Fiducia TogetherPEEL paragraph
Also called PEE, PETAL, What-How-Why
A paragraph structure: point, evidence, explanation, link. Useful scaffolding, and something to grow out of.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
PEEL is Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link. Variants include PEE, PETAL (adding Technique and Analysis) and What–How–Why. They all say the same thing: make a claim, prove it, explain it, connect it.
Where it applies
Essay subjects generally, and English especially.
How it works
The structure exists because the two commonest failures are a claim with no evidence and a quotation with no explanation. Following it prevents both.
Its limit is that it produces paragraphs of identical shape, and at the top of the mark scheme examiners are looking for an argument that develops rather than four interchangeable blocks.
How to use it in your work
Use it until you do not need it. If your paragraphs are landing, start letting the explanation run longer and the point emerge from the analysis rather than announcing it.
Whatever the acronym, spend the most words on the explanation. Most students spend them on the quotation.
One well-chosen short quotation beats three lines copied out. Embed it in your own sentence.
Where to get help
Your teacher — schools differ on which acronym they teach, and yours is the one that matches your feedback.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.