a level aqa essay titles

Woolton Tutors

One-to-one tutoring in science, maths and languages

How to answer A-level Biology essay questions

The Synoptic essay questions in paper 3 of the AQA A-level biology course carries 25 marks, so can make a big difference to your overall grade. The essay encourages you to think across different topics (some call this “synoptic” or “holistic” thinking). This is also valuable for other areas of the exams, particularly the application questions .

Here are a few tips for tackling your A-level biology essay: (As an example, Let’s use the title “The importance of movement in cells and tissues”)

Think broadly…

Essay titles are deliberately vague to give you the chance to show your knowledge in a variety of topics. To help you to choose what’s most relevant, look out for subjective words like “movement” and “cells”. Think of the possible alternatives. “Cells”, for example, hints that you could discuss plants, animals, single-celled organisms etc. in your essay. “Movement” could mean short distances (across a membrane) or much further (circulation or mass flow) or even the whole tissue moving (phototropism).

Visualize and catastrophize!

If you can’t think of enough topics for an “importance” essay, flip the question around – what would happen if movement in cells suddenly ground to a halt? Or if ATP suddenly vanished, or our cells were robbed of their ions? Sometimes catastrophizing in this way frees up thoughts, and helps you see what is really important. Another way is to picture every diagram in your notes or textbook that features the thing-that’s-important-in-the-question. If it’s in a diagram, it could go in your essay.

Pick your strongest topics

It’s possible to drop marks on the essay for scientific errors. With that in mind, even if you have lots of ideas for things to include, always pick the topics you can write confidently about. For bonus marks, try to order them in a way that “flows” like a story. Take care to use A-level (and not GCSE) language too.

Keep an eye on the question

While you’re writing, keep asking yourself “Where am I placing the emphasis?”. If the essay is about movement, perhaps you don’t need a whole page about nervous responses, only the bits where movement is involved – sodium ions flowing through channels, waves of depolarisation etc. Movement is the focus of the essay, after all, not neurons. Always ask yourself “Does this sentence fit with the title of the essay?”

Use outside knowledge

The top marks for the essay are reserved for displaying “evidence of reading beyond specification requirements”. Often you can drop recent scientific research or news into your writing – how vaccines tackle COVID might work in an essay about viruses, for example. I often encourage students to have a quick look at the news pages of New Scientist pages (eg https://www.newscientist.com/subject/health/ ) before paper 3 for inspiration – you don’t need to spend ages doing this, just long enough to have one or two ideas up your sleeve…

Good luck with your essay!

If you’d like to work through some example essay questions, please get in touch with me at Woolton Tutors (or Woolton Biology) and we can set up some online biology tutoring sessions.

Best wishes,

Dr John Ankers

Specialist online A-level biology tutor

www.wooltontutors.co.uk

Share this:

Author: Dr John Ankers

Dr John Ankers is a tutor, coach and writer. For writing and consultancy work, please contact me at [email protected] View all posts by Dr John Ankers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

How to structure AQA A-level History Essays

• Dr Janet Rose
• December 14, 2019

For AQA History , at both AS and A level, you need to know how to write two types of essay – a block essay and a point-by-point essay.  To be able to structure AQA history essays you’ll need to know these essay styles and where to use them.

Introductions

You don’t really need an introduction for the source questions.  In the exam you will be pressed for time so it is sensible to just start with your analysis of extract A.  However, for the essay questions you will need a short, clear introduction that references the question and states your line of argument.

The most helpful tip I can give you is this; write the introduction last .  Why do I advise this?  Because if you state your line of argument and what you intend to include, you then have to make sure your whole essay and conclusion matches your introduction.  Obviously you should have a plan to follow but it is far, far easier to write the body of your essay and your conclusion,  then make the introduction fit the essay you have just written.  It makes writing the introduction a breeze because you will know exactly what you have argued, which evidence you have used, the order you have presented your material and what you have concluded.

No Surprises

Remember there should be no surprises for your marker or examiner in history.  You are not writing a best seller where you build up the tension and then do a dramatic ‘ta da’ reveal.  That will only confuse your examiner and lose you marks – potentially a lot of marks.  What we want is a nice, clear format where we can see exactly what you are arguing, exactly what evidence you are using, and exactly what you have concluded.  Importantly, we want to know this at the start of the essay.  If you make your marker or examiner keep stopping, re-reading chunks, and going back and forth to try and understand your argument, you’ll just end up with an unhappy and frustrated reader.  And this is the person who is going to award your marks!  Be clear.  Be concise.  Get to the point quickly.  Give evidence to back up your points.  Reach a judgement.

History Essay: How to write an A-Grade Essay

Block Essays

For AQA you use these for the extract questions; the two sources for AS and the three sources for A level.  You write the essay in blocks of text which are focused on one area.

For the source questions you don’t need to get too clever with hopping back and forth between sources and points. Decide and plan what you need to say and then write it clearly, with a clear assessment of each source, in big chunks of work. Do not worry about an introduction– just get straight into the analysis. First address Source A in a block, then Source B in another block and (for A level) Source C in a final block.

