Every year FIPI reforms the demo version of the Unified State Exam in social studies. This time the requirements and essay assessment system (tasks 29) have changed somewhat. I suggest you understand the innovations!
Changes in social studies essay 2018
Here's what the task looked like in 2017.
What has changed in the assignment text?
Let's figure it out.
- Form: mini-essay, no changes.
- The word problem (which the author of the quote raises) has been replaced by idea. It is fundamentally? I think not anyway this is those thoughts that arise when comprehending the author’s quote!
- The requirement to write several ideas is more clearly formulated (in 2017 - if necessary...).
- They are also asked to rely on facts and examples from public life and personal social experience, examples from other academic subjects.
- Also assessed two examples from various sources.
- The requirement is more strictly formulated detailed example and its obvious connection with the idea.
That is, in essence, volume requirement changes (examples need to be expanded, you need to see several ideas!) and let's just say that the essay really moves away from the genre of an easy and transparent essay, when it is not necessary to meticulously write out an example, it is enough to voice the idea. To a cumbersome essay, where all thoughts are ponderous, extremely clear and voiced. Probably next year we will come to a word limit, as in other subjects, unfortunately
How is an essay checked now?
First of all, the number of criteria has changed. There are more of them 4 instead of the previous three.
Criteria for checking task 29 essays for the Unified State Exam 2017
Let us remind you that in general you could get 5 points (1-2-2) for a mini-essay. now this 6 The value of the essay continues to increase, learning to write it in order to get the most important Unified State Exam points is a must!
Let's look at the new changed criteria!
Essentially, it has not changed; this is also a disclosure of the meaning of the author’s quote. And also, for non-disclosure you will receive a 0 not only for this criterion, but for the entire essay.
So, you need to find in the quote an idea (? problem?) related to the course and highlight a thesis (your complete thought on this statement), which you will further substantiate with information from the course and examples from social practice.
To be honest, I don’t see anything new. Instead of the meaning of the author’s quote, you write...
Essentially the same, criterion 2. Theoretical justification of the idea (problem) from the standpoint of scientific social science. terms, concepts, theories, scientific conclusions on this idea
So, let's break it down new criteria...
“The defense of rights is the defense of the greatest social value.”
(P.A. Sorokin)
Criterion 1. Its disclosure is played here by:
The author addresses the problem protection of rights, especially relevant in modern society.
In his opinion protection of rights is very important for society.
I can’t help but agree with the author’s opinion, because Law plays an important role in the life of any state, society and every person.
And also receive expert verification from us in our group
What could be more wonderful than school time? But despite this, we have to face many difficulties. The biggest obstacle that anyone who decides to graduate from 11th grade will have to go through is the Unified State Exam.
In almost all universities and in all areas you need to take a subject called social studies. The hardest part of the exam is the essay. Therefore, before writing, you need to draw up a plan for an essay on social studies and follow it strictly point by point. This is the only way to write a beautiful essay. An essay plan in social studies, as well as in other subjects, should contain three main parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. We will dwell on each point in detail.
Why do you need to know how to write essays?
Everyone forces us to express our thoughts consistently, correctly and with reason. This will definitely come in handy in life. Even if you just have a friendly conversation, then it would be appropriate here, not saturated with jargon and other “garbage” of the Russian language.
Also, writing essays teaches us to identify the main idea that they want to convey to us, analyze, and express our personal opinion 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 get lost in your own thoughts and not move away from the main problem. Some people really like writing essays; all they need to do is write social studies in their heads. For the rest, it’s better to use a draft so that the plan is always in front of you.
The introduction and conclusion are short sections that are about three to four sentences each. All parts are separated by a paragraph. You should not write in a continuous canvas, it is very difficult for readers to perceive. You won't earn many points for such a "sheet".
Unified State Exam in Social Studies
The test part of the social studies exam is quite simple. You need to answer test questions, they all have 4 answer options. The second part is a little more difficult. Here you are asked to fill in the missing words, complete the table, or connect the corresponding points.
