Comparing ourselves to others is something that we do really well. We shouldn’t but it’s in our nature to do so. Sometimes it is to our detriment when we compare and we tend to focus on the negatives and what we don’t have in comparison. But what if we change our thinking and look at what makes us like someone that we admire? What qualities do we both possess? Why is it that when we compare ourselves to others, we focus more on what we don’t have, rather than what is similar? But, when we write our comparative analysis we can easily identify what is similar between the two texts and struggle to look at how the texts look at the same idea from another perspective.

I think I was one of only a few teachers that was disappointed when the draft for the new study design was released and the comparative analysis was taken out of it. It is one of my favourite areas of study to teach, but also one of the most challenging. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. The key is to make connections, focus on the ideas and remember to look at how they’re similar, but also equally as important, identify how they explore an idea differently. Not every detail of the texts needs to be understood like the text response, but just as long as you include a little analysis, vary your evidence, and discuss similarities and differences, then you’ve got a winning formula.

When I wrote about the text response essays I kept going on about the need to engage with the topic and how important it was to answer the question and not memorise a previously written response. When examiners read your response one of the key things they’ll be looking for is your ability to make connections to the prompt immediately in your introduction. But, one of the traps that you can fall into is reading the prompt and assuming that it is about one particular theme, which it may be, but it will also ask you to explore it through a specific angle and issues it may be connected to. What I mean by this is that a question may be about ‘power’ and you’ll think ‘Great, I’ve written a practice on power, so I’ll just do that’, but the other part of the question may be about the ‘loss of power’ or ‘gender and power’ or ‘corruption and power’. And this is how students can lose marks. So the first thing you need to do is look at the whole question, not just what you want to see. This is your first and most important step in writing a response. Once you have understood what the prompt is asking you to discuss then you can begin planning.

How to plan?

I’m a planner. I plan everything (most of the time), especially if I’m writing (except my blogs, there’s some planning, but not detailed – as I say to my students, ‘Do as I say, not as I do). But for you, the planning process to begin with is vital. It allows you to unpack the question, make connections to the themes and ideas associated with the topic and then consider the similarities and differences between the texts linked to the ideas that you have broken down.

You may find that in the planning stages, especially when first starting, it takes you ages to organise these ideas. And that’s fine. It should. Have all your notes, resources, and texts available to you to assist in the process. Once you get more confident and have completed a few of these plans, you’ll need fewer resources and it won’t take ask long to put a plan together.

I can’t emphasise enough how valuable planning is. The more questions that you write plans for (and get them checked by your teacher) the better prepared you’ll be for the SAC and the final exam.

The following steps should be taken when putting together your plan:

• Unpack the question and identify the keywords and what exactly you need to discuss
• Make connections to the ideas and issues associated with the main idea of the topic. Break this down into three key ideas (these will form your body paragraphs)
• Under each idea, identify how the texts present it in a similar way. How do they look at it from a different perspective? (Remember you can talk about the setting, minor characters, and other major characters. You are not always comparing the same characters in the paragraph. You can discuss a pair of characters in your similarities and then another pair for the differences)
• Group quotes, and structural elements (film techniques, symbolism, imagery, language features, etc) that you can integrate into your discussion. (HINT: If there is a quote in the question, you need to include that somewhere within your analysis – and it is often associated with a theme connecting to the topic)

I provide my students with a template to help them with their planning and this may help with yours if it suits the way that your teacher has taught you to write the essay. I use the integrated approach when teaching my students to write their essays. This involves structuring each paragraph thematically and looking at both similarities and differences within the paragraph. (I will provide a sample paragraph later in this blog).

Writing your essay

As I mentioned, my go-to approach to writing this essay is to use the integrated approach. This allows for you to make comparisons of both similarities and differences of the texts in one paragraph focusing on the one idea connecting to the prompt. This may not be the way that your teacher is teaching you, there is no one correct way, so go with what your teacher is encouraging you to do. If my way confuses you, then ignore this post, and focus on what your teacher wants you to do.

For those who are staying, then I’ll go through the structure that I teach with some sample extracts from the pairing that I’m currently teaching (‘My Brilliant Career ‘and ‘Photograph 51’) which may help you to see how it all comes together.

Introduction

The introduction should engage with the prompt in your first sentence. Focus on the big picture idea from the topic and that both texts explore that theme.

When structuring your introduction, do so in the following manner

1. Opening statement introducing both texts and a connection to the big idea of the topic
2. The similarity of how the texts present an idea connected to the topic (link to a theme)
3. Points of difference (also thematic) of how the texts explore the prompt from a different perspective.

You can interchange points 2 and 3, just as long as you make it clear that there is a similarity and points of difference which explores the implications of the big ideas within the prompt.

For the samples I have used the following prompt: ‘Both women and men are disadvantaged by rigid gender roles.’ Compare how Photograph 51 and My Brilliant Career explore this idea.

Body Paragraphs

Your body paragraphs need to show an understanding of both texts and how they compare in the way that they explore a particular idea.

It is important that you balance your discussion between the texts but also with the similarities and differences ensuring that equal weight is given to both.

Select one specific example for each text for the similarities and then specific evidence for the differences. If you’re looking at characters, for the point of difference you can talk about other characters instead of making your point of difference about the characters mentioned in your discussion of the similarities. Remember you are comparing ideas, issues, and themes, not characters. Within each example, you should also state how the authors create meaning by embedding analysis of the structural elements of the texts (symbols, language features, perspective, setting, etc.)

I encourage my students to use the following structure for their body paragraph

1. Topic sentence (linking to an idea connected to the prompt)
2. Discussion of how text 1 explores the idea with specific evidence)
3. Transition with a point of similarity to text 2 and how it also explores the idea in a similar way
4. A sentence that states how the texts explore the idea differently (I call this the segue sentence)
5. Discussion of how text 1 explores the idea (different from what you have discussed in the similarity)
6. Transition through comparison to how text 2 presents the idea in a different manner to text 1.
7. Linking sentence stating the message both texts reveal about the idea of the paragraph connecting to the prompt.

Remember that you don’t need to go into too much detail. Focus on one example only per point that you’re making for each text and each comparison. Be selective with your evidence, but still be specific and avoid being too broad. You still need to show an understanding of the texts and the intent of the authors with the message they’re conveying.

Conclusion

The conclusion does not have to be long or convoluted. You need to resolve the prompt and state the overall message that the texts are conveying by connecting to the big idea of the topic.

• Overall statement about the two texts and their message (link to the prompt)
• What is the message of Text 1
• What is the overall message of Text 2

Final Advice

Before you start planning it might be a good idea to organise all of your information first. Make a table that compares how the themes are explored in each text. What are examples of the similarities? Examples of how they differ? What symbols are used and what themes do they connect to? How does the setting (physical and contextual) impact the characters and explore the themes? What structural elements of the texts aid in creating meaning linking to the themes and how can that be compared?

This is most likely your final English SAC before the exam and the one that is weighted heavily for Unit 4. It is also very timely as it serves as your preparation for Section B of the exam. So complete as many plans to various topics (and get them checked), organise your ideas and notes, and write practice essays.

The next post I write will be about preparing for the exam, which I hope to publish before the end of term 3. If there is anything in particular that you would like me to go through, please reach out and let me know.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions please contact me via email at ivaroncevic78@gmail.com or via Ronnie’s Ramblings on Instagram. And as I say… ‘Keep it zesty’

Ronnie