HELP on writing a good Paper 2&3

[Ryoika]

Hi, everyone. This is my first post!

I am struggling a lot with writing "great" Paper 2 and 3.

I have read a few posts here saying that history is a manageable course, a course that would guarantee

a 6 or 7 if you pay enough effort. Those posts also said that you will get a good mark in History if you

are good in other Arts courses, like English and Psychology.

I found that very surprising, because in our school, History is one of the hardest courses ever.

I am getting 6 in English and 7 in Psychology, but in History, I am getting a low 5

It's not only for me, but for other students too. 2/3 of our class is getting 4s, and 1/3 (clearly, a minority) is getting
a low/strong 5s. Even the smartest person in our grade, who is getting 7 in like every IB course, is getting a 5, which is really ironic.
Our teacher said that all his past classes were like our class too, mentioning that we, just like his past classes, will end up getting
5s or 6s. He predicted that two students in his class will eventually end up getting 6, which I find very dubious because
our class progress and average are terribly low. NO ONE is getting higher than 5 in our class.
I know all the "tips" that I have to consider when writing a history essay (historiography, facts, analysis, differing perspectives, etc.)
because our teacher always talked about them after we have finished our essays. And I have tried so many times
to put the "analysis" he wants in my essays. But to him, the analysis details that I put don't seem to be enough, and I always end up getting low marks. The major problem is that our teacher TELLS us to put in the analysis part, but doesn't teach us HOW to do it and
what kind of analysis that IB is looking for. So, all of us in his class have no idea what specific kind of paper would guarantee a 6 or 7.
What I want right now is sample level 6&7 Paper 2 and 3,.. so that I can finally get to learn about "HOW" by reading those essays.
If anyone has a sample Paper 2 and 3's that got 6 or 7, can he or she post that essay in a reply? (maybe one on Russian Revolution, because we are learning about that right now, but it doesn't have to be). Or if that is not possible, can you teach me about the "HOW" part, about how to write a good analytic paper in History?
It would be SO MUCH BETTER if anyone has a sample and posts it on here. Thank you~!!!!!!
(I am not a VIP member yet, so may be copy and paste on a reply would be better)

Edited October 26, 2013 by Ryoika

[Captain Jeeves]

You cannot ask for files when you're not a VIP member, even if it's a copy paste variation. Pay to be a subscriber or make the necessary number of posts.

However, I can tell you how my history teacher told us to do the analysis portion - about three quarters of his three classes last year got 5/6 and I believe one got a 7, so he's at least got an idea of what he's doing! He taught us how to do it by structuring within subtopics.

First you give the information - this is where you put dates, names, numbers, concrete and specific facts. The information section is where you might find sentences such as this one from an essay I did recently on war during the French Rev: "During the battle of Valmy, fought on 20 September 1792, French forces numbering 52000 troops gained a decisive victory over 34000 Prussians." Full of stuff that can be verified. The battle was unquestionably on the 20th of September - there's no debate about that. That's the kind of information that makes up the first bit.

The second portion is where you deal with the analysis. Essentially, you take the information you've just written and explain why it matters. This is where you connect the information to the thesis. Say you're writing an essay about smoothness being the most important attribute to successfully skip a rock. If you've just talked about Rock Type A being preferred by professional rock skippers, then the analysis would have you going "This shows that Rock Type A's exceptional smoothness is a factor that leads to its popularity with professional rock skippers." I admit that this is a stupid example, but it gets the point across. The analysis is where you argue your thesis - these are not concrete facts. You need to explain why you have given the reader the information. It's a matter of linking your thesis to available facts. 'This indicates that....', 'This shows...' - these are the sort of sentences you can use to link the two and it's something of a flag to your teacher that ANALYSIS IS BEING DONE HERE.

Anyway, that's how I learned it. In my opinion it's kind of a stilted way to write an essay but then I've never been able to switch into academic writing mode easily. Hope this helps! You might also be able to find examples on Google.

[Ryoika]

You cannot ask for files when you're not a VIP member, even if it's a copy paste variation. Pay to be a subscriber or make the necessary number of posts.

However, I can tell you how my history teacher told us to do the analysis portion - about three quarters of his three classes last year got 5/6 and I believe one got a 7, so he's at least got an idea of what he's doing! He taught us how to do it by structuring within subtopics.

First you give the information - this is where you put dates, names, numbers, concrete and specific facts. The information section is where you might find sentences such as this one from an essay I did recently on war during the French Rev: "During the battle of Valmy, fought on 20 September 1792, French forces numbering 52000 troops gained a decisive victory over 34000 Prussians." Full of stuff that can be verified. The battle was unquestionably on the 20th of September - there's no debate about that. That's the kind of information that makes up the first bit.

The second portion is where you deal with the analysis. Essentially, you take the information you've just written and explain why it matters. This is where you connect the information to the thesis. Say you're writing an essay about smoothness being the most important attribute to successfully skip a rock. If you've just talked about Rock Type A being preferred by professional rock skippers, then the analysis would have you going "This shows that Rock Type A's exceptional smoothness is a factor that leads to its popularity with professional rock skippers." I admit that this is a stupid example, but it gets the point across. The analysis is where you argue your thesis - these are not concrete facts. You need to explain why you have given the reader the information. It's a matter of linking your thesis to available facts. 'This indicates that....', 'This shows...' - these are the sort of sentences you can use to link the two and it's something of a flag to your teacher that ANALYSIS IS BEING DONE HERE.

Anyway, that's how I learned it. In my opinion it's kind of a stilted way to write an essay but then I've never been able to switch into academic writing mode easily. Hope this helps! You might also be able to find examples on Google.

Thank you so much! It was a lot of help.

I paid my fees to become a V.I.P. member, and it's all better now

[under-cover]

Also, you should have good background information, that will help you out.

Try to be really really critical (but obviously with reason and evidence to back you up) and you should arrive at a good analysis. If you are half hearted or not argumentative enough, you won't reach the higher marks you need.

Also, once you know all the core information about topics, historiography really improves the essay.

[cjy]

Historiography can also make the difference between a 6 and a 7. And play historians off against each other e.g. Preston argues that x was the reason for the decline of Franco's rule in Spain. However, Graham argues that y was the more significant factor, which is supported by Bell who argues that xyz...

[Maks123456]

Historiography can also make the difference between a 6 and a 7. And play historians off against each other e.g. Preston argues that x was the reason for the decline of Franco's rule in Spain. However, Graham argues that y was the more significant factor, which is supported by Bell who argues that xyz...

Yes, this is really important.

Essentially, it's about having a short introduction with a thesis. Then, try to devide the body into paragraphs, each of which consists of an argument + counter argument + historian to back up your what you're saying.

If this doesn't appeal to you, you could always divide the essay into a "yes" and a "no" part as my history teacher says. It refers primarily to "to what extent..." questions. Yes part = mention all arguments that support what the question is asking. No part = disprove these arguments mentioned, or say that there are other relevant/more important ones. Of course, add a bit of historians as a touch haha.

It's all about seeing how you can structure what you know into arguments that build your essay. Anyways, good luck!