Essay means literary genre small volume and free composition. This written form was introduced into the Unified State Exam as a means of certifying and assessing students. In a prose essay, the examinee should express his own thoughts and impressions on the formulated problem. In order to understand how to write an essay in social studies, you need to properly organize your educational activities and practice systematically on this task.

During the preparation process, you should learn to analyze the content of the text; check the style, logic and consistency of the material presented; work with the final version and make important amendments to it. The study takes place in five blocks (man and society; sociology, economics, politics and law), each of which will be reflected in the test material.

How to write an essay on social studies - features of preparation for the Unified State Exam 2018

Annually Federal Institute pedagogical measurements (FIPI) introduces innovations into the demonstration version of the Unified State Exam in social studies. In 2018, the requirements and assessment system for social science essays (tasks 29) changed slightly.

Let's look at the amendments using specific examples:

The form remained the same - a mini-essay.
The term “problem” that the author of the statement highlights has been replaced by the word “idea”. There are no fundamental differences in this. We will also talk about considerations that arise when understanding a quote from a thinker.
The requirement to highlight several ideas if they are contained in the author’s statement is more clearly formulated. In the 2017 demo, this was described as “if necessary...”.
Two examples from a variety of different sources.
The claim to a detailed argument and its obvious connection with the idea of the designated quotation is more strictly expressed.

It follows from this that the volume of an essay vying for a high score will be increased (examples will need to be expanded in more detail, several ideas need to be highlighted). The essay begins to gradually move away from the genre of light and transparent composition, when it is not necessary to thoroughly reveal the example, it is enough to voice the idea.

Plus, the criteria for evaluating the material written by the examinee have changed. A provision has appeared on the correctness of the use of concepts, theoretical positions, reasoning and conclusions.

For example, if a student writes that reproductive function family consists in raising children, that stratification is the movement of an individual in the social structure, then he will receive 0 points on this basis, since his theoretical arguments are incorrect.

In all other respects, the 2017 and 2018 KIMs are similar.

Essay structure and content

The mini-essay form provides scope for creative thought, subjectivity and artistic expression.

However, in the practice of assessing task No. 29, a special rigor, accuracy and balance has developed, which follows from the structure and content of the written material.

The final version of an essay for a high score should include the following components:

Quote. One of the five proposed statements by the author, on which the examinee chose to express his position. To do this, it is necessary to identify which sections of the social science course the problem considered by the thinker is related to and evaluate one’s own knowledge on it.
Quotes and statements of thinkers may be used in the work
The problem (topic) raised by the thinker, its relevance. It represents the subjective author's position. The student must identify the problem and express a personal written response to the question posed.
List of topics in philosophy
Proposed list of topics in economics and sociology
The meaning of the author's statement represents him Subjective opinion on the identified problem. The examinee can support the proposed idea in whole or in part, or completely refute it. In any case, this point must be clearly reflected in the prose essay, since a clearly defined evaluation criterion has been established in relation to it. Material written by a student without a correctly understood meaning will be graded 0 points.
The meaning of the statement is the subjective opinion of the author on the designated topic
Own point of view. This is the examinee's personal opinion regarding the issue raised. The expressed judgment must meet the criteria of logic and certainty. It flows through the entire text and cannot have contradictory statements.
Your own point of view must be logical and definite
Theoretical argumentation. Social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as the opinions of scientists and thinkers). They must correspond to the topic of the block on which the student is writing an essay.
Theoretical argumentation must necessarily correspond to the topic of the essay
Factual argument. Two options are allowed here: using examples from history, literature and events in society; appeal to empirical experience.
When making a factual argument, you can use examples from history or refer to empirical experience
Conclusion is the logical result of reasoning. It should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification. When written correctly, it should cover the main ideas of the argument in one or two sentences and arrive at the final conclusion that the student adheres to throughout the essay.
The essay must have a logical conclusion

Thus, to write an essay on social studies with a high score, you should read all the quotes in task No. 29 and determine their problematics. In each statement you will need to find an answer to the question “What did the author want to say?” and choose the most suitable topic.

You can mentally assess your strength by answering the following questions:

What basic social scientific theoretical principles does the proposed statement correlate with?
What do I need to know to unlock it?

After this, make sure that you know the fundamental concepts of the block to which the statement belongs and understand its meaning.

Make an expected plan for the written work, but do not forget about the time limit for the exam.

Subject to all the conditions described above and regular training on task No. 29, the examinee is guaranteed to cope with the essay.

How to apply

It must be borne in mind that an essay is a short composition characterized by semantic unity.

Additional advantages for assessing assignment No. 29 by experts will include the following:

basic information about the author of the statement (for example, “outstanding German economist”, “famous Russian thinker of the Golden Age”, “famous existentialist philosopher”, “founder of the rational trend in philosophy”, etc.);
indications of alternative ways to solve the stated issue;
descriptions of various points of view on a problem or different approaches to solving it.

These grounds are not directly noted in the assessment criteria, but they will demonstrate the erudition of the examinee and his deep preparation.

It is also worth remembering that your work will be assessed by an expert. It will be an advantage to write the text on the Unified State Examination form in neat handwriting, systematized and without careless blots..

Cliché phrases

Cliche phrases are understood as standard patterns of word usage, typical patterns of word combinations and syntactic structures. With the help of these speech formulas, the process of writing an essay in social studies is significantly simplified.

