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Essay and NEA Technique

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you build a sustained argument and reach a substantiated judgement in a history essay?

AO1 essay skills: building a thesis-led argument, sustaining analysis across paragraphs, supporting claims with precise evidence, and reaching a substantiated judgement rather than a summary.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to building an argument and reaching a judgement in the AO1 essay. Explains how to state a thesis, sustain analysis across paragraphs, support claims with precise evidence, and reach a substantiated judgement rather than a summary, with a worked example transferable to every essay.
14 min answer →

How do you manage time across the OCR History papers and revise an option-based course effectively?

Exam technique: managing time across the Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 papers in line with the mark tariffs, and revising an option-based course around the named key topics and the three skills.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to exam timing and revision. Explains how to manage time across the Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 papers in line with the mark tariffs, and how to revise an option-based course around the named key topics and the AO1, AO2 and AO3 skills, with practical timing examples.
13 min answer →

How do you plan an analytical history essay that ranks factors and answers the question for AO1?

AO1 essay skills: planning an analytical essay by decoding the command, selecting and ranking factors, organising thematically, and structuring towards a substantiated judgement.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to planning the analytical AO1 essay. Explains how to decode the command word, select and rank the relevant factors, organise the essay thematically, and structure it towards a substantiated judgement, with a worked example transferable to every essay in the course.
14 min answer →

How do you plan and write the OCR Y100 coursework essay, the topic-based independent enquiry?

Unit Y100 (NEA): the topic-based essay of 3000 to 4000 words on a debated issue, choosing a question, structuring an independent enquiry, and meeting all three assessment objectives.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to the Y100 coursework, the topic-based essay. Explains how to choose a debated question, structure an independent enquiry of 3000 to 4000 words, meet all three assessment objectives, and avoid duplicating the examined units, with the planning skills the NEA rewards.
14 min answer →

How do you weave primary sources and historians' interpretations into the Y100 coursework to meet AO2 and AO3?

Unit Y100 (NEA): integrating the evaluation of primary sources (AO2) and the analysis of historians' interpretations (AO3) into a coursework argument, alongside AO1, around a debated question.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to using primary sources and historiography in the Y100 coursework. Explains how to evaluate primary sources for AO2 and analyse historians' interpretations for AO3, integrating both with the AO1 argument around a debated question, with the planning skills the NEA rewards.
13 min answer →