Critical Writing
The following examples are for reference/moderation purposes only. Some have been created by pupils. Others are teacher created exemplars.
Remember, a key component of critical writing is developing your own evaluative stance on the text. Assert your thoughts/ideas with confidence. Discuss why the message of the text is (still) important in our contemporary society. Tell me what you have learned about society/yourself through your study.
*** Higher Critical Essay - Marking Scheme/Frontsheet (coming soon) ***
Higher Critical Essays - from moderation
(old marking system - now out of 15)
The Great Gatsby - 13/25
Havisham - 17/25
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 25/25
Critical Essay - Black Mirror
Mr McPhail's example essay on Black Mirror
Critical Essay - The Crucible
Essay 1 - Choose a play in which a character faces isolation. Examine the importance of this isolation to our understanding of the character's development and the wider themes of the text.
Critical Essay - Animal Farm
Mr McLaughlin's Exemplar Essay
The Great Gatsby
Kantian Ethics - Reading Gatsby
A huge thanks to Kai Stuart for sharing this with us following his learning about Kant in Philosophy.
Examples of Folio Writing
Use the
exemplars below to model the structure and style of personal/reflective,
persuasive and creative writing for your SQA folio. Note - where
possible I will include both first and final drafts to highlight the
importance of the redrafting process.
Personal/Reflective Essay Writing
The Fishing Boat - First Draft
Creative Writing
Dennis Jerz and Kathleen Kennedy created this really handy guide to the creation of creative writing.
It is applicable across all levels. Vital reading!
Persuasive Essay Writing
Basic Persuasive Essay Structure
A Simple Guide - techniques to include in persuasive writing
Linking Language - use at the end of paragraphs/ideas to link between main points
Manipulating Statistics
The Ten Commandments of Logic - Fallacies to Avoid
Exemplar first draft with reflection based notes - Let Hollywood Die!
Note: This is an example of the sort of thing that tends to get handed in as a "bad" first draft. This is lacking several features of a 'good first draft': word count/citation of sources within the text/bibliography as proof of research.
If you want decent feedback, it is important that you go beyond this!
Take the time to reflect on your progress and make improvements before submitting your piece to your teacher. Also, and it goes without saying, please proof-read your work. If it doesn't make sense to you, it won't make sense to your reader.
If you need help referencing your sources and creating a bibliography, consult this super-handy document: Referencing Correctly in your Persuasive Essay
Exemplar - Pupil Redraft - Animal Welfare
