3 replies to this topic

[IBtank]

^{Hi guys,
its really starting to annoy me that i cannot get a 6 or a 7 in History SL essays. We have been probably doing in IB1 about 8 essays or so and the only grades i get are 5s. 10-12/20
Can you guys please help me or give an advice how to tackle 6s and 7s, it just seems so difficult. don't know really what im doing wrong so its hard to improve!
thank yous}

[Sandwich]

Have you tried asking your teacher for some feedback from them?

Main areas for problems would be:
- poor structure
- lack of argument/poorly structured argument
- lack of supporting facts

But unless you make it a bit clearer what your problems are - where you feel your own weaknesses lie in this regard - it's difficult to give advice. I would say that history essays mostly fall down on argument/structure. People narrate things rather than pushing through points and examples so that at the end of the day, you've written a sort-of story/account rather than an analytical essay. In my experience this is where a lot of people end up with mediocre grades instead of the top ones.

[Hus]

The trick with history essays is not to spit out information, its more important to use personal analysis.

You want to set out your essays in response to the question (obvious). Choose a path you are going to take, i.e your thesis statement and state this at the end of your introduction.

For example if the question states, How important were Hitler's expansionist aims in causing WW2? A main line of argument would be, 'Hitler's expansionist aims of lebensraum and his willingness to take an  aggressive stance were key in causing the outbreak of WW2'. You could counter-argue using examples such as the Great Depression, the failure of Treaty of Versailles, failure of League of Nations and the British/French appeasement as also contributing to causing WW2. But in conclusion you want to prove that Hitler's expansionist aims were the most important in WW2.

As Sandwich said, avoid narrating events. Use the first line of each paragraph as a 'topic sentence', basically summing up the point that will be argued in the paragraph. e.g.
'The British and French policy of appeasement towards Hitler encouraged the German leader to take more risks, adopting a more aggressive stance that would eventually lead to the outbreak of war.' Next you should draw upon an example, such as Hitler's approach towards the Sudetenland (previous German territory in Czechoslovakia). Hitler regained the territory but continued to demand concessions which the European powers granted. That should basically be the only story-telling in each paragraph, presenting the facts. Next analyse how this is relevant to the essay topic/thesis. e.g. 'As long as the British and French continued to appease Hitler, he felt encouraged to demand extra concessions which were granted. While not foreseen by the European powers, Hitler felt as though nobody dared to stop him.....

After you have mastered the art of analysis in your essays, it would be wise to start incorporating historiography (historian quote/viewpoints) to reach the upper markbands, 16-20. e.g. This is supported by historian A.J.P Taylor who asserted that.....

I personally hate history, but it's a bit late for that...

This guide was very kind to me: http://www.activehis...ting_skills.pdf

edit: last piece of advice would be to get back to basics, and develop the proper structure of an analytical essay. Stick with the basic vocabulary, it doesn't have to be too fancy. If you want to spice it up make sure you have grasped the concept of a history essay first.

Edited by Hus, Jan 13, 2012 - 12:45.

[nb94]

Are you presenting counter arguments?