For the first part of a prose essay, when formulating an understanding of the statement, its problem and relevance, the following phrases are perfect:

“In his saying, the author meant that...”;
“The thinker tried to convey to us the idea that...”;
“The meaning of the proposed statement is that...”;
“The relevance of the problem raised is manifested in the fact that...”;
“This issue is relevant in the conditions of...”

In the following paragraph, to justify one’s own position regarding the statement, a number of standard clichés are used:

“I completely agree with the author of the quote that...”;
“One cannot disagree with the thinker of the indicated statement...”;
“The activist was absolutely right in asserting that...”;
“In my opinion, (the writer, philosopher, economist) very accurately reflected in his statement the picture of modern reality in that...”;
“I beg to differ with the author’s opinion that...”
“Partly, I share the thinker’s point of view regarding..., but with... I cannot agree.”

When making theoretical arguments, the following expressions are used:

“Let us analyze the idea proposed by the author from the point of view of (economic, legal, sociological) theory...”;
“Let us turn to the theoretical understanding of the statement...”;
“In (sociological, political, philosophical) science, this statement has its grounds...”;
“The proposed quotation has a deep social scientific justification...”;
“To substantiate this statement from a theoretical position...”;
“In the social studies curriculum (law, political science, etc.) ...”;

Regarding the selection of facts, examples from public life and empirical social experience the following phrases are used:

“Let’s give justification from public life that confirms my idea...”;
“Based on personal experience, (according to the stories of my parents, classmates...) circumstances indicate the opposite...”;
“The position I sympathize with is confirmed by examples from life...”;
“Let’s turn to similar situations in (history, literature, cinema) ...”;
“We meet confirmation of the thinker’s quote at every step...”;

In conclusion, the following speech cliches are used:

“Based on the above, it should be concluded that...”;
"Letting us down common feature, I would like to note that...”;
“When finishing the work, we can say that...”;
"Thus …";

Some experts suggest that the overuse of such hackneyed phrases should be avoided. Although when writing an essay, they help formulate thoughts and clearly delimit the text. It will be better if you don't take large quantity cliches in ready-made form, but change them while maintaining the meaning.

Criteria for evaluating social studies essays

In general, you could get 6 primary points for the mini-essay, which are assessed according to the following criteria:

Revealing the meaning of the statement. In this case, one or more ideas contained in the author’s statement must be correctly highlighted. For this, the examinee is awarded 1 primary point. For non-disclosure, you will receive a 0 not only for this criterion, but for the entire essay.
Theoretical content of the mini-essay. The maximum score is 2 points if a connected chain of theoretical reasoning and constructions can be traced. Separate provisions that are not connected into a single picture, but related to the topic, are scored only 1 point. Not related to the topic 0 points.
Correct use of concepts, theoretical positions, reasoning and conclusions. This criterion gives the student 1 point for the absence of errors in theoretical constructs and terms. It is not scored if there are theoretical inaccuracies.
The quality of the facts and examples provided. Two examples should be clearly related to the selected provisions and theses, and also expanded. Then the examinee will receive the maximum score for this criterion - 2. With one written example, only 1 point. Complete absence of examples - 0 points.

In One state exam in social studies, the essay is the most valuable task in terms of points. This creative composition should be given special attention and practiced frequently.

Reading additional literature in law, philosophy, sociology, economics and political science will greatly help in choosing the right argument and most fully revealing the proposed problem. Understanding the assessment criteria will help you to include the required points in your essay and get the maximum score.

12 Sep 26.09.2017

How to write an essay? Unified State Examination in Social Studies, task No. 29

The last task of the KIM Unified State Exam in social studies is considered to be the most difficult. FIPI examiners allot 45 minutes to write a mini-essay. Correct completion of the task gives the maximum possible number of primary points.

In this short guide, I'll show you how to write an essay as quickly and easily as possible.

Essay evaluation criteria

First, let's look at the wording of task No. 29 from the demo version of the Unified State Exam in social studies:

Select one from the statements proposed below, reveal its meaning in the form of a mini-essay, indicating, if necessary, different aspects of the problem posed by the author (the topic raised).

When expressing your thoughts about the raised problem (designated topic), when arguing your point of view, use knowledge received while studying a social studies course, corresponding concepts, and data public life and one's own life experience. (Give at least two examples from different sources for factual argumentation).

Philosophy
“All our theories are nothing more than a generalization of experience, observed facts” (V.A. Ambartsumyan).
Economy
“Supply and demand are a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).
Sociology, social Psychology
“The beginning of personality comes much later than the beginning of the individual” (B.G. Ananyev).
Political science
""Divide and rule" - wise rule, but “unite and direct” is even better” (I.V. Goethe).
Jurisprudence
“The law does not know class crimes, does not know differences in the circle of persons among whom its violation is committed. He is equally strict and equally merciful to everyone” (A.F. Koni).

To cope with the task, we definitely need to familiarize ourselves with. You can find the criteria on the FIPI website; they are posted in one document along with a demo version of the exam.

First criterion (K1) - defining. You need to reveal the meaning of the statement. If you do not do this or reveal the meaning of the statement inaccurately, you will be given zero points for K1 and all essays will not be checked. If K1 is met, you are given 1 point and the expert checks the work further.

Second criterion (K2). You must provide arguments from your social studies course. It is necessary to cite and explain concepts, social processes, laws that will help reveal the meaning of the statement.

The maximum number of primary points for this criterion is 2. If “the answer contains individual concepts or provisions related to the topic, but not related to each other and to other components of the argumentation,” the expert reduces the score and gives one point.

If the meaning of at least one term is conveyed incorrectly, then the K2 score is reduced by 1 point: from 2 points to 1 point, from 1 point to 0 points.

