Stuck on a 6? You are probably describing, not analysing.
Strong students often lose the last grade for one reason, and more vocabulary is not the fix.
Magdalena SastreIB Spanish tutor · MallorcaSome students write well, know the vocabulary and structure their answers clearly, and still stay at a 6. When I read their work, the same thing is usually happening: the first paragraph describes, the second one starts to analyse, and the exam rewards the second one much more.
Describing versus analysing
Imagine a poster split in two: a jewel on one side, a drop of blood on the other. Describing says what is there. Analysing says what it does to the reader and why the author wants that.
- Describing: “A la izquierda hay un diamante y a la derecha una gota de sangre.”
- Analysing: “La composición dividida yuxtapone el lujo y la violencia para que el lector asocie el precio de la joya con un coste humano.”
The three-part model
- What: name the element (the contrast, the headline, the colour, the metaphor).
- Effect: what it makes the reader feel or think.
- Why: what the author wants to achieve, and against what. Is it to denounce, to persuade, to move people to act?
Every paragraph should end by linking back to the guiding question. If it does not, it is probably a description wearing an analysis costume.
Small details that separate a 6 from a 7
- “Fewer examples, more analysis.” Two well-explained points beat six listed ones.
- Careful verbs. “Analizar”, “explicar”, “evaluar” are safer than “demostrar”, which sounds as though you are proving a theorem. Vary “interpretar” with “simboliza”, “convierte”, “evoca”.
- Precision. Left and right on an image matter, and so does naming the text type and its conventions.
- An ending that judges. Do not repeat the introduction. Close with an opinion on how effective the text is, or what it says about the wider issue.
The question that lifts a paragraph is two words long: “So what?”
If you are the parent of a strong student
You may be wondering why a hard-working child plateaus. Often the answer is not effort or intelligence. It is a thinking habit nobody has named. Ask them to read you one paragraph of their analysis and say “so what?” after each sentence. The sentences that cannot answer are the ones to rewrite.
This is quick to fix with the right feedback. If you want to see where your analysis stands, book an assessment lesson below.
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