How to write an essay on history
Video: How to Write a history essay: Advice and Tips 2024, July
Writing essays is one of the most difficult tasks both at school and at university. Not everyone is given a coherent presentation of their thoughts, and especially when it comes to a reasoning text, where you need to present all the arguments and counterarguments and express their opinion, so that everyone understands.
Instruction manual
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When you sit down for an essay on history, first of all, decide on the topic. It is possible that the teacher has already given you a topic that did not appeal to you, on which you do not want to write anything. But in any case, whether you chose a topic, or a teacher gave it to you, the next step in the work is to search for information on an existing topic. Try to study it in great detail. Perhaps even if initially it did not arouse your sympathy, you can come up with a response plan, and at the same time stock up on factual material.
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Then the found information needs to be streamlined. Make a plan of reasoning based on causal relationships between the events that will be discussed in your essay. Do not neglect the plan, no matter how boring it may seem: a strict outline, depending on which your essay will be subsequently built, will help you avoid being illogical in writing. As a rule, for a violation of logic in reasoning, they often lower the score.
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Before you start writing an essay, consider also the arguments and counterarguments - the pros and cons, to put it more simply. Consider them in advance, as later on you will not have time to “slip” into lengthy arguments. Write them in a column and briefly, in the form of abstracts, and then, on paper, “sheathe” these dry arguments with the “lace” of your eloquence. But do not forget: brevity is the sister of talent, avoid the "water."
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The plan and the list of abstracts are ready, ideas have already been formed in your head, you can get a piece of paper and write. When you take up the main text of the essay, give preference to a journalistic style of speech. But better consult with the teacher: maybe in your particular case you need to lean toward a scientific style. The main thing - do not "slip" into the conversational style, no matter how you like to express it more simply, as in everyday life. This immediately diminishes your opus in the eyes of the examiner.
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At the end of the essay, do not forget a clear, concise conclusion. The absence of a conclusion is punished in all severity of the law, sometimes this is the most important part in the composition. So, having stated all the arguments pro et contra, do not forget to draw a worthy conclusion from all your arguments. And do not forget to add your own opinion, often this is exactly what is required from the author of the essay - based on the historical situation, express your own opinion. Be sure to link it to the actual content of the essay.