Third criterion (K3). According to this criterion, you need to provide 2 factual arguments in favor of your own point of view. If you make a factual error (for example, say that Putin is the chairman of the government), the argument will not be taken into account. If the argument does not work for your point of view and reveal the meaning of the statement, it will not be taken into account either.

Arguments must be from various sources: “media reports, materials educational subjects(history, literature, geography, etc.), facts of personal social experience and own observations.” Two arguments from the literature or two arguments from the media can be counted as “arguments from the same type of source,” which will lead to a decrease in score by 1 point.

How to choose a quote?

Before you write your essay, you need to choose a quote. And you need to choose not according to the principle “liked - disliked”, “boring - interesting”. You need to carefully study the statements and evaluate the prospects for writing a good essay on each of them. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

Read the statements carefully. Identify several quotes whose meaning is most clear to you.
For each statement, the meaning of which is clear, determine the range of terms, processes, phenomena and laws from the social studies course. Discard quotes that you are not sure about.
From the remaining quotes, choose those to which you can provide quality arguments.

If, after you run all the quotes through these three filters, you are left with all five quotes, you can choose the one that is closest to your heart. (In that case, you know your social studies course very well, congratulations!)

Essay writing algorithm

You have chosen a quote whose meaning is clear to you, and you can easily make theoretical and factual arguments. At worst, this quote will cause you the least amount of trouble, which is also a good thing.

We are writing an essay based on the fact that it will have only two readers - Unified State Exam experts. This means that we need to make it as easy as possible for them to check their essays. It will be convenient for the expert to check if the work is structured into blocks according to the criteria.

The essay structure might look like this:

1) Convey the meaning of the quote. It is important that this is not just a retelling of the statement. You must demonstrate understanding of the author's words.

It's okay if you write primitively. There are no requirements for text style in the essay criteria.

We chose a quote from economics. “Supply and demand are a process of mutual adaptation and coordination” (P.T. Heine).

Example: The author of the statement, American economist Paul Heine, argues that the mechanism of supply and demand regulates the relations of market participants.

2) Formulate our own point of view: I agree / I disagree with the author.

As a rule, it is difficult to argue with the statements that are offered to graduates at the Unified State Exam. But if you feel you disagree, don't be afraid to argue.

Example: I agree with P. Heine because...

3) Reinforce the point terms, concepts and laws from the social studies course. Moreover, it is important to use material from that area public relations, which is indicated in the task. Expand a quote in economics in economic terms, in political science in terms of political science, etc.

Example: The basis for interaction between a consumer and a manufacturer (seller) in market conditions is the mechanism of supply and demand. Demand is the desire and ability of the consumer to buy a specific product or service here and now. Supply is the desire and ability of the manufacturer to offer the consumer a product or service at a specific price within a certain time. Supply and demand are interconnected. An increase in demand can affect the quantity of supply, and vice versa.

The ideal situation is when there is an equilibrium price in the market. If demand exceeds supply, a scarce market for a certain product develops. If supply exceeds demand, this can lead to overproduction.

In conditions of high competition, when there is great demand and many producers in the market, the quality of goods increases, and the price falls, as sellers are forced to fight for buyers. This is one example of changes in the market situation under the influence of supply and demand.

4) Give two factual arguments from different sources. If you use a fact from personal experience as an argument, try not to make it up. The examiner will most likely not believe you if you state that you ran for president of Chile or are on the Nobel committee.

Example: One example that proves the regulating function of supply is the situation on the oil market in modern world. In 2014, the price of hydrocarbons fell due to declining demand. The oil market has been squeezed out by promising technologies: solar energy, wind energy and other renewable resources. Oil companies had to adapt to new conditions - reduce oil production costs, reduce added value and lower product prices.

The law of supply and demand does not only work in global commodity markets. We can see how, under the influence of supply and demand, the situation is changing literally outside the window of our house. In the residential area where I have lived for more than 15 years, there was a grocery store in the basement of a high-rise building. Residents of nearby houses regularly bought essential products there. However, a supermarket of one of the large retail chains opened in the microdistrict. The prices there were lower, the work hours were more convenient, and the assortment was much richer. People voted with their feet, and after a while the small store closed because it could not adapt to the new situation in the local market.

5) Conclusion. Here you can summarize your thoughts. Write your conclusion only if you have time left and you are sure that all other tasks do not require double-checking. Otherwise, forget about the output - in the criteria for the task the presence or absence of a conclusion is not evaluated.

Example: IN market and mixed economies, the regulating influence of supply and demand is the basis of economic relations. Indicators of supply and demand are taken into account when planning the activities of any enterprise and the entire country. It is important that supply and demand are balanced, otherwise crisis phenomena may arise in the economy.

It is worth remembering that the enemy good results taking an exam is a waste of time. Don't do extra work. Many teachers demand that the problem raised by the author be deduced. There is no need to do this, it will not affect the assessment, and the risk of making a mistake will increase.

This algorithm is not the ultimate truth. You can adhere to it, you can focus on it, but you should not use these recommendations thoughtlessly. Perhaps after training you will have your own idea of how to write an essay. Wonderful! Most importantly, do not forget that this work is assessed according to strict criteria that you need to try to comply with.