The hardest part is C. Here you need to choose an expression (quote) of a famous person from several proposed options. Next, write an essay-argument on the topic of the statement. In order to cope with the work and get a good score, you need to make an outline for your social studies essay. The Unified State Exam is quite easy to pass if you prepare for it a little.
It is worth setting aside at least an hour a day for self-preparation, or hiring a tutor or attending specialized training courses. Pay special attention to the creative part. It is possible to create an essay plan for social studies (USE) so that it can be used 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 essay and give the main cliches. All this will greatly simplify your work during the unified state exam.
Plan
The plan for an essay on social studies is practically no different from that for other creative works. Now we will provide a detailed plan for the essay, we will describe in sufficient detail what should be included in each part. So, the plan for an essay in social studies is as follows:
- Introduction. It is worth saying right away that there are no strict requirements for this work. The main thing is that the topic is disclosed. You need to demonstrate your knowledge of the theory and confirm it with facts from history, literature or life. Entry is not mandatory, but recommended. Many schoolchildren cannot imagine an essay without an introduction. If you find it difficult to start your essay right away with thoughts, give a short introduction (2-3 sentences). Here we can clearly formulate the problem. If there is no introduction, points for this are not reduced.
- The meaning of the quote. This short section consists of no more than five sentences. It is not at all necessary to quote the entire statement. A link to the author will suffice, followed by an interpretation in your own words. Here, many use clichés, for example: “In the statement of 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.
- Theory. In this part you must write whether you agree with the author’s opinion 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 to defend your point of view.
- Data. It is better to avoid any general phrases; you need to give specific examples (“as we know from the chemistry course...”, “as the famous philosopher said...” and similar forms).
- IN conclusion we need to summarize everything we said earlier. Schoolchildren often use this form: “Thus, the examples given allow us to assert that...” Instead of the ellipsis, you need to insert a reformulated main idea of the statement.
Introduction
The social studies essay (outline, cliches we have already provided) should be short, but reflect the main idea. In this part we will give you examples of possible introductions.
- "Feuerbach is a famous German philosopher who argued that theory and practice are interrelated and complement each other."
- “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
- “The meaning of the statement is very simple - you need to be able to save and correctly distribute resources, which will help stop hunger throughout the world.”
- "Raising this problem, the author says that the younger generation understands little about adult life. They are like foreigners who do not know the customs and way of life of the inhabitants of this country."
Theory
Let's look at the plan for writing a social studies essay. Next, we must demonstrate our theoretical knowledge acquired in social studies lessons at school. Here are some examples:
- “The behavior of each individual person is of great importance for the whole society. This is an isolated group, but connected with the world. It is the social status that determines the behavior model of each individual person. If someone stands out for his behavior, and this is unacceptable in society, then social control services are involved ..."
- “My opinion is this: I completely agree with the author’s position. Indeed, laws play a big role in a person’s life. They help and protect from bad, immoral acts...”
Data
We have almost figured out how to write an essay on social studies; all that remains is to understand what examples can be given in the next paragraph. Facts could be something like this:
- 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...”
- From education, science, media and so on.“As an argument, we can cite the history of the development of the science of chemistry. How did people gain knowledge about possible reactions? Of course, from experience..."
Conclusion
The last part consists of 1-2 sentences, for example:
- “I completely agree with the statement, because only... can lead to...”
- “Thus, the philosopher... expressed a rather clever thought... which requires analysis and reflection.”
If you are determined to take the Unified State Exam in social studies, then this article is for you. Today we will figure out how to complete one of the most difficult tasks of the KIM Unified State Exam in social studies - an essay.
How to write an essay in social studies? First, you need to familiarize yourself with the criteria for evaluating your work in the exam. The social studies essay is assessed based on three main criteria.
Criterion 1 - finding a problem
This is the most important criterion. This is where your ability to understand what the author is talking about in his statement is demonstrated. There are several risks in this part of the task:
Risk #1: keywords
After reading the selected statement, examinees 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 examinee. 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, no!
If you re-read the above statement several times (by the way, Scherr’s quote is not the most difficult topic to recognize the problem), you will see that the author is talking about 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 talk not about inequality as an economic or social phenomenon, but about its inevitability for humans, or, on the contrary, its original unusualness (in case you disagree with the author).
