In this article you will learn how to write an essay on social studies. Examples are attached.

First of all, it is necessary to understand that in order to learn how to write essays on social studies, it takes quite a long time. You can’t write an essay that experts would rate for a high score without preliminary preparation. Steady skills, good results appear after 2-3 months of work (approximately 15-20 essays written). It is systematic studies, determination that bring high performance. You need to hone your skills in practice with the direct help and close supervision of a teacher ..

Video - How to Write an Essay in Social Studies

If you haven’t encountered writing an essay, watch the video.

Unlike an essay on literature or the Russian language, where the minimum amount of work is clearly specified and general thinking is allowed (“philosophizing” without specifying), the essay on social science does not limit the volume, but its structure and content are fundamentally different. An essay on social science is actually the answer to the question: “Do I agree with this statement and why?”. That is why in the essay on social science must necessarily be present strict argumentation, scientific and concretization. At the same time, it should be noted that often as a topic of an essay, very paradoxical, unusual statements are used that require figurative thinking, a non-standard approach to solving the problem. This inevitably leaves its mark on the essay essay style and requires maximum concentration of energy and attention.

I would also like to add that the examination essays are evaluated by specific people. In order for an expert who checks from 50 to 80 works per day to mark an essay as worthy of attention, this essay should not only meet all the requirements below, but also have a certain originality, originality and originality - this is implied by the essay genre itself. Therefore, it is necessary not only to present scientific and factual material on the topic, but also pleasantly surprise you with the non-standard and flexible way of thinking.

Essay Writing Algorithm

1. First of all, during the exam, you need to correctly allocate time. Practice shows that writing an essay requires at least 1-1.5 hours out of 3.5 hours allocated to the exam in social studies. It is most advisable to start writing an essay after all the other tasks of KIM have been solved, because This type of work requires maximum concentration of graduate efforts.
2. Carefully read all proposed topics to choose from.
3. Choose topics that are understandable, i.e. - the student must clearly understand what the given statement is about, what the author wanted to say with this phrase. In order to remove doubts about whether he understands the topic correctly, the graduate must reformulate the phrase in his own words, defining the main idea. The student can do this orally or in draft.
4. From the selected understandable utterances, it is necessary to choose one topic - one that the student knows best. It should be noted that often the examinees choose topics that are easy, in their opinion, but which turn out to be difficult when revealing the topic due to the limited scientific and factual material on this issue (in other words, the phrase itself says everything, nothing can be added). In such cases, the essay is reduced to a simple statement of the meaning of the statement in different versions and is evaluated by experts because of the poor evidence base is low. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the topic of the essay so that the student, when writing it, can fully show the completeness of his knowledge and the depth of his thoughts (i.e., the topic should be winning).
5. When choosing an essay topic, it is necessary to pay attention to what social science this statement refers to. Practice shows that a number of phrases can refer to several sciences at once. For example, I. Goethe’s statement “A person is determined not only by natural qualities, but also acquired” may belong to philosophy, social psychology, and sociology. Accordingly, the content of the essay should vary depending on this, i.e. must comply with the specified basic science.
6. Essays do not need to be completely written in draft. Firstly, because of the limited time, and secondly, due to the fact that at the time of writing the essay some thoughts come, and at the time of rewriting, others, and it is much more difficult to redo the finished text than to create a new one. In the draft, the graduate makes only a plan of his essay, rough short sketches of the meaning of the phrase, his arguments, the points of view of scientists, concepts and theoretical positions that he intends to give in his work, as well as an approximate order of their arrangement one after another, taking into account the semantic logic of the essay.
7. Without fail, the student must express his personal attitude to the chosen topic in a clearly defined wording (“I agree”, “I disagree”, “I do not completely agree”, “I agree, but partially” or are similar in meaning and meaning of the phrase) . The presence of a personal relationship is one of the criteria on the basis of which essays are evaluated by experts.
8. Without fail, the graduate must state his understanding of the meaning of the statement. Those. a high school student explains in his own words - what the author wanted to say with this phrase. It is more advisable to do this at the very beginning of the essay. And if you combine the requirements of this paragraph with the provisions of the previous one, then, for example, the beginning of an essay on the philosophy “Before talking about the good of satisfying needs, you need to decide what needs are good” will look like: “I completely agree with the statement of the great Russian writer of the second halfXIX  - beginningXX  centuries L.N. Tolstoy, in which he speaks of genuine and imaginary needs. "
9. It is very necessary to approach the selection of arguments to confirm your point of view. Arguments must be convincing, reasonable. As arguments, data from the corresponding sciences, historical facts, facts from public life are used. Arguments of a personal nature (examples from personal life) are rated the lowest, so their use as evidence is undesirable. It should be remembered that it is easy to “turn” any personal example into an example from public life, from social practice, if we write about it from a third party (for example, not "I was naughty saleswoman in the store, thereby violating my consumer rights", a “Suppose that citizen S. was a naughty saleswoman. Thus, she violated his rights as a consumer. "The number of arguments in the essay is not limited, but 3-5 arguments are the most optimal for revealing the topic. It should also be remembered that examples from history are most appropriate in political science, partly in legal and sociological topics, as well as in philosophical topics related to the theory of social progress. Examples from social practice (public life) - in sociological, economic, legal topics. The data of the relevant sciences must be used when choosing any of the topics.
10. The use of terms, concepts, definitions in the essay should be competent, appropriate, in relation to the chosen topic and science. An essay should not be overloaded with terminology, especially if these concepts are not related to the selected problem. Unfortunately, some graduates try to insert as many terms into their work as possible, violating the principle of expediency and reasonable sufficiency. Thus, they show that they have not learned how to correctly use scientific terminology. The term should be mentioned to the place, such a mention should indicate its correct understanding.
11. It is very welcome if the graduate in his essay points out the points of view of other researchers on the issue under consideration, gives a link to different interpretations of the problem and different ways to solve it (if possible). Indication of other points of view may be direct (for example: "Lenin thought so: ... and Trotsky - differently: ..., and Stalin - did not agree with both of them: ..."), but can be indirect, non-specific, non-personalized: "A number of researchers think so: ..., others - differently: ..., and some - offer a completely different: ...".
12. It is very welcome if the essay indicates who the author of this statement was. The instruction should be brief but accurate (see the example in paragraph 8). If, arguing your position on this issue, it is appropriate to mention the views of the author of the phrase, this must be done.
13. Arguments should be stated in strict order, the internal logic of the essay should be clearly traceable. The student should not skip from one to another and again return to the first without explanation and internal communication, joining certain provisions of his work.
14. The essay should be completed with a conclusion that briefly summarizes the thoughts and considerations: "Thus, based on the foregoing, it can be argued that the author was right in his statement."

