary evidence can also
be supported from something that you
know beyond the text. It may include
facts, statistics, research findings, quotes
from a credible authority, etc. Make sure
such an evidence is taken from a reliable
source and mention the source too.
Wikipedia doesn’t count! Any material
you present as fact must be sourced.

Explanation
The relevance of your facts must be explained within the context of your argument. How do they help you
make your point? Why are they significant? This should be the main body of the paragraph. Basically, your
explanation should interpret the evidence for the reader. Don’t let the facts do the talking for you – this
is where you make your grade.

Link
This should round off your paragraph, clearly linking your explanation back to your initial question from
your introduction. It will allow you to summate your point and clearly distinguish its relevance to your
discussion whilst allowing you to proceed clearly with your next idea.

Other than reinforcing your original point, the link sentences can also link your writing to the next
paragraph, providing a smooth transition to the next topic or paragraph.

1
The thesis statement is the sentence that states the main idea and helps control the ideas within the
paragraph. It is not merely a topic. It often reflects an opinion or judgment that a writer has made
about a reading or personal experience.
Example:

Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos?

The PETAL Approach:

Point I believe that

P • Give a clear idea that answers the question.
• Use the question to start your sentence. The writer presents as …
• This is a topic sentence that clearly and succinctly
explains your viewpoint. is presented as…

uses a number of in order to

make his readers /audience…

The play/novel has a deliberate

underlying [moral/social/psychological]
significance/reading/message. The
whole play/novel can be seen as a
commentary on …

The theme of is shown by…

The author deals with the question

of through the lives of the
characters he has created in the
novel/play.
 Evidence The is described as “ “ and “
E • Embed your quotations while providing the “…
related event within the play/novel
• Ensure that the quotation is specific and one that This becomes very clear when, in the
upon analysis connects well/supports your point climax [Act no.] [name of the character]
• Cut out parts that are not necessary retorts at [name of the character] that
“ “.

This is shown in the text through the

author’s use of …

A clear example of this is …

Technique This is an example of …
T Identify the technique being used in the quotation.
This has connotations of …

This expertly demonstrates [the topic of

discussion] because it
connotes/portrays/ demonstrates…

The repeated use of words like and

words with similar meanings helps in…
Analysis The use of illustrates
A Break down the quotation and analyse the
language/structure being used or the effect of the The author has used to create the
entity (theme/setting/event/stylistic element) under effect of…
discussion.
Discuss the imagery/connotations and the effect it This statement by [character] could
creates in relation/opposition/conjunction with other suggest that he/she , but on the
ideas. other hand it could be interpreted as

The use of the image/phrase/theme,

etc. highlights/suggests to the
audience/readers.

… involves the reader in the text by…

The author’s intention was to…

This persuades the reader to…

Link This is further exemplified through…
L You can give more quotations to support your claim.
How has the author achieved what you said in your Overall, the author has…
point?
How does the paragraph answer the question? Use This links to the idea of by
words from the question to link your paragraph’s [author]
main idea (described in P) as an answer to the
question.
 Therefore, it can be clearly deduced
that…

Example:
Steinbeck presents Lennie as powerful and dangerous when he writes: "Strong as a bull". The use of the
simile is effective because bulls are known for their strength but are not thought of as intelligent. In
many ways Lennie is like "bull in a china shop" because he does not mean to kill and damage things, but
he is clumsy and does not realise his own strength. Like a bull, his strength can be useful, and he appears
to be tame, but deep down he is unpredicatable. In addition, Lennie is attracted to Curley's wife who is
strongly associated with the colour red - a colour bulls are reputed to be angered by. This further helps
the reader to understand that albeit in a stereotypical way Lennie is a gentle giant.
 Useful Sentence Starters
POINT Evidence
Throughout the text/novel/poem/extract… This can be seen in the words …
The character of is seen as… The sentence suggests this.
is presented as… An example of this is …
The theme of is shown by … The author shows this vividly with the use of words ….
The author creates a sense of For example, …
creates /develops the sense that… A clear example of this is …
The writer has presented as ….
The plot in this extract /section is focused on …
The author develops the character/setting/theme by…

Technique

The effective use of shows that…

The author uses to create the idea/sense of…
The idea that is supported by the author’s use of …
The use of sentences suggests…
The paragraphs here are short/long which shows…

Analysis
The use of … is to shock/amaze/draw in the reader.
This demonstrates/suggests that…
… involves the reader in the text by …
… suggests to the reader a feeling/sense of …
…has a connotation of … which makes the reader …
The impact of this on the reader is …
The writer’s intention was to …
This is significant because…
This persuades the reader to feel/believe…
… shows the reader that …
It is clear from this that…
Link
From this we can understand that …
This makes the reader think of…
This is relevant because at the time…
The reader is reminded of…
The writer ha used this to suggest…
This has had a significant impact on the
characters/people/the world because…

When EXPLORING Comment words Summarising

ideas:
Shows Presents The whole text…
Suggests Implies Overall, …
Perhaps
reveals Demonstrates The text covers…
Maybe indicates reflects To sum as…
Could confirms portrays All in all, …
Might highlights To conclude, it can be
Possibly
said that …
 To invoke a To invoke SIMILAR ideas:
DIFFERENT idea: Furthermore, …
In contrast, … Similarly, …
On the other hand, … Likewise, …
Alternatively, … This is supported by…
Although, …. Moreover, …
However, … Also, …