History Russian a level source essay structure

1.

Introduction: There has been much debate around Gorbachev’s policies and how they helped the growing nationalist movement of the 1980s in causing the collapse of the USSR by 1991…. Both extracts agree that Gorbachev was in some way responsible…. However, Extract 2 attaches more importance…. Meanwhile, neither extract mentions the importance of….

2.

Extract 1 Point #1
P. Clear leading sentence stating point of paragraph: ‘Extract 1 states that…’ & give evidence from extract to support.
C. Compare brie8ly with other extract: ‘This interpretation is partially supported by Extract 2, which states that…’
E. Use EVD, YOK to test this point: ‘This can be seen to be accurate as….’ ,’However, this point overlooks the fact that….”
A. Analysis & EVL; Judgement and address question: ‘Thus, this point validates the view that Gorbachev misjudged….’

3.

Extract 1 Point 2

4.

Extract 2 Point 1

5.

Extract 1 Point 2 (if there’s not time for 4 paragraphs do 3)

6.

Conclusion: Summarise key points made in extracts: ‘It can be seen that both extracts agree to some extent / differ in that….’ Make judgement on how far YOU are convinced by interpretation in question:
‘Gorbachev did misjudge the seriousness of the national question across the republics of the USSR and the satellites states, as Extract 1 correctly claims, but this was not central in the fall of the USSR. Instead, it can be argued that….’