Guide to spelling, punctuation and grammar

Closing paragraph 
The western film, then, has inevitably perpetuated
the myths of the American west. Western films are
entertainment, but they also carry messages about
America as a country that found its true identity
through the settling of the west. In these films and
the myths they propagate, historical reality becomes
shrouded in myth. Unpalatable facts about the
treatment of Native Americans are largely ignored
or glossed over. Even though America’s population
has changed dramatically over the last decades,
particularly with the growth in numbers of citizens
with Hispanic origins, for many Americans the myths
of the west as portrayed in western movies still hold
sway and affect the way Americans think of
themselves and their country. 
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10 – S
AMPLE ESSAY
5:
A MEDIA STUDIES ESSAY

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Opening paragraph 
•
Does the first sentence address the essay topic and get the essay off
to a brisk start?
•
How do the next three sentences develop the point made in the first
sentence? Are they ‘meaty’ and specific enough in their focus?
•
How does the last sentence of the paragraph act as a summarising
sentence?
Paragraph 2
•
What linking word is used to connect the opening paragraph with the
first paragraph of the body of the essay?
•
How does the opening sentence signal to the reader that the second
paragraph is to develop the theme of the first paragraph? 
•
What specific examples are used in sentences two to five to flesh out
points made about the historical accuracy of western films? 
•
How does the last sentence act as a summarising and closing sentence
to the paragraph?
Paragraph 3
•
Which word acts as the linking word between paragraphs two and
three?
•
Does the first sentence of the paragraph act as the key sentence and
if so, how?
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H
OW TO WRITE ESSAYS

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How do sentences two, three and four develop this key point?
•
What specific examples are given?
•
How does the last sentence act as a closing and summarising sentence
to the paragraph?
Paragraph 4
•
What is the linking word used in the first sentence?
•
If the first sentence is the key sentence of the paragraph, what does it
say the paragraph is to be about?
•
How do sentences two, three and four develop this key point?
•
Are they specific with detail?
•
How do sentences five, six and seven provide detailed analysis to
back up the key point of the paragraph?
Paragraph 5
•
Which phrase acts as a linking phrase between paragraphs four and
five? How does the first sentence act as the key sentence of the
paragraph?
•
How do sentences two, three and four develop this point?
•
What specific examples are provided?
•
How does the last sentence emphasise the key point and make a link
between western heroes and another aspect of American culture?
89
10 – S
AMPLE ESSAY
5:
A MEDIA STUDIES ESSAY

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