5 Tips to Boost Your Essays from a C to an A
Let’s be honest—writing an A-range HSC English essay can feel like climbing Mount Everest. You’ve probably spent hours staring at a blank page, wondering how to turn a meh response into something your teacher (or the HSC markers) will actually be impressed by.
The good news? There’s a formula to writing top-tier essays.
The difference between a basic essay and a sophisticated, high-scoring one isn’t necessarily about writing longer responses or memorizing more quotes—it’s about how effectively you craft an argument, structure your analysis, and demonstrate insight. Let’s break it down into 5 essential strategies to elevate your essays from competent to exceptional.
1. Answer the Question (Not the One You Wish You Got)
One of the biggest mistakes students make is preparing an essay in advance and forcing it to fit the exam question. Markers can immediately tell when an essay is not tailored to the prompt—it feels disconnected, vague, and doesn’t engage critically with what’s being asked.
A high-scoring essay doesn’t just discuss the right themes—it presents an argument that is shaped by the wording of the question itself. When approaching the question, make sure to
Identify the key words – What are the central themes, concepts, or relationships the question is focusing on?
Determine the direction of the question – Is it asking you to evaluate, compare, contrast, or explore?
Look for hidden nuances – Sometimes, the phrasing of the question suggests a deeper issue (e.g., a question on individual and society isn’t just about personal struggles—it’s about the way social expectations influence identity).
For example, if the question is : "How does the composer explore the relationship between individual and society?"
A Weak C-level Response
🚫 Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores how ambition can lead to power. Through soliloquies and imagery, the play presents Macbeth’s growing desire for control, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The tension between Macbeth’s personal ambition and his obligations to the Scottish throne reflects the conflict between individual desires and society’s expectations.🚫
What’s wrong?
✔ The response is competent—it discusses ambition and power, which are key themes BUT
❌ The focus on "individual and society" is tacked on rather than driving the argument.
❌ The thesis is not tailored to the question—it’s too generic and could be used for any ambition-related prompt.
A Strong A-level Response
✅ Shakespeare’s Jacobean tragedy Macbeth (1606) examines the fraught relationship between individual ambition and societal order, revealing how the pursuit of power can disrupt established hierarchies. Through Macbeth’s descent into tyranny, the play critiques how unchecked ambition not only corrupts the self but also fractures the stability of society, as reflected in the political chaos that ensues.
✔ Directly answers the question.
✔ Frames ambition within the context of individual vs. society.
✔ Sets up a clear argument to be explored.
📌 Pro Tip: If the question asks about a relationship or two components, make sure your thesis shows how the two ideas interact, rather than discussing them separately
2. Craft a Sharp, Thematic Thesis
Your thesis is the foundation of your essay. A weak thesis will make your entire response feel directionless—even if your analysis is decent, the lack of a clear argument will hold you back from achieving an A-range mark. It needs to be arguable, have a cause and effect, and refer specifically to the words of the question (and unpack them).
A Weak Thesis (Mid-Range Answer)
🚫 George Orwell’s 1984 shows how power can be dangerous and oppressive. The Party maintains control over its citizens through surveillance, propaganda, and psychological manipulation. This reflects Orwell’s concerns about totalitarian governments.
What’s wrong?
✔ Covers key themes (power, control, totalitarianism).
❌ Too broad and descriptive—it states what happens, but not how or why it’s important. It storytells, rather than analysing.
❌ Lacks a strong argument—this could describe almost any dystopian novel.
A Strong Thesis (Fully Geared for the Question)
✅ In 1984, Orwell constructs a dystopian vision where language is weaponized as a tool of oppression, illustrating how authoritarian regimes manipulate truth to maintain absolute control over the individual. Through Newspeak and psychological conditioning, the novel warns of the dangers of ideological control in eroding personal identity and suppressing societal resistance.
✔ Specific focus on language and ideological control.
✔ Debatable claim that leads to nuanced analysis.
✔ Links the individual’s experience to broader societal implications.
📌 Pro Tip: A great thesis should make a claim rather than just describe the text. You should also aim to include the Author’s name, the text’s name, the form and year - for example ‘Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 (1949) …’
3. Go Beyond TEEL: Structure Thematically
While TEEL (Topic sentence, Evidence, Explanation, Link) is useful for structuring individual paragraphs, Band 6 responses develop a sustained, thematic progression rather than treating each paragraph as an isolated discussion.
Instead of thinking of body paragraphs as separate points, they should work together to build towards a deeper insight. Each paragraph should logically flow from the one before it, forming a cohesive argument.
