Writing a Critical Essay (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes

Writing a critical essay

Keeping your essay structure straightforward

When writing a critical essay in an exam environment, you should keep the structure as clear and simple as possible. A well-organised essay helps you present your ideas logically and makes it easier for the examiner to follow your argument.

The opening paragraph

Your opening paragraph sets up the entire essay. It should establish what you are writing about and show that you understand the question.

The opening paragraph needs to:

• Reference the title of the text and its author - this shows you know what you are analysing
• Refer to the key words from the question - this demonstrates you understand what is being asked

By including these elements from the start, you show the examiner that your essay will be focused and relevant.

The main body of your essay

The main body is where you develop your argument in detail. This section should build logically from one point to the next.

When writing the main body, you should develop each point you have planned to make. The essay needs to progress in a logical way with clear structure throughout. Topic sentences are particularly important because they signpost the stages of your argument. These sentences tell the reader what each paragraph will discuss.

Throughout the main body, you must regularly refer back to the key words of the question. This keeps your essay focused on answering what has been asked. You should also incorporate brief responses to the question itself within your analysis, not just at the end.

The final paragraph

Your conclusion brings your argument together and provides a sense of completion.

The final paragraph should:

• Refer back to the key words of the question - this creates a sense of structure and shows you have stayed focused
• Bring your argument to a logical conclusion - this means summarising your position or showing what your analysis has demonstrated

The conclusion should feel like a natural ending point, not an abrupt stop or a simple repetition of your introduction.

Using effective language in your essay

The way you express your ideas matters as much as the ideas themselves. Using appropriate language helps you discuss texts with precision and clarity.

Discussing the writer's techniques

When analysing how a writer creates meaning, you can use expressions such as:

The author/poet/dramatist/director;

• attempts to,
• develops,
• demonstrates,
• explores,
• conveys,
• exploits,
• communicates,
• attacks,
• satirises,
• utilises,
• influences

These verbs help you discuss what the writer is doing in the text. They show active analysis rather than simple description.

Discussing the writer's intentions

When writing about why a writer has made particular choices, you can use:

The author/poet/dramatist/director's;

• aim here is to,
• intention here is to,
• purpose here is to.

These phrases help you explain the writer's goals and show you are thinking about the text as a deliberate construction.

Discussing the writer's craft

When evaluating how successfully a writer achieves their effects, you can write:

The author/poet/dramatist/director's;

• skill,
• artistry,
• craft,
• mastery,

is demonstrated by...

These expressions allow you to discuss technique while maintaining an analytical tone.

Referencing critical perspectives

You might also want to reference broader critical views. You can introduce these with phrases such as:

Many critics;

• consider that,
• believe that,
• have stated that,
• have expressed the view that.

You might also use:

• It is said that,
• It has often been said that,
• There can be little doubt that,
• This could be seen as the author's attempt at

These phrases show you are aware that texts can be interpreted in different ways and that your reading exists within a wider critical conversation.

Linking paragraphs effectively

Smooth transitions between paragraphs help your essay flow naturally and show how your ideas connect.

Showing similarity

When making points that support or extend previous ideas, use:

• similarly,
• likewise,
• in the same way

Showing contrast

When presenting an opposing view or different perspective, use:

• although,
• for all that,
• however,
• on the contrary,
• otherwise,
• yet,
• but,
• even so.

Showing cause and result

When explaining how one idea leads to another, use:

• accordingly,
• as a consequence,
• as a result,
• hence,
• therefore,
• thus,
• inevitably.

Showing purpose

When explaining why you are making a particular point, use:

• to this end,
• for this reason,
• for this purpose.

Introducing examples

When providing evidence for your claims, use:

• for example,
• for instance,
• in other words,
• by way of illustration.

Summarising or concluding

When drawing together ideas, use:

• as has been noted,
• finally,
• in brief,
• in short,
• on the whole, or
• in other words.

These linking phrases create coherence and help the examiner follow your line of argument.

How to use quotations in your critical essay

The purpose of quotations

Quotations serve as evidence in your essay. They demonstrate that you have detailed knowledge of the text and support your analysis and evaluation. However, quotations must always be relevant to the question and must support your line of argument.

There is no value in learning quotations and then inserting them if they do not relate to what the question asks about. You should select quotations that directly support the specific points you are making.

Recording quotations during your course

It helps to keep organised notes of useful quotations as you study each text. You can create a table with columns for:

• The location in the text (act, scene, line number, chapter, stanza)
• The quotation itself
• A comment explaining its significance or how it might be used

You could also annotate your text directly, or use digital versions on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Any method that makes revision easier is worthwhile.

Learning quotations for the exam

In the external exam, you rely entirely on what you have memorised. You should learn quotations by heart, but it helps to keep them short. The exam tests your analytical ability, not your memory capacity.

Short quotations are easier to remember accurately and can be integrated more smoothly into your writing.

Integrating short quotations

When a quotation consists of a single word or short phrase, you can embed it directly into your sentence. The quotation should sit naturally within the grammar of your sentence.

You must always place quotations inside inverted commas to show these are the writer's exact words.

Integrating longer quotations

When a quotation is a whole line or more, you need to integrate it more carefully. There are several methods you can use.

Method one: adding to the end of your sentence

You can complete your analytical point and then add the quotation at the end. For example:

When confronted with what seems an ugly situation, Othello commands everyone to "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them."

This method works well when the quotation illustrates or proves the point you have just made.

Method two: sandwiching the quotation

You can place the quotation between two parts of your sentence, using it as the central evidence. For example:

Othello's command "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them" shows his ability to defuse a potentially ugly situation.

This method integrates the quotation tightly with your analysis, making it clear how the evidence supports your interpretation.

Method three: introducing with a verb of saying

You can introduce the quotation using a verb of saying followed by a colon or comma. For example:

As MacCaig tells us, "She lies / in a white cave of forgetfulness."

Or:

Neil states, "Yonder's a room with fifty rooms ... every one of them three times the size of our hut, and nearly all of them empty."

Longer quotations like these should be placed on a new line for clarity in your essay.

A warning about using colons alone

Some writers simply use a colon to introduce a quotation without any verb of saying. For example:

Tulloch quickly takes the side of the cone-gatherers: "I have questioned them my lady ... and I saw what happened; and I find no fault in them."

While this method works occasionally, relying on it too much can make your essay seem staccato and disjointed. The essay becomes a series of points, each followed by a quotation, with no development or flow. You will find it difficult to construct a fully developed, focused argument if you use this method repeatedly.