Risk #2: imprecise wording
Over the years of teaching preparation courses for the Unified State Exam in social studies, I have often heard statements from students in the spirit of “I understand what is being said, but it’s difficult for me to formulate and write it down.” So, on the Unified State Exam this circumstance is not a valid reason.
At the very beginning of your social studies essay, the problem of the statement should be formulated clearly and clearly. Don’t force experts to look for a problem in your text; point it out to them, expressing the whole essence in one or two succinct sentences.
The risk is not only that the lack of clear formulation may lead to the fact that the expert simply does not find the problem statement in your essay. By describing the problem ambiguously and unclearly, you yourself become an object of risk, because... You may stumble upon another problem while writing your essay. And there are a huge number of similar examples.
Risk #3: unreasonably complicated
Some guys are too scared of the Unified State Exam. This is a normal reaction, but when writing an exam it will not only not help you, but will most likely harm you.
If you decide to impress the examiners by choosing a philosophical statement, be sure that you understand its meaning correctly. Having prepared for the fact that philosophy is a story about complex meanings, abstract ideas and incomprehensible words, the children complicate the original statement and build logical chains that are too long. Remember that the Unified State Exam is an exam for schoolchildren; no one expects you to repeat the exploits of Nietzsche or Kant.
Criterion 2 - theoretical argumentation
The maximum score for this criterion is 2 points. It consists of two blocks: a reference to theoretical material from a social studies course and an explanation of basic terms.
Let's deal with the first block. As you approach 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? Remember the theory of Karl Marx! Agree with him or criticize him, the main thing is to tell him about his contribution.
Don't remember the theory? No problem! In an essay about the problem of the truth or falsity of ideas, remember the criteria for determining truth and its types.
The second block is 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 - politics, but if you come across a problem affecting electoral processes, “political leader” will not be the best choice.
The choice of terms for an essay should be based on the “golden” rule of writing any text: think about what else to add and what you can’t do without. Therefore, when talking about elections, it is better to remember 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. Now, friends, remember the main rule: you need 2 arguments from 2 DIFFERENT sources. What does it mean? If in your essay on political reforms you make brilliant arguments about Peter I and Alexander II, do not expect 2 points, because both arguments were gleaned from Russian history. Turn to current events (media), remember your favorite literary characters. In the end, you can turn to personal experience to confirm or refute the thesis put forward.
That's all. 3 criteria, 5 points. However, this is not the end of the social studies essay story.
FAQ`s (most frequently asked questions)
- Do I need to express my position?
Answer: need to. And although the criteria do not clearly state the need for your view of the problem, let's think logically. In order to argue a position (remember K3), you need to have this position. Therefore, friends, we present our position.
- Is it necessary to state the author's opinion?
Answer: need to. In the part of the essay where you explain the problem you want to talk about, you need to remember one very important thing. The author's position is not identical to the problem. The author may say that a market economy is the worst form of economic relations; this 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 author’s position must be stated separately.
- I don’t remember the exact wording of the terms, is it possible to write in your own words?
Answer: It is possible, but it is very dangerous. Social science is a subject in which there are no unambiguous definitions; the same phenomenon can be considered from different positions. Expressing your author's position from this point of view is not forbidden, but remember that author's definitions are a task that even graduate students of leading universities cannot always cope with. Therefore, the ideal way out of the situation would not be to invent new meanings, but to try to convey the key meaning of the term, using precise vocabulary and composing a competent sentence.
- What is better: choose one section and write essays on it all year, or write on 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 others and write an essay on them every week (at least). By choosing only one section, you risk encountering an unexpectedly complex statement and not understanding the problem. Therefore, insure yourself in advance.
- In what style should you write an essay?
Answer: Social science is not literature (strictly speaking, nothing is social science except social science). Therefore, literary style, epigraphs, and 5-line sentences are more likely to harm your work. The purpose of your essay is to present a problem and talk about how it can be thought about. What is needed here is precision, conciseness and clearly constructed logic. However, at the same time, an essay is not a dry text, but your reasoning. Therefore, everything should be in moderation.
