GENERAL REVISION ADVICE
1. Essay Writing Tips from the Examiner
- "5 - 10 minutes writing a plan of the response is time well-spent and can aid in producing a coherent and focused answer." It is actually not a bad idea to include your planning sheet with your essay when you hand in your script at the end of the exam - as long as it is legible - as this will allow the examiner to see your line of thought develop.
- "A thematic approach to essays ... usually produces a more successful outcome" - approaching a question using a chronological narrative approach will push you towards the dreaded description at the expense of analysis. So use your planning time to identify the specific themes that you are going to take up in order to answer the question.
- Understanding the question is absolutely central to doing well in this exam - time spent analysing past papers before the final exams, practicing working out the specific demands of each question, will not be time wasted! If you do not understand the question, you stand no chance of writing a good essay! Remember to look carefully at the 'command terms' (i.e. 'evaluate', 'to what extent' etc.) and any dates included in the question!
- Make sure you answer the specific question set - and not the question that you wish you had been given (as you prepared a practice essay for this two days before the exam!) This means you must, must, must read the question very carefully during your five minutes reading time to make sure you have fully understood what it is asking you to look at.
- Define any key terms and/or dates in your introduction in order to show (i) that you have successfully grasped the question and (ii) how you will be using such terms in your essay.
- Answers need to include "sufficient, relevant, accurate historical knowledge" - too many students' essays consist of "sweeping generalizations" that are not supported by any historical evidence! A successful essay will be supported by reference to historical knowledge - this is a History exam, after all! As Dickens' character Gradgrind stresses (though in a slightly different context), you will need to learn your "facts, facts, facts" to do well in your History exams
- Use historiography carefully: it should be a supplement to relevant historical knowledge, not a substitute for it. You will not receive high grades simply by spattering your essay with quotes from historians willy-nilly; instead, you need to use such quotes to support your own argument. In this new syllabus, it is enough to ensure that you use terms like 'another perspective...' to show that you have counter-claims.
2. Advice on Command Terms |
3. Dead Fish Planning Frame |
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Note: Make sure you do analyse the command term when you plan your answers.
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4. Follow a Revision Process
1. Review your notes against the syllabus checklists- are there any holes? If so, refer to the lessons / revision notes on this Weebly and/or your textbook.
2. Are your notes analytically structured? Use key questions / ideas to condense and analyse your notes.
3. Make practice essay plans using the questions in each section of this site. Use the dead fish planning frames of this helps you to plan thematically.
4. Review your essay plans with your friends and the mark scheme comments where available. Review the student example essays in each section
5. Write some essays to the appropriate time so that you know exactly what you need to do.
2. Are your notes analytically structured? Use key questions / ideas to condense and analyse your notes.
3. Make practice essay plans using the questions in each section of this site. Use the dead fish planning frames of this helps you to plan thematically.
4. Review your essay plans with your friends and the mark scheme comments where available. Review the student example essays in each section
5. Write some essays to the appropriate time so that you know exactly what you need to do.
5. General Advice
