12 Sep 26.09.2017

How to write an essay? Unified State Examination in Social Studies, task No. 29

The last task of the KIM Unified State Exam in social studies is considered to be the most difficult. FIPI examiners allot 45 minutes to write a mini-essay. Correct completion of the task gives the maximum possible number of primary points.

In this short guide, I'll show you how to write an essay as quickly and easily as possible.

Essay evaluation criteria

First, let's look at the wording of task No. 29 from the demo version of the Unified State Exam in social studies:

Select one from the statements proposed below, reveal its meaning in the form of a mini-essay, indicating, if necessary, different aspects of the problem posed by the author (the topic raised).

When expressing your thoughts about the raised problem (designated topic), when arguing your point of view, use knowledge received while studying a social studies course, corresponding concepts, and data public life and one's own life experience. (Give at least two examples from different sources for factual argumentation).

Philosophy
“All our theories are nothing more than a generalization of experience, observed facts” (V.A. Ambartsumyan).
Economy
“Supply and demand are a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).
Sociology, social psychology
“The beginning of personality comes much later than the beginning of the individual” (B.G. Ananyev).
Political science
““Divide and conquer” is a wise rule, but “unite and direct” is even better” (I.V. Goethe).
Jurisprudence
“The law does not know class crimes, does not know differences in the circle of persons among whom its violation is committed. He is equally strict and equally merciful to everyone” (A.F. Koni).

To cope with the task, we definitely need to familiarize ourselves with. You can find the criteria on the FIPI website; they are posted in one document along with a demo version of the exam.

First criterion (K1) - defining. You need to reveal the meaning of the statement. If you do not do this or reveal the meaning of the statement inaccurately, you will be given zero points for K1 and all essays will not be checked. If K1 is met, you are given 1 point and the expert checks the work further.

Second criterion (K2). You must provide arguments from your social studies course. It is necessary to cite and explain concepts, social processes, laws that will help reveal the meaning of the statement.

The maximum number of primary points for this criterion is 2. If “the answer contains individual concepts or provisions related to the topic, but not related to each other and to other components of the argumentation,” the expert reduces the score and gives one point.

If the meaning of at least one term is conveyed incorrectly, then the K2 score is reduced by 1 point: from 2 points to 1 point, from 1 point to 0 points.

Third criterion (K3). According to this criterion, you need to provide 2 factual arguments in favor of your own point of view. If you make a factual error (for example, say that Putin is the chairman of the government), the argument will not be taken into account. If the argument does not work for your point of view and reveal the meaning of the statement, it will not be taken into account either.

Arguments should be from various sources: “media reports, materials from educational subjects (history, literature, geography, etc.), facts of personal social experience and own observations.” Two arguments from the literature or two arguments from the media can be counted as “arguments from the same type of source,” which will lead to a decrease in score by 1 point.

How to choose a quote?

Before you write your essay, you need to choose a quote. And you need to choose not according to the principle “liked - disliked”, “boring - interesting”. You need to carefully study the statements and evaluate the prospects for writing a good essay on each of them. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

1. Read the statements carefully. Identify several quotes whose meaning is most clear to you.
2. For each statement, the meaning of which is clear, determine the range of terms, processes, phenomena and laws from the social studies course. Discard quotes that you are not sure about.
3. From the remaining quotes, choose those to which you can provide quality arguments.

If, after you run all the quotes through these three filters, you are left with all five quotes, you can choose the one that is closest to your heart. (In that case, you know your social studies course very well, congratulations!)

Essay writing algorithm

You have chosen a quote whose meaning is clear to you, and you can easily make theoretical and factual arguments. At worst, this quote will cause you the least amount of trouble, which is also a good thing.

We are writing an essay based on the fact that it will have only two readers - Unified State Exam experts. This means that we need to make it as easy as possible for them to check their essays. It will be convenient for the expert to check if the work is structured into blocks according to the criteria.

The essay structure might look like this:

1) Convey the meaning of the quote. It is important that this is not just a retelling of the statement. You must demonstrate understanding of the author's words.

It's okay if you write primitively. There are no requirements for text style in the essay criteria.

We chose a quote from economics. “Supply and demand are a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).

Example: The author of the statement, American economist Paul Heine, argues that the mechanism of supply and demand regulates the relations of market participants.

