Writing essays for paper 2

1i HisSL
‘Qualifier’ and ‘Blueprint
• A good way to construct your thesis statement is by using
what is referred to as a ‘qualifier’ and ‘a blueprint’.
• Thesis = Answer to the question + a qualifier + blueprint
• The answer to the question is your main position on the
question. The qualifier is a potential counter argument to
your main position. The blueprint is an indication of the
examples you will use to support your position.
 •Identify:
To what extent was • Answer to question
ideology the cause • A qualifier
• A blueprint
of ONE 20th
century war?
To what extent was ideology the cause of
ONE 20th century war?

Identify the following elements: Topic sentences, detailed evidence, explanation

(link to the essay question), use of historiography, use of analytical links.
PEEL
P: Point
Topic sentence – formulated as a statement – introduce the paragraph with your topic sentence
First sentence of each paragraph should clearly state the point of the paragraph which in turn should be
directly connected to the overall argument of the paper.
E: Evidence
Provide historical knowledge, examples details and statistics to support your argument
E: Explanation
This portion of your paragraph may be the largest one as it involves interpreting, evaluating as well as
providing additional details to accompany your main idea. By interpreting the evidence, you will be
analyzing its strengths and weaknesses as well as examining the information that can be derived from it.
Similarly, this section may also include a judgment or claim being made in which you explicitly state an
assumption based on the evidence provided.
L: Link
Restate your argument and link it back to your thesis statement, demonstrating how the paragraph
serves to prove your thesis.
Activity
• Write and introduction for the following essay question:
• ‘Ideology was the most important long-term and short-term cause of war ’. To what extent do you agree with this
statement?
1. How to construct your introduction:
a. Set the historical context – focus only on the topic addressed in the essay question – stay on target and add only relevant
contextual information.
b. Clarify any key terms in the question – (only if relevant), and make sure the clarification is an integrated part of the
introduction.
c. State your thesis statement – answering the question and using relevant wording/language from the question.
i. State the idea you plan to prove.
ii. The ONE statement you would make if you could make one statement about the essay question. Include both a
‘qualifier’ and a ‘blueprint’.