Know your a, b, c’s

First off, let me make it clear I’m a great fan of your essay paper. I think it’s fair and I love the way the “a, b, c” questions guide your responses. All you have to do (other than revise) is follow the guide.

The guide is both in the question and the marks available: 4, 6 and 10. Please! Write more for ten marks than you do for four or six. And before you stop reading, please trust me. Over many years I have repeatedly seen students write far more for four marks than they do for ten.

Having got that off my chest, let’s look at the three types of question, and how to respond to them.  

Qa is a “knowledge question”. It is testing what you know and nothing more, so don’t do more! It will almost certainly begin with the word “Describe” or the word “What”. So do what it instructs you to do.

There are four marks available and you can earn these in one of two ways: identify four different factors or identify two or three but offer little detail.

Let me show what I mean in a little more detail using the following question as an example: What were Clemenceau’s main aims at the Paris peace conference?

You could earn marks for identifying aims such as a just treaty for France, to weaken Germany as well as to punish it, and to leave France feeling more secure. A mark would be given for each of these aims. But do note that you would need to identify them separately and in complete sentences. And, as I have done, you would need to identify four aims in total.

But you would get more marks for adding detail to what you identify. For example, ‘France had been invaded twice by Germany and had lost Alsace-Lorraine after the first war. It feared this could happen again. Consequently, Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany by reducing the size of its military capacity.’

If you wanted to be absolutely sure of full marks, you could explain a couple of points in this kind of detail and just mention another two. But be careful not to write too much. You need to keep an eye on the time!

Qb is an “explain question”. It will almost certainly begin with the word “Why”. If your teacher were to ask you why you were late for class, she would be asking for an explanation. And you had better give a good one! “I was late because there was an accident. A little boy from the junior school had fallen and grazed his knee and so I took him to the nurse. Here is a note from the nurse.” See, how there is an explanation with a little detail and supporting evidence.

Let’s transfer this to a typical exam question: Why did the Germans feel the Treaty of Versailles was unjust?

If you only identify factors you will only be showing your knowledge again. And that’s why Qa, which only requires knowledge, has less marks. This question tests your understanding and that’s what your explanations do. Whilst a piece of evidence or an example demonstrates it even more.

So, whilst a statement like, “Germany did not feel it was solely responsible for the war” identifies a reason, it doesn’t explain Germany’s viewpoint. But if you add something like, “Germany argued that it was only defending an ally as well as itself from Russian aggression. Germany could point to the fact that it was only supporting Austria-Hungary after the heir to its throne had been assassinated, and that Russia was the first power not directly involved in the crisis to mobilise”, then you are adding an explanation and supporting it with evidence that Germany used. Do this for three, even just two reasons, adding other reasons but without detailed explanation, and you could earn yourself full marks!

So we turn to Qc which will encompass an argument or a debatable position.

An argument or a debate has two viewpoints. You must outline both and provide your conclusion. As with Qb, if you only identify points to each argument, you will earn a satisfactory mark. But if you explain those points as I have demonstrated for Qb, then you are heading towards maximum marks. What will clinch it is your conclusion.

Qc will usually have a statement supporting one side of an argument followed by the question: “How far do you agree with this statement?” Or, “To what extent do you agree with this statement?” These could just as easily precede the statement, eg “How far do you agree with the statement that …?” Or else, the statement could also be followed by the simple instruction: “Discuss.” You explain the viewpoint supporting the statement but also the viewpoint disagreeing with it, and give your conclusion.

It might give two alternatives and ask something like: “Which was the bigger factor in …?” Or, “Which had the greater impact: …?” You explain why each factor could be considered important or, in the second example, the impact of both, and give your conclusion.

It might even be a “How question”: “How successful was …?” Or, “How important was …?” Here you would explain the factors that point to success or the importance and factors that don’t, and in the second example, the second viewpoint might also point to other factors that might be seen as more important.

Something you really should not fail to notice in these questions: they will all end with the sentence: “Explain your answer.” So make sure you do! And make sure you reach a conclusion.

The essay paper tests your knowledge and your understanding, but it also tests your ability to write: clear statements, clearly explained in coherent paragraphs. It takes practice, especially when English is not your first language. But don’t view it as something too difficult to do well. So, don’t get ahead of yourself. Focus on one point at a time. Keep your sentences short in order to ensure clarity. Simplicity often goes with clarity. When you have finished explaining one point, only then worry about the next. For questions b and c, it will take no more than a minute to think first and jot down the points you are going to make (there won’t be many – you don’t have time to make many).