Remember that you need to assess the sources.  Keep doing that all the way through.  Assess each source as you write the block and do a mini summary at the end of each section.   You can then bring the sources together in a very short conclusion at the end (no more than a couple of lines) where you can summarise your convincing/valuable assessment of the sources.  It is very important that you make a clear judgement for each source, as that is what the question asks you to do.

By the way, when we talk about blocks it does not mean you have to cram everything into one enormous paragraph. If you have plenty to say (and hopefully you will) you should use a sensible paragraph structure. The reason it is called a block essay is that you deal with one section completely, in this case each source, before moving on to the next section.

Point-by-point essays

Point-by-Point essays are much trickier to master but are well worth the effort as, done properly, they tend to achieve higher marks. For AQA you can use this style for everything that is not a source question. The key to an excellent point-by-point essay is all in the planning; it will only come out well in the writing if you know exactly what you are going to argue and the order in which you are going to introduce evidence and points. So it is crucial that you make yourself a good plan!

Essentially, all the AQA essay questions at both AS and A level ask you to argue ‘for or against’ a hypothesis. They will look something like this:

‘Victorian governments in the years 1867 to 1886 had little interest in social reform.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

‘Henry VII had successfully established monarchical authority by 1509.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Your job, therefore, is to find evidence from your course for both sides of the argument i.e. both ‘for’ and ‘against’ the hypothesis. You absolutely must have evidence for both sides – not just one side. The evidence goes down on your plan, divided into ‘for’ and ‘against’ the hypothesis. Whichever side you end with more evidence for, or more convincing evidence for, that is the side you will conclude is most persuasive.

History Exams – How to avoid being narrative

Imagine it like a tennis match

Imagine it like a tennis match, where the ball starts on one side of the tennis court, is played and then sails over to the opposing side.  A point-by-point argument is like this – it is oppositional, with two opposing sides. You should aim to bounce back and forth between the points and the two sides of the argument. Begin with one of the points from your plan, either for or against the hypothesis. Deal with the point in detail, using clear examples as evidence and linking it firmly to the question.  That’s your opening shot.

Next, pop straight over to the opposing view and deal with that point, again using clear examples and linking to the question. Repeat this ‘back and forth’ technique until you have covered all the points and evidence in your plan.

To do this really well it is usually better to put up the side of your argument that you will oppose first. You outline the ‘other’ side of the argument and show that you understand the opposing view. Then you switch over to the other side of the hypothesis, i.e. ‘your’ argument, and use powerful evidence to back it up. Remember this is all about argument and analysis.

Back to our tennis match analogy; the ball is your argument, which bounces back and forth between the players, but you need ‘your’ side to end each point with the big shot – the one that wins the game.

How to use Provenance in History Exams

The Conclusion

You must conclude in line with the most persuasive and convincing evidence you have included in your plan.   This sounds really obvious, but I have lost count of how many A-level history essays I have marked that argue effectively for one point of view, but then conclude in favour of the other side.  The most common reason for this happening is that the student has moved off their plan when writing up the essay.  Follow your plan!

At the end of the essay your conclusion should sum up all the main points of argument and then should reach a judgement.  Don’t sit on the fence, no matter how tempting it is.  You need to make a judgement.  The conclusion should mirror your introduction and the main points of argument in the body of the essay, so the work ends up as a coherent, clear argument from introduction to conclusion.

The point-by-point essay takes practice, so it will help if you can get some feedback from your teacher or tutor, or even a parent who will be able to tell you if your argument is clear and makes sense to the reader. Do persevere, however, because when you get the technique right it will gain you more marks in the end.

Do you need help with History Essays?

Our history team is ready to help you.  all our historians are graduates, experienced teachers, and skilled at getting our students the very best grades., you can contact a tutor here , or contact our friendly and knowledgeable office team to get a bespoke tutor match.

The Tutor Team Guarantee

How can we help you, share this post.

0333 987 4603

• Privacy Policy
• Handbook & Policies

Privacy Overview

Live revision! Join us for our free exam revision livestreams Watch now →

Reference Library

Collections

• See what's new
• All Resources
• Student Resources
• Assessment Resources
• Teaching Resources
• CPD Courses
• Livestreams

Study notes, videos, interactive activities and more!

Economics news, insights and enrichment

Currated collections of free resources

Browse resources by topic

• All Economics Resources

Resource Selections

Currated lists of resources

Economics Revision Essay Plans

Last updated 17 Dec 2019

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

This series of resources provides revision essay plans for a wide variety of essay topics, including synoptic questions.

For the 2019 papers check out our collection of videos on building A* evaluation into your answers

Have you tried our series of more than 50 Quizlet revision activities? Click here to access!

