For those who are struggling with writing essays and need help with structure or how to write an essay at Higher. There are so many ways to write and structure essays you may have your own way but recently at the SQA this simple method was said to be the most successful for candidates.
What is the Question Asking?
First things first READ THE QUESTION – what is it asking you? Is it asking you for your own opinion, a religious view, a non religious view. Is it asking you to explain the consequences of holding a belief, is it asking for the links between beliefs and practices. This is where many people go wrong, they see a key word and they go off on a tangent or regurgitate an essay they’ve memorised and try to fit it in. Once you know what the question is asking you the goal is to make sure you Answer the Question.
10 Mark Analysis Questions
10 Markers are Analysis only – this means you are not asked to come to a judgement on the issues instead these questions are wanting you to show what you know and then take the knowledge further with some analysis.
When writing 10 Markers you want to write about 3-4 Paragraphs of Knowledge and Analysis.
Your paragraph could be formatted like –
Knowledge Point
A moral issue arising from … is …
Knowledge Point
An example of this is …
Knowledge Point
Some would argue that …
Analysis Point
A consequence of this might be … Another could be …
Analysis Point
They think this because …
Essentially your essay should follow the format KKKAA KKKAA KKKAA. This is giving the potential for 9 KU marks and 6 Analysis marks so shoudl cover your bases.
20 Mark Analysis and Evaluation Questions
20 Marker questions combine both Analysis and Evaluation. You will be asked to come to a judgement. You should do this throughout your essay and not just in the conclusion. Make sure you know what judgement the question is asking for you to come to.
When writing 20 markers you want about 4 or 5 paragraphs. Your essay should look like this.
Knowledge Point
A moral issue arising from … is …
Knowledge Point
An example of this is …
Knowledge Point
Some would argue that …
Analysis Point
A consequence of this might be … Another could be …
Analysis Point
They think this because …
Evaluation Point
Muslims would not completely accept …
Evaluation Point
This therefore makes clear that … because …
Your overall structure should therefore look like KKKAAEE KKKAAEE KKKAAEE KKKAAEE – this therefore would have 12 KU points, 8 Analysis Points and 8 Evaluation points. All basis should therefore be covered.
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