How do I structure an A-Level History essay?

The first thing you need to do is ensure you answer the question. For example if the question was: “THE MAIN CAUSE OF REBELLIONS IN THE YEARS 1536 TO 1558 WAS RELIGIOUS DISAGREEMENTS” ASSESS THE VALIDITY OF THIS VIEW. It is crucial to answer, in the most simples terms, if religion was the main cause. Secondly, it is key that you stick to the time period (sounds easy but can be forgotten when looking at broader themes.) Therefore before you get into the main argument of your essay it is worth dedicating a line or two of your introduction to the historical context. Next you should aim to establish the main line of argument so that you can drive it throughout your essay. In a history essay it is important that you set this up in your introduction and do not stray from it. After this (in a causation essay) you need to decide which other 2 causes are important to the subject. In this essay I would recommend political and socio-economic factors. It is key that you recognise other factors in your introduction so that the reader can get a basic understanding of your structure. Your first paragraph should always be on the cause in the question (religion in this case) as it is best to address to question as soon as possible. Use evidence supporting your line of argument followed by some evidence that may challenge it but always conclude your paragraph with why the argument you presented in your introduction follows through. The next two paragraphs need to explain the importance of the other two causes in a similar way to the first factor and should equally conclude with why your line of argument is correct. Finally, your conclusion needs to draw together all of the factors you've mentioned, offer a brief overview of your argument and link the two to explain why you're ultimately right. The complexity of the conclusion will depend on the line of argument and how nuanced this is. Extra point: to access the highest marks it is good if you can engage with some historiographical debate or at least use a quote from a historian to drive through your own argument. Here is an example: "Away from religious and socio-economic causation, political interests act as a major cause to rebel in both the Pilgrimage of Grace and Wyatt’s Rebellion. As largely argued by Geoffrey Elton, the Pilgrimage of Grace was a court conspiracy following the death of Catherine of Aragon as an attempt to restore Mary as heir. "