Essay Examples  on the topic:

Philosophy "Revolution - a barbaric way of progress" (J. Zhores)

For the highest score

I completely agree with the statement of the famous French socialist, historian and politician of the first half of the twentieth century, Jean Jaurès, in which he talks about the features of the revolutionary path of social progress, about the distinguishing features of the revolution. Indeed, revolution is one of the paths of progress, moving forward, towards better and more complex forms of organization of social structure. But since revolution is a radical breakdown of the entire existing system, a transformation of all or most aspects of social life that takes place in a short period of time, this form of progress is always accompanied by a large number of victims and violence.

If we recall the revolutionary year 1917 in Russia, we will see that both revolutions entailed a fierce confrontation in society and the country, resulting in a terrible Civil War, accompanied by unprecedented bitterness, millions of dead and injured, until then devastation in the national economy.

If we recall the Great French Revolution, we will also see the revelry of the Jacobin terror, the guillotine “working” seven days a week and a series of uninterrupted revolutionary wars.

If we recall the English bourgeois revolution, we will also see a civil war, repression against dissidents.

And when we look at the history of the United States, we will see that both bourgeois revolutions that took place in this country took the form of a war: first, the war for independence, and then the Civil War.

The list of examples from history can go on and on, but wherever the revolution takes place - in China, Iran, the Netherlands, etc. - everywhere it was accompanied by violence, i.e. barbarism from the position of a civilized man.

And although other thinkers magnified the revolution (as, for example, Karl Marx, who argued that revolutions are the locomotives of history), let reactionaries and conservatives deny the role of revolutions in social progress, I’m closer to the point of view of J. Jaurès: yes, revolution is a way of progress, movement for the better, but committed by barbaric methods, that is, with the use of cruelty, blood and violence. Violence cannot create happiness!