- Do spelling and punctuation errors affect my grade?
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 feel free to attack your teachers at school or on.
TC "Godograph" sincerely wishes you good luck in your exams!
Draft demo versions of the Unified State Exam 2018 have been posted on the FIPI website. Changes are still possible in them. The final, sealed and signed demo versions will be published in November. Nevertheless, based on the demo versions it is already possible to judge what will change in the Unified State Examination tasks and what will remain the same. Our teachers took a closer look at the new demos and gave a quick overview.
Russian language
There is one more task. Before the tasks on the text, a new task 20 was added. It tests knowledge of speech norms and the ability to find lexical errors. This task is of a basic level of difficulty and is worth 1 point.
The lexical error in this sentence is pleonasm, speech redundancy. The extra word that needs to be written out is “main” (the word “essence” already means something main, important).
What changed:
Now in the Unified State Examination in the Russian language there are 26 tasks and the numbering of tasks in the text has shifted one point forward. The first part includes tasks 1-25. This is 34 primary points. The second part is an essay, task 26. The maximum number of points for an essay is 24. The total for both parts is 58 points.
Social science
We increased the maximum score and changed the criteria in tasks 28 (plan) and 29 (mini-essay). Now four primary points are given for the plan, six for the essay. The maximum number of primary points for the entire work has increased from 62 to 64.
Task 28 (plan)
In the new demo version for the plan there were separate evaluation criteria:
Criterion 28.1. Topic disclosure(2 points)
To get the maximum number of points you need:
1) include in the plan at least two out of three points that cover the topic in essence;
2) disclose at least one of these points in subparagraphs.
Criterion 28.2. Number of plan points(1 point)
The plan must have at least three points, two of which are detailed in subparagraphs. Only those points that are relevant to the content of the topic are taken into account. Off-topic and abstract paragraphs (such as “Introduction” or “Conclusion”) do not count.
Criterion 28.3. Correct wording of points and sub-points of the plan(1 point)
There should be no errors in the wording of the points and sub-points of the plan.
What changed:
- The complex evaluation algorithm (a two-page table) was replaced with three separate criteria - like an essay. The requirements for the task have become clearer.
- The maximum number of primary points has increased from three to four.
Task 29 (mini-essay)
The maximum number of points was increased from five to six. The wording of the assignment and evaluation criteria were changed.
Formulation of task 29
What changed:
- The “problem” is no longer mentioned in the task conditions. Previously, this caused confusion, since the criteria did not say anything about the formulation of the problem.
- The assignment specified requirements for theoretical and factual argumentation separately.
- The actual argument must now illustrate the points made in the theoretical argument.
Task Criteria 29
The essay is now graded according to four criteria:
Criterion 29.1. Revealing the meaning of a statement(1 point, if not completed, compliance with other criteria is not taken into account and 0 points are given for the entire task)
This is the former criterion K1. The new demo version added a condition: in order to reveal the meaning of a statement, you need to highlight the main idea or formulate a thesis in the context of the statement.
Criterion 29.2. Theoretical content of the mini-essay(2 points)
This criterion evaluates the coherence of the argument: explanations of key concepts, reasoning and theoretical positions must explain the thesis or idea formulated.
Criterion 29.3. Correct use of concepts, theoretical positions, reasoning and conclusions(1 point)
There should be no erroneous statements in the argument.
Criterion 29.4. Quality of facts and examples provided(2 points)
As before, you need to give examples from two different sources: the media, other school subjects, facts of personal experience. Examples with factual and semantic errors will not be counted. New requirement: if both examples are not formulated in detail or are not related to the provisions of the theoretical argument, zero points are given according to the criterion.
What changed:
- Difficulties were caused by the vague wording “disclosure of meaning” in the first criterion. The assessment according to this criterion was subjective and depended on the personality of the expert. Now we have added an objective condition: in order to reveal the meaning, you need to highlight an idea or formulate a thesis. The criterion has become clearer.
- The quality of theoretical argumentation is now assessed according to two criteria; more points are given for theoretical argumentation.
