Evaluation in Higher Essays The final 4 marks in a 20 mark essay come from Evaluation This is where you discuss the overall importance of the factor in your paragraph with relation to what you believe is the most important Each time you do this, it is worth 1 mark. However you must use new evidence each time (can’t repeat something you’ve used in analysis)

Things to remember This is probably the trickiest part of the Higher essays Evaluation is not ‘mini conclusions’ It is not essential in order to get an A You should only really consider adding it in if you area already achieving As in essays It’s quite time consuming – do not waste half your 50 minutes trying to get it! Evaluation should come at the end of paragraphs

Candidate X’s essay Lets say the candidate was writing an essay on Why Women received the vote Candidate is at the end of their paragraph on the Suffragists They have indicated in their Intro (line of argument) that War Work is the most important factor Candidate would include evaluation at the end of this paragraph saying why the Suffragists were important but not as important as War Work Overall, whilst the Suffragists were important because they began to reverse the idea that women were uneducated and incapable, war work is more important because this created a rapid nationwide shift in attitudes to women due to the work they had completed and this was able to turn the tide in favour of women’s suffrage.

Structure for Evaluation Factor in the paragraph Overall, whilst X is important because…, Y is more important because… Basic analysis not yet used Most important New evidence linked to question

Overall, whilst the weaknesses of Weimar were important because they proved the government to be weak and untrustworthy, economic problems were more important because these created deep seated social problems such as mass unemployment and homelessness during the Great Depression which swiftly led people to abandon democratic parties in Germany. These would both get separate evaluation marks because new evidence has been used each time! Overall, whilst propaganda was important because the Nazi’s simple posters and slogans attracted many German voters, economic problems were more important because it was only during major economic crises that people would listen to Nazi promises and slogans like ‘work and bread’ were only attractive in times of unemployment and starvation.

Overall, whilst the New Liberals were important because they started to convince some party members that government intervention was necessary, fears over national security were more important because there was great panic and alarm within the government that Britain could not raise enough fit young men to fight German and many worried that war with the Kaiser’s Germany was looming. These would both get separate evaluation marks because new evidence has been used each time! Overall, whilst fear of the Labour Party was important because they threatened to poach the working class votes from the Liberals, fears over national security were more important because defending the country from potential threats and enemies such as the Boers was the main role of the state and this mattered more to the government than political advantage.