For a small score

In his quote, the author speaks of revolution and progress. Revolution is a way of transforming reality in a short time, and progress is moving forward. The revolution is not progress. After all, progress is a reform. It cannot be said that the revolution does not produce positive results - for example, the Russian revolution allowed the workers and peasants to get rid of the difficult situation. But by definition, revolution is not progress, for progress is all good, and revolution is bad. I do not agree with the author who attributes the revolution to progress.

Essay Plan

Introduction
  1) Clear statement of the problem of utterance:
  "My favorite statement concerns the problem ...."
  "The problem with this statement is ...."
  2) An explanation of the choice of topic (what is the significance or relevance of this topic)
  "Everyone cares about the question ..."
  "The relevance of this topic is ..."
  3) To reveal the meaning of the statement from the point of view of social science, 1-2 sentences
  4) Submission of the author and his point of view
  “The author argued (said, reflected) from this point of view ...”
  5) Your own interpretation of this phrase, YOUR POINT OF VIEW (AGREE OR NOT)
  “I believe ...” “I agree with the author of the statement ...”
  6) State your position, go to the main part of the essay

P.S. it will be a plus if in the introduction you give information about the author of the statement and insert a definition of the chosen field of essay (philosophy, politics, economics, law, etc.)

Argumentation:
  1) Theoretical argumentation of the problem. At least 3 aspects of the theoretical disclosure of the topic should be presented.
  For example: to reveal the concept itself, give examples, parse signs, functions, classifications, properties.
  2) Practical argument or example from public life

Sep 12 09/26/2017

How to write an essay? USE in Social Studies, task number 29

The last task of KIM USE in social studies is considered to be the most difficult. FIPI examiners take 45 minutes to write a mini essay. The correct completion of the assignment gives the maximum possible number of primary points.

In this short tutorial, I’ll show you how to write an essay as simply and quickly as possible.

Essay Evaluation Criteria

To begin with, let's look at the wording of task No. 29 from the demo version of the exam in social studies:

Select one thing   from the statements below, reveal its meaning in the form of a mini-essay, indicating, if necessary, different aspects of the problem posed by the author (the topic touched).

When expressing your thoughts about the raised problem (designated topic), when arguing your point of view, use knowledgeobtained by studying the course of social science, relevant   the concepts, and facts  social life and own life experience. (As an actual argument, give at least two examples from various sources).

Philosophy
  “All our theories are nothing more than a generalization of experience, observed facts” (V. A. Hambartsumyan).
Economy
  “Supply and demand is a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).
Sociology, social psychology
  “The beginning of the personality comes much later than the beginning of the individual” (B. G. Ananiev).
Political science
  ““ Divide and conquer ”is a wise rule, but“ unite and direct ”is even better” (I.V. Goethe).
Jurisprudence
  “The law does not know estate crimes, does not know the differences in the circle of persons among whom its violation is committed. He is equally strict and equally merciful to everyone ”(AF Koni).

To cope with the task, we definitely need to get acquainted with. You can find the criteria on the FIPI website, they are placed in one document together with the exam demo.

The first criterion (K1) isdefining. You need to reveal the meaning of the statement. If you do not do this or disclose the meaning of the statement inaccurately, by K1 you get zero points and all essays are not checked. If K1 is met, you are given 1 point and the expert checks the work further.

The second criterion (K2).  You must give arguments from the course of social studies. It is necessary to bring and explain concepts, social processes, laws that will help to reveal the meaning of the statement.

The maximum number of primary points for this criterion is 2. If “the answer contains individual concepts or provisions that are not related to each other and to other components of the argumentation”, the expert lowers the score and puts one point.

If the meaning of at least one term is conveyed incorrectly, the score on K2 is reduced by 1 point: from 2 points to 1 point, from 1 point to 0 points.

The third criterion (K3).  According to this criterion, you need to give 2 factual arguments in favor of your own point of view. If you make a factual mistake (for example, say that Putin is the chairman of the government), the argument will not be counted. If the argument does not work for your point of view and reveals the meaning of the statement, it will not be taken into account either.

