STRUCTURE

INTRODUCTION 

This is your first impression. Make it work for you.
Make your 'ACCROCHE' show not only understanding of the documents and the question, but also broader vision of the issues and context beyond the documents.
Import an exterior idea / context / issue to show awareness. 

⚠️ EXPLOIT DOCUMENTS 

• Do not just list documents, sources, authors and types. Give meaning to each document using our vocabulary list (argues that... demonstrates that... suggests that... illustrates...)

• Do not just explain them and define them. Analyse them, exploit them, use them as a lever to show your broader understanding of societal trends and phenomena. 

• Define them, compare them, contrast them, bring in outside information. 

USE YOUR PARAGRAPHS CORRECTLY

Each paragraph is an argument. YOUR ARGUMENT.
Use and compare TWO DOCUMENTS to support your argument.
Do not fall into the trap of ONE PARAGRAPH = ONE DOCUMENT.  

CONCLUSION

Your final, lasting impression. Make it count. Open up the debate. 

• As we have clearly seen.. / demonstrated...

• Despite... the questions remains...

• Moving forward, it might be asked whether.... if... who... how.... exactly when...

• Whilst caution is recommended...  there is hope in....  
  
  

WITH REGARDS YOUR ORGANISATION

INTRODUCTON : UK = DIVERSE but INTEGRATION / UNITY / REPRESENTATION = FAILED ?     
IMPORTED EVIDENCE : Tensions building after 2005 terror attacks >> 2025 immigration riots. 

PARAGRAPH 1 : REPRESENTATION IN GOUVERNEMENT = REAL FIGURES BUT REAL EMPOWERMENT ?
IMPORTED EVIDENCE :
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, son of immigrants and multi-millionaire... but representative ?  

PARAGRAPH 2 : UNEVEN GEOGRAPHICAL DSITRIBUTION = UNEVEN PERCEPTIONS / REPRESENTATION
IMPORTED IDEAS : Huge density in London, harmonious, as demonstrated by Notting Hill Carnival
but contradicted by race riots in from people in small towns or rural areas.
IMPORTED IDEAS : ATTEMPTS AT SHARED NATIONAL NARRATIVES (2012 Opening Ceremony)

PARAGRAPH 3 : AUTHOR'S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE : ACCEPTANCE & INTEGRATION vs EXCLUSION

CONCLUSION : YOUR FINAL IMPRESSION :)

HISTORICAL DIVERSITY is a fact in the UK (Colonialist history, windrush etc).  
COLOUR-BLIND CITIES LIVING IN HARMONY vs MOUNTING RURAL TENSIONS (BREXIT)  
IMPORTED IDEA : Fuelled by social media and Cambridge Analytica style manipulations
POSSIBILITIES TO CHANGE ATTITUDES IMPORTED IDEA : EXAMPLE OF BRIDGERTON

STOP SEEING

'SEEING' IS NOT ACADEMIC

Firstly, we will see... | Firstly, we will examine / explore / investigate / analyse / define | Firstly, an examination of [X] will demonstrate [Y]

As you can see... | It is therefore clear that...   It is evident that...   Clearly / evidently...    It is noticeable that...     It might therefore be noted that...

As we will see... | As will become clear...    As will be seen later ('see' mais passif)...     ...as will be examined in due course / later...     

As we have seen... |  As observed previously/earlier, ...     As noted earlier on,...    As previously stated.... 

MEANINGS & VOCABULARY

DIVERSITY (PURELY DEMOGRAPHIC) 

• Diversity refers to the variety of ethnic backgrounds within a population.

• It describes who is present in a society, without implying action or intention.

• A society can be diverse even if different groups do not have equal access to power or visibility.  

INTEGRATION (SOCIAL PARTICIPATION) vs SEGREGATION, REJECTION

• Integration refers to the process by which individuals or groups become part of the shared social, cultural, and civic life of a society.

• It involves participation in common institutions (school, work, public space) and the ability to interact within shared norms, while not necessarily erasing cultural differences.

