Have a clear structure. Will you need to mention Hitler’s birth and childhood or the hyperinflation of the early 1920s? An essay is a formal piece of writing focusing on a topic. Don’t worry: confusion is often a necessary stage in the achievement of clarity. Successfully structuring an essay means attending to a reader's logic. It is a habit of thought, an attitude of critical scrutiny and exposition, a method of enquiry. History Essay: How to write an A-Grade Essay.  Be clear. Because if you state your line of argument and … The introduction should only highlight what you are going to discuss in the body. You need to think for yourself and come up with a ‘bright idea’ to write a good history essay. You might therefore try to write an eye-catching first sentence. I am very glad to have the help! This simple guide will show you how to perfect your essay structure by clearly introducing and concluding your argument, … Though being a basic structure, it is rarely used in colleges or universities where all papers commonly comprise three paragraphs, i.e., the introduction, body, and conclusion.Each student should know that the basic essay structure is the same for all essay types, be it persuasive, narrative or descriptive papers. These should underlie your reading for your essay and should guide your preparation, and it is in their light that facts are to be assessed. In the middle paragraph you are akin to a barrister arguing a case. Philip Larkin once said that the modern novel consists of a beginning, a muddle and an end. I’ve acquired some examples of achievable prompts to commence you off. So consider starting each middle paragraph will a generalisation relevant to the question. Effectively (and from personal experience), this means there are four things to a good essay: Knowledge. For AQA you can use this style for everything that is not a source question.  You write the essay in blocks of text which are focused on one area. Description: Slide show describes how to write a Source-based essay.  You are not writing a best seller where you build up the tension and then do a dramatic ‘ta da’ reveal. The former editor of History Review Robert Pearce gives his personal view. thesis, and the organizational structure that will best allow you to present your essay's argument. You may well find that decent ideas simply pop into your conscious mind at unexpected times. Why do I advise this? This one is pretty basic, at the end of the day, you need to know your stuff. Our host is Anthony Curtis, Psychologist, author and teacher. They should sound rational and factual – not like an individual expressing their opinion. Remember the point about answering ‘nothing but the question’? Examiners look for quality rather than quantity, and brevity makes relevance doubly important. What follows, therefore, skips philosophical issues and instead offers practical advice on how to write an essay that will get top marks. The thesis needs to be supported by a series of ideas that are backed by evidence. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Use this essay structure example to format your papers in accordance with the required style. contact our friendly and knowledgeable office team. But even here, you should take time out to do some thinking. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This is the bit where you have to present the …  The most common reason for this happening is that the student has moved off their plan when writing up the essay. Examiners are not expected to think; you must make your material explicitly relevant. Some people have a clear idea already of what they are going to write about; others find it more difficult to choose or focus on a topic. Let’s think about this process for a moment: A sustained argument is one that asserts a consistent argument throughout. Probably no two people will completely agree, if only for the very good reason that quality is in the eye – and reflects the intellectual state – of the reader. The Tutor Team Limited Registered in England and Wales No. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. How to write an essay. In the exam you will be pressed for time so it is sensible to just start with your analysis of extract A.  It is very important that you make a clear judgement for each source, as that is what the question asks you to do. You only have a limited amount of space or time, so think about how much detail to give. 4.9 10 customer reviews. Alfred the Great: The Most Perfect Man in History. How to write an A-Level History Essay Writing Essays is the most important skill that A-level Historians need to acquire. So it is crucial that you make yourself a good plan! Here are the crucial ideas that students need to grasp about the argumentative structure of History essays: An essay’s hypothesis must be a 'genuine argument' The topic sentences of each body paragraph must be drawn from the hypothesis Each body paragraph needs to … Remember this is all about argument and analysis. This should be distinguished from remembering, daydreaming and idly speculating. This is the number one rule.  Because if you state your line of argument and what you intend to include, you then have to make sure your whole essay and conclusion matches your introduction. Repeat this ‘back and forth’ technique until you have covered all the points and evidence in your plan. Imagine it like a tennis match, where the ball starts on one side of the tennis court, is played and then sails over to the opposing side. Hence the first paragraph – or perhaps you might spread this opening section over two paragraphs – is the key to a good essay. There are an infinite number of ways to write an essay because any form of writing is a means of self-expression. This college course is 100% free and is worth 1 semester credit.  