Higher Essay Feedback

Good written styleThorough understanding of the topicGood use of HOWEVER….Thoughtful – clear signs that you’ve thought

about structure

• Follow the structure you outline in your intro• Topic sentence – keeps you focused. • Use evidence to back up your argument. Not

good enough to say ‘the Labour reforms to deal with squalor were/were not successful.’

• Mini conclusion at the end of each paragraph.• Linking sentence

Other Tips…

• Read the question and decide what it is it’s asking you to do – TOPIC and TASK

TOPIC – event/person/time period

TASK – what you have to do – make a decision or a judgement about the topic.

Introduction

• Most important part of an essay.• Clear indication of the route you intend to

take – introduce the points in the order you will discuss them.

• Set the essay title in context (no more than two or three sentences).

• Your intro should act as a guide – refer back to it when writing the main body to make sure you’re on task.

• It is worth writing and learning a context for each topic.

• When writing an into roughly number each point you will develop further – this will show how many paragraphs you will have. (REMEMBER to rub out when you’re finished!)

Main Body - Development

• Separate paragraph for each main point outlined in your intro.

• Accurate and relevant info.• TOPIC SENTENCE – indicates what the rest of the

paragraph will be about. • Clear links that make the paragraphs relevant to

the overall title – use words from the title.e.g. The Labour reforms to deal with the problem of

‘squalor’ were successful to a certain extent.

ANALYSIS

• Avoid too much narrative (story telling) for the sake of it.

• Use the knowledge to answer the question directly.

• For top marks we want to see a balanced argument, showing an awareness of different historical points of view. (You do not need to include Historians’ names and quotes).

• Use the word BECAUSE.

e.g. The National Insurance Act was successful because…

The introduction of the NHS in 1948 was not successful because…

Conclusion

• Provides the final part of your structure mark. • It must be balanced.• Summarise your arguments.• Arrive at an overall judgement clearly relating

to the question (use the wording of the question!)

• In conclusion….provide a general answer to the question.

• On one hand…summarise one point of view.• On the other hand…summarise the opposing

point of view.• Overall…write an overall judgement based on

the point you think is most important.

Practice Essay – The Liberals

You will either be asked a question relating to WHY the Liberal Government of 1906-1914 introduced a range of social reforms.

OR..

How successful these reforms were in dealing with poverty.

How far was concerns over poverty the main reason for the Liberal

government’s decision to introduce social reforms between 1906 and

1914?

How successfully did the Liberal reforms 1906-1914 deal with the

problem of poverty?