Essay Skeleton Plan

Q - Why is it called a skeleton plan?

A - Because it is a detailed plan about the content of your essay and acts as its ‘backbone’

How to create a skeleton planPlan the discussion first:

Plan:Brainstorm/bullet point/mind-map your ideas that answer the question

Organise:Put all of the similar ideas together into a category, then put them in the order you will discuss them. Think about how one set of ideas should flow into another.

Write:Once you have organised your ideas - write out a topic sentence for each category.

A topic sentence is a sentence that introduces the ideas that will be discussed in that paragraph; you should identify a category here. Choose one colour for your topic sentences.

Bullet point all of the points/ideas from the text you will include in that paragraph. This should be lifted straight from your plan and include techniques, but you can also add any new ideas you have. Choose a different colour for your bullet points.

In a different colour, write in the quotes that support your points/ideas.

Bullet point your personal response about how the category links to the question, again in a new colour.

You could use a table format to help you.

Skeleton Plan StructureInformation to includeTopic sentence

Ideas bullet points that fit the category introduced in the topic sentence

Quotes that support the idea in the bullet point

Personal response bullet points

●

Repeat this for all of your categories

Next Steps

Plan your conclusion: (No quotes)

Using the ideas from your skeleton plan discussion, bullet point the ideas you will discuss in your conclusion, going from the general to the specific

● Author general intentions ● Overview of contexts● Overview of techniques most effectively used to demonstrate contexts● The technique(s) you think most effective & why you think this

Finally plan your introduction: (No quotes)

Bullet point the ideas for your introduction - you should find it very easy to do this now

Rephrase question Define key terms Thesis (one sentence summary of your argument)

Edit

Read your skeleton plan carefully and make any changes necessary:

● Do you need to add anything? Are your ideas convincing?● Have you repeated the same idea in different places? Which one will you cut? ● Have you used the same quote twice? Can you find a different quote?

You now have a full skeleton plan

The benefit of using a skeleton plan:

You have already completed most of the thinking for your essayYou have already found the quotes neededYou have already thought about the structureYou have already ensured your ideas are focused on the question

What next?

Get a peer to look over your skeleton plan – they may notice issues about how convincing your ideas are; if your quotes don’t fit, if you have missed things out, if you have repeated ideas, if there are issues with your structure etc.

Make note of their feedback - use feedback to make improvements