And this is the person who is going to award your marks! Robert Pearce is the editor of History Review. All history students should swear a similar oath: to answer the question, the whole question and nothing but the question. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Remember that you need to assess the sources. Second, it’s very unlikely that your school text has grappled with the precise question you have been set. In particular, never fall into the trap of thinking that all you need are sets of historians’ opinions. An obvious tip for a history essay is to write in the past tense.  The conclusion should mirror your introduction and the main points of argument in the body of the essay, so the work ends up as a coherent, clear argument from introduction to conclusion. Good history essays should adopt the perspective of an informed and objective third party. Do not worry about an introduction– just get straight into the analysis. You can of course follow the herd and repeat the interpretation given in your textbook. When you begin writing up your essay, a … Was the passing of the Enabling Act more important? If you would like further information, talk to your tutor or lecturer. It is the testing of an idea. Is it objective (a matter of fact) or subjective (a matter of opinion)? Do persevere, however, because when you get the technique right it will gain you more marks in the end. Decide and plan what you need to say and then write it clearly, with a clear assessment of each source, in big chunks of work. After finishing reading, the person must understand why the argument or claim it as such. Is it the achievement of one’s aims? A good history essay (also known as a thesis essay) describes an argument about the events that have happened back then. If you think of writing as a process and break it down into smaller steps, you will find that paper-writing is manageable, less daunting, Structuring a history essay can be a daunting task – but once you establish a clear technique for presenting your argument, the clarity and quality of your essays will undoubtedly improve. The point-by-point essay takes practice, so it will help if you can get some feedback from your teacher or tutor, or even a parent who will be able to tell you if your argument is clear and makes sense to the reader. If you have plenty to say (and hopefully you will) you should use a sensible paragraph structure. The second is to write a narrative of events – often beginning with the birth of an individual – with a half-hearted attempt at answering the question in the final paragraph.  Why do I advise this? If teachers don’t advise how to do even better next time, they are not doing their job properly. Begin with one of the points from your plan, either for or against the hypothesis. This argument is the thesis. The advice above is relevant to coursework essays. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to use paper content in your own purposes.  Reach a judgement. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If you’ve been examining several alternative propositions, now is the time to say which one is correct. In ancient history there are two types of sources of information: modern works and ancient sources. Essays have traditionally been sub-classified as formal and informal. Don’t just look at the mark your essay gets; read the comments carefully.  Importantly, we want to know this at the start of the essay. You can write brilliantly and argue a case with a wealth of convincing evidence, but if you are not being relevant then you might as well be tinkling a cymbal. You have to think and think hard – and then you should think again, trying to find loopholes in your reasoning. Point-by-Point essays are much trickier to master but are well worth the effort as, done properly, they tend to achieve higher marks. And when did the rise to power actually start? You don’t really need an introduction for the source questions. Back to our tennis match analogy; the ball is your argument, which bounces back and forth between the players, but you need ‘your’ side to end each point with the big shot – the one that wins the game. If your essay drifts, loses focus, or becomes a narrative of events, then you will find your grade dropping.  Follow your plan! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Always write in the past tense. Quite often in essays students give a generalisation and back it up with the opinion of an historian – and since they have formulated the generalisation from the opinion, the argument is entirely circular, and therefore meaningless and unconvincing. All history students should swear a similar oath: to answer the question, the whole question and nothing but the question. 