How to write an essay for social studies on the exam

What is the job

A mini-essay on the exam on social science – alternative task. This means that the examination candidate can choose from the one that he is closer and more interesting.

Topics for essays are short, quotes – aphorisms relating to the five blocks of training course, one for each. Thematic areas the following statements:

• Philosophy,
• Economics,
• Sociology, social psychology,
• Political science,
• Law.

Of the five statements it is necessary to choose only one (the closest or most clear) and write a mini-essay that reflects the meaning of the selected aphorisms and examples of illustrations.

"Weight" essays on social science in the total number of points is quite small: about 8% of the total amount of points. Is a written work can bring only 5 primary points out of 62 possible, about 8%. Therefore it is not necessary to be as fundamental as if you are writing an essay in Russian language essay or in literature.

Themselves the drafters of the exam offer to take on essay writing social studies 36-45 minutes (such time period is specified in the specification). For comparison: an essay on the Russian language "laid" 110 minutes for full-length essay on the literature of 115.

All of this suggests that the approach to social science should be different: there's no need to create a "masterpiece", there are no mandatory requirements for the style (and even literacy), and even the amount of work not regulated. It is not necessary to write 150-350 words of the text: the job is positioned as a "mini-essay" and if you manage to uncover the idea briefly and succinctly - it would be welcome.

Simply to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to find suitable examples that prove your point of view coherently and convincingly Express their thoughts on the examination form.

Evaluation criteria essay in social studies on the exam

The essay is assessed a total of three according to three criteria. To earn the maximum five points, you must complete the following "mandatory minimum":

To uncover the meaning of the original statements, or at least to show that you correctly understand what is meant by its author (1 point). This is a key point: if you do not understand the quote and received the first criterion score of 0, the work will not be evaluated further.

To demonstrate knowledge of theory (2 points). Here to get high marks it is necessary to analyze the meaning of the utterance using the knowledge gained while studying the school course of social science, to recall the main points of the theory, to properly use the terminology. Incomplete compliance, a departure from the original topic or semantic errors will result in the loss of one point.

The ability to find suitable to the case of examples (2 points). For obtaining the highest marks in this criterion it is necessary to illustrate the problem in two (at least) examples of the facts supporting the main idea of the essay. And they should be from different types of sources. As resources can be

• examples from literature, films and documentaries;
• examples from scientific and popular literature, the history of different branches of science;
• historical facts;
• facts pocherpnete while learning other school subjects;
• personal experience and observation;
• the messages of the media.

If the examples use only the personal experience or given the same type of sample (for example, both of the fiction), the rating decreases to the ball. Zero on this criterion is if the examples do not fit the theme or no information at all.

A plan of writing essays on social science

To the structure of the essay does not impose strict requirements – the main thing is to reveal the meaning of the utterance, to demonstrate knowledge of the theory and support it with facts. However, when that thinking time is not much, you can stick with the standard plan an essay that includes all required elements.

1. Optional part – introduction.General statement of the problem (one or two sentences). In an essay in social studies this item of the plan can be omitted and go directly to the proposed interpretation of the aphorism, however, students often difficult to deviate from the usual compositional scheme, when "essence" is preceded by a General reasoning. So, if you are accustomed to start with the introduction – write it, if for you it does not matter – you can omit this paragraph, the points for it are not reduced.

2. The uncovering of the original statements – 2-3 sentences. Fully to quote, to refer to its author and to present the meaning of the phrase in your own words. It must be remembered that, unlike the works on the Russian, where necessary the identification of problems, essays on social studies can be devoted to the phenomenon and process, and just statement of fact. For realizing the meaning of the utterance can be used type templates "In the proposed statement N. N (the famous philosopher, economist, famous writer) considers (describes, discusses...) the phenomenon (process, problem) as... treating it as..." or "the meaning of the utterance (expression, aphorism) N. N is that..."

3. The theoretical part (3-4 sentences). Here it is necessary to confirm or refute the author's point of view, based on the knowledge gained in the classroom and using special terminology. If you agree with the author's point of view – that by and large this part is an expanded translation of the source phrase to "textbook". For example, if the author called kids play in the yard "school of life" – you write about what the institutions of socialization and the role they play in the process of assimilation by the individual of social norms. Here one can quote other philosophers, economists, etc., confirming the main idea of the text – however, this is not a mandatory requirement.

4. The actual part (4-6 sentences). Here it is necessary to give at least two examples supporting the thesis put forward in the previous paragraph. In this part it is better to avoid "common words" and to talk about the specifics. And do not forget to specify the sources of information. For example, in the popular scientific literature has repeatedly described experiments on"; "as we know from school physics course...", "writer N. N. in his novel, "untitled" describes the situation...", "on the shelves of a supermarket in front of my school you can see...".

5. Conclusion(1-2 sentences). As an essay in social studies on the exam by and large constitutes a proof of a theoretical position – you can end the essay, summarizing what was said. For example: "Thus, life examples, and the reader's experience suggest that...", followed by a reformulation of the main thesis.

Tips for writing essays on the exam on social science

Remember that the main thing is to reveal the meaning of the utterance. Therefore, choosing from the options, get a quote, an interpretation which does not cause you doubt.

Before you start writing your text, remember the terminology on the topic. Write them on the form of the draft, then to use in the work.

Find the most appropriate examples on the subject. Remember that the examples from the literature can not be limited to the works of the school curriculum – on the exam in social studies you can use as arguments to any literary work. Do not forget that the reliance on the reader's experience in the case studies is not a priority: remember the accidents of life; the news, heard on the radio; discussed in society topics and so on. The examples also record the form of the draft.

Because literacy, style, and composition of the text are not evaluated – if you are confident enough to Express their thoughts in writing, it is better not to spend time writing the full text of the draft. Limit yourself to drafting the thesis plan and write at once – this will save you time.

Proceed to essay once answered all other questions – otherwise you may "miss" time and lose more points than you gain. For example, the first four tasks with detailed answers (read the text), in the amount of can give 10 raw score (two times more than the essay), and the wording of the answers usually takes a lot less time than writing a mini-essay.

If you "swim" in the subject and feel that you will not be able to write an essay on the most points – still do this job. Each point is important – even if you can only correctly to formulate a topic and give at least one example from "life" – you get the essay in social studies on the exam two primary points, a much better scratch.