• Integration focuses on functioning together within the same social framework.

INCLUSION (INSTITUTIONAL ACTION) vs ALIENATION, EXCLUSION

• Inclusion refers to deliberate actions and policies aimed at ensuring that people from minority groups are actively included and valued in all areas of society, such as education, culture, media, and politics.

• Inclusion is not only about presence, but about participation, access, and equal opportunity.

REPRESENTATION (POWER AND VISIBILITY) vs INVISIBILITY, POWERLESSNESS

• Representation refers to the visible presence of people from ethnic minorities in positions of authority or public influence, such as political leadership, the media, law enforcement, or education.

• When representation increases, it can influence decision-making, public narratives, and institutional priorities, making them more reflective of diverse experiences.

• It also has a symbolic effect: young people from minority backgrounds may feel legitimised and encouraged to aspire to roles they see occupied by people with similar life experiences.

AGENCY 

• The ability to act and affect change. 

INTRODUCTION STRATEGIES

ACCROCHE / VUE D'ENSEMBLE :
MISE EN CONTEXTE RAPIDE

1. JE COMMENCE PAR UNE PHRASE DIRECTEMENT LIÉ AU SUJET

Cette phrase démontre que je sais de quoi je parle. Je sais de quoi parlent les documents.
Je sais en quel thématique et en quel monde si situe le sujets des documents au délà du contenu des documents. 

2. J'UTILISE OU J'IMPORTE UNE CITATION / NOTION VUE EN CLASSE OU UN FAIT D'ACTUALITÉ PRÉCIS
MAIS... J'ÉVITE TOUTE GÉNÉRALITÉ VAGUE OU ANECDOTE DÉCORATIVE

Je n'ajoute pas des phrases hors sujet : je suis là pour comprendre et exploité les textes fournis. Cependant, j'essaie de 'parfumer' et 'colorer' mon travail avec les éléments extérieurs vus en classe ou dans mes lectures personnels. 

J'ajoute et j'inclue des éléments discrètement : parfois en fin de phrase : 

PRÉSENTATION DU CORPUS /
THÈME COMMUN

J'IDENTIFIE LA NATURE / SOURCE / FONCTION DE CHAQUE DOCUMENT TRÈS RAPIDEMENT ET DANS UNE SEULE PHRASE (OU DEUX) SI POSSIBLE.
LES CONNECTEURS LOGIQUES VONT M'AIDER
JE FAIS RESSORTIR UN POINT COMMUN OU UNE OPPOSITION CLAIRE ENTRE EUX

EXAMPLE  A: 

THE ESSAY ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM

Taken together, the three documents offer contrasting perspectives on the American Dream as lived, imagined, and sometimes abandoned : while Document A, an extract from Luke Healy’s semi-autobiographical graphic novel Americana, reflects his family’s differing experiences of emigration to the United States, the quotation attributed to Andy Warhol highlights the subjective nature of the American Dream, and Tara Zahra’s article in The New York Times shows that the dream continues to endure despite the large number of immigrants who ultimately return to their homelands.

PROBLÉMATIQUE REFORMULÉE

JE REFORME LA QUESTION AVEC MES PROPRES MOTS
JE NE REPRENDS PAS MOT À MOT L'INTITULÉ DU SUJET

EXAMPLE  :  AMERICAN DREAM vs SUBJECTIVE VISIONS OF AMERICAN DREAM vs BAD EXPERIENCES 

Taking into account their specificities, show how these documents illustrate the persistence of the American Dream and how it challenges those who have chosen to pursue it. 

EXAMPLE A  :

The American Dream is often associated with the hope of a better life, but expectations depend on cultural background and personal experiences of American mythology in popular culture. When reality fails to meet these hopes, and at a time when Donald Trumps is continually rewriting the rules about who enters and who stays, what keeps the American Dream alive in the collective consciousness?