1556332. For AQA you use these for the extract questions; the two sources for AS and the three sources for A level. Nearly all students are aware of the so-called 'five-paragraph structure,' which is the first thing their tutors introduce them to when teaching the basics of essay writing. The reason it is called a block essay is that you deal with one section completely, in this case each source, before moving on to the next section. It dictates the information readers need to know and the order in which they need to receive it. When you first read a paper prompt, you might feel overwhelmed or intimidated. In so doing, you will automatically be presented with the problem of defining ‘success’. But if you’ve written a good opening section, in which you’ve divided the overall question into separate and manageable areas, your essay will not be muddled; it will be coherent. In other words, you have to think very carefully about the question you are asked to answer. A-Level history is a lot more demanding than GCSE and to get high grades you have to be able to write a good essay. If you’ve been arguing a case in the body of an essay, you should hammer home that case in the final paragraph. Your essay will be unique because you are unique: it’s up to you to ensure that it’s uniquely good, not uniquely mediocre. So think as hard as you can about the meaning of the question, about the issues it raises and the ways you can answer it. If you can argue this convincingly, all well and good; but don’t expect the examiner to puzzle out relevance. If you face problems with writing and can’t complete a well-written paper … Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.  It makes writing the introduction a breeze because you will know exactly what you have argued, which evidence you have used, the order you have presented your material and what you have concluded. A History essay is a structured argument that provides historical evidence to substantiate its points. us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regis… pic.twitter.com/FiEJzZRa1J, Welcome to Anita, who will be taking on most of our social media and our newsletter. Thus, being written and edited by our professionals, your essay will achieve perfection. I’ll lay out the three main areas of what should be in your essay, as well as some tips at the end to ensure that you get the highest mark you can get. History Exams – How to avoid being narrative. You need to make logic connection between paragraphs: each new paragraph should flow on from the previous one. You must conclude in line with the most persuasive and convincing evidence you have included in your plan. The most helpful tip I can give you is this; write the introduction last. For the source questions you don’t need to get too clever with hopping back and forth between sources and points. Then you can decide on the different factors that explain his rise. You must give a judicious selection of evidence (i.e. The same is, alas, all too true of many history essays. Johnson, for example, called the essay "an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance." Or if you are asked to explain the successes of a particular individual, again avoid writing the first thing that comes into your head. This webinar will help older students manage their studies and their own wellbeing in these challenging times. Writing the Essay 1. De Mille.) both ‘for’ and ‘against’ the hypothesis. Learn How to Structure a History Essay Properly A good paper should have a logical flow of content. We guarantee that you will be provided with an essay that is totally free of History Essay Structure any mistakes. Whether you need just one or a whole group of subject specialist tutors, we’re here to help. pic.twitter.com/IIdoA4LRqI, Good Luck to all the Scottish Students getting their exam results instagram.com/p/CDdUA-SFwdZ/…. More important is that you demonstrate your understanding of the question set. First of all we ought to ask, What constitutes a good history essay? Another History guide, ‘Improving Your Writing’, is also available on the History website and contains more information about writing style and structure. The point of essay structure is to develop a sustained argument. This type of essay is supported by evidence, arguments, and references. Remember there should be no surprises for your marker or examiner in history. Also, take account of the feedback you get from teachers. They will probably breathe a sign of relief that here is one student at least who is avoiding the two common pitfalls. A good essay, especially one that seems to have been effortlessly composed, has often been revised several times; and the best students are those who are most selfcritical. Writing an essay for history is not necessarily the same as it may be for an English class. Not maintaining a thesis throughout. Created: Nov 21, 2014 | Updated: Nov 25, 2014.  That’s your opening shot. See More. Detailed explanation by a History teacher on how to structure, write and approach A LEVEL HISTORY essays. This grappling with the problem of definition will help you compile an annotated list of successes, and you can then proceed to explain them, tracing their origins and pinpointing how and why they occurred. Now, in the final paragraph, you are the judge summing up and pronouncing the verdict.  A point-by-point argument is like this – it is oppositional, with two opposing sides. Do we have to consider short-term and long-term successes? © Copyright 2021 History Today Ltd. Company no. It’s as well to keep in mind what you should not be doing. facts and quotations) to support the argument you are making. The paragraph structure recommended above is just a guide, nothing more, and you can write a fine essay using a very different arrangement of material. Is there a key common factor in the successes? You don’t really need an introduction for the source questions. Author: Created by Lozzaa97. Ask a potential supervisor for a list of appropriate readings, chase up any further sources that look interesting or promising from the footnotes, or seek further help. Great: the most common reason for this happening is that still a success ‘ but... 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