To begin with, you always need to refer to the assessment criteria for the task that we are analyzing. Download it and continue reading:

Download demo version of the Unified State Exam in Social Studies 201 7

Isolating the problem

So, let's look at the very last pages of the document that you downloaded and take a look at points K1-K3, trying to extract from this the formula for a good essay that will be evaluated by experts

First, you need to directly understand the statement: identify the problem, reveal its meaning and highlight aspects of the problem. A number of cliches will help you here, because the exam is traditionally built on templates and this helps in preparation

What are the problems in the exam? From my experience, I can identify 6 main “flanks” on which you need to try your aphorism:

Essence problem...
The problem of inconsistency...
Role problem...
Relationship problem...
Relationship problem...
The problem of unity...

What does it mean to reveal meaning? In general, I tell my students that the essay must be translated “from Russian into Russian”, in fact from a literary language to a scientific one, based on the block in which you are writing your work. You can end everything with a “reason for increasing your score”: looking at the problem from different angles. This will be the structure of the first part of the essay.

Theoretical argument

Now we move on to the second criterion, which involves argumentation based on theory. What does this mean and what parts should your essay include?
Naturally, these are terms. Hence, if you are an applicant preparing on your own, ALWAYS study this or that topic in the context of any concepts from the area that you are studying

You must also clearly, clearly and consistently formulate your statements and conclusions from what you stated in the thesis of your essay - this is very important element, pay attention to it. In addition, it is necessary to cite various principles and approaches as examples, prove your position and reveal the causes and consequences of the events discussed in the formulation of the assignment

Factual Argumentation

As factual evidence, you must prove the theoretical material discussed above with the help of media reports, materials from educational subjects (usually humanities), facts from social experience and your own reasoning. The most interesting thing is that you need to provide 2 ARGUMENTS of a factual nature, both of which cannot be from media reports or history, political life... This is important to understand, otherwise the expert will reduce your score

Well, at the end you make a qualitative conclusion based on the thesis, simply writing it in other words, with a “shade” of completeness. This is all you need to know from the theory of how to write the 29th task in social studies

Speech by T. Liskova - Features of solving the second part at the Unified State Exam-2017

A video of her performance is attached below.

Ready-made essays

Now let's look at the structure. Below I attach 4 of my students’ very first works on politics. I suggest you look through them and highlight constituent elements, find errors, if any, and report them in the comments

First essay

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely” (J. Acton)
In his statement, the American historian and politician J. Acton raises the question of the influence of power on the behavior of the person who has it. This statement can be interpreted as follows: than more than a person endowed with power, the more often he begins to go beyond the boundaries of what is permitted and act only in his own interests. This problem has not lost its relevance for many centuries and history knows many cases when the unlimited power of a ruler led a country to ruin.
Disclosure of the theoretical part

So what is power and why does it exist? Power is the opportunity and ability to influence people's behavior regardless of their desire to do so. In any state, power is primarily aimed at maintaining order and monitoring compliance with laws, but often the more limitless power becomes, the more it corrupts a person and ceases to be a guarantor of justice, which is why I fully support the opinion of J. Acton.
Examples for revealing K3

A ruler endowed with great power ceases to care about the welfare of the entire people and tries even more to strengthen his position. Let's take, for example, the first Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible: striving for unlimited autocracy, he introduced oprichnina in the camp, which consisted of mass terror, violence, and the elimination of not only the dissatisfied boyars, but also any opposition. Thus, many innocent people were executed on suspicion of treason, which ultimately led the country to a crisis, the destruction of cities and the death of a huge number of people.
My family also faced the consequences of unlimited power during the reign of I.V. Stalin. During dispossession, my grandmother’s family was repressed, her father was sent to the Gulag, and six children were forced to live in a barracks with similarly repressed families. Stalin's policy was aimed at equalizing layers of the population, but the number of those dispossessed during his reign significantly exceeded the number of real kulaks, which is a clear violation of human rights and freedoms.
Thus, we can come to the conclusion that unlimited power corrupts people and brings not so much benefit as ruin and a decline in the standard of living of the population. In modern society, absolute power no longer prevails in most countries, which makes their inhabitants more free and independent.

Second essay

“When a tyrant rules, the people are silent and the laws do not apply” (Saadi)
I see the meaning of Saadi’s statement in the fact that legality is the basis for building a democratic state, while tyranny is opposed public good and is aimed only at achieving one’s own interests. This statement expresses two aspects: the participation of citizens in the life of the state under different political regimes and the attitude of the government to generally accepted laws.
Disclosure of the theoretical part

Tyranny is often inherent in states with unlimited power of one ruler; for the most part, these are countries with totalitarian regimes. Its main difference from democracy, a political regime characterized by the equality of all people before the law and power belonging to the people, is the concentration of all power in the hands of one ruler (party) and control over all spheres of society. With unlimited power, the ruler can interpret laws in his own favor, or even rewrite them, and the people do not have the right to express their own opinion, which absolutely does not correspond to the principle of legality. One cannot but agree with Saadi’s opinion, and history knows many proofs of this.
Examples for revealing K3

An example of tyranny is Italy during the reign of B. Mussolini. Having suppressed rights and freedoms in the country, Mussolini established a totalitarian regime and applied political repression. Heading seven ministries and serving as prime minister at the same time, he eliminated virtually all restrictions on his power, thus building a police state.
About lawlessness totalitarian regime says A. Solzhenitsyn in the story “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.” The work shows the life of a former soldier who, like many others, ended up in prison after the front. Solzhenitsyn described the situation of people during the reign of I.V. Stalin, when soldiers who managed to escape from German captivity, were declared enemies of the people and, instead of getting to their relatives, were forced to work in the colony for decades.
Having considered these examples, we can come to the conclusion that under the rule of a tyrant, human rights have no weight, and the people do not have the right to openly express their opinions, since they are constantly in fear for their lives.

