Essay Writing Skills Higher Modern Studies

THE 12 MARK ESSAY

12 mark essays Analyse Evaluate Asking you to make a judgement about how good or bad something is. E.g. Evaluate the effectiveness of an electoral system in providing fair representation Asking you to examine how/reasons why something happens. E.g. Analyse the different lifestyle choices which result in poor health.

Analyse Questions Pupils use their KU to answer the question – up to 8 marks The final 4 marks come from analysis. Marks for analysis could be achieved by looking at: the consequences of something links between things similarities/contradictions between aspects of an issue compare opposing/alternative viewpoints. make a judgement about viewpoints make recommendations/suggest alternatives /improvements Q. Analyse the different lifestyle choices which result in poor health. You would be required to highlight, through your knowledge, the ways in which some lifestyle factors result in poor health THEN analyse these

Starts to analytical sentences: This evidence suggests / demonstrates / justifies / supports….. Therefore it can be concluded/deduced that…. This clearly shows/illustrates … This does not support the idea that…… This argument clearly focusses on ……. There is clearly a difference between…… It reasonable to conclude that….. The implication / impact of this is that ………. In essence this viewpoint …………. This demonstrates the link between………. This is significant / important / convincing because……..

Evaluate Questions Pupils use their KU to answer the question - up to 8 marks. The final 4 marks come from evaluative comments. Evaluative comments are where candidates draw relevant conclusions and/or make relevant judgements about an issue e.g. success or failure / highly effective or only slightly effective. Q: Evaluate the effectiveness of an electoral system in providing fair representation. You would be required to highlight how effective the electoral system is in terms of fairness of representation. What is good / bad about the system? This is a narrower Q than the 12 mark Analyse Q

Possible Evaluative terms Highly Mostly Slightly Only Strong Weak Majority Few Influential Probable successful Maintained Constant Consistent Considerable Inflated Limited Difficult Likely Clearly Definitely Possible Widely praised Increasingly Decreased Valuable Significant Important Critical Vital Very Relevant Effective Can be used in conjunction e.g. Highly relevant

Essay Structure Introduction Answer in 1 or 2 sentences – no marks! Middle Section (main body) Follow a KAKA/KEKE format for each paragraph depending on essay title! 3 paragraphs will suffice. Conclusion Concluding comment – short and sweet, one paragraph sum up!

Main Body Each paragraph should include: Knowledge -A sentence introducing your point to the Q and its relevance – include real life examples where possible. Analyse/Evaluate – Be critical – highlight where there are positives/negatives; show how trends have changed or where an exception to a “rule” has occurred Knowledge – back yourself up with further knowledge and examples or highlight inconsistences Analyse/Evaluate – as above!! You will need DETAILED ANALYSIS in order to gain full marks. In an Evaluate question there is more emphasis place upon the conclusion.

Conclusion To conclude...... Refer to all the elements you have discussed in your essay. If completing an Evaluate Q – MAKE AN OVERALL EVALUATION! SHORT AND SWEET!

EXAMPLE ANALYSE QUESTION “Analyse the legislative powers of the Parliament” What is the Question looking for? What legislative powers does Parliament have? How (successfully) have these powers been used by the Parliament?

One area which the Scottish Parliament (SP) can legislate on is health One area which the Scottish Parliament (SP) can legislate on is health. Health is a devolved power passed to the SP from Westminster in 1999 and the SP has total control over this issue. Since 1999, the SP has passed numerous pieces of legislation in relation to health. For example, in 2011 the Scottish Parliament passed the Abolition of Prescription Charges Bill which meant that Scots no longer had to pay for prescriptions (K). This was introduced by the majority SNP Government and was hailed as a victory for those who supported reducing health inequalities, who argued that cost should not be a barrier to accessing healthcare. (A) However, the cost of the policy continues to rise, with an estimated £900 million of taxpayers money being spent on the policy by 2015, as well as an increased uptake in using free prescriptions by the general public. (K) Critics of the law argued that taxpayer’s money could have been better spent elsewhere as the poorest in society already had access to free prescriptions, as did vulnerable groups such as the elderly. Therefore, this shows that the Scottish Parliament does have the ability to pass laws which help improve the health of people in Scotland. (A)

EXAMPLE EVALUATE QUESTION “Evaluate the effectiveness of St Joseph’s Academy at meeting the needs of all learners.” What is the Question looking for? Ways in which the school meets peoples needs How successful/effective they are in doing so

One way StJA helps meet the needs of all learners is through supported study. Most individuals feel the need for supported study and find it very beneficial as a form of furthering their learning. Most subjects provide this because of the educational benefits. (K) As a result of this, pupils feel more confident in their ability to perform well in the final exam because they have been well prepared by their teachers. They are more likely to achieve a higher grade than if they did not attend. (E) 70% of S5 pupils who were surveyed said they found supported study was a valuable part of their revision. (K) Evidence shows that there is a strong link between attending supported study and passing exams. Around 75% of pupils who attend supported study pass the final exam in that subject. (E)