Most essay questions are not presented in the form of a question. Instead, they are often presented as a statement that includes a direction word. The direction word tells you what you should do when you write your answer to the item. Look for the direction word and be sure to do what it tells you to do.
Here are the direction words that are most frequently used in Level Two NCEA English exams. The meaning of each direction word is provided and is followed by an example of an essay question using that direction word. Get to know what each of these direction words tells you to do.
Analyse – Analyse tells you to break something down into its parts and show how the parts relate to each other to make the whole.
‘Analyse how ONE or MORE minor character(s) helped you understand a main character.’
Contrast – Contrast tells you to show how two or more things are different.
‘For EACH of your studied texts, analyse how contrast helped the author develop an important idea.’
Describe – Describe tells you to present a full and detailed picture of something in words to include important characteristics and qualities.
‘Describe important symbols in the texts you have studied and analyse how the symbols helped develop important ideas.’
Explain – Explain tells you to provide facts and reasons to make something clear and understandable.
‘Explain and discuss in detail how the beginning and ending of your studied texts were important.’
I hope you noticed how important it is to be able to analyse texts in Level Two English. To analyse a text you need to be able to:
- Discuss the specified aspects of a text asked for in the question
- Give apt supporting details, with clear reference to the text/s studied
- Write a clear, coherent essay
- Show engagement with the texts studied.
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