Third essay

In his statement, P. Sir expressed his attitude to the problem of the characteristic features and characteristics of power. The author argues that any decisions that a person in power will ever have to make must be carefully thought out and analyzed from all sides. These words can be considered from two points of view: positive and negative influence power on society.
Disclosure of the theoretical part

P. Sir's statement does not lose its relevance to this day, because all the time, rash actions led to bad consequences both for the leaders themselves and for those who subordinate to them. That is why I completely share the author’s point of view regarding this problem. In order to confirm its relevance, it is first worth considering it from a theoretical point of view.
It’s worth starting with the simplest thing: what is power? As we know, power is the ability to influence the actions and decisions of people against their wishes. This usually happens both through persuasion and propaganda, and through the use of violence. Power is an integral attribute of any organization and human group, because without it, order and organization simply cannot be formed. The main sources of power can be identified as the personal attitude of each subordinate to the leader, and the level of his authority, material condition, level of education and strength.
Examples for revealing K3

To confirm the relevance of P. Cyr's statement, we can give an example from history. The monetary reform carried out by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, which replaced silver money with copper, may act as ill-considered actions. Due to the shortage of coins made from the latter material in the treasury, it was silver coins that collected taxes, which soon led to the almost complete depreciation of copper coins. The reform, which did not foresee such a scenario, did not allow the situation to be corrected, which led to the Copper Riot of 1662. The result of the uprising was the withdrawal of copper coins from circulation. This example clearly illustrates the lack of thoughtfulness and logic in the actions of a politician who had to cancel the transformation he had carried out in order to calm the angry people.
As a second example, this time of successful and planned transformations, we can cite events from recent history. It's about politics Russian Federation, carried out since the beginning of its existence. Thoughtful, systematic reforms were able to strengthen the disintegrated country. Also, the effect of these transformations was the strengthening of the state and its position in the international economic and political arena. This example shows us that a policy that does not involve sudden and thoughtless transformations, but structured and consistent reforms can lead to an improvement in the situation in the state.
To summarize, we can say that the problem of the characteristics of power and its characteristic features will never cease to be one of the most important issues, on the solution of which the fate of states depends and will continue to depend. Especially now, in the post-industrial age, which is characterized by globalization, incorrectly implemented reforms can have an impact not on individual countries, but on all powers together.

Fourth essay

“The state is something without which it is impossible to achieve either order, justice, or external security.” (M. Debre)
In his statement, M. Debre expressed his attitude towards the main functions of the state and their importance. According to the author, it is the state apparatus that plays a decisive role in the life of society, controlling the norms and rules of its behavior, regulating basic laws, and also being responsible for protecting the country’s borders and maintaining the safety of its population. This issue can be considered from two sides: the importance of the role of the state in the life of society and the ways in which the former influences the latter.
The words of M. Debre do not lose their relevance to this day, because regardless of the chronological period, the state has always played a key role in people's lives. That is why I completely share the author’s point of view. In order to confirm these words, it is first worth considering them from a theoretical point of view.
Disclosure of the theoretical part

What is the state itself? As we know from the political science course, any organization can be called a state political power, which has a mechanism for managing society that ensures the normal functioning of the latter. The functions of the state are not limited to any one area of life, but affect their entirety. Besides internal functions There are also external ones, the most important of which is the process of ensuring the defense of the state’s territory and establishing international cooperation.
Examples for revealing K3

To give a first example, let's look at ancient history. States among all peoples began to form for similar reasons, but in in this case Let's consider this process and its consequences using the example of East Slavic tribes. One of the main prerequisites for the formation Old Russian state there was a need for protection from an external enemy - the Khazar Kaganate. Scattered and warring tribes could not cope with the enemy alone, but after the formation of the state, victory over the nomads was only a matter of time. This clearly illustrates the effect of one of the essential functions state - defensive.
The following example illustrating the impact of the state on society can be cited from New history. As is known, in 1861 Alexander II carried out peasant reform, the result of which was the abolition of serfdom. This phenomenon had a great influence on the lives of Russian people, because most of population Russian Empire at that time they were nothing more than serfs. By granting them freedom, the state significantly expanded the rights and responsibilities of the freed peasants. The consequence of the abolition of serfdom was the formation of a new social stratum, a change in the foundations and customs that had developed over several centuries. This example shows us the consequences of government reform, which affected the entire population of the country.
To summarize, we can say that the importance of the role of the state and the necessity of the functions it performs are time-tested. Without influencing, exerting any influence on the citizens of the country, the state apparatus simply cannot exist, and the changes it makes can be perceived differently by citizens

I hope the article helped you deal with a rather problematic exam question. Help spread the word from this article: click on the buttons social networks and subscribe to blog updates to receive new articles in your timely manner email. Bye everyone

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A mini-essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies is an alternative task. This means that the exam participant can choose from several proposed options the one that is closer and more interesting to him.

Essay topics are short quotes– aphorisms related to five blocks of the training course, one for each. The thematic areas of statements are as follows:

Philosophy,
Economy,
Sociology, social psychology,
Political science,
Jurisprudence.

Of the five statements, you need to choose only one (the closest or most understandable) and write a mini-essay that reveals the meaning of the chosen aphorism and contains illustrative examples.

The “weight” of the social studies essay in the final points is quite small: about 8% of the total points. A perfectly written paper can earn only 5 primary points out of 62 possible, about 8%. Therefore, you should not approach the work as fundamentally as when writing essays on the Russian language or essays on literature.

