The most significant evaluation task you’ll need to complete in your coursework is source based history essays, which use various sources to form an argument.
All assessment task types will require you to apply skills in essay writing in a particular form, but their fundamental purpose and Structure doesn’t change.
Therefore, mastering the skills of writing remarkable source based history essays is the key to achieving A+ grades in History.
This article is an in-depth summary of source based history essays, how to structure and cite them, and how to write a history-level essay. Our essay writing services will make you an expert in your respective History field.
The History essay definition
History essays are structured arguments that provide historical evidence to prove their points.
For your argument’s correct Structure, it’s necessary to understand the individual parts that comprise written essays.
If you master how all the parts fit and work into the entire essay, you’re well on your way to writing excellent source based history essays.
The majority of essays will need you to craft these:
- One Introduction Paragraph
- Three Body Paragraphs
- One Concluding Paragraph
You can find these paragraphs structuring and writing explanations below, as well as all their examples for your essay writing:
How do you write a history a level source essay?
At both the A and AS levels of AQA History, you must be well-versed in writing two essay types –point-by-point and block essays. To structure essays in AQA history, you must be familiar with the two essay styles and their application.
1. Block Essay
For AQA History, you utilize this for the questions extracted: the two AS sources and the A-level three sources. You write your essay in text blocks concentrating on a particular region.
For the questions on sources, you do not have to communicate and then clearly write it, with each source’s clear assessment, in big work chunks. Don’t worry about the introduction– commence the analysis straight away. First, address the block’s Source A, then in a different block, Source B, and for Source C (A-level) in your final block.
Keep in mind that you must evaluate your sources. Continue doing that throughout. Assess all the sources while writing your block and perform each section’s end mini summary. You might combine your sources in a brief conclusion (less than a few lines) to summarize your valuable/convincing source assessment. You must form each source’s clear judgment since the question requires you to.
Furthermore, when you discuss blocks, it doesn’t mean you must cram all the details into an extensive paragraph. If you’ve plenty to talk about (and hopefully you’ll), you must use a paragraph with a realistic structure. They are called block essays because you handle a section throughout, in this instance, every source, before proceeding to the following section.
2. Point-by-point Essay
A point-by-point essay is a bit trickier to understand, but it is worth it since it tends to achieve top grades if correctly done. You may use this particular style for all that isn’t the source question for AQA. The prerequisite to remarkable point-by-point essays lies in your planning; it’ll only end up nicely in your writing if you’re precisely aware of your argument and your order of introducing points and evidence. So you must plan well!
All the essay questions AQA at both A and AS levels require you to make an argument ‘against or for’ a hypothesis.
How do you cite a source based essay?
Proper source citation is a process that takes two parts. You should first cite your essay’s body for each source; these within the essay’s citations are known as in-text citations. You should cite all summarized, quoted, or paraphrased sources, facts, words, and ideas. Without in-text citations, you’re technically in plagiarism danger, even if you’ve listed the sources at your essay’s end. The commonly used citation styles are APA and MLA though it’s good to follow the required style.
In-text citations demonstrate to the reader your reference page information sources. An in-text citation includes typically the author’s last name and publication year. If you utilize direct quotes, you must provide the page numbers.
List only the last name (no initials) of the author and the publication year, such as:
(Author, Date).
(Dodge, 2008).
If you make use of direct quotes to the citation, add a page number, such as:
(Author, Date, then, page number)
(Dodge, 2008, p. 300).
How do you structure source based essays?
· The introduction paragraph
Your essay’s commencing single paragraph prepares the reader for your intended argument in the body paragraphs.
The Structure of an Introductory Paragraph
The introduction paragraph isn’t as lengthy as the body paragraphs since it has a particular purpose that you should fulfill.
A well-organized introduction paragraph comprises the following 4-part Structure (summed up by the abbreviation BHES).
Background sentences – B
Hypothesis – H
Elaboration sentences – E
Signpost sentence – S
All the elements are expounded further, with these examples below:
- Background sentences
Your introduction’s first 2 or 3 sentences must provide your essay’s historical topic general introduction. It is performed to make your readers understand your argument’s specific point when you express your hypothesis.