- The requirements for factual argumentation have become more stringent: examples must be detailed and illustrate the points of theoretical argumentation.
Literature
We increased the maximum number of points and changed the evaluation criteria in tasks with a detailed answer: 8, 9, 15, 16, 17. The maximum number of primary points for the exam increased from 42 to 57.
Tasks 8 and 15
Maximum score - 4.
Two criteria:
1.The depth of the judgments made and the persuasiveness of the arguments(3 points; if 0 or 1 point, 0 points are given for the second criterion).
2.Following speech norms(1 point).
Maximum score - 5.
Three criteria:
1.Matching the answer to the task(1 point; if 0, 0 points are given for the entire task).
2. (2 points; if 0, the third criterion is also scored 0 points).
3. (2 points).
What changed:
Assessing the “convincingness of arguments” caused big problems; the subjective factor played a significant role here. Now the quality of arguments is assessed in all three criteria: in the first criterion, it is established whether the student answers the question posed in the assignment, in the second - to what extent the arguments are based on the text of the work, in the third - the absence of logical errors in the argumentation.
Tasks 9 and 16
Maximum score - 4.
It was necessary to justify the choice of work.
Speech errors were not taken into account.
Complex estimation algorithm.
The maximum score is 10.
There is no need to justify the choice of work.
Speech errors are taken into account (criterion 3).
Three criteria:
1.Selection of works to complete the task(4 points; if 0 is given, the entire task is worth 0 points).
2.Comparison of works(4 points; if 0, the entire task is worth 0 points).
3.Factual, logical and verbal accuracy of the answer(2 points).
What changed:
- The maximum score has increased from four to ten. Problems 9 and 16 are more difficult than 8 and 15. The score now takes into account this difference in difficulty level.
- There is no need to justify the choice of work.
- In addition to factual accuracy, logical and verbal accuracy is also assessed.
Task 17
The maximum score is 14.
Three essay topics.
Five criteria:
1.The depth of disclosure of the topic of the essay and the persuasiveness of judgments(3 points; if 0, the entire task is worth 0 points).
2.Level of proficiency in theoretical and literary concepts(2 points).
3.Validity of using the text of the work(2 points).
4.Compositional integrity and consistency of presentation(3 points).
5.Following speech norms(3 points).
The maximum score is 15.
Four essay topics.
Seven criteria:
1.Compliance of the essay with the topic(1 point; if 0, the entire task is worth 0 points).
2.Argumentation, involvement of the text of the work(2 points).
3.Reliance on theoretical and literary concepts(2 points).
4.Compositional integrity(2 points).
5.Logic(2 points).
6.Factual accuracy(3 points).
7.Compliance with speech norms(3 points).
- Philosophy,
- Economy,
- Political science,
- Jurisprudence.
- historical facts;
- personal experience and observations;
3. Theoretical part
4. Factual part
5. Conclusion
remember, that
remember the terminology
write straight away
If you are “floating” in the topic
Essay similar to an essay, usually has a free composition and a small size. Although the task should seem easy, for some reason it frightens the students and takes them by surprise.
You will need
- - educational literature;
- - computer.
Instructions
Think over a rough work plan. As a rule, an essay consists of a short introduction, which reveals the essence of the topic; the main part, which sets out the opinions of scientists on the subject of the story; the attitude of the author of the work to these opinions, as well as the conclusion, which provides brief conclusions about the research done. The last page of the essay indicates the sources used.
Select the required material. Write down the various points of view of scientists on the chosen topic on paper and note the order in which statements are used in your work.
Video on the topic
note
Check that all literature used is up to date. Textbooks should be no older than 8-10 years, periodicals - no older than 3-5 years.
To avoid being branded as a plagiarist, provide all citations with links indicating the author, title of the publication, and imprint.
Helpful advice
When writing an essay, you should not use a lot of literature so that the work does not turn out to be too long and overloaded with unnecessary information.
When working with literature, it is not necessary to copy notes onto paper; you can immediately make them on the computer. This makes it easier to edit text.
When writing an essay, be careful and try not to make mistakes. After finishing the work, read it and correct any mistakes.
