ADVANCED HIGHER ISSUES ESSAY- NOTES No



ADVANCED HIGHER ISSUES ESSAY- NOTES; No.1

The total extent of the essay can be no more than 12 sides of A4 paper. There is a penalty of 10% of the total marks lost for every extra page. The font size 12 is recommended- this is that size!

The essay must be written around a minimum of three different sources, whether they are from textbooks, articles from papers or newspapers, web pages or lecture notes. These must be clearly indicated in both the text itself and the bibliography. See the later notes on how to show items in the bibliography. Your sources need not all be scholarly/academic, but they all must be ‘robust’- adult in content and deep in detail and sophisticated. The markers frown on pupils who use Higher course books/notes as their main sources, preferring you to find your own. There is no objection to similar essays using the same sources, as long as there is absolutely no overlap in the content of the essays when finished. The minimum length for a source should be not much less than 750 words long.

The essay will be judged on four factors, each marked out of 20 marks (30%), giving a total of 80 marks available;

❖ PRESENTATION- the quality of the finished work in terms of neatness and correctness of technique, English and grammar.

❖ CONTENT AND RESEARCH- how accurate is your content and to what degree does it show your knowledge and understanding of the issues and arguments therein.

❖ GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH AND RELEVANCE- how well does it link to the topics in the Higher Applications( they are not too strict about this), and is it topical and up-to-date in the way you handle it. It must be highly geographical in content, using technical terms properly and with comfort, showing understanding.

❖ CRITICAL EVALUATION- this is the factor most likely to let you down, often being almost absent from essays. You must show quite a lot of evidence in your writing that you have thought deeply about the different sources and how well each tackles the issue. You need to have formed your OWN ideas and opinions about the arguments and not be afraid to voice them!

❖ You must include in your essay maps, visuals and graphics to a high standard. Some must be of your own creation. Where they are copied from sources, each must be acknowledged and referenced as you go along. There is a correct way to do this and you must use it. There must be a variety of graphics, too.

Your work must not be biased or purely factual. It must show a basis of good geographical theory, well-expressed and well argued. Throughout it must show that you can evaluate what you have read and come to conclusions that are valid and make sense. It is fine to gather your data from as many sources as you like, but their discussion should be organised in a sensible and coherent manner, showing a high degree of sophistication.

You do not need a title page or a contents. All essay pages should be numbered in the correct way, too. Please produce the final submission after it has been thoroughly proof-read for spelling, grammar and other important production factors. A colour printer may be useful if your graphics demand it, but colour in text is not recommended.

Take each sub-topic and research it carefully. Collect quotes and diagrams that you think you may use; you can edit it later to refine the text and illustrate your points with diagrams.

Remember that material lifted and copied exactly MUST be in quotation marks and acknowledged in a footnote or a bracket; your teacher will illustrate how to do this. No text or diagrams drawn by someone else can be put into your essay without this.

The sub-topics should be ordered carefully so the chapters flow well into each other.

The important factor that makes Advanced Higher difficult and worthwhile as an academic exercise is the conflict/ argument that your essay will bring out. Your sources should not all agree with each other the same way, and so you will be expected to criticise the points they make, setting what one says against another and discussing in the conclusion what you think is the correct point of view.

There will be a deadline set for a first draft of the essay- one of only two chances to get the teacher’s comments.

Please hand in word-processed work for this essay rather than hand-written. I will copy it -with my comments on- and give you the original back; do not hand in anything you do not want me to write upon!

ADVANCED HIGHER ISSUES ESSAY- NOTES No.2

Effective reading and note-taking skills.

To make reading effective, you have to be an active reader. You cannot learn effectively unless you are interested in what you are reading, and you have to engage with the content, question what you are reading and take notes so you have a record of what you have read.

• Reading develops your thoughts, produces new ideas and information to aid your understanding.

• Note-taking helps you focus on the reading, make sense of what is written, extends your memory and records your progress.

Some helpful pointers to guide you in your reading and note-taking.

Find the place that is best for you to do your reading, somewhere that allows you to concentrate and take notes without any distractions. Balance the time taken for reading; too short a period may not be long enough to absorb enough of the material, reading for too long may be counter-productive as you will lose interest and concentration.

Note down the full reference of each source ready to go into your bibliography at the top of each note-page.

Most academic material needs to be read through at least twice; the first should scan the material and get a general idea of what the chapter or article is about, so that you have the main points before you start to sift through the detail.

The second is to take notes, so that you interact with the material, select what you think is important and have a record of what you have done. Note the page numbers of important sections so that you can refer back to them easily. Writing things out in your own words helps you understand what is being said, particularly where difficult concepts/ ideas are concerned.

If the book is your own, you may find it useful to highlight or underline key points, make notes in the margin, re-read the sections making notes.

Notes should not be written like essays but be as brief as possible; they should make sense when you re-read them and capture the essentials of what you are reading. Headings and side-headings can break up your notes effectively, as do bullet points or diagrams you create yourself out of what you read.

Your notes should not be a shorthand version of the original but your selection of the important material with your interpretations of what is meant.

Use a geographical dictionary to find out the meanings of new or difficult terms, making sure you spell them correctly and use them in the correct context.

Experiment to find out the best way for you to study.

Do not try to record everything but be selective. The same goes for diagrams; you may edit them to exclude sections that are not relevant; but never alter the meaning of an author’s original.

Read over the notes as soon as you can after taking them to ensure they are accurate, whilst they are still fresh in your mind and you can adapt them if they have been unclearly taken down.

Store the notes in a secure and sensible place where you can access them easily yet keep them safe from mishap- wee brothers / parents/etc.

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