Arguments should be from various sources: "media reports, materials of educational subjects (history, literature, geography, etc.), facts of personal social experience and personal observations." Two arguments from the literature or two arguments from the media can be counted as “arguments from the source of the same type”, which will lead to a decrease in the score by 1 point.

How to choose a quote?

Before writing an essay, you need to choose a quote. And you need to choose not on the basis of "liked - did not like", "boring - interesting." You need to carefully study the statements and evaluate the prospects of writing a good essay on each of them. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

1. Read the statements carefully. Identify a few quotes, the meaning of which is most clear to you.
2. For each statement, the meaning of which is clear, determine the range of terms, processes, phenomena and laws from the course of social science. Discard those quotes you are not sure about.
3. From the remaining quotes, choose those to which you can give qualitative arguments.

If after you pass all the quotes through these three filters, you have all five quotes left, you can choose the one closest to your heart. (In this case, you perfectly know the course of social studies, congratulations!)

Essay Writing Algorithm

You have chosen a quotation, the meaning of which is clear to you, and you can easily give theoretical and factual arguments. In the worst case, this quote will cause you the least difficulty, which is also good.

We write an essay based on the fact that he will have only two readers - experts in the exam. So, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to verify the essay. It will be convenient for an expert to check if the work is structured into blocks according to criteria.

The essay structure may look like this:

1) We convey the meaning of the quote.  It is important that this is not just a retelling of the utterance. You must demonstrate an understanding of the author’s words.

Not scary if you write primitively. There are no requirements for text style in the essay criteria.

We chose a quote from the economy. “Supply and demand is a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).

Example: The author of the statement, American economist Paul Heine, argues that the supply and demand mechanism governs the relations of market participants.

2) We formulate our own point of view: I agree / I do not agree with the author.

As a rule, it is difficult to argue with the statements that offer graduates to the exam. But if you feel that you do not agree, do not be afraid to argue.

Example: I agree with P. Heine, because ...

3) Reinforce the point of view  terms, concepts and laws from the course of social studies. Moreover, it is important to use material from that sphere of social relations, which is indicated in the task. Reveal a quote on economics in economic terms, on political science - in terms of political science, etc.

Example: The basis of interaction between a consumer and a producer (seller) in a market is the mechanism of supply and demand. Demand is the desire and ability of the consumer to buy a specific product or service here and now. An offer is a manufacturer’s desire and opportunity to offer a consumer a product or service at a specific price for a certain time. Demand and supply are interconnected. An increase in demand can affect the value of supply, and vice versa.

The ideal situation is when an equilibrium price develops in the market. If demand exceeds supply, a scarce market for a certain product develops. If supply exceeds demand, it can lead to overproduction.

In conditions of high competition, when the market is in great demand and there are many manufacturers, the quality of goods rises, and the price falls, because sellers are forced to fight for the buyer. This is one example of a changing market situation under the influence of supply and demand.

4) Give two actual arguments  from different sources. If you use a fact from personal experience as an argument, try not to invent it. The examiner will most likely not believe you if you claim to be running for president of Chile or on the Nobel Committee.

Example: One example that proves the regulatory function of supply is the situation on the oil market in the modern world. In 2014, the price of hydrocarbons fell due to declining demand. The oil market has been replaced by promising technologies: the energy of the sun, wind and other renewable resources. Oil companies had to adapt to new conditions - to reduce the cost of oil production, reduce value added and lower prices for goods.

The law of supply and demand does not only work in global commodity markets. We can see how, under the influence of supply and demand, the situation is changing literally outside the window of our house. In the sleeping area, where I have been living for more than 15 years, a grocery store worked in the basement of a high-rise building. Residents of nearby houses regularly bought basic necessities there. However, a supermarket of one of the major retail chains has opened in the microdistrict. The prices there were lower, the work schedule was more convenient, and the assortment was many times richer. People voted with their feet, after a while the small store closed because they could not adapt to the new situation in the local market.

5) Conclusion.  Here you can summarize your thoughts. Write a conclusion only if you have time left and you are sure that all other tasks do not require double-checking. Otherwise, forget about the conclusion - in the criteria for the task presence or absence of withdrawal is not evaluated.

Example:  IN   a market and mixed economy, the regulatory impact of supply and demand is the basis of economic relations. Indicators of supply and demand are taken into account when planning the activities of any enterprise and the whole country. It is important that supply and demand are balanced, otherwise the crisis may occur in the economy.

