How would you recommend structuring a high-level response to a question?

The kind of response you provide always depends on the number of marks that are available to you and the type of question that you are being asked. Questions that invite you to debate or assess a statement given to you (e.g. 'How far do you agree that the Great Depression led to the success of the NSDAP in Germany in the 1930s?') will require an evaluation of four factors, generally not including the one provided. Before you write anything, you should construct a plan for each main-body paragraph you intend to produce. In a question that gives you a factor, you will find it best to begin with an evaluation of that factor and to then address other possible factors within the argument, drawing links and comparisons between these additional themes/events/people and the original one provided. The P.E.E.L structure is thus essential in this sense; firstly, give your Point and come to a judgement on the significance of the factor you're assessing; next, Explain what this factor is and why it is/is not important by Evaluating its importance in relation to the question; finally Link the factor you are assessing with the question (and the named factor if one has been provided). By linking factors and comparing them, a clear ranking system should appear in the essay, which will overall improve the fluency and coherence of your writing.
An introduction and conclusion are just as intrinsic to your essay if you are looking to get the top marks, no matter the question. Your introduction should make it clear to the examiner what direction your argument will take and what your conclusion will be within the space of a couple of sentences. Here, you should decide what factor you deem most significant in the whole argument/how important the named factor is in relation to the other factors you will assess, and that is it. For the conclusion, you need to summarise and justify the rankings you have given each factor (most to least important may be easiest). This becomes much easier if you have remembered to link and compare factors at the end of each previous paragraph, and the entire essay should finish with a clear, final statement about which factor is the most significant/how important the named factor is in relation to the others you have given. Using the P.E.E.L structure and these tips for an introduction and conclusion, therefore, you should be gaining most or full marks for clarity, structure and coherence.