At the beginning of the year for Modern History I was struggling to get 20/25 for an essay. In my midcourse exam I got 25/25 (only person in the year) and in the last task, an in class assessment of Ho Chi Minh I got 15/15. Not entirely sure what changed, I didn't really do that much practice, I think partly it's this guide, so thanks, and I thought I might just quickly share what my essays included to allow me to access full marks, because on re-reading them, they're really nothing special.
-Start your intro by making a strong general statement, something like, "Ho Chi Minh is one of the most controversial and complex figures of the 20th century." (I know not many people do Ho Chi Minh but it's clearer in my head at the moment than Germany)
-Write your thesis, brief and to the point.
-Then finish on another strong statement which has to be succinct and clear.
The body paragraphs are pretty simple and it really is about following PEEL. Make sure that your first sentence makes an argument related to your thesis, i.e., that Ho Chi Minh had a good impact on his times because...
-Back it up, say why he had a good impact and then basically just reiterate it at the end but link it strongly to your thesis and the question.
As for the advanced essay writing techniques, I've found that I have begun to include these without really thinking about them. The trick I think is not to keep them separate to the rest of the essay in terms of content and scope, but rather just include some reasons as to why historians/people at the time did not agree with your thesis. E.g. "Americans believed Ho Chi Minh was bad because of his use of guerilla tactics and punji sticks." Then say something like, "However, the American use of napalm and Agent Orange means that they're in no position to judge." Conclude by saying that this provides evidence for your thesis.
Obviously that's simplified and far too casual, but it's basically the right idea.