It is worth remembering that the enemy of good test results is a waste of time. Do not do unnecessary work. Many teachers demand that the problem raised by the author be deduced. This is not necessary, it will not affect the assessment, and the risk of making a mistake will increase.

This algorithm is not the ultimate truth. You can stick to it, you can focus on it, but you should not use these recommendations thoughtlessly. Perhaps after training you will have your own idea of \u200b\u200bhow to write an essay. Perfectly! Most importantly, do not forget that this work is evaluated according to strict criteria that you need to try to comply with.

What could be more beautiful than school time? But, despite this, one has to face many difficulties. The biggest obstacle that anyone who has decided to graduate from grade 11 will have to go through is a unified state exam.

In almost all universities and in all areas it is necessary to take an object called social studies. The hardest part of the exam is the essay. Therefore, before writing, you need to draw up an essay plan for social studies and follow it strictly according to the points. This is the only way to write a beautiful composition. The essay plan for social studies, as well as for other subjects, should contain three main parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. At each point we will dwell in detail.

Why do you need to be able to write essays?

Everyone makes us express our thoughts in a consistent, correct and reasoned manner. This is definitely useful in life. Even if you just have a friendly conversation, then here it will be appropriate not to be saturated with jargon and other “rubbish” of the Russian language.

Writing essays also teaches us to identify the main idea that they want to convey to us, analyze, express their personal opinions about the problem.

If we talk about exams, then before writing, you should develop a detailed plan for writing an essay on social studies. This will help you not to get lost in your own thoughts, not to move away from the main problem. Some people like to write essays very much, they just have to compose in the head of social science. For the rest, it is better to use a draft so that the plan is always in front of you.

Introduction and conclusion are short parts that consist of approximately three to four sentences each. All parts are separated by a paragraph. It’s not worth writing in a continuous sheet, it is very difficult for readers to perceive. For such a "sheet" you will not earn a lot of points.

Unified State Exam

The test part of the social science exam is quite simple. You need to answer the test questions, they all have 4 answers. The second part is a little harder. Here they suggest adding the missing words, adding to the table or connecting the corresponding paragraphs.

The hardest part is S. Here you need to choose the expression (quote) of the famous person from several proposed options. Next - write an essay-discussion on the topic of utterance. In order to cope with the work and get a good score, you need to draw up a plan of essays on social studies. The exam is quite simple to pass, if you prepare a little for it.

It should be allocated at least an hour a day for self-study, or hire a tutor or attend specialized training courses. Pay special attention to the creative part. It is possible to draw up a plan of essays on social studies (CSE) to use it for absolutely all topics. This is what we suggest you do right now. We will highlight the main parts that should be contained in your composition, we will give the main cliches. All this will greatly simplify your work during a single state exam.

Plan

The plan of essays on social studies is practically no different from that for other creative works. Now we will give a detailed plan of the essay, we will write in sufficient detail what should be included in each part. So, the essay plan for social studies is as follows:

1. Introduction. It is worth saying right away that there are no strict requirements for this work. The main thing is that the topic be revealed. It is necessary to demonstrate your knowledge of theory and confirm with facts from history, literature or life. Entry is optional, but desirable. Many students cannot imagine an essay without an introduction. If it is difficult for you to start the essay right away with thought, make a short introduction (2-3 sentences). Here you can clearly state the problem. If there is no entry, points for this are not reduced.
2. The meaning of the quote.  This small part consists of no more than five sentences. It is not necessary to cite the statement in full. A reference to the author will suffice, and further - interpretations in your own words. Here, many use cliches, for example: “In a statement by the philosopher Feuerbach, a phenomenon (process or problem) is considered (or described) ...” or “The meaning of the statement ... is that ...”. In the examples, you will see how to use these forms correctly.
3. Theory. In this part you should write whether you agree with the opinion of the author or not. In most cases, students confirm the opinion and simply rewrite the quote using special terminology. Also in this part you can give examples in defense of your point of view.
4. Facts. It is better to avoid any general phrases, you need to give specific examples ("as we know from the course of chemistry ...", "as the famous philosopher said ..." and similar forms).
5. IN conclusion we need to summarize everything we said earlier. Pupils often use this form: “Thus, the above examples allow us to state that ...” Instead of ellipsis, it is necessary to insert the reformulated main idea of \u200b\u200bthe statement.

