Essay Planning (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
Essay planning
Understanding essay requirements
For AQA Component 1: The British Empire, c1857-1967, you will answer essay questions worth 25 marks each. The structure differs by level:
Exam Format:
- AS exam: Answer one essay from a choice of two
- A-level exam: Answer two essays from a choice of three
Both AS and A-level essays require the same approach: analyse the question and reach a supported conclusion using evidence. The mark scheme rewards sustained analysis throughout your response, not just isolated analytical points.
Core essay writing principles
Establishing focus and structure
Focus and structure means understanding exactly what the question asks and planning your paragraphs accordingly. Your essay needs a logical framework that addresses the question directly.
Focused introduction refers to opening sentences that immediately engage with the question's demands. Each paragraph should connect clearly to your overall argument structure.
Use of detail involves deploying specific factual evidence within your analysis, not as standalone information. Evidence must support your argument, not exist separately from it.
Types of analytical response
Several analytical approaches strengthen essay writing:
Explanatory analysis and evaluation requires selecting precise words and phrases that clarify your argument. Consider which terms best communicate your reasoning.
Argument and counter-argument involves presenting contrasting viewpoints in a balanced manner, showing how different interpretations can be positioned against each other.
Resolution means addressing contradictory arguments and explaining how they can be reconciled or weighed against each other to reach a judgement.
Relative significance and evaluation involves making judgements about the comparative importance of different factors and their possible interconnections.
Planning your essay structure
Identifying what the question demands
Before writing, determine:
- The primary focus (the main factor mentioned in the question)
- The secondary focus (other contributing factors)
- The time period under examination
- What type of analysis is required (explanation, evaluation, significance)
Critical Planning Step:
Cover the named factor first to ensure sufficient time for this required element. Then address other factors in an order that reflects either their importance or follows a logical sequence of paragraphs.
Creating an effective structure
A well-structured essay typically requires three or four paragraphs. Each paragraph should address one distinct factor. One paragraph must examine the factor explicitly named in the question.
Example structure for a tensions question
Worked Example: Planning for a Southern Africa Tensions Question
Question: "To what extent was Britain responsible for the tension in southern Africa in the period 1881-99?"
Analysis Required:
- How British actions worsened relations between Britain and the Transvaal and Orange Free State (primary focus)
- Other factors besides British actions that increased tension (secondary focus)
Suggested Plan:
- Paragraph 1: Effects of the discovery of gold in Transvaal on British policy
- Paragraph 2: Effects of British and Boer actions in the early 1890s, including the response to the uitlander situation and the Jameson raid
- Paragraph 3: British and Boer actions in 1896-99 leading to the outbreak of war in 1899
Writing the introduction
Maintaining focus from the start
Your opening sentence should use the question's wording to establish your argument clearly. This ensures immediate focus on the question's demands.
Example Opening Sentence:
"While British actions in the 1880s and 1890s undoubtedly increased tensions in southern Africa, the Boers must also share some responsibility for the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899."
This opening provides clear focus on the question's demands, though it could be expressed more engagingly.
Developing the introduction further
After your opening claim, you can:
- Introduce the primary focus factor with a clear point linking it to the question
- Preview other factors you will examine
- Signal the structure of your response
Strong introductions often establish an argument about which factor proved most important, then indicate how other factors will be evaluated throughout the essay.
Maintaining focus throughout
Structuring paragraphs effectively
Begin main paragraphs with statements that clearly connect to the question's focus. For example:
"British fear of the threat of Transvaal was to lead to increased tensions in southern Africa in the 1880s."
This sentence establishes a clear point about British responsibility for tensions in southern Africa whilst linking to a factor (Britain's fear of the Transvaal threat).
Developing each paragraph
After your opening point:
- Examine each factor in turn with its own paragraph
- Ensure each paragraph focuses on analysis and includes relevant supporting details
- Make certain all details function as part of your argument
Maintaining Structural Clarity:
Consider numbering your factors to maintain structural clarity and help sustain focus throughout your response.
Deploying detailed evidence
Types of evidence
Your essay will be assessed on the accuracy and range of detail included. Several types of evidence strengthen responses:
Effective Evidence Types:
- Correct dates
- Names of relevant people
- Statistics and numerical data
- Specific events
- Technical vocabulary appropriate to the period (for example, uitlanders)
For a question about southern African tensions, detailed evidence might include references to the Bloemfontein conference, specific dates of events, and precise terminology related to the situation.
Analysis and explanation
What analysis means
Analysis involves breaking down complex questions into smaller, more manageable parts. A clear structure dividing a complex question into separate paragraphs represents the first step towards analytical writing.
Constructing explanatory statements
Explanation accounts for why something happened or why something is true or false. An effective explanatory statement contains two parts:
- A claim (your point)
- A justification (your reasoning)
Example of Effective Explanation:
"While Milner's actions in 1899 undoubtedly increased tensions between Britain and Transvaal**[1], it was President Kruger who finally decided to declare war on Britain in October 1899[2]** and did so with the confident (if ill-founded) expectation of success**[3]**."
