Structuring econ essays (1 Viewer)

[sy37]

Can someone tell me how to structure econ essays? I get ~85% ish on analysis but usually capped at 15-14 in the essays, and I'm pretty sure my school marks easier in this regard so I'm probably on 10 - 11 at HSC level..

 

[astroman]

http://community.boredofstudies.org/22/economics/324354/state-rankers-guide-economics.html
http://community.boredofstudies.org/22/economics/336298/state-rankers-guide-economics-part-2-a.html

Intro:
-Define key terms of the question
-Answer the question
-Provide relevant economic data/stats

Body
-Paragraphs outlining each point of your answer to the question and usually evaluating/assessing/analysing their impacts or effects

Conclusion
(you will not lose marks for not having one in the HSC, though is preferable)
-Restatement of your answer
-Summarise body points

I've just finished the HSC in 2004 and one of the subjects that I studied was Economics. I had a really great eco teacher and she gave us this generic essay plan that you could use for practically every question.

1. Definition
2. How is it measured?
3. Causes
4. Types
5. Recent Trends
6. Government Policies
7. Conflict in policy mix

This sounds really general and obviously applies more to certain topics than others but remember that if you could master these basics for every topic you could just twist the info to suit the question.

Other pieces of advice that she gave use were:

* When making these essay plans, jot down some jargons for each topic because using them does add sophistication to your answers and it is also in the rubric for a band 6 answer.

* Use statistics in your essays. Remembering them might seem overwhelming at first but if you make a list of the basic ones and keep on using them in your practice essays, they will come like second nature in your exams

* Write a what I call 'insightful comment' at the end of essay questions. It should be something relating to the topic you are writing about in a future context. For example, when I wrote about government policies last year, I always ended my essays with 'it would be interesting to see how the Labor government would implement ... if they are elected' since there was an election.

But this comment should never exceed three lines.

Although this is not absolutely necessary, it would stick in the marker's mind and make you seem really intelligent because you can relate textbook info to current events.

And keep on practicing and practicing!!!

I have also included some of the essay plans that I made but I strongly recommend that you make your own because they will become an invaluable tool for revision leading up to and after the trials!

another piece of advice...
in essays, i suggest u put some graphs in. this is an excellent method of complementing your words and simplifying things for the marker. if you can successfully blend your words with graphs, you are bound to get high marks.

when drawing graphs, always use ruler. also mark the graphs with a number so you can use this as a reference in your essay (eg. graph 1.2).


in regards to the essay plans...i think its good to memorise a certain structure. but the best course of action to take is to practice writing essays for numerous questions in order to perfect your technique. if you do this, providing you have studied all your theory thoroughly, you should be able to answer any question they ask at you.

good luck ppl, and pm for any advice