How do I structure my 24 mark essays?

First, read the question carefully and focus on the wording, to write a short one-to-two sentence introduction explaining your argument to the question, which you will continue arguing throughout the essay. This will also make it easier for you to constantly keep referring to the question and ensure you are answering it correctly. The most simple way to answer a question if you cannot think of a more structured answer, would be to go with a for-and-against method. This will include you arguing why the point may me valid/invalid, then counteracting that with your overall argument, and doing this how ever many times is necessary. The issue with this method is that you can drift off from the specific question very easily. A more sophisticated way would be to pick three main overarching subjects e.g. Political, social and economic, or with dates e.g. 1558, 1588 and 1603, to separate your information and ensure you have covered the entire question. At the end of each paragraph, always go back to your argument and how these facts you just mentioned relate to the question, and answer it. Your conclusion will sum up the points you made on how the evidence supports the question, which is the most important part of the essay and should be a paragraph of its own, if you wish to gain full marks.