PLEASE HELP! How do I distinguish analysis and evaluation in an English Literature essay?

The task is to write an exam essay comparing how two poems explore a particular theme. The second highest band score requires students to analyse by demonstrating ‘discriminating understanding of how meanings are shaped in texts’, while the highest band score requires students to ‘exhibit a critical evaluation of how meanings are shaped in texts.’

I have seen some top grade exemplars, but I cannot distinguish between analysis and evaluation, and the mark grid doesn’t define these terms.

Posted Feb 28, 2026, 1:05 PM UTC

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