Essay Writing Notes

Art History Essay Writing Notes:

It’s important when answering the questions in the history paper to consider the question not as one long essay, but to break it down into 4/5 smaller questions that could be tackled individually paragraph by paragraph. The questions in the History and Appreciation of Art exam are always worded in a way that basically lays out your answer for you. They’ll always ask you to talk about 4/5 topics, so the essay should pretty much look like:

-Intro (include any random historical/ cultural points you may know about the particular era to which the question pertains)
-Topic 1 -Topic 2
-Topic 3
-Topic 4
-(Topic 5)
-Conclusion – personal opinion

• Make a point and expand on it

• Make comparisons where relevant

• REFER BACK TO THE QUESTION

• Include quality sketches as you go

• Label your sketches and include points of information

If your essay is just one long ramble about all you know about Newgrange, the examiner will just get annoyed because (s)he has to search you entire answer for any points you made that are actually relevant. If you lay it out in the most stupidly obvious way, paragraph by paragraph, possibly with headings (“Form”, “Function”, “Techniques used” etc., whatever it says in the question) not only will you keep the examiner happy (and likely to give you more marks), but you’ll be less inclined to rant or veer off the point, which is possibly the worst thing you can do in any exam.

Writing Style

You can use a traditional style essay in which points are developed in paragraphs with an introduction and conclusion or a combination of paragraphs and bullet points. Use the essay writing you have developed for Leaving Cert. Textbooks are designed to give you the facts only. Your essay should be individual and reflect your reactions to the artworks. Make it your own!

Sketches

Each exam answer MUST be illustrated. Remember 10 marks are allotted for your sketches – that’s a fifth of each question. Sketches should analyse the work of art or make a visual point. Each sketch must be labelled and notes added. If there’s an image provided with the question then illustrating this will not suffice.

Marks are allocated by the amount of information the sketch conveys to the examiner.

Writing an individual essay

Instead of re writing the passages straight from the textbook, give your essay a personality of its own.

• Try and see art works first hand – this is bound to enrich your response.
• Use sources like the internet or library books to look at images in colur. Take as much time as you can to absorb there wounderful works of art, which have stood the test of time!
• Read about the art works and the artists who made them. Imagine what the artists were thinking: appreciate their efforts.
• Now tell the reader! Include the facts, of course, but make your essay really interesting.
• Describe what you see with enthusiasm and mean it. Let your reponse come from the heart. Use the words that are meaningful to you.

Essay Writing Tips 

1. Answer the Question.

This is the first and most important suggestion. Answering the wrong question is a common mistake made by students. Unfortunately, it can be a real disaster for the grade you get in an exam. Make sure you understand what the examiner wants; it is highly advisable to refer back to the question throughout the answer. This point may sound like stating the obvious; but, answering the wrong question can be the biggest cause of a disappointing exam result.

2. Good Introduction.

In an introduction to an essay you should offer a short, concise summary of the main points to be raised. If appropriate, you could clarify key concepts. Introductions go wrong when students go into too much detail, and then repeat their arguments in the main body of the text. Generally speaking, it is advisable to start off with short sentences, rather than complex sentences. This will help create clarity of thought and purpose.

3. Essay Plan.

A plan can help to gather your thoughts, and make sure you do not forget to mention key arguments. It is an opportunity to brainstorm what you know about the topic. However, it is important not to get into too much detail – writing keywords and phrases are the best solution.

When a question makes a statement, always discuss that statement fully, It is not enough to say “I agree with that statement” and simply carry on. Include your own opinions based on the facts from your studies.

 5. Conclusion.

In a conclusion you can weigh up the different arguments and decide which are the strongest and most relevant. A conclusion should try to add something new, and not just repeat previous points. For example, you can say why an argument is particularly strong and give justification.

Know the meaning of the question words...

List Just give the key words, no need to write long sentences

Name Simple answer, no need to write any explanation

Compare this means you should give the similarities and the differences between two things

Contrast This means you need to only list the differences between two things

Outline Give the main points, it’s the same as "explain briefly"

With the aid of a diagram this means there are marks going for your diagram

Give an illustrated account is another way of saying a diagram is expected

Describe This means give a fuller, longer answer

Explain Again this means you need to give a fuller, longer answer with several points. Look at the marks being awarded to get an idea how long your answer should be.

Plurals Keep an eye out for plurals as this will give you an idea of how much information is required. “Give a reason for…” and “Give reasons for…” are different questions.

And Lots of students go wrong here. The word “and” in a question means there are marks going for the part before the “and” as well as after the “and”. Many students lose marks by only answering the second part of the question. e.g. Give examples of how wave action creates anddestroys our coastlines.

WRITING AN EXAMINATION ESSAY 

You should spend time reading the question and be sure that you understand what is involved. An
effective plan can make the task of essay writing more straightforward. The following points may be useful to remember.









DO Include a brief introduction, the main body of the essay and a conclusion.

DO Indicate briefly in the introduction the ideas, areas or issues you intend to cover and your line of
argument.

DO Use technical terms for precision and speed as a kind of academic shorthand E.g. once you have explained impasto (paint is laid on an area of the surface (or the entire canvas) very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible), you do not have to explain it again.

DO In the main body of the essay discuss each of the areas mentioned in the introduction. Include
relevant argument and details.

DO Make sure that each area is discussed in a separate paragraph or paragraphs.

DO Refer back to the question from time to time to check for relevance. It is easy to get carried away and regurgitate a lot of pre-learnt material. It may be factually accurate, but is it relevant to the question?

DO Make sure the conclusion is relevant to the information used and the question asked.

DON.T Attempt to write an essay without thinking first of what you are going to include and the order in which you are going to write it.

DON.T Plunge straight into writing the essay without giving the reader some idea of what you are going to write about.

DON.T Needlessly explain ideas which are accepted as a part of your basic knowledge. E.g. define what a sculptor does.

DON.T Use technical terms purely to impress.

DON.T Mix different areas or ideas in the same paragraph.

DON.T Put paragraphs anywhere. They are not intended just to make the page look more decorative.

DON.T Forget to back up your ideas and arguments with relevant evidence and examples.

DON.T Introduce new material into the conclusion.

PHOTOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

Each Paper includes a question based on a colour photograph.

As it is a photographic question you will need to look closely at the colour reproduction to arrive at the answer. What if I have never seen the image before? Do not panic. Even though you might never have seen the image, you will have seen something similar. Use the questions as clues. Use general knowledge and think in terms of the type of image it is.

ILLUSTRATION

Remember to illustrate your answer. As much as ten points out of fifty are awarded for the illustration. Illustrate each section of your answer. Be sure to annotate the illustration in order to explain the significance of it to the text and the points you are making.


PAST PAPERS 

Past papers, in conjunction with marking schemes are useful in preparing for examination. These are a precious source of information. See the Examinations Commission Website and click on the Examination Material Archive link to access past papers: http://www.examinations.ie/