HIGHER FOLIO

Each folio piece is worth 15% of your overall mark for Higher.
The essays are marked out of 15.
If you pass this folio piece then this satisfies the requirements of the Higher Writing Assessment.
1000-1300 words.

First draft
Due: Friday 6/11/15
Second draft
Third draft
Marked with detailed feedback on how to improve.
Comments only.
Checked for surface errors.
Marked out of 15.
Sent to the S.Q.A

S.Q.A Success Criteria
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You must demonstrate that you fully understand the topic/issue.
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You must provide detailed, thorough and relevant evidence throughout.

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Your ideas and arguments must be convincing.
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You must have a clear line of thought which is sustained throughout your essay.

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Your essay must convey depth and complexity of thought, as well as demonstrate “persuasive force”, through your use of language features, vocabulary and persuasive techniques.
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Varied and confident use of vocabulary to achieve a persuasive tone.

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Linking words and phrases.
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Evaluative words and phrases.
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Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
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Intelligent use of punctuation and sentence structure.
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Wide vocabulary (avoid jargon).

Don’t just choose the easiest option: you must ensure that the subject you choose will allow you to write an essay which is fully detailed and is at least 1000-1300 words.

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Do you know anything about the topic/issue already?
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Are you interested in the topic/issue?
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Is the topic/issue current.
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Can you find reliable information on the subject?

You must ensure that your essay contains relevant, accurate and detailed information on your topic.
Make sure that you are using reliable and up-to-date sources of information.

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Internet websites.
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Youtube.
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The school library.
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Public library.
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Magazines and journals.

www.completeissues.co.uk
Username: SAA
Password: ISSUES15

Britannica School
(Access through school website).
Username= saa plus your surname.
e.g. saaallison

At the end of your essay, you must include a list of all the sources you used for your essay.
This means that every time you take notes from a source you write down the name of the source.
I expect at least 5 or 6 sources.

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Website address.
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Author.
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Publication.
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Title of article.

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Don’t copy and paste from websites.
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You must not use someone else’s words and pass this off as your own. This is called plagiarism.
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When you take notes, write them down in your own words as much as possible. This is called paraphrasing and is absolutely fine.

It is fine to provide a quote from someone else. This is not the same as plagiarism. However, you must make sure that you:
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Use quotation marks around the quote.
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Write down the quote exactly as it is written.
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Say where you got the quote from or who said the quote.
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Provide context for the quote.

You must organise your ideas and arguments in a logical manner, using paragraphs.

Introduction
Main body paragraphs (5 or 6)
Conclusion

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50-100 words.
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Mention the topic of your report and make it clear what your overall opinion is on the topic. What are you trying to persuade the reader of?
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Mention the main areas of the topic that you will be focusing on in your report.
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Include a “hook” to grab the reader’s attention.

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An interesting quote.
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An interesting fact or statistic.
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A rhetorical question.
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An example from real life.
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An anecdote.

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Each main paragraph should focus on a particular area of your topic.
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Each paragraph should have a topic sentence at the start.
This should clearly indicate what the paragraph will focus on. Include a linking word/phrase.
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In your paragraphs, you should go into detail with your ideas and arguments about each particular area of your topic.

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You should ensure that each main body paragraph contains plenty of persuasive features.
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You must ensure that each paragraph is supported by detailed evidence.

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50 -100 words.
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Leave the reader in no doubt what your overall opinion is on your topic.
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Briefly summarise the most important ideas/arguments that you have focused on in your essay.
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Memorable closing line?

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Use of evidence.
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Evidence is explained and evaluated.
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Emotive language.
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Repetition.
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Triples.
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Attitude markers.
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Rhetorical questions.
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Address the reader.
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Destroy the opposition.

1. Address the reader throughout
This will involve the reader and engage them in your argument.
Use pronouns like “you”; “we”; “us”; “our”.
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“ You might not think that...”
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“ We often hear in the news...”
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“I believe that this is not acceptable in our country...”

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Encourages the reader to think about the point you are making.
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Emphasises the point you are making.
The sheer number of innocent and defenceless animals that are murdered every day for our burgers and our sausages must be brought to an immediate halt. Why should their lives be sacrificed so cruelly so that we can gorge ourselves on junk food?

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Appeal to the emotions of the reader.
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Provoke an emotional reaction.
Thankfully, the United Kingdom outlawed the barbaric practice of state-sanctioned murder in the 1960s. However, the death penalty is still practiced in many countries around the world, meaning that countless human beings and their loved ones, are put through the ritual of mental torture and suffering while awaiting their harrowing fate at the hands of their executioner.

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Emphasises the point that you are making.
Our cars are polluting, our planet is dying. Our trees are being murdered, our planet is dying.
We don’t recycle, our planet is dying. We are poisoning our oceans, our planet is dying. We are being wilfully blind, our planet is dying.

There are certain key words and phrases that you can use to convey your attitude and make your audience more likely to be persuaded by your arguments.
It is obvious… Surely…
Obviously…
It is clear…
It is without doubt…
Sadly…
Undoubtedly… Unfortunately…
There is no doubt… Fortunately…
Certainly…
Definitely…
Clearly… Without question… Thankfully…
Undeniably…
Absolutely…

It is without doubt that the most important issue in contemporary society is, unfortunately, the millions of refugees who have been displaced from their homeland. Clearly, being forced to flee one’s home and seek refuge in an alien culture is undeniably a painful and arduous experience…

Repeating an idea or image three times, usually in a slightly different way in order to emphasise the point that you are making.
Gambling one’s savings away every week is nothing but a fool’s errand: those who indulge in this immoral practice are moronic, deluded and impulsive.

When using a triple, try to build up to a climax:
He does not deserve his position and status as one of the world’s most influential businessmen having gained his role through nothing but deceit, manipulation and murder.

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Shows that you have researched the topic and have detailed knowledge of it.
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Makes your arguments more credible, reliable and trustworthy.
-Facts.
-Statistics.
-Quotes from reliable sources/experts.

In addition to its negative effects on Scotland’s society, alcohol abuse has been shown to adversely affect the country’s economy due to the financial burden it imposes. Far too much money is being wasted every year subsidising those who cannot control their level of alcohol consumption.

In addition to its negative effects on Scotland’s society, alcohol abuse has been shown to adversely affect the country’s economy due to the financial burden it imposes on us. Far too much money is being wasted every year subsidising those who cannot control their level of alcohol consumption. For example, according to BBC News, in 2001 the direct impact on our economy was estimated to be £766 million. This figure represents the cost of working days lost, reduced efficiency at work, increased unemployment, early retirement, workplace accidents and victims of alcohol-related crime. Furthermore, according to The Guardian, the indirect financial impact of alcohol abuse on our economy is estimated to be £717 million a year. This figure represents the cost of dealing with alcohol misuse to the NHS (£110 million); social work (£96 million); the criminal justice system and the emergency services (£276 million)…

When you provide evidence to support your ideas and arguments, you must make an effort to explain the evidence and make clear the point that you are making.
What does the evidence tell us? What does the evidence suggest?

Furthermore, the effect of binge drinking can have very negative consequences for our physical and mental health.
According to NHS Scotland, at present, around 40 percent of patients who are admitted to hospital are diagnosed with illnesses and injuries related to binge drinking. Thus, it is clear that the over-consumption of alcohol is destroying our health by resulting in conditions that require specialist treatment by medical professionals. Moreover, the time that over-worked doctors and nurses are devoting to self-inflicted injuries is worrying as it undoubtedly means that more deserving patients are not being given the care and attention that they so desperately need…

If you are able to acknowledge the opposing arguments and then prove why they are wrong this will demonstrate to the marker that you are an expert on the subject.
However, if you do mention the opposing arguments, you must make sure that you completely destroy them or you might weaken your own arguments!

This is the opposition’s argument
It has been suggested that the sheer size and fan-base of Rangers and Celtic mean that they would be a welcome addition to the English Premier League and that they should be invited to join sooner rather than later. These people would have you believe that the
Old Firm would be able to compete with the other big clubs in England.
However, the simple fact of the matter is that neither Rangers or Celtic have a single player who would get a game for any team in the
Premier League. Clearly, it would take at least a decade for them to become competitive and by that time they would have been relegated to the depths of the English lower leagues, begging to be allowed to come back to Scotland…
This is your counter-argument, proving why they are incorrect.

When mentioning the opposing argument
-It has been suggested that…
-It has been claimed that…
-Controversially…
-Others would have you believe that…
-Others argue that…
-Others claim that…
When destroying the opposing argument
-In truth…
-The fact of the matter is…
-Put simply…
-The fact remains…
-The opposite is true…
-In reality…
-In the real world…

:
Topic: the U.K government must do more to tackle excessive consumption of alcohol.

Topic and overall opinion is made clear
Brief indication of main areas essay will focus on
Drinking alcohol: we all do it at some point in our lives. It’s part of British culture, isn’t it? A rite of passage; a symbol of becoming an adult.
However, in 2015, the excessive consumption of alcohol has become a serious problem for
Scottish society, having a malign influence on individuals, families and our communities. The appalling extent of the destructive impact of alcohol abuse on our nation’s economy, our public services and on our health is only beginning to be recognised. How many more people are going to die before our government takes action to solve this crisis plaguing our society?
Rhetorical questions act as
“hooks”
Emotive language acts as a
“hook”

Topic: the U.K government must do more to tackle excessive consumption of alcohol.

To conclude, it is unquestionable that the scourge of binge-drinking is destroying the core of Scottish society, tarnishing the lives of individuals and ruining entire communities. There is no amount of paracetamol that can take away the pain and suffering caused by excessive drinking. There is no amount of sleep that can help our society and our economy recover from the damage caused. We, as a nation, must sober up. The government must take swift and drastic action to remedy Scotland's obsession with binge-drinking or we'll never be able to escape this never-ending hangover.