Essay By statement This is a short essay in which you can demonstrate your knowledge not only in a specific discipline, but also information from related scientific subjects.
Instructions
Choose one statement from those proposed as topics for the examination paper on which you will write an essay. It is important that it is clear and close to you. Remember that to justify your position regarding these words, you will need to make clear arguments, and not just appeal to the fact that “this is immoral” or “this makes no sense in modern life.” Think about what areas of knowledge you have in order to justify this information.
Reveal the meaning of the statement. To do this, simply describe what exactly the author wanted to say with these lines, as you see it. For each person, the same things mean different things, so your version cannot be correct or incorrect, any adequate thought has to exist. precisely in the context given by the scientific subject on which the essay is written. For example, you should not disclose value added tax in the sense if in the statement it is mentioned exclusively in the economic aspect.
Give reasons for your opinion. To do this, use the knowledge gained in the process of other sciences, but do not “get hung up” on this information. Additional justification is good if it only emphasizes your rightness. For example, when writing an essay on the statements of political figures, be sure to remember what historical events might have influenced his beliefs.
Formulate your own point of view regarding the statement. If you partially or completely disagree, suggest your own version of the phrase. Be sure to give reasons for exactly what you disagree with and why your position is more appropriate. Rely on your own experience, on the facts of social life.
Related article
Sources:
- how to make an aphorism
Writing an essay is the last task in the Unified State Exam in social studies. And when preparing for an exam, it is this that raises the most questions. What are the requirements for the work, how is it assessed, and how to get the maximum score for a social studies essay?
What is a task
A mini-essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies is an alternative task. This means that the exam participant can choose from several proposed options the one that is closer and more interesting to him.
Essay topics are short quotes - aphorisms related to the five blocks of the curriculum, one for each. The thematic areas of statements are as follows:
- Philosophy,
- Economy,
- Sociology, social psychology,
- Political science,
- Jurisprudence.
Of the five statements, you need to choose only one (the closest or most understandable) and write a mini-essay that reveals the meaning of the chosen aphorism and contains illustrative examples.
The “weight” of the social studies essay in the final points is quite small: about 8% of the total points. A perfectly written paper can earn only 5 primary points out of 62 possible, about 8%. Therefore, you should not approach the work as fundamentally as when writing essays on the Russian language or essays on literature.
The compilers of the Unified State Examination themselves suggest taking 36-45 minutes to write an essay on social studies (this is exactly the time period indicated in the specification). For comparison: an essay on the Russian language takes 110 minutes, and a full-length essay on literature takes 115.
All this suggests that the approach to social science should be different: there is no need to create a “masterpiece”, there are no mandatory requirements for presentation style (or even literacy), and even the volume of work is not regulated. Here it is not necessary to write 150-350 words of text: after all, the task is positioned as a “mini-essay” and if you manage to reveal the idea briefly and succinctly, this will be welcome.
It is enough to simply demonstrate knowledge of the subject and the ability to find suitable examples to support your point of view - and express your thoughts coherently and convincingly on the exam form.
Criteria for assessing essays in social studies on the Unified State Exam
The essay is scored based on three criteria in total. To earn the maximum five points, you must meet the following "required minimum":
Reveal the meaning of the original statement, or at least demonstrate that you correctly understood what its author meant (1 point). This is a key point: if you did not understand the quote and received 0 points on the first criterion, the work will not be assessed further.
Demonstrate knowledge of theory(2 points). Here, to get a high grade, it is necessary to analyze the meaning of the statement, using the knowledge acquired during the study of the school social studies course, remember the main points of the theory, and use the terminology correctly. Incomplete compliance with the requirements, deviation from the original topic or semantic errors will result in the loss of one point.
Ability to find relevant examples(2 points). To receive the highest mark on this criterion, you must illustrate the problem with two (at least) examples - facts that confirm the main idea of the essay. Moreover, they must be from sources of different types. Sources can be
- examples from fiction, feature films and documentaries;
- examples from popular science literature, the history of various branches of science;
- historical facts;
- facts gleaned while studying other school subjects;
- personal experience and observations;
- media reports.
