Free reference guide · HSC English
PEEL Paragraphs for HSC English
PEEL stands for Point, Evidence, Explanation and Link. Use it to build an analytical paragraph from a claim to a reading supported by evidence.
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Quick reference
- Point
- Make a claim that answers the question and can be supported in one paragraph.
- Evidence
- Choose a short quotation, structural detail or visual feature that carries part of the argument.
- Explanation and link
- Show how the evidence supports the claim, then connect that reasoning to the question.
Build a paragraph about exclusion
Point: The scene presents belonging as conditional. Evidence: The narrator is left “outside the circle” when the group makes its decision. Explanation: The spatial image makes exclusion visible and shows the group controlling who can participate. Link: The scene ties belonging to other people’s permission.
The explanation connects a precise textual feature to the paragraph’s claim. If you remove the quoted detail, the explanation should lose something specific. The final link answers the question in the light of that evidence.
Try it yourself
Draft a PEEL paragraph about silence using an original detail: “Her name was missing from the list.” Give a point, embed the detail and link back to an argument about power.
Show the response check
A defensible explanation might connect the omission to the institution’s ability to decide whose presence counts. Specify the relationship between the evidence and the claim rather than retelling what happens.
Keep practising
These examples are original. For official assessment materials, see the NESA English Advanced HSC standards materials and check your course requirements.