Higher Grade Modern Studies
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Essay Writing Skills
HIGHER GRADE MODERN STUDIES
ESSAY WRITING
SKILLS
*Returnable
No.
Modern Studies Dept.
AGS
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Essay Writing Skills
The aims of the booklet are to:
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enhance your essay writing skills in your NABs and external exam;
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give you confidence in answering questions.
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enable you to get better marks.
Introduction
As part of this course you will be asked to write essays for homework, and
tackle essay-type questions for internal assessments (NABs) and for your
external exam (Paper 1) . As the year progresses and the more essays
you write, you should be able to see an improvement in your essay writing
skills and consequently, your marks. By the time you sit your final exams,
you will be more confident about what is required of you.
1. The Essays
You will notice that the essay examples at the back of the booklet were written by pupils like
yourself. They were deliberately chosen to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of essay
writing. Each example gives you:
 The pupil’s answer to the question;
 The marking instructions to the examiner;
 The mark awarded out of 15 and the examiner’s/marker’s comments.
We know that not all of you will get an A pass, but it is hoped that all of you will improve in such
a way as to achieve your full potential in Modern Studies.
The essays in the pack cover the following topics:
 Decision-Making in Central Government (Study Theme 1B – Political Issues in the UK)
 Wealth and Health Inequalities in the UK (Study Theme 2 - Social Issues in the UK)
 The United States of America (Study Theme 3C – International Issues)
 The Politics of Development in African Countries (Study Theme 3E – International Issues)
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2. Essay Writing for Your External Exam and NABs
(a) External Exam
Your external exam, sat in May/June, has 2 papers.
PAPER 1 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Here you must tackle 4 essays based on the study themes you have studied throughout
the year. The paper is divided into 3 sections, A,B and C.
Pupils MUST answer:
 1 question from SECTION A (Political Issues in the UK)
 1 question from SECTION B (Social Issues in the UK)
 1 question from SECTION C (International Issues)
+
 1 further question from EITHER
SECTION A or SECTION C
Each question is worth 15 marks making a total of 60 marks for PAPER 1.
PAPER 2 (1 hour 15 minutes)
This paper involves evaluating questions and a decision-making exercise.
paper tests your ability to analyse complex source material.
The
 You have make a decision relating to this material and present
a report defending your decision.
 You have to use the evidence presented in the source material
and your own personal knowledge in your report (*see booklet
on the decision-making exercise)
PAPER 2 is worth 30 marks.
The total mark for the whole Higher exam is 90 marks.
(b) The NABs [ (N)ational (A)ssessment (B)ank item(S) ]
 These are your internal assessments
 You MUST pass a NAB for each Study Theme
- 1 for POLITICAL ISSUES IN THE UK
- 1 for SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE UK
- 1 for INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
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 This makes X3 NABs you must pass.
 If you fail any NAB, you will have an opportunity for reassessment.
 A second reassessment will only be given in exceptional circumstances.
 NABs last 35 minutes and are administered under supervision in class time.
 All NABS have 2 learning outcomes which you must pass.
 LO1 – Your knowledge and understanding of the topic in the question
 LO2 - Your ability to be analytical in your answer to the question.
 However, your answer in essay form will be marked holistically by the marker ie.
he/she will judge whether you have passed both LOs and pass or fail the answer
on that basis. If the marker feels one of the LOs has NOT been achieved, you will
have to be reassessed . NOTE! Your reassessment question will NOT be the
same as your first assessment, but WILL test the same skills.
(c)
NABs and the External Exam
 For a full course award ie. a full Higher, you MUST pass all 3 NABs and your
external exam.
 Your external exam is graded to allow pupils to be awarded an A, B, C or D for
the course.
award’.
Pupils attaining less than 43% for the exam will receive a ‘no
 If you fail any NAB, even after re-assessment, you can still go on and sit the
external exam, but even if you pass this you will NOT get a full award.
 If you fail a NAB but pass the others and your external exam, you can try it the
following year (if you are in S5). If you then pass, you will get a full award.
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3. The Importance of Good Essay Writing
 Writing a good essay is important, especially for your NABs and your answers to Paper 1
of your external exam.
 For both Paper 1 and your NABS, there will only be 1 question for each Study Theme.
 This question tests your knowledge and understanding and your powers of analysis on a
topic.
 Therefore, pupils are expected not only to write knowledgeably about the topic in the
question but also be able to critically discuss key points (ie. balanced arguments) in
response to the question with a well-argued answer which reaches a decisive, accurate
and effective conclusion to the question asked. Your answer should also have a good
mixture of description and analysis.
4. The Question Format
Both for NABs questions and external exam
questions, there are 4 ‘Stems’ (Question
Instructions) that can be asked. These are:
 “To what extent…………………………..”
 “Assess the effectiveness of……………”
 “Critically examine…………………………”
 “Statement…………….” Discuss.
(eg “with reference to African countries…..”
5. Strategies - Reading, Understanding and Planning the Essay
Candidates often struggle in exam type questions. The main reasons for this can be:
 They fail to understand the terminology (eg. social, political and economic reasons
for…..).
 They fail to read the question properly.
 They answer what they have learned instead of gearing their answer to what is being
asked.
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
They fail to write a proper introduction;

