Essay Writing Tips

Essay Writing Tips Essay Test 1.15 minutes to answer ONE question only

Command Verbs • What are the key words? • Can you properly define them? • What sort of evidence is required to respond effectively? • If you are developing your own topic, what are the important issues and what questions can you pose yourself? • Then select if you choose that question on the exam

Glossary of Command Terms

2. LEARN to PLAN YOUR ESSAY • You can do this in a variety of ways, including: • a) Road map ( write it down) • b) Mind map • c) Matrix/Grid/Table • 5 minuts maximum can be spared on it.

Elements of a Good Essay Rule of a HISTORY ESSAY ( PERSPECTIVES) Balance of a solid ,cohesive, coherent structure and of an excellent argument. Structure : Introductory Paragraph, minimum 3 developin the argument paragraphs, conclusive paragraph Argument : State ,Support, Explain

Elements Again • The basic elements of academic essay writing are two: a thesis and evidence, divided into three parts: an introduction, the systematic development of an argument, and a conclusion.

Introductory Paragraph • 2 sentences to define or introduce the subject matter( NO MORE AS THERE IS NO TIME FOR VERBOSE OR VERBAL GYMNASTICS) • THESIS STATEMENT ( combines all of the arguments )

Thesis • Historical essay writing is based upon the thesis. • A thesis is a statement, an argument which will be presented by the writer. ( YOU ARE the WRITER ) • The thesis is in effect, your position, your particular interpretation, your way of seeing a problem.

Your thesis • Your thesis is the analytic heart and soul of your essay and should be clearly laid out in your essay‘ • Your thesis is the argument / interpretation you propose to advance / defend over the course of your essays introductory paragraph.

Resist the temptation, which many students have, to think of a thesis as simply "restating" an instructor's question. • The writer should demonstrate originality and critical thinking by showing what the question is asking, and why it is important rather than merely repeating it. • Your own informed perspective is what matters.

Let’s see • IB Question: • How and why did Anne Hutchinson pose a threat to the established structures of power and authority in Puritan Massachusetts?

Bad Thesis: • Anne Hutchinson posed a threat to the established structures of power and authority in Puritan Massachusetts. (Note how this thesis statement simply rephrases the assignment question in the form of an answer, offering no clue as to what exactly the writer intends to prove.)

Better Thesis • Anne Hutchinson posed a threat to the power and authority of the Puritan leadership because she was a woman, a popular preacher, and because of her religious convictions. (Note how this thesis is more specific than the previous one, but is still too broad, especially for a short essay. It also provides little brief insight into why the stated factors posed such threats.)

Even better Thesis • The leaders of Anne Hutchinson's community not only felt uneasy about Anne Hutchinson's role as a public figure, but were further threatened by her belief that individuals could communicate directly with God. (Note how this thesis is even more specific and focused than the previous two. Still, it could go a bit further in shedding light on the omnipresent “why” question.)

Still Even Better • While many Puritan leaders were uneasy about the involvement of women outside the traditional female sphere, Anne Hutchinson’s preaching that every individual had the ability to communicate directly with God posed a threat to the ecclesiastical hierarchy in Massachusetts, which based its power and authority on its role as mediator between God and the congregation

Body Paragraphs ( minimum 3) • ( Topic sentence + Development of Argument+ Evidence ) • Topic Sentences and arguments derive from your THESIS STATEMENT • Topic sentence ( statement that defines ONE AND ONLY TOPIC OF YOUR PARAGRAPH ) CONSISE < COHESIVE <COHERENT

State It. Support. Explain It

WHAT IS EVIDENCE • It is presented to persuade the readers and used with powerful arguments in the texts or essays. • It is factual information that helps the reader reach a conclusion and form an opinion about something. • Evidence is given in research work or is quoted in essays and thesis statements but is paraphrased by the writer.

A strong statement of thesis needs evidence or it will convince no one. • Equally, quotes, dates, and lists of details mean nothing by themselves. • Your task is both to select the important "facts" and to present them in a reasonable, persuasive, and systematic manner which defends your position.

So Demonstrate A Mastery • Marshal and explicate historical evidence, demonstrating a mastery of historical details (i.e., names, dates, places, etc.) from the lectures and readings in the service of defending.

Your thesis is only as strong as the evidence you mount in its defense. • Evidence does not stand alone; it does not speak for itself. • Rather, it requires explication. • It requires, as well, that you connect it to your thesis. • Remember that you bring evidence in support of your thesis and evidence that's evidence that does not serve that purpose should be excluded

Conclusion • Paragraph that sums up your Prove or Disprove of the THESIS STATEMENT • NO NEW CONCEPTS EVER INTRODUCED

Conclusion • Revisiting the main points of your paper in your final paragraph is a good idea, yes. • But then, take things to the next level. Remember the question or claim you articulated in your thesis, whose resolution has been the main objective of your paper? That question now needs to be re-invoked and, this time, definitively answered.

Avoid • using personal pronouns E.g. “I think that…” • colloquial language/emotive language/overly subjective statements E.g. “Stalin was a really bad guy…” • Abbreviations. E.g. AIII (write Alexander III instead)

Avoid giving a one-sided interpretation of the question- you must consider multiple perspectives and have balance in your argument. • This might be through discussing different schools of thought, using historiography or offering alternate views of events (and their causes, course and consequences)

Essay Writing Tips