Introduction

This activity has been developed to assist you in writing a History Essay that follows a clear structure and format.

Practice Question:

Wilst World War One may have been the immediate spark which ignited the revolution, the long term tensions and conflicts within Old Regime Russia were more important in turning crisis into revolution. Discuss.

Begin at the Beginning -

Understanding the question! It may seem a bit obvious, but many history essays simply do not answer the question posed. To do this you need to ensure that you understand what the question is asking of you. Underline key words and phrases to assist you with this.

 

Writing the Introduction

Introduction. Probably the key to any History Essay. It should state what you will do in the essay. You need to clearly identify how you are arguing in response to the question. Do you agree or disagree? Outline your argument in key points.. The rest of the introduction should explain what to expect in the coming paragraphs. A strong introduction shows that you already know what you are doing before you start to write.

Body of Essay

Here you offer historical evidence that supports what you were saying in the introduction. Each new paragraph should have a topic sentence which supports your the argument you are making. Evidence needs to be provided to support what you are saying. Take care to reference your quotes correctly eg (Authors name, date of publication of the book, page number) sample (Hayman, 2004 p.35)

This sample provides you with space to write three clear paragraphs - clearly you are not limited to 3 paragraphs when writing an essay.

As you are writing your essay it is useful to use keywords which are referred to in the SAC Criteria. For example: "key events" "origins" "weaknesses" "revolutionary forces" and "undermine". These signal to the assessor that you are answering the question against the criteria.

Paragraph One

A sentence needs to be provided which clearly identifies a key point which links to the argument you are making. Evidence must then be provided which supports your key point. Names, dates, key terms, events etc. Provide a quote to support your argument. A sentence which then links into the next key point (paragraph) should be given.

The last sentence of this paragraph should link into the first sentence of the next paragraph.

 

 

Paragraph Two

A sentence needs to be provided which clearly identifies a key point which links to the argument you are making. Evidence must then be provided which supports your key point. Names, dates, key terms, events etc. Provide a quote to support your argument. A sentence which then links into the next key point (paragraph) should be given.

The last sentence of this paragraph should link into the first sentence of the next paragraph.

Paragraph Three

A sentence needs to be provided which clearly identifies a key point which links to the argument you are making. Evidence must then be provided which supports your key point. Names, dates, key terms, events etc. Provide a quote to support your argument. A sentence which then links into the conclusion should be given.

Conclusion

This is where you quickly remind the reader of the points you have made and how they support your argument which answers the Question. A good way to remember how to do a summary is to ask yourself, "So, what was the point I was trying to make." Include evidence to support your conclusion.

Give this essay a title:
Your name:

Developed from a format provided by www.web-and-flow.com

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