sociology aqa a level essay help

hi guys, i’m in year 12 right now and sociology’s definitely my weakest subject so i would appreciate any help with 20/30 markers
my main problem is with the essay structure because i know we’re supposed to write 3-5 paragraphs but im a but confused whether to write it as:
1. one paragraph with a hook (quote), then the next entire paragraph evaluating the previous, repeat
or
2. one paragraph with a hook and an indented evaluation (which is briefer), then next paragraph addressing a different hook, repeat
is one structure better than the other or am i just completely wrong about how to structure essays in socio lol. any tips in general would be appreciated, thanks

hi guys, i’m in year 12 right now and sociology’s definitely my weakest subject so i would appreciate any help with 20/30 markers
my main problem is with the essay structure because i know we’re supposed to write 3-5 paragraphs but im a but confused whether to write it as:
1. one paragraph with a hook (quote), then the next entire paragraph evaluating the previous, repeat
or
2. one paragraph with a hook and an indented evaluation (which is briefer), then next paragraph addressing a different hook, repeat
is one structure better than the other or am i just completely wrong about how to structure essays in socio lol. any tips in general would be appreciated, thanks

Hello, I am a year 13 sociology student and I use the number 2 structure because it shows the examiner you are evaluating throughout the essay. I structure my paragraphs like this (for 20 markers I aim for 3 paragraphs):
Point- which links to hook
Evidence- give a sociologist's name/statistic/theory etc.
Explain- using sentence starters like 'this means that', 'as a result'
Link- using the words of the question
Evaluate- presenting a developed counter-point in the same paragraph
If you have any other questions I'll be happy to answer the best I can

hi! thank you so much for this! when writing essays do you have to make your argument balanced in any way? i’m a bit of a slow writer so i can only see myself writing 3 ok paragraphs for 20 markers and maybe 4-5 for 30 markers, but i find difficulty in making the argument completely balanced unless i write another paragraph that’s more brief and less developed (and then my conclusion becomes less developed too). would it just be better to write fewer better developed paragraphs or should i work on making it balanced and developed too?
also how much do you recommend i write for my introduction? i try to make mine brief but then my teacher says it needs to be more developed when i want to use most of my time actually writing the peel paragraphs lol

No worries, happy to help!
If you evaluate paragraphs, then this can help your answer be more balanced as you would be presenting a different viewpoint. For example, if you have evaluation within paragraphs then this shows that you are acknowledging different viewpoints which can help get those AO3 marks. I'd say 3 well developed points with good evaluation would be enough to present a balanced argument and get to the top bands of the mark scheme (for 20 markers, I write 3 points and I tend to get 17/20).
For introductions I tend to write 3 sentences briefly outlining what I would be writing out in the essay. I structure it like this:
-Define the topic in the question
-Outline one side of the argument e.g. some sociologists may argue...
-Outline the other side of the argument e.g. however, other sociologists may argue...
Hope this makes sense! Sorry if my wording is a bit hard to understand as I am not the best at explaining things 😅

ohhh okay, yes that makes sense! thanks for the help and best luck for your a levels!

hi guys, i’m in year 12 right now and sociology’s definitely my weakest subject so i would appreciate any help with 20/30 markers
my main problem is with the essay structure because i know we’re supposed to write 3-5 paragraphs but im a but confused whether to write it as:
1. one paragraph with a hook (quote), then the next entire paragraph evaluating the previous, repeat
or
2. one paragraph with a hook and an indented evaluation (which is briefer), then next paragraph addressing a different hook, repeat
is one structure better than the other or am i just completely wrong about how to structure essays in socio lol. any tips in general would be appreciated, thanks

hi guys, i’m in year 12 right now and sociology’s definitely my weakest subject so i would appreciate any help with 20/30 markers
my main problem is with the essay structure because i know we’re supposed to write 3-5 paragraphs but im a but confused whether to write it as:
1. one paragraph with a hook (quote), then the next entire paragraph evaluating the previous, repeat
or
2. one paragraph with a hook and an indented evaluation (which is briefer), then next paragraph addressing a different hook, repeat
is one structure better than the other or am i just completely wrong about how to structure essays in socio lol. any tips in general would be appreciated, thanks