EXAMPLE B :

The American Dream is often associated with the hope of a better life, yet expectations vary according to cultural background and personal experiences of American mythology in popular culture. When reality fails to meet these hopes, and as Donald Trump continues to rewrite the rules about who enters and who stays, what allows the American Dream to endure in the collective consciousness?

ANNONCE DU PLAN

J'ANNONCE UNE PROGRESSION LOGIQUE DE REFLÉXION
CHAQUE PARTIE A UN OBJECTIF CLAIR, PAS UNE SIMPLE IDÉE

EXAMPLE  :  

This essay will first examine how the documents construct and convey the ideal of the American Dream, then analyze the gaps between this ideal and the realities experienced by those who pursue it, and finally explore the symbolic, cultural, and political mechanisms that allow the American Dream to endure in the collective consciousness despite its contradictions.

EXAMPLE INTRODUCTION

Even when it fails to deliver the better life it promises, the American Dream continues to influence individual trajectories, raising questions about why a repeatedly challenged ideal refuses to disappear.           Taken together, the three documents offer contrasting perspectives on the American Dream as lived, imagined, and sometimes abandoned : while Document A, an extract from Luke Healy’s semi-autobiographical graphic novel Americana, reflects his family’s differing experiences of emigration to the United States, the quotation attributed to Andy Warhol highlights the subjective nature of the American Dream, and Tara Zahra’s article in The New York Times shows that the dream continues to endure despite the large number of immigrants who ultimately return to their homelands.           Although the American Dream is often associated with the hope of a better life, expectations depend on cultural background and personal experiences of American mythology in popular culture. When reality fails to meet these hopes, and at a time when Donald Trumps is continually rewriting the rules about who enters and who stays, what keeps the American Dream alive in the collective consciousness?         This essay will first examine how the documents construct and convey the ideal of the American Dream, then analyze the gaps between this ideal and the realities experienced by those who pursue it, and finally explore the symbolic, cultural, and political mechanisms that allow the American Dream to endure in the collective consciousness despite its contradictions.

CONCLUSION
STRATEGIES

RÉPONSE CLAIRE À LA PROBLÉMATIQUE

JE RÉPONDS CLAIREMENT À LA PROBLÉMATIQUE

As demonstrated throughout the preceeding analysis, the documents show that the American Dream persists not because it is consistently fulfilled, but because it remains adaptable, subjective, and deeply embedded in cultural narratives.

JE FAIS UNE SYNTHÈSE DES IDÉES, PAS UN RÉSUMÉ DES DOCUMENTS

While individual experiences often expose the social, emotional, and political costs of pursuing this ideal, the dream continues to function as a powerful framework of meaning that allows failure, return, and disillusionment to coexist with hope, inclusion and achievement.

OUVERTURE

• JE PROPOSE UNE SEULE OUVERTURE PRÉCISE

• ELLE EST CULTURELLE, HISTORIQUE ET CONTEMPORAINE

• JE FAIS UN LIEN AVEC UN AUTRE THÈME AMC OU UN AUTRE AIRE DU MONDE ANGLOPHONE

• LA CONCLUSION DONNE LA DERNIÈRE IMPRESSION DE MON EFFICACITÉ

• ELLE DOIT MONTRER QUE JE PRENDS DE L'HAUTEUR

Despite increasingly restrictive immigration policies and a political climate shaped by the current US administration, the American Dream survives less as a concrete promise than as a shared imaginary capable of absorbing exclusion, disappointment, and return without disappearing.

Moving forward, in a context marked by shifting political realities, rising social tensions, travel bans, suspended visas, and deportation policies, it remains uncertain whether the American Dream will continue to function as a global beacon of hope. 

As access to the United States becomes increasingly selective, those seeking security, stability, and a better future for their families may begin to question the promise itself and turn their aspirations elsewhere. 

Consequently, the future of the American Dream might ultimately depend on the capacity of America's story tellers to export such positive narratives of hope, resilience and solidarity as might  restore the USA's 'brand image' in the eyes of "the tired, the poor and the huddled masses" that New York's stylised Libertas has always sought to welcome.