The compilers of the Unified State Examination themselves suggest taking 36-45 minutes to write an essay on social studies (this is exactly the time period indicated in the specification). For comparison: an essay on the Russian language takes 110 minutes, and a full-length essay on literature takes 115.

All this suggests that the approach to social science should be different: there is no need to create a “masterpiece”, there are no mandatory requirements for presentation style (or even literacy), and even the volume of work is not regulated. Here it is not necessary to write 150-350 words of text: after all, the task is positioned as a “mini-essay” and if you manage to reveal the idea briefly and succinctly, this will be welcome.

It is enough to simply demonstrate knowledge of the subject and the ability to find suitable examples to support your point of view - and express your thoughts coherently and convincingly on the exam form.

Criteria for assessing essays in social studies on the Unified State Exam

The essay is scored based on three criteria in total. To earn the maximum five points, you must meet the following "required minimum":

Reveal the meaning of the original statement, or at least demonstrate that you correctly understood what its author meant (1 point). This key moment: If you did not understand the quote and received 0 points for the first criterion, the work will not be assessed further.

Demonstrate knowledge of theory(2 points). Here, to get a high grade, it is necessary to analyze the meaning of the statement, using the knowledge acquired during the study of the school social studies course, remember the main points of the theory, and use the terminology correctly. Incomplete compliance with the requirements, deviation from the original topic or semantic errors will result in the loss of one point.

Ability to find relevant examples(2 points). To receive the highest mark on this criterion, you must illustrate the problem with two (at least) examples - facts that confirm the main idea of the essay. Moreover, they must be from sources of different types. Sources can be

examples from fiction, feature films and documentaries;
examples from popular science literature, the history of various branches of science;
historical facts;
facts gleaned while studying other school subjects;
personal experience and observations;
media reports.

If only personal experience is used as examples or examples of the same type are given (for example, both from fiction), the score is reduced by a point. A zero for this criterion is given if the examples do not correspond to the topic or if there is no information at all.

Social studies essay writing plan

There are no strict requirements for the structure of the essay - the main thing is to reveal the meaning of the statement, demonstrate knowledge of the theory and support it with facts. However, given that you don’t have much time to think about it, you can stick to a standard essay plan that includes all the necessary elements.

1. The optional part is the introduction. General statement of the problem (one or two sentences). In an essay on social studies, this point of the plan can be omitted and go straight to the interpretation of the proposed aphorism, but schoolchildren often find it difficult to deviate from the usual compositional scheme, when the “gist of the matter” is preceded by general reasoning. Therefore, if you are used to starting with an introduction, write it, if this is not important for you, you can omit this point, the points will not be reduced for this.

2. Revealing the meaning of the original statement– 2-3 sentences. There is no need to quote in full; it is enough to refer to its author and state the meaning of the phrase in your own words. It must be remembered that, unlike an essay in Russian, where it is necessary to isolate a problem, an essay in social science can be devoted to a phenomenon, a process, or simply a statement of fact. To reveal the meaning of a statement, you can use templates like “In the proposed statement, N.N (a famous philosopher, economist, famous writer) considers (describes, talks about ...) such a phenomenon (process, problem) as ..., interpreting it as ... " or “The meaning of the statement ( expressions, aphorisms) N. N is that...”

3. Theoretical part (3-4 sentences). Here it is necessary to confirm or refute the author’s point of view, relying on the knowledge gained in class and using special terminology. If you agree with the author’s point of view, then, by and large, this part is a detailed translation of the original phrase into “textbook language.” For example, if the author called children’s games in the yard a “school of life”, you will write about what institutions of socialization are and the role they play in the process of an individual’s assimilation of social norms. Here you can also quote quotes from other philosophers, economists, etc., confirming the main idea of the text - however, this is not a mandatory requirement.

4. Factual part(4-6 sentences). Here it is necessary to give at least two examples confirming the theses put forward in the previous paragraph. In this part it is better to avoid " common words” and talk about specifics. And do not forget to indicate sources of information. For example, “experiments devoted to” have been repeatedly described in popular science literature; “as we know from the school physics course...”, “ writer N,N. in his novel “Untitled” he describes the situation…”, “on the shelves of the supermarket opposite my school you can see...”.

5. Conclusion(1-2 sentences). Since an essay on social studies on the Unified State Exam is, by and large, a proof of a certain theoretical position, you can complete the essay by summing up what has been said. For example: “Thus, both real-life examples and reading experience suggest that...”, followed by a restatement of the main thesis.

remember, that the main thing is to correctly reveal the meaning of the statement. Therefore, when choosing from the proposed options, take a quote whose interpretation is beyond your doubts.

Before you start writing the text, remember the terminology on this topic. Write them down on a draft form so you can use them later in your work.

Choose the most suitable examples on this topic. Remember that examples from literature may not be limited to works school curriculum– in the social studies exam, you can use any literary works as arguments. We should not forget that relying on reading experience in the case of social studies is not a priority: remember cases from life; news heard on the radio; topics discussed in society and so on. Also write down the selected examples on the draft form.

Since literacy, style and composition of the text are not graded, if you are confident enough to express your thoughts in writing, it is better not to waste time writing a full draft. Limit yourself to drawing up a thesis plan and write straight away- this will help save time.

Start the essay after you have answered all other questions.– otherwise you may not fit in the time limit and lose more points than you gain. For example, the first four tasks with detailed answers (based on the text read) can give a total of 10 primary points (twice as much as an essay), and formulating answers to them usually takes much less time than writing a mini-essay.

If you are “floating” in the topic and you feel that you cannot write an essay with maximum points - do this task anyway. Every point is important - and even if you only manage to correctly formulate the topic and give at least one example “from life” - you will receive two primary points for your social studies essay on the Unified State Exam, which is much better than zero.

Among all Unified State Exam subjects The 2019 social studies exam will traditionally be popular, which means that today 11th graders should ask what the structure of an essay should be, as well as what cliches can be used when writing a mini-essay.

We propose to analyze in more detail the features of task No. 29 of KIMs in social studies, and also find out what advice experienced teachers and USE tutors give to graduates.

What will change in the Unified State Examination in social studies in 2019

Due to the changes that affect tasks 25, 28 and 29, the total primary score of the 2019 Unified State Exam in society will increase to 65 points (in 2018 this parameter was 64 points).

FIPI officially announced that the following changes are planned:

More details about the changes that will come into force in 2018-2019 academic year read in the document.

For an essay, the specifications allow 45 minutes, but tutors recommend leaving at least 60-90 minutes for a mini-essay out of the total exam time, which in 2019 is 235 minutes (almost 4 hours).

Criteria for assessing a mini-essay/essay (task 29) at the Unified State Exam in Social Studies in 2019

(compiled based on Demo version KIM Unified State Exam 2019 in social studies)

№	Criteria for assessing a mini-essay	Points
29.1	Revealing the meaning of a statement	1 point
	The meaning of the statement is revealed: one or more main ideas related to the content of the social science course are correctly identified, and/or one or more theses are formulated in the context of the statement, which require justification.	1 point
	The meaning of the statement is not revealed: not a single main idea is highlighted / not a single thesis is formulated. OR The highlighted idea, the formulated thesis does not reflect the meaning of the statement / the meaning of the statement has been replaced by reasoning of a general nature (“homework”) that does not reflect the specifics of the proposed statement. OR Disclosure of the meaning is replaced by a direct retelling/paraphrasing of the given statement/sequential explanation of each word in the statement without explaining the meaning of the statement as a whole.	0 points
	Assessment instructions: If 0 points are assigned according to criterion 29.1, then 0 points are assigned for all other evaluation criteria.
29.2	Theoretical content of the mini-essay: explanation of the key concept(s), presence and correctness of theoretical provisions	2 points
	In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, correct explanations of the key concept(s) and theoretical principles.	2 points
	In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, explanations of the key concept(s) that are correct from the point of view of scientific social science (without errors) are given; theoretical positions are not presented. OR In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, theoretical provisions that are correct from the point of view of scientific social science (without errors) are presented, the meaning of the key concept(s) is not disclosed. OR In the given explanations of the key concept(s) / theoretical provisions, there are some inaccuracies that do not distort the scientific meaning of these concepts, theoretical provisions	1 point
	All other situations not provided for by the rules for assigning 2 and 1 points, including if there is no theoretical content of the mini-essay: the meaning of the key concept(s) is not explained, theoretical provisions are not given or are not related to the main idea/ thesis, do not reveal the meaning of the statement. OR Reasoning of an everyday nature is given without relying on social science knowledge.	0 points
29.3	Theoretical content of the mini-essay: the presence and correctness of reasoning and conclusions.	1 point
	In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis based on the correct explanation(s) of the key concept(s), theoretical provisions, interconnected consistent and consistent reasoning is presented, on the basis of which a well-founded and a conclusion that is reliable from the point of view of scientific social science.	1 point
	All other situations, including reasoning and conclusions of an everyday nature without relying on social science knowledge.	0 points
29.4	Quality of social facts and examples provided	2 points
	At least two correct, comprehensively formulated facts/examples are given from various sources that confirm the illustrated idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion and do not duplicate each other in content. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay.	2 points
	Only one correct, fully formulated fact/example is given that confirms the illustrated idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion. There is a clear connection between this fact/example and the idea/thesis/proposition/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. OR Correct, well-formulated facts/examples are cited from sources of the same type that confirm the illustrated idea/thesis/proposition/reasoning/conclusion. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. OR Two examples from sources are given different types, duplicating each other in content. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay.	1 point
	All other situations not covered by the rules for assigning 2 and 1 points.	0 points
	Assessment instructions: Facts of social life (including media reports), personal social experience (including books read, films watched), materials from educational subjects (history, geography, etc.) can be used as sources. 1. Examples from different academic subjects are considered as examples from various sources; 2. Facts/examples containing factual and semantic errors that lead to a significant distortion of the essence of the statement or indicate a lack of understanding of the historical, literary, geographical and (or) other material used are not counted in the assessment.	0 points
	*Maximum score - 6*

Essay structure

3. The meaning of the statement.

4. Own point of view.

5. Argumentation at the theoretical level.

6. At least two examples from social practice, history and/or literature confirming the correctness of the opinions expressed.

1. Choice of statement

Choosing statements for an essay, you must be sure that

You know the basic concepts of the basic science to which it relates;

Clearly understand the meaning of the statement;

You can express your own opinion (fully or partially agree with the statement or refute it);

You know the social science terms necessary to competently substantiate a personal position at a theoretical level (the terms and concepts used must clearly correspond to the topic of the essay and not go beyond it);

Be able to give examples from social practice, history, literature, as well as personal life experience to confirm your own opinion.

2. Definition of the problem of the statement
For a clearer formulation of the problem, we offer a list of possible formulations of problems that occur most often.