If only personal experience is used as examples or examples of the same type are given (for example, both from fiction), the score is reduced by a point. A zero for this criterion is given if the examples do not correspond to the topic or if there is no information at all.
Social studies essay writing plan
There are no strict requirements for the structure of the essay - the main thing is to reveal the meaning of the statement, demonstrate knowledge of the theory and support it with facts. However, given that you don’t have much time to think about it, you can stick to a standard essay plan that includes all the necessary elements.
1. The optional part is the introduction. General statement of the problem (one or two sentences). In an essay on social studies, this point of the plan can be omitted and go straight to the interpretation of the proposed aphorism, but schoolchildren often find it difficult to deviate from the usual compositional scheme, when the “gist of the matter” is preceded by general reasoning. Therefore, if you are used to starting with an introduction, write it, if this is not important for you, you can omit this point, the points will not be reduced for this.
2. Revealing the meaning of the original statement– 2-3 sentences. There is no need to quote in full; it is enough to refer to its author and state the meaning of the phrase in your own words. It must be remembered that, unlike an essay in Russian, where it is necessary to isolate a problem, an essay in social science can be devoted to a phenomenon, a process, or simply a statement of fact. To reveal the meaning of a statement, you can use templates like “In the proposed statement, N.N (a famous philosopher, economist, famous writer) considers (describes, talks about ...) such a phenomenon (process, problem) as ..., interpreting it as ... " or “The meaning of the statement ( expressions, aphorisms) N. N is that...”
3. Theoretical part(3-4 sentences). Here it is necessary to confirm or refute the author’s point of view, relying on the knowledge gained in class and using special terminology. If you agree with the author’s point of view, then, by and large, this part is a detailed translation of the original phrase into “textbook language.” For example, if the author called children’s games in the yard a “school of life”, you will write about what institutions of socialization are and the role they play in the process of an individual’s assimilation of social norms. Here you can also quote quotes from other philosophers, economists, etc., confirming the main idea of the text - however, this is not a mandatory requirement.
4. Factual part(4-6 sentences). Here it is necessary to give at least two examples confirming the theses put forward in the previous paragraph. In this part it is better to avoid “general words” and talk about specifics. And do not forget to indicate sources of information. For example, “experiments devoted to” have been repeatedly described in popular science literature; “as we know from the school physics course...”, “writer N,N. in his novel “Untitled” he describes the situation…”, “on the shelves of the supermarket opposite my school you can see...”.
5. Conclusion(1-2 sentences). Since an essay on social studies on the Unified State Exam is, by and large, a proof of a certain theoretical position, you can complete the essay by summing up what has been said. For example: “Thus, both real-life examples and reading experience suggest that...”, followed by a restatement of the main thesis.
remember, that the main thing is to correctly reveal the meaning of the statement. Therefore, when choosing from the proposed options, take a quote whose interpretation is beyond your doubts.
Before you start writing the text, remember the terminology on this topic. Write them down on a draft form so you can use them later in your work.
Choose the most suitable examples on this topic. Remember that examples from literature may not be limited to works of the school curriculum - in the social studies exam you can use any literary works as arguments. We should not forget that relying on reading experience in the case of social studies is not a priority: remember cases from life; news heard on the radio; topics discussed in society and so on. Also write down the selected examples on the draft form.
Since literacy, style and composition of the text are not graded, if you are confident enough to express your thoughts in writing, it is better not to waste time writing a full draft. Limit yourself to drawing up a thesis plan and write straight away- this will help save time.
Start the essay after you have answered all other questions.– otherwise you may not fit in the time limit and lose more points than you gain. For example, the first four tasks with detailed answers (based on the text read) can give a total of 10 primary points (twice as much as an essay), and formulating answers to them usually takes much less time than writing a mini-essay.
If you are “floating” in the topic and you feel that you cannot write an essay with maximum points - do this task anyway. Every point is important - and even if you only manage to correctly formulate the topic and give at least one example “from life” - you will receive two primary points for your social studies essay on the Unified State Exam, which is much better than zero.