2. Hypothesis
Once you’ve given your essay’s historical context in the background sentences, it’s time to state the hypothesis.
The hypothesis means a simple sentence clearly stating what your essay’s argument will be verifying in the body paragraphs.
An excellent hypothesis comprises both the reasons supporting the argument and your argument.
- Elaboration sentences
The elaboration sentences must be 1 or 2 sentences that give specific details on how you’ll cover your argument in the 3 body paragraphs of your essay.
You can also briefly sum up your 2 or 3 main points.
Finally, expound on all essential concepts, keywords, or phrases you have used in the hypothesis, and you will have to do that in the elaboration sentences of your introduction paragraph.
- Signpost sentence
Your introduction’s final sentence must prepare the topic’s reader for the commencing body paragraph. The primary purpose of this sentence is to offer cohesion between the introduction paragraph and your beginning body paragraph.
· The body paragraph
It presents an argument for your hypothesis’ one aspect, which is later supported and explained by historical evidence sources.
Many History essays have 3 body paragraphs.
The Structure of the Body Paragraph
A body paragraph is a highly structured writing piece, and every sentence has a specified purpose.Top of Form
Well-organized body paragraphs have this 6-part Structure (summed up by the abbreviation TEEASC).
Topic Sentence – T
Explanation Sentences – E
Evidence from sources – E
Analysis of sources – A
Synthesis sentence – S
Concluding sentence – C
In this Structure, every element is elaborated further with these examples;
- Topic Sentence
The first sentence must state clearly what point from your hypothesis argument point in this specific paragraph.
Be more specific with your point to make the topic sentence better.
2. Explanation sentences
After you have stated your topic sentence’s argument point, you must expound on your reason and point in detail.
It will require 2 or 3 sentences frequently.
3. Sources Evidence
After you have stated your topic sentence’s argument and further elaborated on it in the explanation sentences, you must prove the argument by including several pieces of evidence (usually 2-3) from the sources of History.
You must show the evidence through indirect and direct quotes use.
4. Sources Analysis
When you provide your sources evidence to justify the topic sentence, give the marker a reason for trusting the sources you are quoting.
For that reason, it comprises some evaluation and analysis of all sources.
5. Synthesis sentence
After providing quotes to back your argument up in your analysis and evidence sentences, you must remind the marker how the evidence cooperates to prove the topic sentence.
For this to be achievable, provide a one-sentence summary of how each quote affirms your topic sentence’s argument.
- Concluding sentence
Your body paragraph’s final sentence restates what you’ve proven in the section.
It’ll often restate and reword your topic sentence’s argument.
· The conclusion paragraph
Your essay’s final paragraph reminds your readers about your made points and their justification for your hypothesis-stated argument.
The Structure of a concluding paragraph
While concluding paragraphs usually will be briefer than the body and introductory paragraphs, they still have particular roles to accomplish.
A well-organized conclusion paragraph comprises the 3-part Structure below:
- Restating the key points
- Restating the hypothesis
- Conclusion sentence
In this Structure, each element is expounded further, with the below examples:
- Restating the key points
Restate all the body paragraph’s topic sentences in a sentence or two. It is done to remind your markers about your argument’s affirmation.
Though this info will be identical to your introduction’s elaboration sentences, it’ll be a bit briefer.
- Restating the hypothesis
It’s a simple sentence restating your introductory paragraph’s hypothesis.
Do not directly copy it word-by-word. Restate it differently, but indicate your argument throughout your essay.
3. Conclusion sentence
The conclusion’s final sentence gives a final statement about the implications for your topic’s modern understanding arguments. Alternatively, you can make statements about this historical person’s effect or an event on History.
Conclusion
To succeed in writing remarkable source based history essays, you must appropriately use the sources you provide. But do not just include quotations and summaries. Use your ideas and words to evaluate and supplement the source information. Doing that will upgrade your source based history essays and boost your score.
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