Study Guide
Comparative Essays: Comparing Two Texts
A guide to the comparative essay for senior English, in which two texts are put in conversation about an idea. Using two original…
- Difficulty
- Level 3 · Challenge
- Time
- 35 min
WorksheetYear 13Level 3 · Challenge
Free Year 13 Essay Planning Workshop Worksheet
A structured workshop in which students plan an analytical essay from an original prompt on an original short text, 'High Water', about a family after a flood. Tasks move from unpacking the question to writing a thesis, three topic sentences, selecting evidence with techniques, planning a conclusion and drafting a full introduction. Every task has a model answer, and the introduction task carries a marking rubric, so the method can be checked and then transferred to any senior prescribed text.
Instant download · No sign-up · Free for personal, classroom and homeschool use
- Year
- Year 13
- Subject
- English
- Topic
- Text Analysis & Essays
- Difficulty
- Level 3 · Challenge
- Estimated time
- 40 minutes
- Curriculum
- New Zealand Curriculum
- Questions
- 12
- Answers
- Included, with working
- Format
- PDF (A4) + print
Students will practise
- unpacking an essay question into a command term, key terms and a position
- writing an arguable thesis and three claim-based topic sentences
- selecting evidence and naming techniques for each paragraph
- planning a conclusion and drafting an introduction under time constraints
Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
What's next?
Completed: Essay Planning Workshop
More resources for this topic are coming soon.
How to use this worksheet
- Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
- Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
- Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
- Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.
Common questions
Who is this worksheet for?
Year 13 students (typically ages 17–18) working on text analysis & essays. It is pitched at level 3 · challenge.
Are the answers included?
Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.
How long does it take?
About 40 minutes for 12 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
Do I need to sign up to download?
No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.
What should we do next?
Explore more Year 13 english resources.
Preview
Year 13 · English · Text Analysis & Essays
Essay Planning Workshop
Success Tutoring
Student name:
Date:
Score: /
Total: 34 marks. Suggested time: 40 minutes. A plan this detailed takes five minutes in an exam once the method is automatic.
Planning tasks
Complete each task in order. Marks are shown so you can see which parts of a plan carry the most weight.
1.Unpack the question. Name the command term and explain what it requires, then restate the quotation in your own words.[2 marks]
2.List the key terms from the question that must appear, in some form, in your thesis and topic sentences.[2 marks]
3.Write your thesis: one or two sentences that answer the question, name the main techniques or features you will analyse, and state the larger idea.[3 marks]
4.List the three ideas (one per body paragraph) your essay will argue, each from a different angle: an image or symbol, a character or voice, and structure or perspective.[2 marks]
5.Write the topic sentence for body paragraph 1 (the flood line as symbol).[3 marks]
6.Write the topic sentence for body paragraph 2 (the parents' responses).[3 marks]
7.Write the topic sentence for body paragraph 3 (perspective and the ending).[3 marks]
8.Evidence selection. For each of your three paragraphs, choose two short quotations and name the technique in each. Set your answer out as a list: paragraph, quotation, technique.[4 marks]
9.Write one linking sentence that would end paragraph 1 and lead into paragraph 2.[2 marks]
10.Plan your conclusion in two or three sentences: restate the thesis in new words in the light of the evidence, then widen to the text's larger idea.[3 marks]
11.Now write your full introduction (four to six sentences): a sentence that engages with the question's statement, the thesis, the text and composer named, and a preview of your three ideas in order.[6 marks]
12.Self-check. Which of these is a topic sentence rather than a description?[1 mark]
- AThe text uses a lot of similes to describe the family after the flood.
- BThis paragraph will discuss the mother and the measuring tape.
- CThe mother's ritual of measuring the line each morning reframes the flood's damage as the one thing in the house that can be trusted to stay still.
- DIn the story, the family paints the walls in March.
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
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Text Analysis & Essays in other year levels
- Writing an Analytical Paragraph (PEEL/TEEL)
Worksheet · Year 11 · Text Analysis & Essays · Level 3 · Challenge
- Comparing Two Texts
Worksheet · Year 11 · Text Analysis & Essays · Level 3 · Challenge
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About this resource
- Created by
- Success Tutoring
- Last reviewed
- 1 October 2026
- How it was made
- Written by our team
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