2) Formulate our own point of view: I agree / I disagree with the author.

As a rule, it is difficult to argue with the statements that are offered to graduates at the Unified State Exam. But if you feel you disagree, don't be afraid to argue.

Example: I agree with P. Heine because...

3) Reinforce the point terms, concepts and laws from the social studies course. Moreover, it is important to use material from the sphere of social relations that is indicated in the task. Expand a quote in economics in economic terms, in political science in terms of political science, etc.

Example: The basis for interaction between a consumer and a manufacturer (seller) in market conditions is the mechanism of supply and demand. Demand is the desire and ability of the consumer to buy a specific product or service here and now. Supply is the desire and ability of the manufacturer to offer the consumer a product or service at a specific price within a certain time. Supply and demand are interconnected. An increase in demand can affect the quantity of supply, and vice versa.

The ideal situation is when there is an equilibrium price in the market. If demand exceeds supply, a scarce market for a certain product develops. If supply exceeds demand, this can lead to overproduction.

In conditions of high competition, when there is great demand and many producers in the market, the quality of goods increases, and the price falls, as sellers are forced to fight for buyers. This is one example of changes in the market situation under the influence of supply and demand.

4) Give two factual arguments from different sources. If you use a fact from personal experience as an argument, try not to make it up. The examiner will most likely not believe you if you state that you ran for president of Chile or are on the Nobel committee.

Example: One example that proves the regulating function of supply is the situation on the oil market in the modern world. In 2014, the price of hydrocarbons fell due to declining demand. The oil market has been squeezed out by promising technologies: solar energy, wind energy and other renewable resources. Oil companies had to adapt to new conditions - reduce oil production costs, reduce added value and lower product prices.

The law of supply and demand does not only work in global commodity markets. We can see how, under the influence of supply and demand, the situation is changing literally outside the window of our house. In the residential area where I have lived for more than 15 years, there was a grocery store in the basement of a high-rise building. Residents of nearby houses regularly bought essential products there. However, a supermarket of one of the large retail chains opened in the microdistrict. The prices there were lower, the work hours were more convenient, and the assortment was much richer. People voted with their feet, and after a while the small store closed because it could not adapt to the new situation in the local market.

5) Conclusion. Here you can summarize your thoughts. Write your conclusion only if you have time left and you are sure that all other tasks do not require double-checking. Otherwise, forget about the output - in the criteria for the task the presence or absence of a conclusion is not evaluated.

Example: IN market and mixed economies, the regulating influence of supply and demand is the basis of economic relations. Indicators of supply and demand are taken into account when planning the activities of any enterprise and the entire country. It is important that supply and demand are balanced, otherwise crisis phenomena may arise in the economy.

It is worth remembering that the enemy of good results in the exam is a waste of time. Don't do extra work. Many teachers demand that the problem raised by the author be deduced. There is no need to do this, it will not affect the assessment, and the risk of making a mistake will increase.

This algorithm is not the ultimate truth. You can adhere to it, you can focus on it, but you should not use these recommendations thoughtlessly. Perhaps after training you will have your own idea of ​​how to write an essay. Wonderful! Most importantly, do not forget that this work is assessed according to strict criteria that you need to try to comply with.

The Unified State Exam essay in social studies is considered one of the most difficult tasks when passing the exam. According to statistics, only every sixth graduate copes with it. For completing the task you can score from 3 to 5 points. To avoid losing them, it is extremely important to carefully prepare for the written part of the exam. Let's look further at some examples of typical mistakes when performing this task.

Verification criteria

An essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies is written based on one of the selected statements. The assignment contains six quotes. Completed social studies essays are graded step by step. The very first and most important criterion is K1. The disclosure of the meaning of the selected statement is assessed. If the graduate does not identify the problem posed by the author, the examiner gives zero points for criterion K1. In such cases, finished social studies essays are not evaluated further. For other criteria, the reviewer automatically gives zero points.

Social studies essay structure

The task is performed according to the following scheme:

1. Quote.
2. Determination of the problem raised by the author and its relevance.
3. The meaning of the selected statement.
4. Expressing your own point of view.
5. Using arguments at a theoretical level.
6. Provide at least two examples from social practice, literature/history that confirm the correctness of the judgments made.
7. Conclusion.

