Essays and long answers
How to write GCSE essays: PEEL, PETAL and more
Long answers are where most marks are won and lost in history, English, RS and geography. Learn the paragraph structures examiners reward, see what your exam board’s long questions look like, then practise one.
Which structure do I use?
- PEELPoint, Evidence, Explain, LinkExplaining reasons, causes and consequences: history, geography, RS, business and any “explain” question worth 4 marks or more.
- PETALPoint, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, LinkWriting about literature and language: how a writer presents a character, theme or idea, and how their methods create meaning.
- What, How, WhyWhat the writer does, How they do it, Why: the effectEnglish Language questions on language and structure, where the extract is printed on the paper.
- How far do you agree?Judgement, Agree, Disagree, Conclusion“How far do you agree?”, “To what extent?”, “Evaluate” and “Assess” questions: the essays with the most marks in history, RS, geography and English.
PEEL paragraphsPoint, Evidence, Explain, Link
Explaining reasons, causes and consequences: history, geography, RS, business and any “explain” question worth 4 marks or more.
Point
One sentence that answers the question directly.
Start with
- One reason … was …
- A key consequence of … was …
- The most important factor was …
Evidence
Specific facts that back the point up: names, dates, places, numbers or examples.
Start with
- For example, in 1923 …
- This can be seen when …
- For instance, …
Explain
How or why the evidence proves the point. This is where most of the marks are.
Start with
- This meant that …
- As a result, …
- This was important because …
Link
Tie the paragraph back to the exact words of the question.
Start with
- This shows that …
- Therefore, … was a key reason why …
- This is why …
Point: One reason the Armada failed was the English attack with fireships at Calais. Evidence: On the night of 7 August 1588, the English sent eight burning ships towards the Spanish fleet, which was anchored off Calais. Explain: The Spanish captains panicked and cut their anchor cables, so the tight crescent formation that had protected the fleet all the way up the Channel broke apart. Link: This left the ships scattered and easy to attack at Gravelines the next day, which is why the fireships were a key reason the Armada failed.
What loses marks
- Starting with a fact instead of a point that answers the question.
- Evidence that’s too general (“the English were better”). Use names, dates and numbers.
- Saying what happened without saying why it mattered. Use “so”, “because” or “this meant that”.
- Forgetting the link: the examiner shouldn’t have to work out why the paragraph is there.
PETAL paragraphsPoint, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Link
Writing about literature and language: how a writer presents a character, theme or idea, and how their methods create meaning.
Point
What the writer is doing, as an answer to the question.
Start with
- Shakespeare presents … as …
- Dickens shows that …
- At the start of the novel, … seems …
Evidence
A short quotation (a word or a phrase is often best), built into your sentence.
Start with
- This is shown when … says “…”
- The narrator describes … as “…”
- For example, “…”
Technique
The method the writer uses: a simile, a verb, a rhetorical question, the structure of a scene.
Start with
- The writer uses a metaphor …
- The verb “…” …
- The short sentence …
Analysis
Zoom in on a word and say what it suggests, and its effect on the reader or audience. Add context when it helps the point.
Start with
- The word “…” suggests …
- This makes the audience feel …
- A Victorian reader would …
Link
Back to the question, or on to the writer’s message.
Start with
- This shows that …
- Through this, Shakespeare suggests …
- This prepares the reader for …
Point: Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as powerful because she can control her husband with words alone. Evidence: When Macbeth hesitates about the murder, she asks him, “Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dress’d yourself?” Technique: Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question and a metaphor that turns Macbeth’s ambition into a drunk who has sobered up. Analysis: The word “drunk” mocks his ambition as something empty that has already worn off, so he is shamed into proving he is brave. A Jacobean audience, who expected a wife to obey her husband, would find this reversal of power disturbing. Link: This shows that in Act 1 Lady Macbeth’s power lies in her language, which she uses to push Macbeth towards killing Duncan.
What loses marks
- Retelling the story instead of analysing how the writer tells it.
- Naming a technique without saying what it does (“this is a metaphor”, and then nothing).
- Long quotations. A few words are easier to analyse and show you know the text.
- Context stuck on at the end of a paragraph instead of linked to the point.
What, How, Why paragraphsWhat the writer does, How they do it, Why: the effect
English Language questions on language and structure, where the extract is printed on the paper.
What
What the writer is doing or making you think.
Start with
- The writer makes the storm seem …
- The writer presents the character as …
How
The words or methods that do it, quoted, with the technique named.
Start with
- The verb “…” …
- The simile “…” …
- Moving from … to … at this point …
Why
The effect on the reader, and why the writer wanted it.
Start with
- This makes the reader feel …
- The writer wants us to …
- This builds tension because …
What: The writer makes the storm seem violent and alive. How: The verb “hurled” suggests deliberate, angry force, and the simile “like a prisoner shaking the bars” personifies the storm as something trapped and desperate. Why: This makes the reader feel the cottage is under attack, building tension about whether it will hold.
What loses marks
- Feature-spotting: naming techniques without explaining their effect.
