How to Write a PEEZL Paragraph for KS3 English

A PEEZL paragraph follows five steps — Point, Evidence, Explain, Zoom, Link — to turn a single idea about a text into a developed analytical argument. Each step builds on the last, so a complete PEEZL typically runs five to eight sentences and earns far more credit than a simple quotation dropped into your writing.

What each step of PEEZL asks you to do

Before writing a single word, know what job each stage is doing.

Step | What it asks | Example starter phrase
P — Point | State one clear idea about the text | "The writer presents..." / "Shakespeare shows..."
E — Evidence | Quote a short, precise phrase or line | "This is shown by the phrase..."
E — Explain | Say what the quotation shows about the text | "This suggests..." / "This reveals..."
Z — Zoom | Analyse one specific word or technique | "The word [X] is significant because..."
L — Link | Connect back to the text's bigger meaning or theme | "Overall, this reinforces the idea that..."

The Zoom is the step most students skip. It is also the step that separates a competent answer from an impressive one, because it shows you are thinking at word level, not just idea level.

How to build a PEEZL paragraph: a worked example

The following example is annotated so you can see how each step functions in practice. The source text is a passage in which a character stares at an old, crumbling house.

Point: The author presents the house as a place of decay and lost time.

Evidence: The house is described as having "windows like blind, clouded eyes that had forgotten the street."

Explain: This suggests the house is no longer connected to the world outside — it has become isolated, shut off from ordinary life.

Zoom: The verb "forgotten" is particularly striking because it gives the house a human capacity for memory, implying that something meaningful once happened there but has now been lost, which creates a powerful sense of melancholy.

Link: This image reinforces the author's broader theme that the past is always present but slowly fading, leaving only faint, unreliable traces.

Read together, those five sentences form one coherent analytical argument. Notice that the quotation is short (one embedded phrase), the Explain opens up the meaning, and the Zoom drills into a single word — the verb "forgotten" — rather than paraphrasing the whole line again.

How to choose the right quotation for your Evidence step

The most common PEEZL mistake is choosing a quotation that is too long. A long quotation usually means the writer has not decided what they want to say yet. A well-chosen piece of Evidence is typically a phrase of three to ten words that contains a specific technique or a particularly striking word you can Zoom into.

Ask yourself three questions before committing to a quotation:

Does this quotation actually support my Point? If you have to explain away part of the quotation, it is the wrong choice.

Is there at least one interesting word I can Zoom into? If every word is ordinary, find a richer phrase.

Is it short enough to embed smoothly in a sentence? Quotations you have to introduce with a colon and separate line are often too long for a PEEZL.

For Year 7 and Year 8 students, embedding the quotation inside a sentence (rather than block-quoting it) is a sign of growing analytical confidence. For example: "The poet's use of the verb 'suffocated' suggests the character feels trapped" embeds the evidence seamlessly.

How to write a strong Zoom step

The Zoom is where analytical writing happens. To write a good Zoom, ask: Why did the writer choose this exact word rather than a simpler one? Consider:

Connotations — what does the word make readers think or feel beyond its basic meaning?

Word class — is it a verb, adjective or noun? Verbs often carry the most energy.

Sound — does the word have hard consonants that feel harsh, or soft sounds that feel gentle?

Ambiguity — does the word have more than one meaning? If so, explore both.

You do not need to use all four lenses. Choosing one and pursuing it with real depth is more impressive than listing four shallow observations.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: skipping from Evidence straight to Link. Students sometimes explain a quotation in one sentence and then jump to a Link statement without any Zoom. Fix: always pause after your Explain and ask, "Which specific word is doing the most work here?"

Mistake: the Point restates the essay question. "The writer uses techniques to create tension" is not a Point — it just describes what all writers do. Fix: make your Point specific to the passage and the theme. "The writer creates tension by making the setting feel physically threatening" is a Point worth developing.

Mistake: the Explain says the same thing as the Point. If your Explain could replace your Point word for word, you have not moved forward. Fix: use the Explain to open up the meaning of the quotation, not to repeat your opening claim.

Mistake: the Link is vague. "This makes the reader feel engaged" tells the examiner nothing. Fix: name the theme, mood or character dynamic you are connecting back to. "This reinforces the theme of powerlessness that runs through the entire novel" is a Link that adds genuine value.

How many PEEZL paragraphs should an essay have?

Most KS3 analytical responses (and later GCSE essays) use between three and five developed analytical paragraphs. In Year 7 and Year 8, two or three strong PEEZL paragraphs will usually earn more credit than five underdeveloped ones. Prioritise depth over number. Each paragraph should focus on a different Point — a new idea, technique or aspect of the text — so that your essay builds an argument rather than repeating the same observation in different words.

Frequently asked questions

What does PEEZL stand for in English?

PEEZL stands for Point, Evidence, Explain, Zoom, Link. It is a five-step paragraph structure used in KS3 and GCSE English to write analytical paragraphs about literature and language. Each step has a specific job: the Point states your idea; the Evidence provides a quotation; the Explain unpacks what the quotation means; the Zoom analyses a specific word or technique; and the Link connects the paragraph to the text's broader meaning or theme.

How long should a PEEZL paragraph be?

A typical PEEZL paragraph is five to eight sentences. There is no strict word count, but a paragraph that is only three sentences is unlikely to have completed all five steps. Quality matters more than length — every sentence should do analytical work, not simply pad out the response.

Can I use PEEZL for language analysis as well as literature?

Yes. PEEZL works for any analytical writing where you need to support a claim with textual evidence. In KS3 English language tasks — such as analysing a newspaper article, a speech or a non-fiction extract — you use exactly the same steps. The only adjustment is that your Point might focus on the writer's purpose or intended effect on the reader rather than a literary theme.

What is the difference between PEEZL and PEE?

PEE stands for Point, Evidence, Explain. PEEZL adds two extra steps. The Zoom requires you to analyse a specific word or technique closely, and the Link connects your paragraph to the wider text. These extra steps push your answer beyond describing what happens to actually explaining how and why the writer has made deliberate choices.

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