Quote selection

When determining the topic on which an essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies will be written, the graduate must be sure that he:

1. Knows the basic concepts of the subject.
2. Clearly understands the meaning of the quote used.
3. Can express his opinion (partially or completely agree with the chosen statement, refute it).
4. Knows social science terms that are necessary to competently substantiate one’s own position at the theoretical level. Here it is necessary to take into account that the selected concepts should not go beyond the topic of the social studies essay. It is necessary to use appropriate terms.
5. Can support his own opinion with practical examples from social life or literature/history.

Problem Definition

Here we should immediately give examples. An essay in social studies (USE) can reveal problems from the following areas:

• Philosophy.
• Families.
• Sociology.
• Political Science.
• Jurisprudence.
• Economics, etc.

Problems in the philosophical aspect:

• The relationship between consciousness and matter.
• Development and movement as ways of existence.
• The infinity of the cognitive process.
• The relationship between nature and society.
• Theoretical and empirical levels of scientific knowledge.
• The spiritual and material aspects of social life, their relationship.
• Culture as a transformative activity of people in general.
• The essence of civilization and so on.

Social Studies Essay: Sociology

When writing, you can reveal the following problems:

• Social struggle and inequality.
• The relationship between subjective and objective factors that influence processes in people’s lives.
• The meaning of material and spiritual values.
• Maintaining stability in public life.
• Features of the city.
• Youth as a community.
• The social nature of thinking, knowledge, and human activity.
• Interaction between society and religion.
• Features of socialization of younger generations.
• Historical inequality between men and women.
• organizations.
• and so on.

Psychology

As part of writing a social studies essay, a person can act as a key object of study. In this case, problems such as:

• Interpersonal communication, essence and tasks to be solved.
• Psychological climate in the team.
• Relationships between an individual and a separate group.
• Norms, roles, personality status.
• National identity.
• The importance of the communication process.
• The essence of social conflict.
• Inconsistency between the aspirations and capabilities of the individual.
• Sources of social progress.
• Family.

A social science essay may also address specific functions of the science in question.

Political science

This social studies essay topic may cover the following issues:

• Authoritarian regime.
• Subjects of politics.
• Places and roles of the state in the system.
• Modern political interactions.
• Totalitarian regime.
• Relationships between politics, law and the economic sphere.
• Origin of the state.
• Political regime (through the disclosure of its concepts and features).
• State sovereignty.
• Civil society (through the disclosure of structure, characteristics, concepts).
• Party systems.
• Socio-political movements, pressure groups.
• Essences of a democratic regime.
• Mutual responsibility of the individual and the state.
• Political pluralism.
• Separation of powers as a principle of the rule of law.
• and so on.

Economic system

Another common science that can address issues in a social studies essay is economics. In this case, questions such as:

• The contradiction between the unlimited needs of people and the limited resources.
• Production factors and their significance.
• Capital as an economic resource.
• The essence and functions of the monetary system.
• Efficient use of existing resources.
• The meaning of division of labor.
• The role of trade in the process of social development.
• Efficiency and production incentives.
• The essence of market relations.
• State regulation of the economy, etc.

Legal discipline

Within science, a number of key problems can be identified and any of them can be addressed in a social studies essay:

• Law as a regulator of people's lives.
• The essence and specific features of the state.
• Social significance of law.
• The political system and the definition of the role of the state in it.
• Similarities and differences between morality and law.
• Welfare state: concept and characteristics.
• Legal nihilism and methods of overcoming it.
• Civil society and the state.
• Concept, signs and composition of offenses, classification.
• Legal culture, etc.

Cliché phrases

In addition to revealing the problem, the structure of the social studies essay suggests an indication of its relevance in the modern world. To effectively implement this task, you can introduce cliche phrases into your text: “Given in the conditions ...

• globalization of relations in society;
• the controversial nature of inventions and scientific discoveries;
• worsening global problems;
• formation of a unified economic, educational, information field;
• strict differentiation in society;
• dialogue of cultures;
• modern market;
• the need to preserve traditional cultural values ​​and the nation’s own identity.”

Important point

In an essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies, as well as in written assignments in other subjects, you should periodically return to the problem raised. This is necessary for its fullest disclosure. In addition, periodic mention of the problem will allow you to stay within the topic and prevent reasoning and the use of terms that are not related to the selected statement. The latter, in particular, is one of the common mistakes of graduates.