This statement includes:
- A claim
- A relationship to the question
- A justification for the claim
The explanation demonstrates how to account for why something occurred whilst supporting your argument with relevant detail.
Evaluation techniques
What evaluation involves
Evaluation means weighing the importance of two or more different factors against each other and reaching a judgement. This skill works effectively in conclusions because the conclusion should answer the question through judgement.
Example Evaluation in a Conclusion:
"Clearly**[1], British policy in the two decades before 1899 helped increase tensions with the Boer governments of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However[2], it remains far from certain that Salisbury's government actually wanted war with the Boers in the late summer of 1899. In the final analysis, therefore[3]**, it was President Kruger's actions which made war inevitable. He, not Salisbury, was the man who issued the fatal ultimatum in October 1899. It was he who then proceeded to declare war on Britain."
Note the use of:
- "Clearly" to acknowledge one factor
- "However" to introduce a contrasting view
- "Therefore" to signal the final judgement
Words such as "however" and "therefore" help contrast the importance of different factors effectively.
Complex essay writing: argument and counter-argument
Why develop arguments
Essays developing strong arguments reach higher levels because argumentative essays are more likely to demonstrate sustained analysis. Your essays are assessed on the extent of analysis they contain.
Structuring argument and counter-argument
After establishing an argument in your introduction, develop it throughout the essay. One effective method uses an argument-counter-argument structure.
Counter-argument refers to a position that disagrees with your main essay argument. This approach evaluates the importance of different factors by:
- Developing an argument in one paragraph
- Setting out an opposing argument in another paragraph
Balancing arguments
The argument and counter-argument can be developed throughout separate paragraphs, then rounded off with an overall judgement in the conclusion.
Working with Historical Interpretations:
Sometimes this involves contrasting different historians' views on a topic. Strong essays analyse these differing perspectives, possibly including brief analysis at the end of each paragraph whilst ensuring analysis relates only to that paragraph's specific issue.
Excellent essays maintain analytical thinking throughout, with analysis of each factor discussed combined with overall analysis running through the entire essay. This sustained analysis develops through creating a clear, relevant and coherent argument.
Achieving sustained analysis
Consider which factor proves most important as you write. This approach helps develop sustained analytical thinking throughout your response.
Complex essay writing: resolution and relative significance
Resolving tension between arguments
After developing argument and counter-argument, resolve the tension in your conclusion. Your writing must be precise and summarise the arguments presented in the main body. You need to reach a supported overall judgement.
Using relative significance
Relative significance means comparing how important one factor was compared to another. This represents an effective way of evaluating factors.
Reaching the Highest Levels:
Essays making judgements about which factor was most important based on valid criteria reach the highest levels. These criteria can be straightforward and depend on the topic and exact question.
Criteria for judging relative significance
Commonly useful criteria include:
- Duration: Which factor remained important for the longest time?
- Scope: Which factor affected the most people?
- Effectiveness: Which factor achieved most?
- Impact: Which factor led to the most substantial change?
You could compare factors using their duration and their impact, for example.
Writing conclusions
Purpose of conclusions
A conclusion following best practice should reach a high level by:
- Including appropriate details
- Reaching an overall judgement supported by evaluating the relative significance of different factors
- Using valid criteria to make this evaluation
Example Conclusion Structure:
After writing an introduction and main body, a concluding paragraph meeting exacting criteria for complex judgement might read:
"Thus, the actions of the British governments of Lord Salisbury certainly helped to increase tension in southern Africa. So did the actions of Cecil Rhodes, who was something of a loose cannon, sometimes acting as an agent of the British government and sometimes acting semi-independently. Rhodes, Salisbury, Chamberlain and Milner must all be held in part responsible for the outbreak of the Second Boer War. But the Transvaal Boers must also share responsibility for the increased tension and for the war itself. Convinced that Britain wanted to end the Transvaal's independence and unwilling to concede rights to the uitlanders, President Kruger believed war to be inevitable. He therefore prepared for it. His resolve was stiffened by the fact that his leading generals assured him that the Boers would win and that the outcome would be a United States of Southern Africa under Transvaal leadership. Thus, it was the Boers who foolishly declared war on Britain in October 1899."
This conclusion:
- Acknowledges multiple factors
- Weighs their relative importance
- Reaches a clear judgement about ultimate responsibility
- Supports this judgement with reasoning
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Plan your essay structure carefully before writing, ensuring you address the named factor and other relevant factors
- Begin with a focused introduction that uses the question's wording and establishes your argument clearly
- Deploy specific, accurate detail (dates, names, statistics, events) within your analysis, not as standalone knowledge
- Develop sustained analysis throughout by maintaining focus on the question and building a coherent argument
- Use argument and counter-argument structures to evaluate the relative significance of different factors using valid criteria such as duration, scope, effectiveness and impact