ways to structure essay

• Inspector Goole


  Priestley's mouthpiece, an omniscient figure who is a catalyst for change
• Inspector Goole


  • Presented as an omniscient, Godlike figure
  • His character name 'Inspector' indicates he will inspect and unveil the Birlings' secrets
  • His surname 'Goole' suggests he has supernatural qualities
• Inspector Goole's appearance


  Triggers the Birlings to change
• Inspector Goole


  Represents Priestley's socialist message, contrasting with the Birlings' capitalist worldview
• Foil


  A character used to highlight the flaws and shortcomings of another character
• Inspector Goole


  Acts as a foil to Mr. Birling, embodying socialist principles in contrast to Mr. Birling's selfish capitalism
• Inspector Goole: '"Public men have public responsibilities."'
• Mr. Birling: '"It's my duty to keep labour costs down."'
• Inspector Goole: '"We are all members of one body."'
• Mr. Birling: '"The Titanic is absolutely unsinkable."'
• Inspector Goole


  Empowers the younger generation, Sheila and Eric, to drive social change
• Inspector Goole: '"Your daughter isn't living on the moon."'
• Inspector Goole: '"Use the power you had."'
• Sheila: '"I started it."'
• Eric: '"You lot may be letting yourselves up nicely, but I can't."'
• Priestley felt the younger generation would be the ones to drive social change, while the older generation was resistant to change
• Grade 9


  The highest grade on an Inspector Calls essay
• Perceptive and convincing


  What the examiner means for a top essay
• Understand Priestley's point of view


  What the examiner wants you to show - what is Priestley trying to achieve in the play
• Things Priestley is trying to achieve

  • Promote a socialist agenda
  • Criticize capitalist society and the capitalist ruling classes
  • Show the shift towards the perspective that Sheila and Eric develop with the help of the inspector's teaching
• Class


  • Eva is a working class figure who is exploited by the family, Gerald represents the upper class and business classes oppressing the working classes
• Society


  A key word - Priestley wants to influence the society of 1945 and show how it has changed but still needs to change
• Patriarchy/patriarchal


  Another key word - Priestley wants to show how everything wrong with society comes from the men
• Priestley was violently, viciously, passionately against war
• Thesis statement


  3 main purposes/messages of Priestley in the play that you should identify and write about
• The second exam question is always a theme-based question, which is easier to write about Priestley's ideas
• Conceptualized argument


  The examiner wants you to have an argument that builds logically through the events of the play
• 3 types of grade 9 students

  • The English lover
  • The hard worker
  • The entrepreneur
• High value quotes to memorize

  • "If men will not learn that lesson they will be taught it in Fire and Blood and anguish"
  • "The girls are not cheap labor they are people"
  • Eric's language distancing himself from the sexual abuse of Eva
  • Gerald's quote about the key to his lodgings
• The ending of the play

  Links to Priestley's messages about capitalism, socialism, class system, and patriarchal society
• When writing a model response for the Inspector Calls exam question, you should allocate around 50 minutes: 10 minutes planning, 35 minutes writing, and 5 minutes checking
• There are two questions to choose from in the Inspector Calls exam: one focused on Gerald Croft's character, and one on how Priestley presents society as unfair
• Structure of a model response

  • Introduction
  • 4 main body paragraphs using PEEL structure
  • Conclusion
• Steps for writing a model response

  1. Read and plan for 10 minutes

  2. Write 4 PEEL paragraphs for 35 minutes

  3. Check response for 5 minutes
• PEEL structure


  • Point - Directly answer the question
  • Evidence - Embed evidence from the text
  • Explanation - Analyse techniques and link to themes/context
  • Link - Link back to the question
• In the 2021 Inspector Calls exam, the question on Gerald Croft asked how Priestley uses Gerald to explore ideas about responsibility
• Introduction


  • Outline how Priestley uses Gerald to explore responsibility
  • Mention Daisy Renton and Gerald's irresponsible behaviour
• First PEEL paragraph


  1. Point: When we meet Gerald, he tries to present himself as a responsible gentleman

  2. Evidence: Stage directions describe him as "attractive" and "well-bred"

  3. Explanation: Priestley uses this to show Gerald's duplicity and lack of true responsibility, especially towards Daisy Renton

  4. Link: Gerald's character is used to illustrate the irresponsibility of the upper class
• Second PEEL paragraph


  1. Point: Gerald disregards his responsibility to Sheila when he has an affair

  2. Evidence: Gerald distracts Sheila with a ring when she confronts him, and later confesses to having a mistress

  3. Explanation: Priestley shows how Gerald felt no duty or responsibility towards his fiancée Sheila

  4. Link: Gerald's character is used to demonstrate the lack of responsibility many upper class men felt towards their wives and fiancées
• Third PEEL paragraph


  1. Point: Gerald felt no social responsibility towards the poor working class

  2. Evidence: Gerald agrees with Mr Birling about reducing workers' pay, and callously refers to Daisy as "Gallant"

  3. Explanation: Priestley uses repetition and cold language to convey Gerald's lack of social responsibility, which contributed to class divisions

  4. Link: Gerald's character illustrates how the rich refused to be accountable for their actions towards the poor