KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH GENERAL RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO USING P.E.E.
1
A Guide to Using Point–Evidence–Explanation
INTRODUCTION TO POINT–EVIDENCE–EXPLANATION: P.E.E.
In your English assignments, we ask you to use a technique called ‘point–evidence–explanation’. It is a
very important part of your course and it is a valuable technique to master. In P.E.E., you will:
1) Make a useful point about the story/poem/play.
2) Find a quotation (evidence) to support and back up your point.
3) Explain what you have found in the evidence making sure you prove the point that you have
already made.
USING P.E.E. – EXAMPLES
Here’s an example of a P.E.E. paragraph about Fagin in the book Oliver Twist:
Charles Dickens describes the character of Fagin as an evil and villainous man. Dickens describes Fagin
as having ‘red matted hair’. This shows the reader that this character has devil qualities. The adjective
‘red’ is used by Dickens to describe Fagin and the reader associates this colour with the devil. Later on,
we also learn that Fagin holds a ‘toasting fork’ as he speaks, symbolising another devilish feature: a pitch
fork.
BOLD = Point
Underlined = Evidence
Italics = Explanation
Here is another example:
The character is presented at first
through other characters.
Tip: Only make one point at a
time – you can always write
more paragraphs!
Bert calls him ‘the outcast’, and
‘that guy’ when describing him to
the newcomers in Chapter X.
Tip: You can use more than
one piece of evidence to
support the same point.
Tip: Integrate your short
quotations so that they fit
into the sentence
Point
Make your overall
paragraph point. It
should be something
that supports your
overall answer.
Evidence
Give your proof for your point.
This should be a quotation from
the text your essay is about. It
should support what you’re
trying to say in your point.
