Lesson Aim: Gain an understanding of the technique and knowledge necessary in order to score highly in the examination.

Essay Technique: Overview The same basic principles from your AS essay paper apply: argue a variety of interpretations, give examples, draw sustained conclusions. BUT this is a thematic paper. Therefore you MUST -Ensure that if you take a chronological route that your essay is not narrative. This is much more heavily penalised at A2. A thematic route is better but not always possible -Evaluate throughout -Cover the whole time-period unless otherwise stated

How to structure your essay Introduce 3 main arguments, examine 3 arguments, draw sustained conclusion You can choose your arguments from the following structures: -Time periods (especially using specialist vocab- reconstruction, pre- war, wars, inter-war period, cold war period) but also by chronological movements (black power etc) -Assertion in the question and counter-arguments -Economic/social/political factors, influences or outcomes -Positives vs. Negatives -Continuity and change -Comparison of people/policies/movements -Comparison of congress/supreme court/presidencies Each method has pros and cons. It should be clear to you which is the most suitable for answering the question put before you. Using one of these structures will encourage evaluation which carries the highest marks. You are EXPECTED to think carefully about structure and to include this in your planning (which I like to see).

Ways of evaluating Evaluation should be present throughout your essay. Some examples of how to gain evaluation points are as follows: -Identifying a key turning point -Pointing out the limitations of a particular argument -Judge the most influential/important /significant fact -Judge ‘how far’ progress was made/a situation changed -Linking factors or events together (causation- it wouldn’t have.. if...) Remember to use adjectives in order to give your judgements more focus and weight: -Limited -Significant -Some -Further -Higher/lower

Keywords the examiners Like Positive/NegativeOngoingLong-term/short- term Change By the...Success/failureProgressInfluence ContinuationContributionDevelopmentInterpretation ConverselyHoweverCause/consequenceThroughout

Revision Technique: Knowledge (revision must be active) Date lists Spider diagrams Recordings Rhyme Testing yourself and by others Table form Revision cards Re-writing notes Memorise a page, recall it

Introduction: This should begin by outlining the different interpretations that you will be discussing and touching upon the subject matter you will be using to support your arguments You will also need to define any terms or explain by what criteria you will be examining the issue. e.g. This essay will compare the relative advantages of cats and dogs. The advantages and disadvantages will be judged according to the following criteria: Expense, cleanliness and loyalty. Main: This should consist of a series of paragraphs, equally weighted to each interpretation/argument. Use the Formula: SEgXY: Statement: Cats are cheaper and therefore better than dogs Eg: For example vets’ fees for cat are 25% lower than for dogs on average for comparable treatments according to Andersen (2007) eXplanation: The lower cost of maintaining a cat compared with a dog is a major advantage of keeping a cat as a pet as it represents a smaller financial burden on the owner, freeing up money for other things and a more realistic option for lower income earners. Y-valuation: Although a cheaper option in principle, smaller breeds of dogs require similar spending in terms of upkeep and vetinary bills. Therefore, this argument is dependent on the size of the animal. Conclusion: You need to reach a conclusion. This means deciding upon which side of the argument with which you agree or you feel holds the most weight. You need to use the arguments in your paragraphs to inform you opinion- if you can’t back it up it counts for nothing! Avoid informal language like “I think”. Try: *the evidence would suggest… *On balance it would appear that X is the stronger argument because… *It would appear that… e.g. It appears that Cats are more advantageous pets than dogs in terms of cost and cleanliness. As these are the two practical criteria by which the animals were judged, and not open to individual opinion as is the case with loyalty, one may be justified in forming a conclusion that cats hold more advantages than dogs overall upon this basis. However, it must be remembered that owners seek pets for different reasons and that the pets must be compatible with their differing lifestyles. Therefore this discussion can only give a general overview, which must be measured by the individual circumstances and desire of the prospective owner. For example if the purpose of a dog is to protect a property, even a far less expensive cat would be disadvantageous by comparison.