Hey Stephanie,
For historiographical issues/source reliability/limitations, would you raise that point for Society questions? Also for the last society questions (worth maybe 8 or 10 marks) would you follow an essay structure or one big paragraph?
Cheers
Hi aoife98! Ok so it totally depends on the question itself. If they're asking you to analyse a source then you do need to be mentioning the possible historiographical limitations related to that source.
For the 8/10 marker society questions, I would definitely be following an
essay structure. You definitely shouldn't be writing a single paragraph. Treat it as a 'mini essay'. I remember getting an extra writing booklet for my Society essay, so make sure that you give the markers lots and lots of information to maximise your chances of getting full marks, and it's totally possible! In relation to historiographical issues here, I would totally recommend mentioning them.
Refer to this section of the above article for guidance on ALL responses to questions that are or more than 8 marks worth!
Introduction: Your introduction should immediately tell the marker your answer to the question. It should clearly include your academic opinion on the topic, what your body paragraphs will include, with a great emphasis on your use of sources and consideration of historiographical issues. The introduction of your essay is your first opportunity to tell the marker why they should read the rest of your essay, and most importantly, why they should give you 25/25 – make it good.
Body: The best way to structure your paragraphs is to remember the following acronym:
S: Source
E: Explain the source. What does it reveal/suggest?
W: What are the historiographical issues (context of historians, bias, purpose of writing etc)?
Conclusion: The final paragraph of your essay is your last chance to prove to the marker that you deserve a good mark for your essay, so make it count. Make sure you directly answer the question and restate the main argument of your essay. Your conclusion should be very similar to your introduction to ensure consistency from start to finish.
Good luck!