Content for PEEL Writing

Cambridge mark schemes for both Paper 1 (Reading) and Paper 2 (Directed Writing + Composition) reward "structured", "coherent" and "developed" writing. PEEL is the simplest scaffold that delivers all three.

What goes wrong without it:

• Quote dumping — listing quotes without explanation. Common on Q2.
• Floating ideas — paragraphs that drift between several different points.
• No connection — paragraphs that stand alone, never tied to the bigger argument.
• Topic-sentence-free — paragraphs that don't open with a clear claim.

PEEL fixes all four:

Problem	PEEL fix
Quote dumping	The Explain stage is now mandatory.
Floating ideas	The Point keeps the paragraph on one claim.
No connection	The Link ties paragraphs together.
No topic sentence	The Point IS the topic sentence.

Where to use PEEL:

Task	Use PEEL?
Q1 short answers (1-3 marks)	No — too short.
Q1(d) extended explanation (4 marks)	Loose PEEL — Point + Evidence + Explain. Link optional.
Q2 Writer's Effect	Yes — full PEEL with strong Explain.
Q3 Summary	Loose PEEL — clear topic sentences in own words.
Paper 2 Directed Writing	Yes — full PEEL throughout.
Paper 2 Composition (narrative/descriptive)	Adapt — narrative uses scenes, not arguments, but topic sentences still help.

Cambridge tip. Examiner reports for Paper 2 routinely note that "candidates whose paragraphs followed clear structure and progression scored higher than those with stronger ideas but weaker organisation." Structure beats raw content at the borderline.

P — Point. Open with a clear single-sentence claim. Don't ease in with background; state your position.

• "The writer creates a sense of foreboding from the first paragraph."
• "Free public transport would dramatically reduce urban air pollution."

E — Evidence. Provide support immediately after the Point. In Reading analysis this is a short quotation; in argumentative writing it's a fact, statistic, or specific example.

• "For example, the houses are described as 'huddled, like vulnerable people sheltering from danger.'"
• "In Tallinn, where trams and buses became free for residents in 2013, car traffic in the city centre fell by around 9% within the first year."

E — Explain. Unpack what the evidence MEANS and what EFFECT it has. This is the longest stage of the paragraph — usually 2-4 sentences.

• "The personification gives the buildings human emotion, suggesting that even the village itself senses the storm. The reader is made uneasy before the storm has been described, which builds tension early in the passage."
• "Removing the financial barrier changes commuter behaviour: people who would otherwise drive choose the bus or tram instead. Fewer cars on the road reduces emissions of nitrogen dioxide and particulates that contribute to respiratory illness."

L — Link. End with one sentence that ties the paragraph to the question, the next paragraph, or the bigger argument.

• "This sets up the threatening atmosphere that will dominate the writer's account of the night that follows."
• "A measure that shifts everyday behaviour at scale offers a faster route to cleaner air than slow infrastructure changes alone."

Combined paragraph (analytical):

The writer creates a sense of foreboding from the first paragraph. The houses are described as 'huddled, like vulnerable people sheltering from danger'. The personification gives the buildings human emotion, suggesting that even the village itself senses the storm. The reader is made uneasy before the storm has been described, which builds tension early in the passage. This sets up the threatening atmosphere that will dominate the writer's account of the night that follows.

That's a complete PEEL paragraph in five sentences. Notice nothing is labelled — the structure is implicit.

Once you're confident with basic PEEL, you can flex it for stronger paragraphs.

Variant 1 — multiple Evidence + Explain stages.

If a single Point can be supported by 2-3 quotes, all from the same paragraph or context, embed them all in one PEEL paragraph.

The writer creates a sense of foreboding from the first paragraph. The houses are 'huddled, like vulnerable people sheltering from danger' — the personification gives them human fear. Even the smoke 'clung' to the chimneys rather than rising naturally, suggesting the air itself is heavy and unwilling to move. And the colour adjective 'slate-grey' drains the village of warmth. Together, these details create an atmosphere of resignation: this is a place that has lived through many storms and now waits for the next. The threatening tone established here will dominate the writer's account of the night that follows.

That's three quotes inside ONE PEEL paragraph because they all support the SAME Point.

Variant 2 — counter-argument PEEL (for argumentative writing).

In argumentative essays, address the opposite view inside your PEEL:

Free public transport would dramatically reduce urban air pollution. (Point). In Tallinn, residents using free trams and buses cut city-centre car traffic by 9% in 2013. (Evidence). Critics argue that the lost ticket revenue must be covered by local taxes, which is true — but the public-health savings from cleaner air typically exceed the running costs within five years, as Hasselt's free-bus scheme demonstrated before its 2013 partial rollback. (Explain — addresses counter-argument). The genuine policy question is therefore not WHETHER to fund this from taxation but how, given the strong return on investment in air quality and reduced healthcare costs. (Link).

Notice the counter-argument is acknowledged AND defeated within the same paragraph.

Variant 3 — concession.

Sometimes the most honest move is to concede a partial point:

The writer's image of the storm as a beast is effective for most of the passage but loses some force in paragraph 6 (Point), where 'the wind was angry' becomes a more conventional descriptor than the earlier 'pawing at the windows' (Evidence). The shift from a vivid, specific image to a clichéd one slightly weakens the threat (Explain). However, this may be deliberate — the writer is now describing the storm fading, and the loss of vivid imagery mirrors the loss of intensity (Link / re-frame).

This kind of nuanced PEEL signals Level 5 sophistication — you can hold two interpretations simultaneously.

Cambridge tip. Top-band scripts use 4-6 PEEL paragraphs across a 400-500 word essay. Each paragraph is roughly 80-120 words. Resist the temptation to write very long paragraphs — the examiner needs to see distinct points, not a wall of text.

Q2 Writer's Effect (Paper 1):

• Point: a claim about HOW the writer is presenting something.
• Evidence: short quote.
• Explain: technique → meaning → effect on reader.
• Link: how this prepares for / reinforces another paragraph.

Q3 Summary (Paper 1):

• Less PEEL-shaped because Q3 is about distillation, not argument.
• Use clear topic sentences and own-words paraphrase.
• Skip the Link — connectives like 'also', 'in addition', 'finally' are enough.

Paper 2 Directed Writing — letter, speech, article:

• Adapt PEEL to the audience and tone.
• A speech might have rhetorical questions instead of formal Points.
• A letter uses 'I argue that…' or 'My recommendation is…' as the Point.
• Always retain Evidence (specific reasons / examples) and Explain.

Paper 2 Composition — argumentative/discursive:

• Full PEEL throughout. 4-6 paragraphs.
• Mix variants: full PEEL, counter-argument PEEL, concession PEEL.

Paper 2 Composition — narrative/descriptive:

• PEEL is less applicable.
• Instead, use SCENE STRUCTURE: setting → action → reflection.
• However, topic-sentence discipline still helps — open each scene with a sentence that signals where we are.

Cambridge tip. A sophisticated essay shows VARIETY of paragraph shapes. If every paragraph is a textbook PEEL, the writing feels formulaic. Mix in concession paragraphs, counter-argument paragraphs, and short transitional paragraphs.