Essay Structure / Analytical Reading

Useful visual representation of how to read texts in depth, identifying implicit meaning.

I have used this both as a poster for my classroom, and as a handout and PowerPoint slide.

This is based on Hemmingway’s idea of the text being like an iceberg, with its main meaning submerged beneath the surface.

It is very useful when teaching essay-writing skills to GCSE students, and high achieving Y9 groups. You can use it to help students to understand how to improve their work, particularly the nebulous idea of ‘depth’ in analytical writing.

Another way of using the diagram is to apply the concepts to exemplar essays or paragraphs, colour-coding the depth and detail of the answer. This really helps students to understand how to achieve at a higher level in English.