- “It makes the reader want to read on.” Say exactly what the reader feels, and why.
- Writing about the whole extract in general instead of zooming in on particular words.
“How far do you agree?” essaysJudgement, Agree, Disagree, Conclusion
“How far do you agree?”, “To what extent?”, “Evaluate” and “Assess” questions: the essays with the most marks in history, RS, geography and English.
Your judgement
Say straight away how far you agree, and the main reason. One or two sentences.
Start with
- I mostly agree, because …
- This is only partly true: …
- I disagree: the main reason was …
Agree
A PEEL paragraph for the statement.
Start with
- On the one hand, …
- There is evidence that … was important, because …
Disagree
A PEEL paragraph against it, or on another factor.
Start with
- However, …
- On the other hand, … was more important, because …
Conclusion
Weigh the two sides up: which mattered more, and why? Don’t just repeat your paragraphs.
Start with
- Overall, I agree to a large extent, because …
- Although …, the more important reason was …
Your judgement: The weather played a part, but the Armada had already been beaten before the storms: the English tactics at Calais and Gravelines were the main reason it failed. Agree: The storms off Scotland and Ireland wrecked many Spanish ships on the long journey home, and thousands of men died, so the weather turned a defeat into a disaster. Disagree: However, the fireships at Calais broke up the Spanish formation, and at Gravelines the faster English ships did serious damage and stopped the Spanish from joining up with the Duke of Parma’s army. Conclusion: Overall, I disagree: the weather explains how much the Spanish lost, but the fighting in August explains why the invasion failed, because by the time the storms hit, the Armada was already sailing away from England.
What loses marks
- Sitting on the fence. Say how far you agree, at the start and at the end.
- Only writing about the factor in the question. The top marks need other factors or the other side.
- A conclusion that just repeats your paragraphs. Weigh them: which mattered more, and why?
Your exam board’s long questions
What the biggest questions look like, how many marks they’re worth, roughly how long to spend, and which structure to use. Check the exact wording on a past paper from your board.
AQA History · Paper 1, period study
Which of the following was the more important reason why…? Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.
12 marksUse: How far do you agree?
A PEEL paragraph on each bullet point, then a conclusion that says which mattered more and why.
AQA History · Paper 1, wider world depth study
“Statement.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer.
16 marks, plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammarUse: How far do you agree?
Give your judgement in the first sentence, argue both sides, and finish by weighing them up.
AQA History · Paper 2, thematic study
Has [factor] been the main factor in…? Explain your answer with reference to [factor] and other factors.
16 marks, plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammarUse: How far do you agree?
Use examples from across the whole time period, not just one century, and compare the factor in the question with others.
AQA History · Paper 2, British depth study
“Statement” about the historic environment site. How far does a study of the site support this statement?
16 marksUse: How far do you agree?
Use specific features of the site as your evidence in each paragraph.
AQA History · Papers 1 and 2
Write an account of how… / Explain what was important about…
8 marksUse: PEEL
For an account, tell the events in order, but link each one to the next with “this led to” or “as a result”: the marks are for showing how one thing caused another.
Now practise
Write a long answer
Pick a real exam-style question for your subject and exam board. Plan it paragraph by paragraph, write it, then mark it against the mark scheme, or let the AI mark it.
Practise a long answerParagraph builder games
Label the parts of model paragraphs, put jumbled ones back in order and pick the sentences that really explain.
Not sure what a question’s command word wants? See command words and how to get full marks.
Questions about writing essays
- What is a PEEL paragraph?
- PEEL stands for Point, Evidence, Explain, Link. You make a point that answers the question, back it up with specific evidence, explain how the evidence proves your point, then link back to the question. Most long answers in history, geography, RS and business are built from PEEL paragraphs.
- What does PETAL stand for?
- Point, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Link. It’s PEEL for English: after the quotation, name the technique the writer uses, then analyse what particular words suggest and their effect, before linking back to the question.
- What is the difference between PEEL and PETAL?
- PETAL adds the writer’s technique. Use PEEL when you’re explaining reasons, causes or consequences; use PETAL when you’re analysing how a writer creates meaning, as in English Literature and English Language.
- How many paragraphs should a GCSE essay have?
- It depends on the marks. For an 8-mark question, two well-developed paragraphs are usually enough. For 12 to 16 marks, plan three or four, with a short introduction and conclusion when the question asks for a judgement. How well each paragraph is developed matters more than how many there are.
- How long should I spend on a 16-mark question?
- About 20 to 25 minutes, including a few minutes to plan. A good rule is about a minute and a half for each mark, which is the pace of most GCSE essay papers.
- How do I answer a “how far do you agree” question?
- Say how far you agree in your first sentence. Write a paragraph agreeing and a paragraph disagreeing (or on another factor), each with specific evidence, then finish with a conclusion that weighs them up and says which matters more, and why.
- Are PEE and PEED the same as PEEL?
- They’re versions of the same idea. PEE is Point, Evidence, Explain; PEED adds Develop. Use whichever your teacher uses: what matters is that every paragraph makes a point, proves it and explains it.