Comparative essay

A guidance sheet for students to write an essay comparing three short stories: 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells, 'The Speckled Band' by Arthur Conan Doyle and 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens. Students consider what makes a good mystery story based on their understanding of the three stories.

Students explore the key features of the mystery genre in their comparison:

• plot and structure
• setting
• language features.