Main thought

In this part of the essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies, the essence of the statement should be revealed. However, it should not be repeated verbatim. You can also use cliche phrases here:

• "The author is convinced that..."
• "The meaning of this statement is..."
• "The author focuses on..."

Determining your own position

In an essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies, you can agree with the author’s opinion partially or completely. In the first case, it is necessary to refute with reason the part with which the conflict of opinion arose. Also, the writer can completely deny the statement or argue with the author. You can also use a cliche here:

• “I agree with the author’s opinion that...”
• “I partly adhere to the expressed point of view regarding ..., but I cannot agree with ....”
• the author clearly reflected the picture of modern society (the situation in Russia, one of the problems in the modern world)..."
• “I beg to differ with the author’s position that...”

Arguments

An essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies must contain a substantiation of the writer’s expressed opinion. In this part, it is necessary to recall the key terms related to the problem and theoretical provisions. Argumentation should be carried out at two levels:

1. Theoretical. In this case, the basis will be social science knowledge (opinions of thinkers/scientists, definitions, concepts, directions of concepts, terms, relationships, etc.).
2. Empirical. Two options are allowed here: use events from your life or examples from literature, social life, history.

In the process of selecting facts that will serve as arguments for your own position, you need to answer the following questions:

1. Do the examples support the opinions expressed?
2. Do they agree with the thesis stated?
3. Can they be interpreted in a different way?
4. Are the facts convincing?

By following this scheme, you can control the adequacy of examples and prevent deviations from the topic.

Conclusion

He must complete the essay. The conclusion summarizes the main ideas, sums up the reasoning, confirms the correctness or incorrectness of the statement. He should not convey verbatim the quotation that became the topic of the essay. When formulating, you can use the following cliches:

• "To summarize, I would like to note..."
• "It can therefore be concluded that..."

Decor

We should not forget that an essay is a short composition. It must be distinguished by semantic unity. In this regard, a coherent text should be formed and logical transitions should be used. Also, we should not forget about the correct spelling of terms. It is advisable to break the text into paragraphs, each of which reflects a separate idea. The red line must be observed.

additional information

Your essay may include:

• Brief information about the author of the quote. For example, information that he is an “outstanding Russian scientist,” “a famous French educator,” “the founder of an idealistic concept,” and so on.
• Indication of alternative ways to solve a problem.
• Description of different opinions or approaches to an issue.
• An indication of the polysemy of concepts and terms that are used in the text with justification for the meaning in which they were applied.

Job requirements

Among the variety of existing approaches to writing technology, a number of conditions that must be met should be highlighted:

1. Adequate understanding of the meaning of the statement and the problem.
2. Correspondence of the text to the issue raised.
3. Identification and disclosure of key aspects pointed out by the author of the statement.
4. A clear definition of your own opinion, attitude to the problem, to the position expressed in the quote.
5. Correspondence of the disclosure of aspects to the given scientific context.
6. Theoretical level of substantiation of one's own opinion.
7. The presence of meaningful facts of personal experience, social behavior, public life.
8. Logic in reasoning.
9. Absence of terminological, ethnic, factual and other errors.
10. Compliance with language norms and genre requirements.

There are no strict limits on the length of the essay. It depends on the complexity of the topic, the nature of thinking, experience, and level of training of the graduate.

Mistakes in formulating the problem

The most common shortcomings are:

1. Misunderstanding and inability to identify the problem in a statement. On the one hand, this is due to an insufficient amount of knowledge in the discipline to which the statement relates, and on the other, to an attempt to fit previously reviewed, written or read works to the identified issue.
2. Inability to formulate the problem. This error is usually associated with a small vocabulary and terminology in basic sciences.
3. Inability to formulate the essence of a quote. It is explained by misunderstanding or incorrect understanding of the content of the statement and the lack of necessary social science knowledge.
4. Replacing the problem with the position of the author. This error occurs due to the fact that the graduate does not see or understand the difference between them. The problem in the essay is the topic on which the author discusses. It is always voluminous and extensive. Different opinions can be expressed on it, often completely opposite. The meaning of the statement is the author’s personal position on the issue. The quote is just one of many opinions.