They fail to explain statements and give examples;

They introduce irrelevant points;

They fail to develop answers logically;

Essay Writing Skills
And, most importantly, they do not take time to PLAN answers at the beginning of the
exam / assessment.
IMPORTANT!
 Make
sure you know the main terminologies of
your subject before you go into the exam. For
example, do you know what the terms social,
economic and political mean?
 Take
time to read the question carefully to make
sure you understand what you are expected to do.
In tackling exam questions, you should consider the following things:
1. What is the subject matter?
2. How am I meant to answer the question? (the stem)
FOR EXAMPLE:
Question (Study Theme 3C – The United States of America)
How to be treated (stem)
Assess the effectiveness of government policies to reduce economic and social inequalities.
Subject matter
It might help if you use highlighter pens and highlight the stem (what the question is
asking you to do) and the subject matter.
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3. Make sure that you answer what the question is asking, not what you feel it should
be asking!
4. Try and simplify the question in your own mind if you are unsure about what it means.
For example, look at the question below…Can you write down what it is asking in your
own words?
With reference to specific African countries (excluding the Republic of South Africa);
Government domestic policies have been the main obstacles to economic and
social development.
Discuss.
5. Once you have chosen your question and have clarified what it is asking, it is time to
PLAN your answer. Do not ‘dive in’ blindly. Bad planning can lead to:




Repetition
Factual mistakes
Lack of logical development
Poor conclusions
Take time to plan – a maximum of 5 minutes should suffice. A good starting point is to
‘brainstorm’ yourself for ideas.
6. A good strategy to use is the ‘BOSS’ system. To see how this works, look at the next
page.
BOSS
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1.
2.
rainstorm ideas! Think of
rganise these ideas roughly
regarding how you are going to
use them eg. In the introduction,
in the main content or in the final
conclusion……….
ideas, main points, key words and
phrases and jot them down as
they come to you. You should try
and come up with 4 – 6 key ideas –
no details, just main themes /
concepts.
3.
elect the final ideas you are
going to use. Not all the ideas that
come to you will be brilliant – some
might not be relevant to the
question asked! Remember the
motto: Select the best,reject the
rest!
4.
equence your ideas. Once
you have organised your
material and selected the best
material, number the points in
the order you intend to use
them – this adds structure to
your answer.
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6. Strategies – Writing the Essay
Question
With reference to specific African countries (excluding the Republic of South Africa);
Government domestic policies have been the main obstacles to economic and social
development.
Discuss.
INTRODUCTION

