Social studies essay outline and cliches. Social studies essay (USE): structure, cliché phrases, typical mistakes. Social Studies Essay Examples

01.05.2017

Here is a collection of the main cliché phrases that can help you write a social studies essay correctly.

1. Cliche phrases for formulating an understanding of the statement, problems and their relevance

  1. In his statement, the author meant that...
  2. The author wanted to convey to us the idea that...
  3. The meaning of this statement is that...
  4. The author draws our attention to the fact that... the author’s idea is that...
  5. The relevance of the problem raised is that...
  6. This problem (topics) 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.

2. Cliche phrases for formulating your own position:

  1. “I agree with the author that...”
  2. “One cannot but agree with the author of this statement...”
  3. “The author was right in asserting that...”
  4. “In my opinion, the author quite clearly reflected in his statement the picture of modern Russia (modern
  5. society... the situation that has developed in society... one of the problems of our time)"
  6. “I beg to differ with the author’s opinion that...”
  7. “Partly, I share the author’s point of view regarding..., but with... I can’t agree”

3. Multidimensional analysis of statements (cliché phrases):

  1. The statement can be analyzed from different angles...
  2. Let's look at the statement from different aspects...
  3. There are two aspects to the content of the statement...
  4. The statement can be analyzed both in a broad and in a narrow sense...
  5. It is worth noting that…

4. Argumentation should be carried out at two levels:

1. Theoretical level. 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...
  • This statement has a deep theoretical basis...
  • To substantiate this statement from a theoretical perspective...
  • In the course of social studies (economics, sociology...) ...

2. Empirical level - there are two options here:

  1. using examples from history, literature and social reality;
  2. appeal to personal experience.

Second-level arguments should illustrate and support the theoretical principles used to justify one's own position.

Cliché phrases:

  • Let us give examples from public life that confirm my idea...
  • Let's look at examples from history...
  • What do the facts of social life tell us...
  • Numerous examples from public life refute the author’s idea...
  • We see confirmation of the author’s thoughts at every step...
  • Many examples from our lives confirm the author’s idea...
  • I can confirm my thoughts with examples from my own life...
  • My personal experience (the experience of my parents, classmates...) suggests the opposite...

5. Cliche phrases for conclusion:

  1. Thus…
  2. In conclusion, we can conclude that...
  3. To summarize, I would like to note that...
  4. Based on all of the above, it can be argued that...

An essay is understood as a literary genre of small volume and free composition. This written form was introduced into the Unified State Exam as a means of certifying and assessing students. In a prose essay, the examinee should express his own thoughts and impressions on the formulated problem. In order to understand how to write an essay on social studies, you need to properly organize your educational activities and practice systematically on this task.

During the preparation process, you should learn to analyze the content of the text; check the style, logic and consistency of the material presented; work with the final version and make important amendments to it. The study takes place in five blocks (man and society; sociology, economics, politics and law), each of which will be reflected in the test material.

How to write an essay on social studies - features of preparation for the Unified State Exam 2018

Every year, the Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements (FIPI) introduces innovations into the demonstration version of the Unified State Exam in social studies. In 2018, the requirements and assessment system for social science essays (tasks 29) changed slightly.

Let's look at the amendments using specific examples:

  1. The form remained the same - a mini-essay.
  2. The term “problem” that the author of the statement highlights has been replaced by the word “idea”. There are no fundamental differences in this. We will also talk about considerations that arise when understanding a quote from a thinker.
  3. The requirement to highlight several ideas if they are contained in the author’s statement is more clearly formulated. In the 2017 demo, this was described as “if necessary...”.
  4. Two examples from a variety of sources are still being evaluated.
  5. The claim to a detailed argument and its obvious connection with the idea of ​​the designated quotation is more strictly expressed.

It follows from this that the volume of an essay vying for a high score will be increased (examples will need to be expanded in more detail, several ideas need to be highlighted). The essay begins to gradually move away from the genre of light and transparent composition, when it is not necessary to thoroughly reveal the example, it is enough to voice the idea.

Plus, the criteria for evaluating the material written by the examinee have changed. A provision has appeared on the correctness of the use of concepts, theoretical positions, reasoning and conclusions.

For example, if a student writes that the reproductive function of the family is raising children, that stratification is the movement of an individual in the social structure, then he will receive 0 points on this basis, since his theoretical arguments are incorrect.