Essay Plan: Limits on Monopoly Power

Topic Videos

Chains of Reasoning and Evaluation: Fuel Prices in the UK

Exam Support

EU Customs Union Membership (Revision Essay Plan)

Practice Exam Questions

Market for Electric Vehicles (Revision Essay Plan)

Mergers and consumer welfare (revision essay plan), air pollution and policies to control (revision essay plan), policies to improve competitiveness (revision essay plan), economic effects of higher interest rates (revision essay plan), current account deficit & policies (revision essay plan), unemployment and policy trade-offs (revision essay plan), case for cutting the national debt (revision essay plan), micro-finance (2019 revision update), essay on advertising and economic welfare, essay on oligopoly and collusion, policies to control inflation.

Study Notes

Why is high inflation a problem?

Revision essay: exchange rate depreciation and macroeconomic objectives, to what extent should full-employment be the main macro policy objective, housing supply (revision essay plan), minimum alcohol pricing (revision essay plan), oligopoly and collusion (revision essay plan), building confidence in writing synoptic 25 mark essays (edexcel), behavioural and neo-classical economics (revision essay plan), barriers to entry and economic profit (revision essay plan), micro and macro impact of a plastic tax (revision essay plan), edge revision webinar: market failure and government intervention, farm subsidies (revision essay plan), competitiveness of the uk motor industry (revision essay plan), labour migration (revision essay plan), financial market failure (revision essay plan), tariff on chinese steel (revision essay plan), policies to improve food affordability (revision essay plan), reducing a trade deficit (revision essay plan), museums and government subsidy (revision essay plan), fiscal policy and inequality (revision essay plan), globalisation and inequality (revision essay plan), economic inactivity (revision essay plan), competition and consumer welfare (essay technique video), essay plan: is the euro the main cause of the crisis in greece and italy, china: successes and failures essay plan, our subjects.

• › Criminology
• › Economics
• › Geography
• › Health & Social Care
• › Psychology
• › Sociology
• › Teaching & learning resources
• › Student revision workshops
• › Online student courses
• › CPD for teachers
• › Livestreams
• › Teaching jobs

Boston House, 214 High Street, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, LS23 6AD Tel: 01937 848885

• › Contact us
• › Terms of use
• › Privacy & cookies

© 2002-2024 Tutor2u Limited. Company Reg no: 04489574. VAT reg no 816865400.

This website works best with JavaScript switched on. Please enable JavaScript

• Centre Services
• Associate Extranet
• All About Maths

AS and A-level History

• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources

Assessment resources

• Answers and commentaries (102)
• Approval forms (2)
• Candidate record forms (4)
• Centre declaration sheets (4)
• Examiner reports (37)
• Mark schemes (179)
• Notes and guidance (5)
• Question papers (286)
• Component 1 (239)
• Component 2 (366)
• Component 3 NEA (10)
• Option A (43)
• Option B (36)
• Option C (33)
• Option D (37)
• Option E (34)
• Option F (33)
• Option G (37)
• Option H (40)
• Option J (38)
• Option K (33)
• Option L (37)
• Option M (17)
• Option N (22)
• Option O (23)
• Option P (20)
• Option Q (19)
• Option R (23)
• Option S (24)
• Option T (10)
• June 2022 (207)
• November 2020 (121)
• November 2021 (54)
• Sample set 1 (108)
• Sample set 2 (93)
• A-level (505)
• Applied General (4)
• Technical Award (2)

Showing 619 results

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Englightenment, 1682-1796 - Sample set 1

Published 14 Mar 2024 | PDF | 1.4 MB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2D Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529-1570 - Sample set 1

Published 9 Feb 2024 | PDF | 823 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1L The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871-1991 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 2.3 MB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851-1964 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 3.5 MB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2H France in Revolution, 1774-1815 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 4.7 MB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845-1877 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 5.7 MB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154-1216 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 215 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783-1885 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 244 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469-1598 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 217 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071-1204 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 262 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2R The Cold War, c1945-1991 - Sample set 1

Published 1 Feb 2024 | PDF | 250 KB

Question approval form (A-level): Component 3 NEA Historical investigation 2025

Published 10 Nov 2023 | DOCX | 81 KB

Candidate record form (A-level): Component 3 NEA Historical investigation 2025

Published 10 Nov 2023 | PDF | 96 KB

Centre declaration sheet 2025

Published 10 Nov 2023 | PDF | 74 KB

Published 10 Nov 2023 | DOC | 520 KB

Published 10 Nov 2023 | DOCX | 399 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964 - Sample set 1

Published 19 Oct 2023 | PDF | 244 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945-1980 - Sample set 1

Published 27 Sep 2023 | PDF | 249 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-1702 - Sample set 1

Published 27 Sep 2023 | PDF | 253 KB

Answers and commentary (A-level): Component 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 - Sample set 1

Published 27 Sep 2023 | PDF | 236 KB

• International
• Schools directory
• Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

AS Volver essay questions

Subject: Spanish

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

18 April 2017

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

Creative Commons "Sharealike"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Thank you for sharing, very useful.

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

Just what I needed. Thank you.

Very useful, thanks

Thanks for compiling the list of essays. Very useful and very daunting

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource: