01Before you write
- Underline the exact claim in the question.
- Define the key term or debate in one precise sentence.
- Choose a provisional judgement: what will you argue and why?
- Select two or three debates that genuinely test that judgement.
AO1: accurate knowledge
- Use named scholars or traditions accurately.
- Explain ideas before evaluating them.
- Use short, relevant quotations only where they add precision.
- Avoid vague phrases such as ‘Christians believe’ when traditions disagree.
AO2: sustained evaluation
- Make a reasoned claim in every main paragraph.
- Explain why a strength or weakness matters to the question.
- Answer the strongest counter-argument, not a weaker version of it.
- Compare arguments using clear criteria such as coherence, evidence or practical consequences.
Structure
- Give each paragraph a clear purpose in the overall argument.
- Link each paragraph back to the wording of the question.
- Use mini-judgements so evaluation runs throughout.
- Make the conclusion follow from the reasoning already given.
Final two-minute check
- Have you answered the exact question throughout?
- Is every scholar used accurately and relevantly?
- Have you explained why your preferred argument is stronger?
- Does the conclusion give a decisive, qualified judgement?