Shortcomings in defining and justifying your position

The absence of arguments confirming the graduate’s position indicates ignorance or ignorance of the requirements for the structure of the essay. Frequent mistakes when using concepts are unjustified narrowing or expansion of the meaning of a term, substitution of some definitions for others. Incorrect handling of information indicates an inability to analyze experience. Often the examples given in the text are loosely related to the problem. The lack of a critical perception of information obtained from the Internet and the media leads to the use of unverified and unreliable facts as justification. Another common mistake is a one-sided view of certain social phenomena, indicating an inability to identify and formulate cause-and-effect relationships.

1. If there is a specific block, then we turn to it immediately. BUT! There may be an extremely “narrow” “bad” quote in your favorite block, which means you need to look for a quote from another social studies block.

2. Select a quote.

3. Let’s compare the quote and the block from the social studies course, it is listed next to the quote! We immediately begin to think in terms of this block (sociology, political science, economics, etc.)

4. We make a draft list of terms that need to be reflected in the essay. BUT only those that coincide with the topic of the essay!

5. If we cannot make a list of terms (at least 3 terms), then we choose another quote that we can open.

6. We write out the quotation on the draft and underline the KEY words, on the basis of which we build the KEY IDEAS raised by the author.

THIS IS THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE ESSAY – THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERION, if it gets 0, then the whole essay gets 0!

7. We derive theoretical judgments from key ideas (2 exactly), accompanying them with terms from the list.

THIS IS THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THE ESSAY – THEORETICAL ARGUMENTATION

• Need to clarify...
• Researchers understand...
• The following types are distinguished...
• The classification is based on...

8. For each theoretical proposition, we select an illustrative example. Various sources! History, literature, social experience, books, films.

Examples should not be of the same type and abstract. Must clearly reflect theoretical judgments. You must show why you are using this fact as an illustrative argument!

THIS IS THE THIRD PARAGRAPH OF THE ESSAY – PRACTICAL ARGUMENTATION

• As an example…
• Firstly (if we say, firstly, then it must be, secondly; if we say on the one hand, then on the other side!)
• Experience...illustrates

9. In the conclusion, it is necessary to formulate and show how/why the ideas raised by the author in the quote are important (we go from bottom to top of the essay)

PARAGRAPH - ENDING

• The importance of development….
• Thus,
• Hence…

10. Slogan phrase as the logical conclusion of creative thought.

An essay is an option for creative work:

• I hope,
• I think it's important
• I think it is necessary...
• This will improve…
• Will create the preconditions for improvement...

Here is a specific DETAILED plan for how to write an essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies. It consists of 7 important points.

Essay writing plan

1. Quote.
2. The problem raised by the author; its relevance.
3. The meaning of the statement.
4. Own point of view.
5. Argumentation at the theoretical level.
6. At least two examples from social practice, history and/or literature confirming the correctness of the opinions expressed.
7. Conclusion.

How to write a social studies essay in 2020 - webinar

1. Choice of statement

• When choosing statements for an essay, you must be sure that you know the basic concepts of the basic science to which it relates;
• clearly understand the meaning of the statement;
• you can express your own opinion (fully or partially agree with the statement or refute it);
• you know the social science terms necessary to competently substantiate a personal position at a theoretical level (the terms and concepts used must clearly correspond to the topic of the essay and not go beyond it);
• you will be able to give examples from social practice, history, literature, as well as personal life experience to confirm your own opinion.

2. Definition of the problem of the statement.

For a clearer formulation of the problem, we offer a list of possible formulations of problems that occur most often.

After formulating the problem, it is necessary to indicate the relevance of the problem in modern conditions. To do this, you can use cliche phrases:

• This problem is relevant in the conditions...
• ...globalization of social relations;
• ...formation of a unified information, educational, economic space;
• ...exacerbation of global problems of our time;
• ...the special controversial nature of scientific discoveries and inventions;
• ...development of international integration;
• ...modern market economy;
• ...development and overcoming the global economic crisis;
• ...strict differentiation of society;
• ...the open social structure of modern society;
• ...formation of the rule of law;
• ...overcoming the spiritual and moral crisis;
• ...dialogue of cultures;
• ...the need to preserve one's own identity and traditional spiritual values.

The problem must be revisited periodically throughout the essay writing process. This is necessary in order to correctly reveal its content, and also not to accidentally go beyond the scope of the problem and not get carried away by reasoning that is not related to the meaning of this statement (this is one of the most common mistakes in many exam essays).

