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English & HumanitiesSecondary and university4 min read

Essays, literature and the humanities

Using the board to plan arguments, map timelines and break down a text.

The board is not only for equations. For essay subjects the tutor uses it to lay out structure: an argument map, a timeline, a table of themes against evidence. That structure is what most students are missing when they stare at a blank page.

Good lesson requests

  • "Plan an essay answering: To what extent was the 1914 crisis inevitable?"
  • "Map the main themes of Things Fall Apart with one quotation each."
  • "Explain the difference between a simile and a metaphor with examples from poems I might meet at IGCSE."
  • "Timeline of the Nigerian civil war with causes and consequences."

Keep the lesson honest

Ask the tutor to plan and explain, then write the essay yourself. Attach a photo of your draft paragraph and ask for feedback on the argument, not a rewrite. Check anything the tutor says about a text or a date against your set text and your teacher: it is an AI and can be wrong.

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