The document provides guidance on planning and writing an essay to assess the contribution of Marxism to understanding the role of education. It suggests including: - An overview of key Marxist ideas from theorists like Marx, Althusser, and Bowles and Gintis on how education maintains ruling class ideology. - Evaluation of studies by Willis, functionalists, feminist theorists, and postmodernists that both support and critique Marxist perspectives on the role of class in education. - A conclusion that summarizes how Marxism contributed to understanding education's role while acknowledging what aspects it does not fully consider according to other theoretical viewpoints.