3. Formulation of the main idea of ​​the statement

• “The meaning of this statement is that...”
• “The author draws our attention to the fact that...”
• “The author is convinced that...”

4. Determining your position on the statement

• “I agree with the author that...”
• “One cannot but agree with the author of this statement regarding...”
• “The author was right in asserting that...”
• “In my opinion, the author quite clearly reflected in his statement the picture of modern Russia (modern society... the situation that has developed in society... one of the problems of our time)”
  “I beg to differ with the author’s opinion that...”
• “Partly, I share the author’s point of view regarding..., but with... I can’t agree”
• “Have you ever thought about the fact that...?”

5-6. Argumentation of your own opinion

Argumentation must be carried out at two levels:

1. Theoretical level - its basis is social science knowledge (concepts,
terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as opinions
scientists, thinkers).

Cliché phrases:

• Let's consider the statement from the point of view of economic (political, sociological...) theory...
• Let's turn to the theoretical meaning of the statement...
• In economic (political, sociological...) theory, this statement has its basis...

2. Empirical level - There are two options here:

1. using examples from history, literature and events in society;
2. appeal to personal experience.

When selecting facts, examples from public life and personal social experience, mentally answer the following questions:

• Do they confirm my opinion?
• Could they be interpreted differently?
• Do they not contradict the thesis I expressed?
• Are they convincing?

The proposed form will allow you to strictly control the adequacy of the arguments presented and prevent “drifting away from the topic.”

7. Conclusion

Finally, you need to formulate a conclusion. The conclusion should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification: it brings together in one or two sentences the main ideas of the arguments and sums up the reasoning, confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the judgment that was the topic of the essay.

To formulate a problematic conclusion, cliche phrases can be used:

• “Thus, we can conclude...”
• “To summarize, I would like to note that...”
• In conclusion, we can conclude that...
• Based on all of the above, it can be argued that...

In addition, an additional advantage of the essay is the inclusion in it

• brief information about the author of the statement (for example, “outstanding French philosopher-educator”,
  “great Russian thinker of the Silver Age”, “famous existentialist philosopher”, “founder
  idealistic direction in philosophy”, etc.);
• descriptions of different points of view on a problem or different approaches to solving it;
• indications of the polysemy of the concepts and terms used with justification for the meaning in which they
  used in essays;
• indications of alternative solutions to the problem.

And in conclusion. Let's watch a webinar that discusses the structure of writing a mini-essay, provides exercises for training, and discusses evaluation criteria:

The most common mistakes when writing essays

• The saddest situation is that there is no plan at all. The man was afraid to write it, got confused, and stupidly didn’t have time to rewrite it from the draft. The draft is not tested in any Unified State Examination, is everyone aware? Neither an appeal nor tears change this situation.
• “Required” items are highlighted incorrectly. Yes, with the innovations it has become more scary, but it’s still worth a try. For example, to cover the topic “Political Parties”, the “mandatory” points on the exam were the features of political parties as public organizations, the functions of political parties and the classification / types of political parties. That's bad. Do you know which points are required for this topic?
• There are less than 3 points in the plan or none of the points are disclosed in the subparagraphs.“If you don’t know the rules, you won’t get points.” Learn the criteria.
• Plans for legacy templates no one needs it, it's a waste of time and points. There is no need to write the first paragraph with the question: “What is a market?” - this formulation is long outdated.
• There is no need to try to “stand out” or “show a special view of the world.” This is not a casting, this is just one of the tasks of the Unified State Exam.
• Spelling errors don't bother anyone, but if you can’t formulate a thought, your points will be reduced
• The plan is written off-topic or does not cover the topic “in essence”.

An essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies should be related to social psychology, philosophy, sociology, and economics. Let's analyze the rules and features of its preparation, which will help a school graduate get a high score on the Unified State Exam.

Essay requirements

What should an essay on the Unified State Exam include? In social studies, the main points have been developed that a graduate of an educational institution should reflect in his work. The student must base his material on specific statements of thinkers related to the main topic of the essay, provide generalizations, concepts, terms, facts, and specific examples that would confirm his position. What else should an essay on the Unified State Exam contain? Social studies implies strict compliance with a certain structure, which was created by teachers of this discipline in order to facilitate the task of schoolchildren.

From the social studies course we know about two main directions of development: progress and regression. In addition, society can develop as a result of evolution, revolution, reform. I believe that the author has in mind precisely the evolutionary movement forward, facilitating a smooth transition from primitive to perfect, from simple to complex.

What could humanity rely on as it continues to move forward? Without the development of new technologies: alternative sources, biotechnologies, modern society will no longer survive. That is why it is so important to be based on scientific discoveries and achievements. For example, after man mastered thermonuclear fusion, humanity had a chance to generate inexpensive electrical energy.

In addition to technology and science, morality can be considered an important pillar of progress. The moral foundations that have been developed by human society over a long period of its existence should not bring harm to a person.

I believe that even in an innovative society it is important to maintain hard work, dignity, honor, and goodness. How does a person use the Internet, which has become the greatest invention of the last century? What are the main goals of a child who turns on his laptop? I believe that the use of modern computers should be thoughtful, targeted, and justified. For example, it is ideal for self-education, self-improvement, and self-development.

Innovative technologies should not turn a person into a stupid creature who has lost honor, dignity, freedom, and creativity. In the future, in my opinion, only those societies that, in addition to technological progress, pay special attention to the principles of humanism and equality are able to survive.

Only if family and religion are preserved can we talk about progress.

Sociology essay option

“Communication ennobles and elevates: in society a person involuntarily, without any pretense, behaves differently than in solitude” (L. Feuerbach)

I support the position of the author, who touched upon the current problem of communication between people. The issue is so important today that it deserves full study and consideration. Many people withdraw into themselves and stop communicating because they do not know the culture of relationships. The main problem raised by the author is the importance of the educational function. From the social studies course, we learned that activity is a form of activity that allows a person to transform the world, to change the person himself. It is during conversations and conversations that people learn to understand each other. What is the main educational and socializing function of human communication? It allows parents to pass on to their children the basics of the family’s cultural traditions, to learn the basics of respect for adults, nature, and their native land. We learn to communicate not only in the family, but also at school, in the company of friends. If parents constantly yell at their children, a closed, complex personality grows in the family. I believe that human communication should not be turned into chatter; it should act as a factor for human development and improvement.

To successfully pass the exam, it is not enough to have a good command of the material; you need to learn how to write an essay in social studies.

Within the framework of it, it is important to be able to build cause-and-effect relationships, formulate conclusions and draw conclusions, referring to the facts of social life and historical events.

The article discusses how to create a competent outline and structure of an essay, as well as several specific cliches and examples.

What is a social studies essay

The written part of the Unified State Examination in social studies consists of several parts:

• text analysis;
• answers to specific questions;
• essay.

The last block is based on the fact that the graduate must choose one of several presented statements and formulate his thoughts about it, drawing on the knowledge of the social science course.

The student must reflect his understanding of the topic, position on the issue under discussion and argue for it, citing several facts from social life or history.

Essay writing rules and evaluation criteria

First of all, we will determine the basic rules that should be followed when writing an essay, as well as what the evaluators will pay attention to.

Before choosing a topic, you should carefully study not only the statements themselves, but also the area from which they are taken. It is important to be competent in the field of your chosen subject.

The fact is that when writing, correctly applied terminology will play an important role.

The basic assessment criteria are as follows:

1. Revealing the meaning– what is described should show an understanding of the essence of the quote. You should write as clearly and structuredly as possible. The examiner should not have the feeling that the author of the work simply superficially reformulated the statement.
2. Traceable text structure, narrative logic, correct use of terms, presence of conclusions after reflection and at the end of the essay.
3. Quantity and quality of arguments applied– the examples used must be relevant to the topic, reveal it more deeply and reflect the position of the author of the work. It is recommended to use information from the media, literature, and history. If there is a burning desire to make a personal argument, then it is worth veiling it under the formulation “in public life one can find a reflection of this...”.

It is important to note: If the examiner, after reading the work, is not ready to evaluate the first criterion, then zero points are given for the entire essay.

That is, even a perfectly and competently written text on the wrong topic will not be counted. In this regard, it is recommended to carefully select a topic and prepare in advance to write essays from several areas.

Writing plan and structure

Let's look at one example of a social studies essay plan:

• introductory remarks – a few words about the sphere;
• agreement or disagreement with the position of the author of the statement;
• reflection of understanding of the quote;
• making arguments;
• conclusion.

