INSTRUCTIONS:

PETAL Paragraph Builder: ” How to Use It.”

## What This Tool Does

The PETAL Paragraph Builder walks you through writing one analytical paragraph, step by step. You fill in five boxes ” Point, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Link ” and the tool checks your structure, gives you feedback on each section, and assembles your paragraph with colour-coded highlights so you can see exactly what you’ve written and where the gaps are.

It works for every reading question on both papers: language analysis, structure, evaluation, summary, and comparison.

This tool checks **structure**, not content. It can tell you whether your paragraph has the right shape. It can’t tell you whether your ideas are good ” that’s your job.

## How to Use It

**Step 1 ” Pick your question type.** Tap the question you’re practising. The hints in each box will change to match that specific question ” what counts as a good point for a structure question is different from a language question.

**Step 2 ” Fill in the five boxes in order.** Each one builds on the last.

– **Point” Make a claim. Not “The writer uses a metaphor” (that’s a technique, not a point). Instead: “The writer presents the house as a place that is simultaneously familiar and threatening.” Lead with the idea, not the technique.

– **Evidence* ” Quote from the text. Keep it short — a key phrase in quotation marks, not a whole sentence. Short quotes let you analyse individual words, which is where the high marks are.

– **Technique*” Name what the writer has done (metaphor, contrast, short sentence, shift in focus) and start explaining how it works

– **Analysis*” This is the most important box. Explain the effect on the reader. What does the writer’s choice make the reader think, feel, or understand? After every sentence you write here, ask yourself: *So what?* If you can still answer “so what?” then you haven’t finished yet. Keep going.

– **Link*” Connect back to the question. One sentence is enough. It tells the examiner you’re answering what was asked, not just writing about the text generally.

**Step 3” Tap “Build My Paragraph.”** The tool scores your structure out of 10, gives you a grade band estimate, and shows specific feedback on each element — what’s working and what to push further. Your paragraph appears below, colour-coded so you can see how much space each element takes up.

## What to Look For in the Results

**If your Analysis is shorter than your Evidence**, that’s a problem. The quote is proof. The analysis is the argument. You should always be saying more about the quote than the quote says itself.

**If the tool says your analysis lacks effect language**, it means you haven’t explicitly said what the writer’s choice does to the reader. Use phrases like: *this creates the impression that…*, *the reader is made to feel…*, *this suggests…*, *this positions the reader as…*

**If your score is below 7**, focus on the Analysis box first. That’s where the marks are on every question. One well-explained point is always worth more than three undeveloped ones.

## One More Thing

This tool builds one paragraph. A full exam answer needs two or three paragraphs like this, each making a different point. Use the tool to practise until the PETAL structure feels automatic ” then you won’t need the tool anymore. That’s the point.