A Weak Structure (Mid-Range Answer) – The Great Gatsby
🚫 Para 1: Gatsby’s love for Daisy (symbolism of the green light)
🚫 Para 2: The American Dream in the novel (valley of ashes)
🚫 Para 3: Gatsby’s downfall (narrative perspective and irony)
✔ Includes important themes and techniques, but treats them as separate points rather than showing how they interconnect.
A Strong Thematic Structure (Band 6 Answer)
✅ Para 1: Gatsby’s idealization of Daisy as a symbol of the American Dream (green light, “colossal vitality of his illusion”)
✅ Para 2: The corruption of the American Dream (valley of ashes, moral decay, the Buchanans’ careless wealth)
✅ Para 3: The inevitable failure of the American Dream, as Gatsby’s obsession leads to his downfall (narrative irony, “You can’t repeat the past”)
✔ Each paragraph builds upon the last to show how Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy is tied to the broader critique of the American Dream.
✔ Themes are interwoven rather than treated separately.
📌 Pro Tip: Think of your essay as a continuous argument rather than a list of separate points. Each paragraph should be a natural extension of the previous one.
4. Evidence Must Be Embedded & Analyzed
One of the biggest mistakes students make is quoting without analyzing. Many students can identify techniques, but Band 6 responses unpack the full implications of those techniques, explaining how they shape meaning and position the audience.
A Weak Evidence Use (Mid-Range Answer) – The Crucible
🚫 Miller uses rhetorical questions in Proctor’s line “Is the accuser always holy now?” to show his frustration with the court system.
✔ Identifies the technique but doesn’t explain its significance.
A Strong Evidence Use (Band 6 Answer)
✅ Miller employs Proctor’s rhetorical question, “Is the accuser always holy now?”, to expose the court’s blind acceptance of false testimonies. The accusatory tone highlights the absurdity of a society where mere accusation is equated with truth, reflecting McCarthyist paranoia in 1950s America. Proctor’s disillusionment underscores Miller’s broader critique of mass hysteria and the dangers of ideological extremism.
✔ Goes beyond simply naming the technique to explain how it shapes meaning and reflects context.
✔ Links the technique to its thematic significance—the failure of justice and parallels to McCarthyism.
📌 Pro Tip: If you find yourself writing “this shows”, stop and rewrite the sentence so that it analyzes how the technique shapes meaning.
5. Prioritise Depth Over Quantity
Many students make the mistake of cramming too many examples into their essays, resulting in shallow, surface-level analysis. Instead of briefly mentioning multiple techniques, Band 6 responses focus on fewer examples but analyze them in depth.
A Weak Approach (Mid-Range Answer) – T.S. Eliot’s Poetry
🚫 In “The Hollow Men,” Eliot uses fragmentation, repetition, and allusion to show the emptiness of modern life. He also uses symbolism in “The Waste Land” to depict the disillusionment of the post-war era.
✔ Identifies multiple techniques but lacks detailed exploration.
A Strong Approach (Band 6 Answer)
✅ In “The Hollow Men,” Eliot’s repeated refrain “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper” reinforces the paralysis of the modern individual. The contrast between “bang” and “whimper” symbolizes the loss of meaning and finality, suggesting that modern existence is defined by stagnation rather than resolution. The fragmented structure of the poem mirrors the fractured consciousness of a post-war generation, reinforcing Eliot’s Modernist critique of spiritual and moral decay amid ontological uncertainty.
✔ Focuses on one example but explores it deeply.
✔ Links the technique (repetition, contrast, fragmentation) to broader thematic concerns (spiritual emptiness, Modernism, post-war disillusionment).
📌 Pro Tip: Instead of listing multiple techniques, choose three or four per paragraph and analyze them thoroughly.
Final Thoughts
The jump from C to A isn’t about writing more—it’s about writing smarter.
✔ Tailor responses to the question
✔ Use a strong, sophisticated thesis
✔ Deep, thematic analysis
✔ Contextual awareness
If you’re looking for personalized guidance or extra support to achieve your academic goals, we’re here for you! At Pinnacle Learners, we offer tutoring and mentoring for Years 7–12 in Legal Studies and English, with private lessons available at our Rozelle center or online via Skype. Our dedicated tutors have helped students across the Inner West—Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle, Leichhardt, and beyond—boost their results by 20% or more.
Book in a free 10 minute consultation call to find out how we can help you succeed in your high school studies.
