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Classics odyssey help! - 30 marker!

So I am studying Classics at GCSE. We did the Sparta topic and I found the 30 marker relatively easy to write about, as it was explaining basic facts the whole time throughout. However we just got given a 30 marker for the Odyssey :‘The gods are by far the most interesting characters in books 5-7 of the Odyssey.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement? '

and I am struggling so hard with it! I have absolutely no clue how to do it in order to maximise my marks. Generally my essay technique is absolutely......waffle waffle and waffle. Recently I do well in essay writing in history + English (100%s) ..but in Classics the most I even got was 98% and that was in SParta...I really do not want 50! Please help!

Reply 1

Lucilou101

To start off with, what exam board are you with?

Generally the best way I have found to approach questions which ask 'to what extent do you agree with this statement', is to make sure you show different sides of the argument and why your point of view is the best of those.

So with the statement 'the gods are by far the most interesting characters in books 5-7 of the Odyssey', you could say:

Intro - what your line of argument will be, are they the most interesting or not?
1. Arguments for them being the most interesting
2. Arguments against them being the most interesting, who else is interesting and why
3. Comparing the two and saying why one side is better than the other
Conclusion - summarise again your line of argument

This is just one of many ways you could organise the essay, you could choose instead to take three themes and discuss each of them in a separate paragraph.

More general advice - make sure to use examples throughout, and always explain the examples and how they support or go against your argument!