Introduction

The essay on social studies (the plan, the cliche we have already provided) should be short, but reflect the main idea. In this part we will give you examples of possible introductions.

1. "Feuerbach is a well-known German philosopher who argued that theory and practice are interconnected and complement each other."
2. "The most interesting quote for me was the statement of the American writer L. Peter, who spoke about the high purpose of economic culture."

The meaning of the statement

1. "The meaning of the statement is very simple - you need to be able to save and properly allocate resources, which will help stop hunger around the world."
2. "Raising this problem, the author says that the young generation understands little in adulthood. They are like foreigners who do not know the customs and lifestyle of the inhabitants of this country."

Theory

Let's look at the plan of compiling an essay on social studies. Next, we must demonstrate our theoretical knowledge gained in social studies at school. Here are some examples:

1. “The behavior of each individual is of great importance for the whole society. It is a separate, but connected with the world. It is social status that determines the behavior of each individual. If someone stands out for his behavior, and this is unacceptable in society, then social control services are connected. ... "
2. "My opinion is this: I completely agree with the position of the author. Indeed, laws play a big role in human life. They help and protect from evil, immoral acts ..."

Facts

How to write an essay on social studies, we almost figured out, it remains to understand what examples can be given in the next paragraph. Facts may be of this kind:

1. Literary. For example: “I would like to give an example from the book“ Rich and poor dad, ”where the author R. Kiyosaki says that economic freedom is very important ..."
2. From education, science, media and so on.  “The history of the development of the science of chemistry can be cited as an argument. How did people gain knowledge of possible reactions? Of course, from experiments ... "

Conclusion

The last part consists of 1-2 sentences, for example:

1. “I completely agree with the statement, because only ... can lead to ...”
2. "Thus, the philosopher ... expressed a rather clever idea ... which requires analysis and reflection."

If you are determined to take the exam in social studies, then this article is for you. Today we will figure out how to perform one of the most difficult tasks of KIM Unified State Exam in social studies - an essay.

How to write an essay on social studies? First you need to familiarize yourself with the criteria for evaluating your work on the exam. An essay on social studies is evaluated in accordance with three main criteria.

Criterion 1 - Finding a Problem

This is the most important criterion. Here, your ability to understand what the author is talking about in his statement is manifested. There are several risks in this part of the assignment:

Risk No. 1:  keywords

After reading the chosen statement, the examiners will most likely see familiar words in its composition and consider it necessary to include these words in their definition of the problem. So, for example, a statement like “Inequality is as good a law of nature as any other.” (I. Sherr.) May mislead the examiner. It would seem that everything is obvious: the author uses the term inequality, which means we can write that he raises the “problem of inequality” ... But no, no and no!

If you read the above statement several times (by the way, Sherr's quote is not the most difficult topic to recognize the problem), you will see that the author discusses how natural inequality is, whether it is something inherent in the human community by nature.

Maybe at this stage the difference will not seem obvious to someone, but in the future your terms and (!!) arguments will produce errors in interpretation. You will need to tell not about inequality as an economic or social phenomenon, but about its inevitability for a person, or, on the contrary, about the initial non-property (in case you disagree with the author).

Risk No. 2:  inaccurate wording

Over the years of teaching in the preparatory courses for the exam in social studies, I often had to hear statements from students in the spirit of "I understand what is being said, but it is difficult for me to formulate and write it down." So, on the exam, this circumstance is not a valid reason.

At the very beginning of your essay on social studies, the problem of utterance should be clearly formulated. Do not force experts to look for a problem in your text, point it to it, expressing the whole essence with one or two capacious sentences.

The risk lies not only in the fact that the lack of a clear wording can lead to the fact that the expert simply does not find the problem of speaking in your essay. Having described the problem in an ambiguous and unclear way, you yourself become an object of risk, because You can get confused with another problem while writing an essay. And there are a lot of similar examples.

Risk No. 3:  unnecessarily complication

Some guys are too afraid of the exam. This is a normal reaction, but when writing an exam, it will not only not help you, but it will also probably harm.

If you decide to hit the reviewers by choosing a philosophical statement, be sure that you correctly understood its meaning. Having prepared for the fact that philosophy is a story about complex meanings, abstract ideas and incomprehensible words, the guys complicate the initial statement, build too long logical chains. Remember that the exam is an exam for students, no one expects you to repeat the deeds of Nietzsche or Kant.

Criterion 2 - Theoretical Argument

The maximum score for this criterion is 2 points. It consists of two blocks: a reference to theoretical material from a course in social studies and an explanation of the basic terms.

We will deal with the first block. Going to the finish line, you must demonstrate the maximum of your knowledge, and theoretical argumentation is the best opportunity to do this. Have you chosen an essay about economic inequality? Think of Karl Marx's theory! Agree with him or criticize, most importantly, tell us about his contribution.

Do not remember the theory? No problem! In an essay about the problem of the truth or falsity of ideas, recall the criteria for determining the truth, its types.

The second block is the terms. You need to remember at least two terms, (!!) DIRECTLY related to the problem. The terms democracy and political leadership are studied in one thematic block-politician, but if you come across a problem affecting electoral processes, a “political leader” will not be the best choice.

The choice of terms for the essay should be based on the "golden" rule for writing any text: think, there is nothing else to add, and you cannot do without it. Therefore, in a conversation about elections, it is better to recall the already mentioned democracy, electoral qualifications, political representativeness and the very concept of “electoral processes”.

Criterion 3 - Arguments in an Essay in Social Studies

The maximum score for this criterion is 2 points. And now, friends, we remember the main rule: you need 2 arguments from 2 different sources. What does it mean? If you make brilliant arguments about Peter I and Alexander II in your essay on political reform, don’t expect 2 points, because both arguments were drawn from Russian history. Refer to current events (media), remember your favorite literary characters. In the end, you can turn to personal experience, confirming or refuting the thesis put forward.

That's all. 3 criteria, 5 points. However, the story with an essay on social studies does not end there.

FAQ`s (most frequently asked questions)

• Do I need to express my position?

Answer:  necessary. And although the criteria do not clearly spell out the need for your view of the problem, but let's think logically. In order to argue some position (remember about K3), you need to have this position. Therefore, friends, we give our position.

• Do I need to register the opinion of the author?

Answer:  necessary. In the part of the essay where you explain the essence of the problem that you want to reason about, you need to remember one very important thing. The position of the author is not the same as the problem. The author can say that a market economy is the worst form of economic relations, it is his subjective opinion. The problem of your statement is a question that cannot be subjective, but on the contrary calls for discussion. Therefore, the position of the author should be voiced separately.

• I do not remember the exact wording of the terms, can I write in my own words?

Answer:  possible, but it is very dangerous. Social studies - a subject in which there are no unambiguous definitions, the same phenomenon can be considered from different perspectives. The expression of your author’s position is not forbidden from this point of view, but remember that author’s definitions are a task that even graduate students from leading universities do not always cope with. Therefore, the ideal way out of the situation would be not to come up with new meanings, but to try to convey the key meaning of the term, using accurate vocabulary and making a competent proposal.

• Which is better: choose one section and write an essay on it throughout the year, or write in all sections?

Answer:  This is an individual matter. But as practice shows, it is better to choose not one, but 2 or 3 sections that you like more than the others and write an essay on them every week (minimum). Choosing only one section, you run the risk of encountering an unexpectedly complex statement and not understanding the problem. Therefore, insure yourself in advance.

• What style should I write an essay in?

Answer:  Social science is not literature (strictly speaking, nothing is social science, except social scienceJ). Therefore, a literary syllable, epigraphs, 5-line sentences are more likely to harm your work. The task of your essay is to present the problem and talk about how it can be understood. Here you need accuracy, conciseness and clearly built logic. However, at the same time, the essay is not a dry text, but your reasoning. Therefore, everything should be in moderation.

• Do spelling and punctuation errors affect my grades?

Answer:  No, there is no separate criterion for this, but such errors will affect the overall impression of your work.

And the most important rule: start preparing as early as possible. A successful essay is a matter of experience, so boldly attack your teachers at school or on.

UTs "Hodograph" sincerely wishes you good luck on exams!