HS03 Course Essays

1
Typical Essay Question Stems

• Have a particular focus, require examination of
  multiple factors and should arrive at a balanced
  judgement e.g.
• Examine the extent to which.
• Was.the most important factor in.Explain your
  answer
• With what success did
• How important was the part played by...in
• Explain the most important/main reasons why.
• Examine the relative importance of.
• Quotation....how do you agree and disagree with
  the quotation?

2
What examiners are looking for

• Essays written in continuous prose, in
  paragraphs, with a brief introduction and a clear
  and convincing conclusion.
• Answers that are focused on the question, show a
  good understanding, a balanced argument and a
  wide range of supporting materials.
• Answers that provide an individual response, show
  evidence of careful consideration of the
  question, appropriate reading and independent
  thought.

3
PEGEX- A simple paragraph structure

• P- Point (what is your idea/point/argument)?
• EG- Examples (evidence from History that supports
  your point)?
• EX- Explain (how does your point relate back to
  the original question)?

4
Top Level

• Does your essay show sustained analysis and
  judgement throughout most of the answer?
• Does your answer show sophistication and
  awareness of the relevant concepts and content?
• Yes.you will receive top level

5
Common Pitfalls

• Long, descriptive, chronological accounts which
  tell a story.
• Not answering the question or leaving an answer
  until the conclusionresults from an obsession
  with content
• Plagiarizing i.e. copying .examiners are looking
  for an individual response
• Failure to present a coherent argument
• Poor writing style e.g. Rhetorical questions, I
  will next examine, use of the present tense,
  use of the first person, use of
  jargon/colloquialisms, generalisations e.g. the
  people, illegible handwriting/poor punctuation,
  spelling and grammar.

6
'The Five Year Plans resulted in remarkable
industrial growth' Explain why you agree or
disagree with this judgement.

• Successes ...
• 1.    The USSR was turned into a modern state
  (which was able to resist Hitler's invasion).  
    
• 2.    There was genuine Communist enthusiasm
  among the young Pioneers.    
•   3.   There were huge achievements in the
  following areas
• new cities e.g. Magnitogorsk
• dams/ hydroelectric power
• transport communications
• the Moscow Underground
• farm machinery
• electricity
• coal
• steel
• fertilizers
• plastic
• no unemployment
• doctors medicine
• education.  
•   

7
However

• Failures/ criticisms
• 1.    Poorly organised inefficiency,
  duplication of effort and waste.    
•   
• 2.    Appalling human cost
• discipline (sacked if late)
• secret police
• slave labour
• labour camps (for those who made mistakes)
• accidents   deaths (100,000 workers died
  building the Belomor Canal)
• few consumer goods
• poor housing
• wages FELL
• no human rights
• 3.    Some historians claim the tsars had done
  the spadework, setting up the basis for
  industrialisation, Lenin had built upon this and
  that Stalins effort had very little effect on a
  process that would have happened anyway.