In all other respects, the 2017 and 2018 KIMs are similar.

Essay structure and content

The mini-essay form provides scope for creative thought, subjectivity and artistic expression.

However, in the practice of assessing task No. 29, a special rigor, accuracy and balance has developed, which follows from the structure and content of the written material.

The final version of an essay for a high score should include the following components:

  1. Quote. One of the five proposed statements by the author, on which the examinee chose to express his position. To do this, it is necessary to identify which sections of the social science course the problem considered by the thinker is related to and evaluate one’s own knowledge on it.

    Quotes and statements of thinkers may be used in the work

  2. The problem (topic) raised by the thinker, its relevance. It represents the subjective author's position. The student must identify the problem and express a personal written response to the question posed.

    List of topics in philosophy

    Proposed list of topics in economics and sociology

  3. The meaning of the author’s statement represents his subjective opinion on the identified problem. The examinee can support the proposed idea in whole or in part, or completely refute it. In any case, this point must be clearly reflected in the prose essay, since a clearly defined evaluation criterion has been established in relation to it. Material written by a student without a correctly understood meaning will be graded 0 points.

    The meaning of the statement is the subjective opinion of the author on the designated topic

  4. Own point of view. This is the examinee's personal opinion regarding the issue raised. The expressed judgment must meet the criteria of logic and certainty. It flows through the entire text and cannot have contradictory statements.

    Your own point of view must be logical and definite

  5. Theoretical argumentation. Social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as the opinions of scientists and thinkers). They must correspond to the topic of the block on which the student is writing an essay.

    Theoretical argumentation must necessarily correspond to the topic of the essay

  6. Factual argument. Two options are allowed here: using examples from history, literature and events in society; appeal to empirical experience.

    When making a factual argument, you can use examples from history or refer to empirical experience

  7. Conclusion is the logical result of reasoning. It should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification. When written correctly, it should cover the main ideas of the argument in one or two sentences and arrive at the final conclusion that the student adheres to throughout the essay.

    The essay must have a logical conclusion

Thus, to write an essay on social studies with a high score, you should read all the quotes in task No. 29 and determine their problematics. In each statement you will need to find an answer to the question “What did the author want to say?” and choose the most suitable topic.

You can mentally assess your strength by answering the following questions:

  • What basic social scientific theoretical principles does the proposed statement correlate with?
  • What do I need to know to unlock it?

After this, make sure that you know the fundamental concepts of the block to which the statement belongs and understand its meaning.

Make an expected plan for the written work, but do not forget about the time limit for the exam.

Subject to all the conditions described above and regular training on task No. 29, the examinee is guaranteed to cope with the essay.

How to apply

It must be borne in mind that an essay is a short composition characterized by semantic unity.


Additional advantages for assessing assignment No. 29 by experts will include the following:

  • basic information about the author of the statement (for example, “outstanding German economist”, “famous Russian thinker of the Golden Age”, “famous existentialist philosopher”, “founder of the rational trend in philosophy”, etc.);
  • indications of alternative ways to solve the stated issue;
  • descriptions of various points of view on a problem or different approaches to solving it.

These grounds are not directly noted in the assessment criteria, but they will demonstrate the erudition of the examinee and his deep preparation.

It is also worth remembering that your work will be assessed by an expert. It will be an advantage to write the text on the Unified State Examination form in neat handwriting, systematized and without careless blots..

Cliché phrases

Cliche phrases are understood as standard patterns of word usage, typical patterns of word combinations and syntactic structures. With the help of these speech formulas, the process of writing an essay in social studies is significantly simplified.

For the first part of a prose essay, when formulating an understanding of the statement, its problem and relevance, the following phrases are perfect:

  • “In his saying, the author meant that...”;
  • “The thinker tried to convey to us the idea that...”;
  • “The meaning of the proposed statement is that...”;
  • “The relevance of the problem raised is manifested in the fact that...”;
  • “This issue is relevant in the conditions of...”

In the following paragraph, to justify one’s own position regarding the statement, a number of standard clichés are used:

  • “I completely agree with the author of the quote that...”;
  • “One cannot disagree with the thinker of the indicated statement...”;
  • “The activist was absolutely right in asserting that...”;
  • “In my opinion, (the writer, philosopher, economist) very accurately reflected in his statement the picture of modern reality in that...”;
  • “I beg to differ with the author’s opinion that...”
  • “Partly, I share the thinker’s point of view regarding..., but with... I cannot agree.”

When making theoretical arguments, the following expressions are used:

  • “Let us analyze the idea proposed by the author from the point of view of (economic, legal, sociological) theory...”;
  • “Let us turn to the theoretical understanding of the statement...”;
  • “In (sociological, political, philosophical) science, this statement has its grounds...”;
  • “The proposed quotation has a deep social scientific justification...”;
  • “To substantiate this statement from a theoretical position...”;
  • “In the social studies curriculum (law, political science, etc.) ...”;

In terms of selecting facts, examples from public life and empirical social experience, the following phrases are used:

  • “Let’s give justification from public life that confirms my idea...”;
  • “Based on personal experience, (according to the stories of my parents, classmates...) circumstances indicate the opposite...”;
  • “The position I sympathize with is confirmed by examples from life...”;
  • “Let’s turn to similar situations in (history, literature, cinema) ...”;
  • “We meet confirmation of the thinker’s quote at every step...”;

In conclusion, the following speech cliches are used:

  • “Based on the above, it should be concluded that...”;
  • “To summarize, I would like to note that...”;
  • “When finishing the work, we can say that...”;
  • "Thus …";

Some experts suggest that the overuse of such hackneyed phrases should be avoided. Although when writing an essay, they help formulate thoughts and clearly delimit the text. It will be better if you do not take a large number of cliches ready-made, but change them while maintaining the meaning.

Criteria for evaluating social studies essays

In general, you could get 6 primary points for the mini-essay, which are assessed according to the following criteria:

  1. Revealing the meaning of the statement. In this case, one or more ideas contained in the author’s statement must be correctly highlighted. For this, the examinee is awarded 1 primary point. For non-disclosure, you will receive a 0 not only for this criterion, but for the entire essay.
  2. Theoretical content of the mini-essay. The maximum score is 2 points if a connected chain of theoretical reasoning and constructions can be traced. Separate provisions that are not connected into a single picture, but related to the topic, are scored only 1 point. Not related to the topic 0 points.
  3. Correct use of concepts, theoretical positions, reasoning and conclusions. This criterion gives the student 1 point for the absence of errors in theoretical constructs and terms. It is not scored if there are theoretical inaccuracies.
  4. The quality of the facts and examples provided. Two examples should be clearly related to the selected provisions and theses, and also expanded. Then the examinee will receive the maximum score for this criterion - 2. With one written example, only 1 point. Complete absence of examples - 0 points.

In the Unified State Examination in Social Science, the essay is the most valuable task in point equivalent. This creative composition should be given special attention and practiced frequently.

Reading additional literature on law, philosophy, sociology, economics and political science will greatly help you choose the right argument and most fully reveal the proposed problem. Understanding the assessment criteria will help you to include the required points in your essay and get the maximum score.

Essay structure

Themes

Philosophy

Economy

Sociology, social psychology

Political science

Jurisprudence

2. Problem (topic), its relevance

3.Meaning of the statement

4. Own point of view

5. Argumentation should be carried out at two levels:

a) theoretical level

b)empirical level

6. Examples

7. Conclusion

How to choose an essay topic?

1. Do I understand the meaning of the statement that I wanted

2. What are the main problems?

Is this topic related to social studies?

3. Do I agree with the above statement?

how to express your attitude towards him?

4. What social science terms do I need?

to properly substantiate your point of view?

5. What examples can you give from history, literature,

social life, your life experience?

The following additional arguments are welcome:

    Brief information about the author of the statement (for example:I. Kant, founder of German classical philosophy ).

    The names of his predecessors, followers or scientific opponents.

    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 are used in the essay.

    Indications of alternative solutions to the problem.

It is necessary to select arguments (evidence), i.e. remember the basic terms and theoretical positions.

Argumentation must be carried out at two levels:

Theoretical level- its basis is social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, opinions of scientists, thinkers)

Empirical level- There are two options here:

Using examples from history, literature and social reality;

Appeal to personal experience

cliche

The meaning of the statement

“The meaning of this statement is that...”

Own point of view

One cannot but agree with the opinion of the author...

I do not share this point of view...

I cannot agree with this statement because...

The depth of thought of the great is amazing...

The non-standard approach to the problem is surprising...

This phrase makes you think...

For me this phrase is the key to understanding...

The choice of this topic was dictated by the following considerations...

This short statement opens up an amazing scope for thought...

Thinking about this phrase, you come to the conclusion that...

Examples

There are several approaches to this problem...

Since time immemorial there has been an opinion...

Let's look at the problem from the other side...

Firstly Secondly Thirdly,…

Let's consider several approaches...

For example,…

Let us illustrate this point with the following example...

It should be noted...

Conclusion

Based on the above...

To sum up my thoughts...

Thus,…

Let's summarize the discussion...

So,…

This is why I cannot agree with the author of the statement...

That's why I agree with the opinion...

To summarize what has been said, it should be noted...

Tips for working with task C9.

When choosing a topic, a graduate should be guided by the following considerations: “I am sure that ...

1) I understand the meaning of the statement;
2) I know what the main problems of social science are related to this topic;
3) I will be able to express my attitude to the statement;
4) I know the terms;
5) I will be able to give examples from history, public life, and my own experience.”

1) the essay should begin with a clear and precise definition of personal position: “I agree with this opinion”; “I cannot agree with this statement”; “There is something in this statement that I agree with, and that. which seems controversial to me";
2) in the next sentence it is appropriate to formulate an understanding of the statement that became the topic of the essay;
3) the main part of the essay is a relatively detailed statement of your own opinion regarding the problem posed;
4) it is advisable that each paragraph of the essay contains only one main idea;
5) the final sentence (paragraph) summarizes the results of the work.

Example 1

“It is not the art of acquiring that one should learn, but the art of spending.” (I. Sgobey)
1. The author argues that consumers need to learn how to spend their income rationally before purchasing goods and services.
2. We are talking about issues related to consumer economics.
3. I completely agree (disagree) with this statement.
4. Terms: income and expenses, limited resources, family budget, consumer behavior, consumption structure.
5. Examples: Russian nobles of the 18th - early 20th centuries... who lived “beyond their means”; some “new Russians” of the 1990s.

Additional information welcome:

1) brief information about the author of the statement (for example: I. Kant, the founder of German classical philosophy);
2) the names of his predecessors, followers or scientific opponents;
3) descriptions of different points of view on the problem or different approaches to solving it;
4) indications of the polysemy of the concepts and terms used with justification for the meaning in which they are used in the essay;
5) indications of alternative solutions to the problem.

So, the topic has been chosen. The next step is to properly structure your thoughts. In general, the structure of an essay might look like this.

“A man’s soul may be buried under a heap of money” (N. Hawthorne, American writer, 19th century)

1. Write the title of the topic and the name of the author again.
I paragraph
The statement of N. Hawthorne, an American writer, points to the problem of human immorality. This problem is also relevant for modern society. In our time, immorality has become so strongly integrated into a person’s personality that it leads to the commission of crimes.

II paragraph
Presentation of the author's point of view on the issue. The outstanding American writer N. Hawthorne in his statement talks about the influence of money on a person’s life, on his character, on his moral qualities. One cannot but agree with N. Hawthorne's point of view. As a person becomes richer, he “loses” his moral and ethical qualities. By receiving money, a person gains power. And having gained power over others, a person is deprived of all rationality.

III paragraph(theoretical justification of the point of view)
Morality is the degree to which an individual assimilates the moral values ​​of society. A person’s moral consciousness is a reflection in a person’s consciousness of the attitude towards moral standards. This statement can be confirmed by the statements (opinions) of famous people (examples are given - quotes). Many active individuals discussed the morality of man, for example. Carlyle Thomas, who argued that “Cash is not the only connection between man and man.” There are sayings about that. that “money has no morals,” “money spoils a person.” And it’s difficult to resist this. Because in fact, this is how it is.

IV. Examples
The problem of the influence of money on personality was also touched upon by famous writers. In his story “Hero of Our Time,” M. Yu. Lermontov reveals the essence of people who, at the head of everything, set the goal of acquiring wealth at any cost. So. The brother of the main character, in order to get a horse, decided to give his own sister to the gypsy, and at the same time came up with a plan according to which it was conditionally impossible to involve him in committing an inhumane act.

V. Argumentation(own experience).

The influence of money on a person can be observed in everyday life, you just have to turn on the TV. On any channel you can see news that talks about a crime committed for selfish purposes. There are so many court cases in which relatives go to extreme measures (including murder) in order to obtain a will.

VI. Conclusion

Returning to the topic raised, I can say that the problem of immorality in the country, as it was, will remain so until then. until the state establishes supervision over the observance of moral norms, since the problem of immorality is too great and cannot be “destroyed” without government intervention.

For other materials for essays and more, see the section

The Unified State Exam in Social Studies promises to become one of the most popular elective exams in 2020, which means that graduates should learn more about what the test will be like in the new year, what the structure of the essay should be (task No.), and also what it costs Pay attention to the person during preparation.

In this article we will take a closer look at issues related to essay writing.

Task No. 29

Let us remind you that in total there are 29 tasks in KIM on society - 20 with a short answer, 8 with a detailed answer and an essay (a mini-essay with elements of reasoning on a given topic).

The 2020 demo version proposes the following wording of the task:

Please note that it is recommended to use the following as social science knowledge on which to rely when revealing the chosen topic:

  • real events from public life;
  • literary and historical examples;
  • situations from films and theater productions;
  • personal experience.

The task itself belongs to the category of alternative. This means that examinees are given the right to choose. In this particular case, the right to choose a topic for a mini-essay. The task contains 5 statements, one for each thematic block:

  • philosophy;
  • economy;
  • sociology;
  • political science;
  • jurisprudence.

The specifications recommend that you allocate 30-45 minutes out of 235 allocated for completing all 29 Unified State Exam tasks in social studies to write a mini-essay. But, teachers recommend increasing the time for writing an essay and aiming for about 60-90 minutes. This will leave just under 3 hours for the test part, which is more than enough.

Another tip from tutors is to start with a mini-essay. During the first 60 minutes, the brain works as efficiently as possible, and it will be easier to write an essay than after spending 3 hours in a stuffy classroom.

Essay Grading

For correctly completed task 29, you can get 6 points, which is 9% of the maximum initial score (in 2020 it is 65).

The second part of the Social Studies exam paper is assessed by experts, so it is very important to write legibly.

FIPI has established the following criteria for checking essays:

Please note that for task No. 29, in general, zeros will be given if the meaning of the statement is not revealed, and for criterion K-3 they will automatically put “0” if there is no explanation of key concepts and the second criterion K-2 is scored zero points.

We want to reassure those who are worried about the correctness of the essay - spelling errors do not affect the grade for the social studies essay. The exception is errors made in the spelling of terms and concepts.

The results of checking the tasks of the 2nd part can be appealed. Of course, if you are confident that you are right and are ready to defend your opinion before the expert commission for the consideration of appeals.

How to write an essay

In order to avoid problems with writing a mini-essay during the social studies exam in 2020, you need to prepare in advance - think about what the structure of the essay should be, select relevant examples for different topics, and prepare cliches.

Since the topics that will be offered to examinees for the Unified State Exam in 2020 are not disclosed in advance, at the preparation stage you can focus on the most relevant areas defined for each of the 5 blocks.

In 2020, the structure of the social studies essay will not change. The mini-essay should include the following blocks:

  • main quote;
  • the problem addressed;
  • the essence of the statement;
  • the examinee’s view of the problem;
  • argumentation of opinion;
  • examples;
  • conclusion.

Along with what the structure of an essay on social studies should be, experts also tell us what should not be written about in an essay for the Unified State Exam 2020. Thus, evidence of relevance, as well as biographies of authors of literary works and famous personalities appearing in the examples, will be superfluous in the text. Most often, graduates waste time on these blocks, which do not add points to the essay, instead of describing the meaning of the statement in as much detail as possible and finding the right examples.

Cliche

So, now you know what you should and should not write in an essay on the Unified State Exam in society. Now let's take a closer look at how you can assemble the necessary essay from prepared blocks. Such blocks are called cliches and help when writing an essay on social studies to correctly construct the text taking into account the requirements dictated by the structure and evaluation criteria of the Unified State Exam 2020.

We bring to your attention a selection of basic cliches that will be useful when writing an essay on almost any topic:

For more information on how to write a mini-essay for the Unified State Exam 2020 in social studies, see the lesson from the online tutor:



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