Geography - 8 Steps to writing a good essay
READ STOP PLAN WRITE
Planning
Identify Key words and instructions in the question.
Decide what your main arguments / points will be and identify key words which you will elaborate on in each paragraph of your essay.
Identify appropriate case studies that address the key aspects of the question.
For each case study L.I.S.T it:
Location: poor, rich, rural, urban, tropical, temperate
Issues: positive, negative, human, physical, environmental, social, demographic, political, economic
Scale: global, regional, national, sub-national, local, household
Time: long term, short term, past, present, future
As you write your essay you can add to your plan when you get inspiration and need to remember something important.
Structure
2. Main Body
3. Conclusion
READ STOP PLAN WRITE
Planning
Identify Key words and instructions in the question.
Decide what your main arguments / points will be and identify key words which you will elaborate on in each paragraph of your essay.
Identify appropriate case studies that address the key aspects of the question.
For each case study L.I.S.T it:
Location: poor, rich, rural, urban, tropical, temperate
Issues: positive, negative, human, physical, environmental, social, demographic, political, economic
Scale: global, regional, national, sub-national, local, household
Time: long term, short term, past, present, future
As you write your essay you can add to your plan when you get inspiration and need to remember something important.
Structure
- Introduction
- You must define any key terms from the question
- Reflect the question and state your intentions
- Limit to 5 handwritten lines!!! DO NOT WAFFLE
2. Main Body
- One paragraph = One theme (idea / argument / point)
- Try to link what you say back to your question
- State point clearly and concisely DO NOT WAFFLE
- Explain your point
- Give evidence / examples / case studies to back up what you’ve said
- Sketches / maps / graphs / diagrams can be used here to add to your point, be careful that it does not solely repeat what you’ve already written.
- Try to ensure you have given a balanced argument or range of points
3. Conclusion
- Reiterate your title and explain how your essay has answered the question e.g. “It can be seen from the evidence and data presented that ….. by….”
- No new ideas should be brought up at this point
- You can reiterate your key point or the crux of your argument
- If appropriate you should refer to sustainability or impacts for the future in your conclusion