‘Set the scene’ for your essay. Keep
brief. No rambling superfluous intros!
MAIN
BODY
OF
CONTENT
(in
paragraphs)
 Main arguments. Try to introduce
analysis and balance here.
 Adopt SEE approach if you can
(*opposite)
CONCLUSIONS
 These should be well-argued but should
not be over-long.
 Conclusions can be either (1) at the end
of the essay or (2) throughout the
answer after each major point made …or
BOTH!
 In final conclusions, try to include the
key point that led to your final decision
and another supporting point……………….,..
‘PEEL’
When writing essays, it might be an idea
to adopt the ‘PEEL’ approach.
(P) Make a (S)tatement / Point
(E) (E)xplain what you mean ie. go
on to explain / develop your
argument in depth – vital you
use analysis /balance here.
(E) If possible, use an (E)xample
or case study to illustrate
your argument.
(L) From time to time (L)ink your
paragraph to the original question. This
means that you should try to conclude
occasioanlly throughout your essay.
Example of expanding a statement (Based on question above)
Many African governments are corrupt kleptocracies which stand in the way of social and
economic progress. (Statement)
Governments such as these often spend aid money on weaponry, personal gifts or projects
which do not benefit their people. Stealing and patronage is encouraged since it binds key
figures to the leadership in exchange for their loyalty. This means that social factors such as
health and educational development are often ignored. Also, a lack of investment in farming,
manufacturing and communications leads to populations who suffer constant poverty and illhealth (Explanation).
A good example of poor government domestic policies can be seen in Robert Mugabe’s
Zimbabwe where his land reform policy has led to persecution of white farmers a collapse of
commercial farming and a massive weakening of an already fragile economy. (Example)
However, it could be argued that other factors are equally if not more important than poor
domestic policies of African governments in limiting economic and social development. The
refusal of some developed countries to cancel debt is a major barrier to African countries as
is poor terms of trade between African countries and developed countries (go on to expand
and analyse these points to give balance/analysis to the answer)…………………..
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Essay Writing Skills
SOME COMMON FAULTS IN ESSAY WRITING
1. Failing to read the question properly.
2. Not sticking to the question asked and writing material that is
irrelevant.
3. Using trivial detail.
4. Using historical and over-long introductions.
5. Using single words/short phrases without explanation eg. “Kleptocracy”,
“ multilateral aid” and “high IMR rates” when writing about the Politics of
Development in African Countries.
6. Use of abbreviations not in common use eg. “govt.” instead of government.
7. Failure to expand and explain on arguments. Listing points is not acceptable.
8. Not giving balanced arguments when asked to “Examine” or “Discuss” etc.
9. Failure to analyse statements/ questions.
10. Not structuring an answer in a logical way.
11. Personalising an answer. Do not use the 1st person singular eg “I believe
that............ . Rather say “It could be argued that....................”.
12. Using politically biased and politically controversial statements not supported
by evidence.
13. Attempting to “turn” a question (ie. answering the question which would have
been preferred rather than the one set).
14. Poor spelling and punctuation. Answers are often spoiled by long, breathless
paragraphs which lack commas and full stops.
15. Running out of time in exams. You must manage your time well, allowing for
planning and writing out balanced, logically- structured answers. If candidates
fail to answer all the questions set, they rarely pass!
16. Finally, the most important one of all – not PLANNING an answer adequately.
Many of the common faults above could be avoided by spending a little time
and thought planning your answers. Try and ‘brainstorm’ to get some key words
and phrases down on a piece of paper. Number these in the order you wish to
develop and use them – even this simple approach will add some logical balance
and structure to your answer (Remember ‘BOSS!)
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On the following pages are examples of pupil essays from a specimen exam paper with
marking schemes and marker comments. They are of differing quality so you can compare
the differences in the answers. The answers cover the whole syllabus (X1 from Political
Issues, X1 from Social Issues and X2 from International Issues (*see p2).
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