‘A’ grade English Essays is a resource book for teachers and students that is designed to ensure success in high school essay writing . It contains a diagnostic approach to student learning that is skill -based. The book covers essay tasks from Year 7 to Year 12, and the tasks are based on popular texts. Students are asked what skills they actually have at the beginning of the unit, so that the teacher is aware of a way of identifying the student’s progress. This is presented in the form of a diagnostic chart.

The opening chapters deal with the function and structure of essays. The formal style and the way language is used in this textual form are discussed. There is an important section on punctuation. The paragraph is discussed as a basic unit for building a good essay. Three types of paragraphs – introductory, developing and concluding paragraphs – are identified and discussed. The important skill of how to analyse an essay task is discussed. The meaning of commonly used direction words are given. Students are then shown how to develop a line of argument using a jot-line plan. This involves establishing a thesis statement and topic sentences for the body of the essay. Advice is given to students who are aspiring for an ‘A’ grade mark for their essay.

The book distinguishes between persuasive essays and discussion essays, and it highlights the difference between them through six examples of each type. Each example is used to illustrate the standard of work or the way language can be used in each form, that is, Year 7 to Year 12. The sample essays are each discussed in the light of the theory that is outlined in the opening chapter. An essay task is analysed, a jot-line plan is shown and the full text of the sample essay is shown.

Target Audience
This book is aimed for all high school students, including ESL students, who are required to write essays. It can be used as the basis for a whole program or broken into sections and incorporated into concept- based units such as Growing Up, Prejudice, Justice, the American Dream, War, Truth, Love and Passion.

ISBN 9780975036327

 A Grade English Essays – Table of Contents (284 KB)
 A Grade English Essays – Page 3 (30 KB)
 A Grade English Essays – Page 62 (25 KB)