After formulating the problem, you must indicate relevance of the problem V modern conditions. To do this, you can use cliche phrases:
This problem is relevant in the conditions…

...globalization of social relations;

…formation of a unified information, educational, economic space;

...exacerbation global problems modernity;

…the special controversial nature of scientific discoveries and inventions;

…development of international integration;

...modern market economy;

…development and overcoming the global economic crisis;

...strict differentiation of society;

…an open social structure modern society;

…formation of the rule of law;

...overcoming the spiritual and moral crisis;

…dialogue of cultures;

…the need to preserve one’s own identity and traditional spiritual values.

To the problem it is necessary come back periodically throughout the essay writing process. This is necessary in order to correctly reveal its content, and also not to accidentally go beyond the scope of the problem and not get carried away by reasoning that is not related to the meaning of this statement (this is one of the most common mistakes in many exam essays).

3. Formulation of the main idea of the statement
Next, you need to reveal the meaning of the statement, but you should not repeat the statement verbatim. In this case, you can use the following cliches:

“The meaning of this statement is that...”

4. Determining your position on the statement
Here you can agree with the author completely, Can partially, refuting a certain part of the statement, or argue with the author, expressing the opposite opinion. In this case, you can use cliche phrases:

“Have you ever thought about the fact that...?”

5-6. Argumentation of your own opinion
Next, you should justify your own opinion on this issue. To do this, you need to select arguments (evidence), that is, remember the basic terms and theoretical positions.
Argumentation must be carried out at two levels:
1. Theoretical level- its basis is social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as the opinions of scientists and thinkers).
2. Empirical level- There are two options here:
a) using examples from history, literature and events in society;
b) appeal to personal experience.

When selecting facts, examples from public life and personal social experience, mentally answer the following questions:
1. Do they confirm my opinion?
2. Could they be interpreted differently?
3. Do they contradict the thesis I expressed?
4. Are they persuasive?
The proposed form will make it possible to strictly control the adequacy of the arguments presented and will prevent “going off topic”.

7. Conclusion
Finally, you need to formulate a conclusion. The conclusion should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification: it brings together in one or two sentences, the main ideas of the arguments and summarizes the reasoning, confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the judgment that was the topic of the essay.
To formulate a problematic conclusion, cliche phrases can be used:
“Thus, we can conclude...”
“To summarize, I would like to note that...”

Main mistakes and shortcomings in graduates’ works

Analysis of graduates' work allows us to identify some typical mistakes that are made at various stages of essay writing.

When formulating the problem and the meaning of the author’s statement:

1) On the one hand, misunderstanding and inability to isolate the problem of the statement is associated with a lack of knowledge of the basic science to which the quotation relates, and on the other hand, with an attempt to fit known issues, discussed in lessons, in previously written, read, that is, finished essays.

2) The inability to formulate a problem is often associated with a lack of developed vocabulary and terminology in basic social sciences.

3) The inability to formulate the meaning of the author’s statement is associated with a misunderstanding or incorrect understanding of its content, and a lack of necessary social science knowledge.

4) Substitution of the problem with the author's position - due to the fact that the student does not see the difference between them. The problem is the topic of the author's discussion. It is always broad and includes several opinions and positions, often completely opposite to each other. The essence or meaning of the author's statement is his personal answer to the question posed, one of several existing in science or social thought.

When expressing and arguing your own position:

1. The lack of arguments is due to the student’s ignorance or ignorance of the requirements for an essay in social studies and its structure.

2. The graduate’s argument only repeats the statement.

3. Errors in operations with concepts: unjustified expansion or narrowing of the meaning of the concept in question, substitution of concepts.

4. Errors in working with information caused by the inability to analyze social experience. Often, the examples given by graduates are weakly related to the position under consideration (the connection is either not traceable or is superficial and does not reflect essential points).

5. Uncritical perception of social information from media reports and the Internet. As a result, unverified facts, unfounded or provocative statements, and biased assessments are often used by graduates as evidence in essays.

6. The predominance of a one-sided view of social phenomena, inability to identify and build cause-and-effect relationships.

Topics for 2019

No one knows exactly what statements will be offered to 11th graders in 2018-2019. There is a certain bank of problems that are relevant to the main topics of social science, which can be guided by in preparation for the Unified State Exam.

Clichés for a mini-essay

Is it worth looking for ready-made essays for the Unified State Exam in social studies?

In fact, the idea of finding and learning ready-made essay options comes to many graduates at the stage of preparing for exams. But you should be especially careful here, because there is a lot of irrelevant information on the Internet. Even the examples posted on the FIPI website are works from 2013, and since then there have been many changes in the evaluation criteria for this task. Moreover, you should not expect to get a high score for standard version essays, because experts who have been working on the Unified State Exam for many years now also know these texts very well.

Conclusion - you need to look not for a ready-made text, but for clichés and clever thoughts that can be “strung” onto the above structure, getting your own unique essay for the Unified State Exam 2019. We offer you a selection of such preparations:

Secrets of a good mini-essay

In order for your essay to be holistic, concise, but at the same time deeply revealing the essence of the problem, you must:

Understand the essence of the problem. Do not take statements whose problem you do not initially understand.
Choose the right quote. This is an important stage that should be given enough time during the preparation stage.
Build a chain of reasoning. All blocks of a mini-essay must be interconnected. It is recommended to periodically return to the main idea of the statement in the text.
Consider the issue from different points of view, if any..
Find the right examples.

Here are some useful tips to help you choose the examples and arguments that the new social studies essay structure requires, taking into account the innovations of 2019:

Also watch the video lesson on completing task No. 29 in the Unified State Exam in social studies for the 2018-2019 academic year: