KR’s essay writing tips :-)

The IB Geo course has essays featured in every paper. They may appear daunting, but once you get the hang of the structure and demands of the mark scheme, they are pretty straightforward! I hope this guide makes your essay writing journey slightly easier :)

 

Structure 

The structure of your essays need not be overly complicated. My general structure - the one I used for almost all essay questions - was as follows:

• Introduction

• 2 or 3 body paragraphs (layer cake structure - see below)

• Evaluative conclusion  

 

I wouldn’t advise having more than 3 body paragraphs because of the time constraints in the exam. 2 or 3 paragraphs are perfectly sufficient to achieve top grades!

 

Note that this structure need not be set in stone; depending on the specific demands of the question or your/your teacher’s preferences, the structure may change slightly. 

 

Essay introduction 

The general structure of an introduction that I followed was:

• Hook line

• Definitions

• Thesis statement 

 

My Geo teacher always taught us to start with a ‘hook line’ - an interesting statistic which relates to the essay topic, or specific to the named case study you are focusing on. Always remember that examiners are bored to death reading hundreds of essays a week, so your introduction should make a good first impression. 

 

Example:

Q: Evaluate the strategies used to manage the growing pressures on one named major wetland. [10] [Option A: Freshwater Paper 1 question]

Hook line: According to the UNEP, 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900 due to growing pressures, such as X, Y and Z.  OR

The Everglades wetland in the USA has shrunk by X% since 1960.

 

However, make sure you don’t use a random statistic that doesn’t really link to the essay question; it’ll look very out of place. Also, if you’re in the exam and you can’t think of a good hook line, don’t waste time and just skip it - it’s not crucial, and you can score highly without it. 

 

It’s important to identify and define key terms in the essay question, so that you’ll have a clear idea of the direction your essay will be going in. Some official IB definitions can be found in the syllabus guide; for others not in the syllabus guide you should be able to find good definitions online. 

 

Example:

A ‘wetland’ is an area of land permanently or temporarily saturated by surface water and/or groundwater.

In this essay, ‘growing pressures’ are defined as human activities, such as urbanisation and agricultural chemical pollution, that are threatening the existence of the wetland. 

 

The thesis statement is the most crucial element of your introduction. This is essentially a mini-outline of the argument you’ll be making. A good thesis statement will help your essay flow better. I usually structure it as follows:

 

“This essay will evaluate/discuss/analyse [Factor 1], [Factor 2], [Factor 3 if applicable].”

 

Each of the ‘factors’ mentioned in the thesis statement should be a different approach to answering the question. See the example below - my 2 factors/2 approaches to answering the question are the 2 strategies that are helping to manage growing pressures.

 

Example:

This essay will evaluate how the growing pressures of urbanisation and agricultural chemical pollution are being managed by two key strategies - the Everglades Restoration Initiative [Factor 1] and the Everglades Forever Act [Factor 2] respectively. 

 

Other things to note:

• In some subjects (especially English), the starter “This essay will…” is discouraged, but is perfectly fine for Geography 

• Make sure the word you use after “This essay will” corresponds to the command term in the question. If the question asks you to “Evaluate the strategies”, then your thesis statement should begin with “This essay will evaluate…”; Don’t use other command terms like discuss/analyse because - according to the IB - they mean different things and are used in different contexts. (I honestly hate command terms and don’t know the difference between them either, but we move.)

 

Body paragraphs

I’m sure most of you have heard of the PEE ‘layered’ essay outline (Point, Evidence, Explanation). This can be used as the foundation of your paragraph structure, but you’ll need to have a few more ‘layers’ to make it more sophisticated. My History teacher liked to use a layer cake analogy to teach us how to structure our paragraphs, so please see below for a cake illustration which I totally did not spend a long time drawing just to procrastinate my uni apps.

 

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Point/Topic statement: This is the opening of your paragraph which should directly answer the question. It should correspond to the factors you mentioned in your introduction’s thesis statement - this shows the examiner that you are following your outline and structuring your essay effectively. 

 

Example topic sentences:

[1st para] Firstly, the Everglades Restoration Initiative is a strategy which aims to address the damage inflicted by increasing urbanisation. 

 

[2nd para] Secondly, the Everglades Forever Act is a legal framework which seeks to revitalise the wetlands by limiting chemical pollution. 

 

Evidence 1: Specific factual details that support your topic statement and the overall argument you are making in the paragraph. These can include statistics, names of strategies / initiatives / key people in charge etc. 

 

Choosing evidence wisely is important - it has to be relevant to the topic statement/essay question. Also, make sure you don’t overload your essay with evidence, because your essay will become too descriptive and not analytical enough (means that you’re not explaining the significance of your evidence, and why it is relevant to the question). 

 

Example:

[Continuation of 1st para] The Floridian federal authorities set aside USD$7.8 billion to restore 40,000 hectares of wetland, which had dried up as surrounding infrastructure development disrupted the natural flooding of the area. 

 

Explanation 1: I like to think of this as a discussion of the wider significance of the evidence you’ve chosen. Aim to inform the examiner how the evidence supports your argument/topic statement, and give further details to emphasise its relevance.  

 

Example: 

[Continuation of 1st para] This strategy has proven beneficial to the overall health of the wetlands - the natural flooding of the area has been restored, partially undoing the damage caused by urban development. The Everglades’ capacity as a carbon sink has been enhanced, while wildlife has returned to the region. 

 

Evidence + Explanation 2: you will see on my layer cake that there are 2 layers each for evidence and explanation. I find that different evidence can have different analysis/insights/significance, so separating and layering your evi + explanation will make your essay more sophisticated, as it shows the examiner that you are aware of the multi-faceted implications of your chosen evidence.

 

However, this is optional - if you have limited evidence or time then don’t bother adding extra layers. 

 

Evaluation and critical analysis: I think of this as weighing up the pros and cons of something. If your evidence highlights the positive impact of a plan or strategy, try to mention some of the limitations because nothing is perfect. Similarly, if your evidence is overwhelmingly negative, try to point out the silver linings. 

 

There are a few metrics that I consistently use to evaluate and critically analyse:

• Spatial scale → widespread or sporadic? Were some areas neglected more than others? Was the physical area too large or small for the plan/strategy in question? 

• Temporal/time scale → Consider the pace - did the plan/strategy take too long/short a period of time? If so, what was the impact - if too short, was the progress limited, and if too long, was the action taken too late to make any substantial improvement? 

• Power and stakeholders → who controls decision-making? Usually governments (central/state/federal) and sometimes large businesses. When making decisions, are some stakeholders prioritised over others - is a power imbalance evident? Do some stakeholders benefit more than others as a result? Are those in power exercising their control effectively and fairly? 

• Perspectives → a plan/strategy will draw mixed opinions depending on the stakeholder in question. Consider how governments, businesses, educators/scientists, the agricultural sector, and civil society (non-governmental organisations and ordinary citizens like you and me) may have differing opinions. You don’t have to include all the perspectives, just one or two will do because you really don’t have much time  

• Possibilities → are there areas for improvement? What is the plan going forward? With current trends in mind, what is expected to happen in the future? How has/will COVID-19 impacted progress? 

• Contradictory policies → have the successes of one strategy been negated or eclipsed by another action?  

 

At the end of your evaluation, you must come to an overall judgement on whether something has been more or less successful. 

 

Example:

However, to critically evaluate, there are limitations to the success of this strategy. Many scientists [PERSPECTIVE] believe that the SPATIAL SCALE of restoration has been marginal so far, as the 40,000 hectares restored was only a small section of the damaged wetland, demonstrating the sporadic nature of the strategy’s execution. Furthermore, the federal government of Florida, which holds decision-making POWER over the Everglades wetland, has not exercised this power effectively, illustrated by the slow pace [TEMPORAL SCALE] of the strategy’s completion - the restoration has been delayed multiple times and will only finish in 2050. Scientists fear that the prolonged time frame for restoration efforts will cause irrevocable damage to the wetlands [POSSIBILITIES], as much of the Everglades remains vulnerable to growing pressures. As such, this highlights how the Everglades Restoration Initiative strategy has managed growing pressures with a minimal degree of success, as the small-scale successes have been overshadowed by the larger-scale limitations [FINAL JUDGEMENT].

 

The example above is a super super long and extra evaluation. Yours don’t have to be this detailed (cuz you’re short on time), but I just wanted to write a paragraph that embedded all the metrics I use for evaluation and analysis. 

 

Mini-conclusion: Just sums up your argument in one short and simple sentence. 

 

Example:

Therefore, this strategy has been successful overall in reducing the damage inflicted by chemical pollution, albeit with some minor delays.  

Repeat the above body paragraph structure 2 or 3 times, and the ‘meat’ of your essay is finished!

 

Evaluative conclusion

A conclusion sums up your argument by repeating all the key points. BUT an evaluative conclusion is more sophisticated, as you include an overall judgement that demonstrates to the examiner that you are thinking critically about the pros and cons of something. 

Also make sure that you’re answering the question directly.

 

Example:

To conclude, the aforementioned strategies - the Everglades Restoration Initiative and Everglades Forever Act - have demonstrated success in managing the growing pressures of urbanisation and agricultural chemical pollution to a minimal degree. This is because the successes of wetland restoration, improvement to channel flow and increase in biodiversity were seen on a limited spatial scale - the vast majority of the Everglades remains vulnerable to further damage. The failures to execute the project in a quick period of time and over a larger physical area overshadow said successes.  

 

Other essay stuff - toppings on the cake

Signposting: Examiners are bored to death from reading tons of scripts a day, so you really want to draw their attention to the important parts of the essay. You can do this by signposting with sentence starters, for example:

• In analysis/to analyse

• Critically analysing/To critically analyse

• In evaluation/to evaluate/to critically evaluate

• However/In contrast/Nevertheless

• Therefore/thus/hence

• In conclusion/overall/overarchingly

 

I know this might appear a little contrived, but in the grand scheme of things, they signal to your examiner that you’re structuring your essays effectively with all the elements needed to score well. 

 

The essay mark schemes also emphasise references to the 4P2S core IB Geography concepts - power, place, possibilities, processes, spatial interactions and scale. I’ve touched upon most of these in the body paragraph evaluation section already, but it’s good to specifically mention these words in your essay to demonstrate your knowledge of the syllabus requirements. 

 

SDG references: wherever appropriate, references to the UN SDGs can be made.

 

Example:

The Everglades restoration project links to SDG 15 - Life on Land, for providing breeding grounds for shorebird species, as well as SDG 14 - Climate Action, for enhancing the Everglades’ capacity as a carbon sink. 

 

Mentioning the SDGs alone is insufficient - you have to explain why they are relevant or significant. 

 

Honestly I was never minded to include that many SDGs in my essays - at most I mentioned it once. I’m confident you can score well without them as long as you have everything else needed to score top marks, so don’t worry about them too much.

 

How to practise

My favourite exam practice strategy was creating essay skeletons and committing them to memory.

 

An essay skeleton is a condensed version of your essay, with all the key points - but with things written in shorthand (that’s specific to your learning style) to make it faster to revise. Here’s an example of an essay skeleton I made (just the intro and 1st para):

 

Intro

• Hook: 64% world’s wetlands gone since 1900 (UNEP)

• Define wetlands: permanent/temporary saturated w surface water/groundwater

• Define growing pressures: human activity threatening wetland existence eg. urbanisation, chem pollution

• Named wetland: Everglades, Florida (USA)

• Thesis statement: This essay will evaluate how the growing pressures of urbanisation and agricultural chemical pollution are being managed by 2 key strategies - the Everglades Restoration Initiative and the Everglades Forever Act respectively.

 

1st para 

• P1: Everglades Restoration Initiative managing growing pressure or urbanisation

• Evi: 40k hectares restored, 7.8bn $ funding

• Ex: partial undo damage, restore natural flooding (prev disrupted), enhance carbon sink capacity

• CA: marginal spatial scale, slow pace, fed govt (power) slow decision making

• MC: overall minimal success, failures outweigh successes

 

My shorthand code:

• P1: point/topic statement for para 1

• Evi: evidence

• Ex: explanation

• CA: critical analysis or evaluation

• MC: mini conclusion

 

Once condensed, your essay skeletons will be a lot easier to memorise. I’d revise the skeleton once or twice, then put it away, pull out a blank sheet of paper and try to copy it down from memory (active recall method to mimic an exam setting). I’d then see where the gaps in my memory were and make sure to focus on those. 

 

I’d then use the spaced repetition method - basically repeating the above process over an extended period of time to etch it in my memory for the long term. 

 

Timed practice is also crucial; you really have to get used to the demands of the exams with the time constraints. I found that constant practice helped me develop fast writing skills and got my hand/arm more used to it (lol but pls don’t overdo it otherwise you could get carpal tunnel). It will also train you to think and work effectively under pressure. 

 

That’s all for my essay writing tips - I hope they came in handy in some way or another! This method is tried and tested (by me lol) and helped me get through both IGCSE and IB for all my essay-based subjects :-)