JC History Tuition Bishan Bedok Tampines Singapore - How to write a History essay

How to write an A Level History essay?

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How to write a History Essay?
In general, essay writing involves the organization of arguments to support or challenge a given view in the question statement. In the context of A Level History essay writing, it is important to adopt an argumentative style of writing to convince your reader that your stand is sound and well-analyzed. However, it is insufficient to weave a continuous line of arguments and submit your script with the expectation that you have just aced the examination. In this article, we will examine some key considerations that will support your efforts to create a good essay.

1: Read the question carefully
The first step to do well for A Level History essay is to read the question. Some students are eager to skip the reading process and attempt the writing immediately, which can lead to fatal errors. It is imperative that you read the question and pick out the keywords. Pay attention to the command words, like “assess”. Also, identify the given view in the question statement to find out what is the opposing view, in order to take a clear stand in your introduction. During our JC History Tuition, we conduct class discussions to guide students through the reading process, by using example essay questions. Through proper reading and annotation setting, you will realise the importance of careful reading, such as the identification of possible arguments to support your essay writing.

2: Set your essay outline
Once you have analyzed the essay question, plan your essay outline. By deriving a rough guideline on how you can arrange your ideas in the essay, this approach minimizes the potential error in which you arrive at a stumbling block and you are unable to decide on the direction of your subsequent paragraphs. The outline should be written in five minutes or less. Focus your efforts on the listing of key arguments that support your stand and those that challenge it. Under each argument, you can list down examples that come to your mind. Now, you are ready to write.

3: Acknowledge the given view in the question
Similar to how individuals engage in intellectual debates, it is important that you acknowledge the view stated in the question. Failure to do so, you may risk being marked down for the ‘inability to answer the question’. To do this, you should explain how the given view answers the question.

Example Question: “The effectiveness of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping efforts depended solely on the Security Council.” How far do you agree with this view in the period of 1945 to 1991?

With reference to the above example question, you should acknowledge and explain the given view of how the Security Council played a part in contributing to the successes of the United Nation peacekeeping efforts in the first paragraph of your ‘Main Body’.

4: Align the arguments to your stand
This alignment of argument depends on the direction stated in your stand (which should be stated in your ‘Introduction’. With reference to the above question, if your stand is that you disagree and argue that the effectiveness of the UN did not depend on the Security Council, but rather the General Assembly, then your second paragraph should provide an analysis of the limitations of the Security Council’s role.

Bear in mind that the analysis of factors in every essay question cannot be memorised and stored piecewise in your own revision notes. It is a misleading approach that limits your thinking ability. Instead, our JC History Tuition will feature numerous question practices to widen the scope of assessments, such that you will be familiar with the possible perspectives in a given topic.

What’s Next?
Practice makes perfect! I strongly encourage you to attempt more essays. Once you start, you will realise that this perceived sense of hesitation and reluctance can be overcome. Furthermore, your worries (Can I complete my essays on time? How do I remember so many examples?) will dissipate as you practice more often. I do not deny that writing can be a frictional process at the start. Do not give up. Your determination will bring you closer to your goal.

You can also consider joining our related JC tuition programmes, such as our Economics Tuition and GP Tuition classes to improve your writing skills. The knowledge and skills acquired over time are applicable in all three subjects (History included). Besides, you can gain broader perspectives that help you to answer the History essay questions effectively.

JC History Tuition Singapore Bishan Bedok Tampines - Myths and Errors of History

Common errors and myths of JC History

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How to learn History?
For students who have selected A Level History as one of the subjects to learn at schools, some hold the perception that it is a challenging subject due to the vast content to remember and understand. As such, these students feel a sense of apprehension and anxiety as they are concerned over the inability to recall relevant information during examinations. While it is undeniable that A Level History is indeed a subject that covers a wide range of themes, topics and issues, I believe that it is a feasible and achievable task to grasp the essential knowledge and ace the examinations. In this issue, we will examine the common myths and errors that students that may have with regards to JC History.

Myth #1: The content is too much for me to remember!
Based on conventional views, some argue that A Level History is a tough subject to grasp as there is too much to remember. Let’s refer to the syllabus requirements set by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB):

For H2 History students, there are two overarching areas to learn, namely ‘Shaping the International Order (1945-2000)’ and ‘Making of Independent Southeast Asia (Independence-2000)’. For the former, there are three main themes that cover the Cold War, Global Economy and the United Nations. Similarly, the latter features three themes that cover Political Development, Economic Development and Regional Conflicts and Cooperation in ASEAN.

Given this understanding, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that it is an uphill task to learn these topics and be competent in applying the knowledge to A Level History examinations at the end of the two-year journey.

In fact, this misconceived perception is the result of ineffective strategies. The absence of an organized revision plan, a proper process to analyze historical issues and development of proficient writing methods are some of the critical components to create a productive revision plan. On a related note, students who have attended our JC History Tuition programme benefited from our exam-driven class activities and developed the capabilities to address the above-mentioned challenges.

Myth #2: I should provide as many examples as possible to attain higher marks for my JC History Essays.
In addition, some students may bear the notion that they should include many examples to support their arguments in their History essays to obtain higher grades. As such, these students tend to spend much of their revision time reading through notes and additional readings to remember specific case studies and country-based examples. Then, the ‘regurgitation’ of information is evidenced by the disproportionate weight of writing on the use of examples in each ‘Main Body’ paragraph.

By applying this strategy, there is one fatal flaw. Students who lack the awareness may lose track of their arguments and deviate from the discussion, giving rise to the problem of ‘not answering the question’. For example, the essay writing may contain irrelevant information, like specific dates and quotes mentioned by Historians. Consequently, examiners are likely to penalise the students.

This error is the result of the inability to identify the question requirements. Students should pay attention to the command words and given statement (if any). By analyzing the question, students will know what to write and how much to write. By joining our JC History Tuition programme, we will guide students through this learning process and review their answers to minimise this error.

Do I have enough time to rectify my errors?
Yes, there is! Although A Level History may appear intimidating to students, especially JC1s, it is possible to grasp the content well and attain grade A for the examinations. You can learn the ‘art of writing’ by focusing your efforts on reading reflectively, write logically and answer systematically. We provide GP Tuition classes for our History students to cultivate proficiency in answering essay and source-based case study questions.