How to structure a main body paragraph in your Critical Essay

This article is relevant to both Higher and National 5 English students and details a structure you can use for your main body paragraphs in the Critical Essay.

I've also recently published a short slideshow video (with audio) on TikTok on this topic which you may find helpful.

P.E.E. Structure

Every main body paragraph should contain at least 1 of each of these:

P - Point - A main point that links back to the question.

E - Evidence - Evidence such as a quote that supports your main point.

E - Explanation - An explanation of how the language features or techniques used by the writer in the quote emphasise your main point.

Example of the P.E.E. Structure:

Here's a question from the 2024 Higher English past paper:

"Choose a novel or short story in which a character could be viewed as flawed and/or vulnerable.

By referring to appropriate techniques, explain the nature of the flaws and/or vulnerability and discuss how this contributes to your appreciation of the text as a whole."

Using The Great Gatsby as a text for this example...

Example answer:

Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby, is a character who is deeply flawed. His obsessive idealism and inability to accept reality ultimately lead to his downfall. Fitzgerald presents Gatsby's flaw through the recurring motif of the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, which symbolises his unreachable dream. This is evident when the narrator, Nick, observes that Gatsby "believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us." This quote highlights Gatsby's vulnerability - his relentless pursuit of a romanticised past with Daisy blinds him to the truth of who she really is and to the impossibility of recreating their history. Fitzgerald uses symbolism and narrative perspective to emphasise Gatsby's tragic flaw: his refusal to let go of an illusion, which isolates him from reality and renders him emotionally fragile. His dream, rooted in wealth and romantic obsession, is ultimately unattainable, making his downfall inevitable and deeply poignant.

Hopefully this helps to structure your main body paragraphs for your critical essay!