Help with essay writing (formatting)

[PPP_KimSeokJin]

Hello fellow IB world,

I am always being told by teachers that I need to format my essays in a particular way but they say check the criteria. 

I am currently freshman year and I understand that I am not taking exams yet but I need to fix this problem. 

For example, currently I am writing an Research paper but I am unsure if my research question is good, as well as if my formatting of the essay is reasonable. 

For those with past experiences or know how essays should be formatted whether it be any essay, please help me!

Thank you!

[Ditteee]

In the IB Literature subjects, as well as most of the group on social sciences, we follow the MLA style. This is in terms of sourcing, formatting, and the physical appearance of the assignments. However, this is only something you use when writing EE and the various IA's, in which you'll have teachers as helpers and supervisors, because in the exam, the only format you have to follow is writing in the manner the IB needs you to for the scanner to effectively upload your papers. So I don't think you should worry too much about it, because when you're going to be in the actual system where formatting is part of the criteria, such as the EE in languages, and the Literature Written Assignment.

Unless you mean structure, paragraph-vice, and order. If so, let me know, I have lots of good tips on this as well.

[SleepDeprivationHL]

On 5/15/2016 at 7:04 PM, PPP_KimSeokJin said:

Hello fellow IB world,

I am always being told by teachers that I need to format my essays in a particular way but they say check the criteria. 

I am currently freshman year and I understand that I am not taking exams yet but I need to fix this problem. 

For example, currently I am writing an Research paper but I am unsure if my research question is good, as well as if my formatting of the essay is reasonable. 

For those with past experiences or know how essays should be formatted whether it be any essay, please help me!

Thank you!

I'm going to assume you meant structure, that way we'll have answered your question either way.

In terms of structure it's fairly simple just follow PEAL;

• PEAL
  • Point 
    • The main point you're arguing
  • Example
    • Example that proves this point
  • Analysis
    • Why the example proves your point
  • Link
    • linking this argument to your thesis

However in an essay, this works slightly different

• Intro
  • Topic sentence
  • Point 1
  • Point 2
  • Point 3
  • Thesis
• Body Pargraphs
  • Point
  • Example
  • Analysis
  • Example
  • Analysis
  • Link
• Conclusion (You reword your conclusions/links into your concluding paragraph)
  • Link 1
  • Link 2
  • Link 3
  • Thesis

Hope I helped, good luck with the diploma programme next year.

[kw0573]

Structure of an essay depends on the language and its purpose: an English essay would follow what @Alex Smith-napier said, but Chinese essays don't follow the same format; a commentary assumes discussion in order of paragraphs or stanzas, but some other types work better with thematic orderings. Across all languages, you need an introduction and a conclusion, also you need to explain your points in a logical order (as dictated by the language and subject). There may be no single structure applicable to all your essays, but if they are written in the same language, the structures are similar. You may also choose to read your classmates' works and learn how they organize their essays. 

[Scribblefish]

Regarding your research question concerns: As long as your research question is specific enough, and you have got enough to write about given the specific research question, there is unlikely to be any issues.

To add onto what has been stated above on the PEAL formatting and commentaries: There are various ways you could structure your essay, though it really all comes down to what you're writing about, and what works best for you. My advice here is going to pertain to commentaries, as they do seem to be assigned quite a bit when it comes to essay writing. As mentioned above already, you could structure your essay thematically, using the PEAL format to "zoom in" and give an in-depth view on the piece of work studied. A note here would be to analyze the effect literary devices in works (if present) and not merely state all literary devices used. I would say going through the work thematically is preferable for shorter pieces of texts studied. It might be easier for you to first list out all points you're going to cover in an essay, then find examples for each point from there to ensure you're developing your ideas and strengthening the stated points.

Besides going through the work(s) thematically, you could also study the piece chronologically (line-by-line), though I wouldn't recommend this - you'll feel compelled to analyze each line. However, I have seen this being used in an effective manner, so don't feel inclined to avoid this structure just because I don't recommend it.

If it helps, you may even choose to add some context to the piece of work: I personally find it easier to start off an introduction with some context, though this may not be what you prefer.

I'm going to reiterate what your teacher has mentioned here: Yes, check the criteria! Read the criteria and compare it with your own essay: Does your essay meet the points stated by the criteria?

If you're still struggling to format your essays, asking your teachers for assistance may be the way to go! Some teachers may have a structure they prefer, or perhaps even have other valuable advice to offer to clear up any of your confusions (: