How to write a history essay, correctly.

 

Why is essay writing so important?

In its different forms it is a vital form of communication: at school it is the essay, but in the work place it can be a report for your boss, it can be in the form of a motivation for something you want introduced, it can be a presentation or it can be an article you have been asked to write.
It forces you to concentrate on understanding properly a question/title.
It helps teach you the skills of thinking analytically, of ordering your thoughts coherently so that the person reading your essay can easily follow what you are trying to communicate.
It helps teach you to discriminate between what is important, the less important and the irrelevant.

 

What are the basic skills required for good essay writing?

• Clearly understand what the title/question is asking of you.
• Select from what you know about the subject only what is important/relevant to answering the question.
• Organise your material in such a way that it flows logically and coherently. Often, this is referred to as planning an essay.
• Logical and coherent paragraph construction is vital.
• Grammatical sentence structure and appropriate punctuation are also very important.

Underline the important words in the question.
Understand the words you have underlined.
Relate the question to what you know about the subject. If you have learnt your work properly, and if you have understood what you have learnt, you will soon realize what aspects of it the essay question is testing. Put the question into your own words.
Is the question asking me to tell a story or merely describe certain parts of what I have learnt?
Is the question asking me to be analytical, that is, am I being asked, for example, to break the subject down into the causes of an event, and decide which were the more important causes?

 

Remember: before you can plan an essay properly you must understand the question.
Once you have understood the question, you can select from your knowledge only what is relevant.
It is at this stage that you begin planning your essay.
You must be able, at this stage, to visualise the essay, in outline, from beginning to end.

A good introductory paragraph shows clearly that you know your work and that you have fully understood the question.
It shows that you have planned your essay before you have started writing.
It shows that you have organized your material into a logical, coherent pattern.
You must work out clearly, at this stage, what your response to the title is - what line you are going to take.
Put into point form (only two or three points) and then write it in a logical, coherent paragraph.

The Body of the Essay
Once you have made your selection of material (decided what is relevant), you must decide which is the more important material you want to concentrate on.
Deal with the less important material first, but it must be done briefly. Put it in an order which the reader can follow, that is, find a theme for it. Do not spend too much time on it.
Now organize your important material into a logical, coherent pattern which answers the essay question. This theme or pattern is your view of how the question should be answered. It is the thread of your argument. It’s your reaction to the question - whether or not you agree with the question. This is the focus of your essay.
This is the section on which you spend most of your time. This is where you get the correct balance, where you show that you have understood the question, understood what is relevant and important.

The support method: here you start with your conclusion/s and then bring in items/points/evidence to back up your conclusion

The discovery method: this is the reverse of the support method. In it you lay out your items/points/evidence and build up to your conclusion

The exploration method: an example of this would the way you answer the question Compare Lenin’s and Stalin’s attitude to the peasants. One method is to cover, separately, their attitude to the peasants and then make the comparison. Or, you make the comparison each time you make a point. The second method is preferable because it eliminates repetition.

 

 

 

The first sentence of the paragraph must be the topic sentence for the paragraph. This is very much like a headline of an article in a newspaper. It indicates clearly the topic that the paragraph focuses on.
Everything else in that paragraph is related to the topic. It gives more information on the topic, or it gives examples, or it explains the topic sentence. Nothing that is unrelated to the topic sentence must appear in the paragraph.
Think very carefully about the topic sentence. Always look at the question before planning the topic sentence to ensure that it is relevant. Have a clear idea of what you want to say in the paragraph before you start writing. Make sure that the points you put into the paragraph are in a logical, coherent order so that the reader can easily follow your train of thought.

 

Plan the sentence before you start writing. You must see the end of the sentence before you begin.
Use proper sentences: noun, verb, object etc.
Don’t allow your sentences to get too long. Shortish, clear sentences are the best sentences.
Use a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and finish the sentence with a full-stop.
sentence

As the conclusion is in the most emphatic position in the essay, the writer should:

• Summarise the main ideas
• Re-emphasise the major points
• Try to answer, clearly and succinctly, the questions raised i.e. draw your conclusions by referring directly back to the question

 

Certain instructional words occur frequently in essay titles and you must understand clearly what you are being asked to do. Some of these words are:

Discuss: You are being asked to investigate by argument and reasoning. You are required to justify (back up) your point of view with relevant facts.

Explain/Account for: To throw light on the ‘why’ of incidents and events. You must make them clear, usually by giving reasons for them.

Analyse: This is a concept that comes from the natural sciences. Literally, it means to divide into parts and then investigate each part. On the basis of this investigation you should come to a conclusion. An example of this would be to identify the reasons for a particular event, and then investigate the contribution of each to causing the event.

Evaluate/Assess: To estimate the value of and form a judgement. This implies a personal opinion which must be backed up by relevant facts.

Determine: To establish by investigation and logic.

Compare: This requires you to show the differences and similarities between a number of factors/characteristics, and give reasons for them.
To what extent ... ?: Here you are being asked to to weigh factors/reasons/causes against one another and to determine the extent/degree of their influence/consequences.

The Quotation-type Question
Often a question will quote a statement which which you have to assess. The instructions following the statement will either ask you whether you agree with the statement or often will ask you to discuss it critically. In other words, you will have to show whether you think the statement is true, partly true or false.
Note that when you are given a statement to discuss, it will appear between quotation marks or in italics. You must not make the mistake of thinking that each statement given is necessarily a true one. Remember, whether you agree or disagree with the statement, you must substantiate your answer by showing why you disagree or agree with the statement.

A false statement: “Slavery had nothing to do with the causes of the American Civil War.” Discuss. The question is asking you to refute the statement. Remember to give reasons why you refute the statement.

A statement which is only partially correct: “The slavery issue played a role, but only a minor role, in causing the American Civil War.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. Here, you are required to acknowledge that slavery played a role, but to refute that it played only a minor role. Remember to substantiate your point of view.

A correct statement: “Slavery and secession from the Union played a vital role in bringing about the American Civil War. Discuss. Remember to show why you agree.