A conceptualised essay has an ideas-based argument that informs each paragraph or section.

To evaluate something means to weigh up its success against its key purpose and aims.

Somebody who believes in social responsibility invests in their community and supports those in need.

Subject terminology is related to words that are specifically relevant to the study of English. For example 'simile' or 'personification'.

'A Christmas Carol': conceptualised responses

English

'A Christmas Carol': a Victorian ghost story

'A Christmas Carol': the novella as a Gothic text

'A Christmas Carol': the entrances and exits of the four ghosts

'A Christmas Carol': the ghosts and Dickens' use of allusion

'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' ghosts as agents of time

'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts

In 'A Christmas Carol: a ghost story', pupils explore the novella in the context of the gothic tradition and in particular examine the characterisation of the ghosts and the gothic settings. In 'A Christmas Carol: A Christian Parable', pupils focus on the Christian foundations of the story and on the use of Christian imagery throughout to gain a more nuanced understanding of the writer's message.

In 'A Christmas Carol: a Gothic Tale', pupils explore the conventions of the Victorian gothic and the ways in which Dickens appropriates this for his tale. In 'A Monster Within', pupils learn about the gothic genre by comparing a series of gothic villains.

In this unit, pupils consider how and why Dickens presents 'A Christmas Carol' as a ghost story. They look at the novella as a gothic text and then the ghosts in detail. They then write a critical response about how Dickens uses the ghosts to deliver his message about social responsibility.

Nineteenth century text: first deep dive

Discriminatory behaviour or images, whether on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, or otherwise.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Which of the following question words explicitly asks you to focus keenly on the writer's methods? 

What can subject terminology help with in your essay? Choose the most appropriate response.

give context about the writer or the period in which they were writing

give a counter argument to show you are presenting a balanced viewpoint

After every idea you discuss in an analytical essay, what do you need to do? 

applies the same appraoch or idea to each paragraph

takes into consideration multiple characters 

focuses predominantly on the context of the text

Which of these best describes a conceptual response?

Complete the sentence: Your analysis should be explorative and clear - you should explain the {{ }} of the writer’s methods - not just identify them.

Scrooge's fear of poverty and how this informs his behaviour 

Scrooge learns to empathise with himself and others in Staves 3 and 4

Which of the following ideas would you not include in a conceptualised response to the question: 'In 'A Christmas Carol', how does Dickens present Scrooge?'

the key characters and moments in the essay

interwoven analysis of language, form and structure 

an introduction with an interesting, critical thesis

Which of the following is NOT a feature of a good essay? 

introduced with a bit of context about where they are from

not introduced - the reader should know where in the text the quotation is from

not embedded - introduced with 'Dickens writes'

How should quotations be presented in essays? 

information about a writer or their time period

images or ideas that a certain word evokes

Which of the following might be examples of subject terminology? 

The girl's long and blonde hair was "flowing in the wind."

The writer states: "he had always been angry for as long as he could remember."

The novella opens with the phrase: "Marley was dead; to begin with."

The novella's concluding statement that 'peace had finally been restored...'

Life was always hard for Jessica. We know that: "Jessica had struggled."

Which of the following is an example of an embedded quotation? 

Starter Quiz

What is the 'argument' in your essay?