The specific template for class 11 will be provided below. A correctly written essay will solve problems with more than ten percent of the points.

How to Write an Essay on Social Studies

Below is an approximate structure of an essay that can be used as a template.

The statement I have chosen relates to the economic (social, political, spiritual, legal) sphere:

1. The economic sphere studies the rules of economic management, as well as individual economies of countries.
2. The social sphere studies the structure of society, the totality of interconnected social groups, individuals and the relationships between them.
3. The political sphere studies the fundamentals and standards in government, the organization of political life and the formation of a political system.
4. The legal sphere studies a set of interrelated rules of conduct, as well as sanctions for violating norms protected by the power of the state.
5. The spiritual sphere studies concepts related to culture and morality, as well as the foundations of knowledge and worldview.

The statement is associated with such a concept as *** *** - this (definition of the concept from the statement).

In public life/in history/in literature one can find confirmation of this:

1. Argument 1.

2. Argument 2.

Thus, we can conclude that (reformulation 2).

Quotes, cliché phrases for essays

Despite the fact that the topics are different, in order to emphasize your knowledge of terminology, it is acceptable to use certain blanks in the form of phrases and quotes. The main thing is to use them wisely, that is, insert them where it is relevant.

A few examples of how you can use ready-made cliche phrases:

1. The Criminal Code indicates that “the law is favorable to minors”, since for many crimes of minor and medium gravity they receive leniency.
2. The fact that personality is formed only in the process of interaction with other people shows that “a person is unthinkable outside of society.”

Below is a table with a bank of arguments and phrases that are allowed to be used. Wise sayings are not as common in the 9th grade exam as they are in the graduation exam.

Social Studies Essay Examples

The essay is written first in a rough draft, and then in full on blank sheets. A sample is presented below.

Quote: “Business is a combination of war and sport.”

The statement I have chosen relates to the economic sphere. The economic sphere studies the rules of economic management, as well as individual economies of countries.

The statement is associated with the concept of a business - an enterprise whose activities are aimed at generating income.

I agree with the author of the statement that business is a competitive activity in which economic entities compete with each other. Just like in war and sports, business requires knowledge, experience and consistency of action.

In public life one can find confirmation of this:

• war is a conflict between parties in the form of armed struggle. In business, of course, cases of armed confrontation are rare, but there are conflicts between competitors, and they use different means of struggle;
• Achieving success in business requires investing a lot of time, effort and energy. The same is true for sports.

Thus, we can conclude that the combination of war and sport characterizes business very well.

Statement – “Science is ruthless - it shamelessly refutes common misconceptions.”

The statement I have chosen relates to the social sphere. The social sphere studies the structure of society, the totality of interconnected social groups, individuals and the relationships between them.

The statement is associated with such a concept as science. Science is one of the forms of human knowledge, a system of reliable knowledge about the laws of development of nature, society and man.

History confirms this:

• people were sure that the Earth was flat, but Magellan's voyage refuted this, and it became known that the planet was spherical;
• For millennia, there was a misconception about the geocentric system of the world, but the teachings of Copernicus debunked this myth. It became known that all planets, including the Earth, revolve around the Sun.

Thus, we can conclude that scientific advances constantly refute previously acquired knowledge, forcing people to reconsider their beliefs.

Man is unthinkable outside of society (L. N. Tolstoy)

Laws owe their power to morals (C. Helvetius)

Culture always implies the preservation of previous experience (Yu. Lotman)

To manage means to foresee (Catherine the Great)

Man is the only creature subject to education (I. Kant)

Progress is the father of problems

Science is organized knowledge (G. Spencer)

Power over oneself is the highest power (L. N. Tolstoy)

Everyone wants to be the exception to the rule (M. Forbes)

Science is a graveyard of hypotheses (A. Poincaré)

Art knows no conscience (G. Mann)

Society is created by moral principles (F. M. Dostoevsky)

The goal of creativity is dedication (B. Pasternak)

Writing a social studies essay is a step that requires the student to concentrate and be able to quickly respond to the information received. In this regard, it is recommended to do homework in the form of a learned structure, common cliches and ready-made statements.

When clarifying how many words there are in an essay, it is worth noting that the decisive role is played not by size, but by content. The easiest way to learn to write about society is to practice regularly.