STUDENT TIPS - IB Geography Essay writing skills

Essay Writing Guide: READ STOP PLAN WRITE

In all essays you will need to:

● Give your opinion
● Address both sides of the issues
● Give an indication of scale/importance
● Provide factual evidence (case studies)

Example
“It is impossible to eliminate disparities in wealth and development.” Discuss this
statement. (15 marks)

If you agree with this statement or disagree with it is immaterial but you should not do so
100%. If you go down this route it is impossible to get all marks because you will not show
any evaluation. Remember that there is always a ‘however’ – an alternative view.

Planning
1. Identify Key words and instructions in the question, highlight or underline them
2. Decide what your main arguments / points will be and identify key words which you
will elaborate on in each paragraph of your essay.
3. Identify appropriate case studies that address the key aspects of the question and
note them down
4. For each case study briefly L.I.S.T. it
● Location: poor / rich; rural / urban; tropical / temperate.
● Issues: positive / negative; human / physical; environmental / social /
demographic / political / economic.
● Scale: global / regional / national / sub-national / local / household
● Time: long term / short term / past / present / future
5. As you write your essay you can add to your plan when you get inspiration and need
to remember something important.

Structure
1. Introduction
● You must define any key terms from the question
● Reflect the question and state your intentions e.g. “In this essay I will…..”
● Limit to 5 handwritten lines!!! DO NOT WAFFLE
2. Main Body
● One paragraph = One theme (idea / argument / point)
● Try to link what you say back to your question
● State point clearly and concisely DO NOT WAFFLE
● Explain your point
● Give evidence / examples / case studies to back up what you’ve said
● Sketches / maps / graphs / diagrams can be used here to add to your point,
be careful that it does not solely repeat what you’ve already written.

1
 ● Try to ensure you have given a balanced argument or range of points
3. Conclusion
● Reiterate your title and explain how your essay has answered the question
e.g. “In this essay I have shown that ….. by….”
● No new ideas should be brought up at this point
● You can reiterate your key point or the crux of your argument
● If appropriate you should refer to sustainability or impacts for the future in
your conclusion

Planning Template
When planning and writing an essay you should use a template. By using the same template
for every 10 or 12 or 16 mark question it will soon become a habit. For a 10 mark question:

Tips:
Write neatly, make sure it is easy for the examiner to read your work.
Manage your time carefully.
● For a paper 1 10 mark question, you only have 25 mins.
● Case Study facts are a must for the answer.
● You get marks for content, analysis, evaluation and structure (ensure that you
therefore practice these often.
● It is CRITICAL to skip lines to clearly indicate to the reader that you have an
organized structure and that you are separating each part of your argument.
● After the introduction: skip 3-4 lines
● Between each topic: skip 1 full line
● Before the conclusion: skip 3-4 lines