Higher Level Essay - 10 Common Mistakes

Summary

In this educational video, Andrew and Dave from 'The IB English Guys' offer valuable guidance on writing a higher-level essay for IB English students. They discuss 10 common mistakes to avoid, emphasizing the importance of a clear research question, a well-crafted thesis statement, and an engaging introduction. They also advise on avoiding limited scopes, long and rambling paragraphs, poor use of references, word count issues, and careless mistakes. Additionally, they suggest including an appendix for supplementary material to enhance the essay. The presenters aim to help students improve their writing skills and succeed in their IB English assessments.

Takeaways

• 😀 Have a clear research question or title to avoid a poor first impression.
• 📝 Ensure a well-worded and precise thesis statement to guide your essay.
• 🤝 Craft an engaging and informative introduction to make a strong first impression on the examiner.
• 📚 Maintain a broad scope in your essay, covering a range of texts or works rather than focusing on a single piece.
• 📑 Organize your essay with clear and concise body paragraphs, avoiding long and rambling sections.
• 📘 Use references effectively by interspersing quotes throughout the text, avoiding lengthy quotations that waste word count.
• ✍️ Pay attention to word count, aiming for close to 1500 words to demonstrate thoroughness in your work.
• 🧐 Include strong topic sentences in your paragraphs that reflect your line of inquiry and literary or linguistic focus.
• 🚫 Avoid careless mistakes and poor formatting; proofread your work and ensure correct citations and references.
• 📎 Consider adding an appendix for additional material that enhances your essay, such as poems or transcripts of video ads.

Q & A

What is the first common mistake to avoid when writing a higher level IB English essay?

The first common mistake to avoid is having an unclear research question or title. It's important to be very clear and focused in your title and research question to avoid giving a poor first impression.

Why is it important to have a well-worded thesis statement in a higher level essay?

A well-worded thesis statement is crucial because it sets the tone for the entire essay. It should be precise, focused, and analytical, reflecting the line of inquiry and the essential components of the broader literary or linguistic perspective.

What role does the introduction play in a higher level essay?

The introduction serves as the 'handshake' with the examiner. It should be engaging and informative, providing a clear overview of the text and a strong thesis statement to make a good first impression.

Why should students avoid a limited or narrow scope in their higher level essays?

A limited or narrow scope can be problematic because it doesn't allow students to show command of an entire body of work, which is expected in a 1500-word essay. Students should consider multiple texts to connect and support their argument.

What is the issue with long and rambling body paragraphs in an essay?

Long and rambling paragraphs can make an essay difficult to follow and understand. It's important to have clear topic sentences and well-organized paragraphs to ensure the essay is coherent and easy to read.

How should students use references in their higher level essays?

Students should use references effectively by interspersing quotes throughout the text. Long quotations that take up multiple lines are not recommended as they waste word count and space, and should be avoided.

What are the implications of not adhering to the word count in a higher level essay?

Not adhering to the word count can negatively impact the essay. Going over the word count is not allowed, and having a very low word count can suggest that the student could have more to say, which might indicate insufficient effort or depth of analysis.

Why is it important to have clear topic sentences in the paragraphs of a higher level essay?

Clear topic sentences are important because they remind the reader of the essay's line of inquiry and the broad literary or linguistic focus. They help to structure the argument and keep the essay focused and coherent.

What are some common issues to avoid in terms of formatting and proofreading an essay?

Students should avoid careless mistakes and poor formatting. This includes ensuring proper proofreading to catch errors, using a clear font and spacing, and adhering to correct citation and reference formats as guided by the teacher.

Why might an appendix be beneficial in a higher level essay?

An appendix can be beneficial as it provides a place for additional material that enhances the text. For example, including poems or transcripts of video ads with screenshots can make the essay more accessible and meaningful for the reader.

What is the overarching advice given by the IB English guys for writing a higher level essay?

The overarching advice is to make the essay easier on the reader by considering who will be reading the work and ensuring it is accessible, well-organized, and meaningful. This approach not only applies to literature but is also a valuable life skill.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Common Mistakes in Higher Level IB English Essays

Andrew and Dave, known as 'The IB English Guys', discuss the top 10 common mistakes to avoid when writing a higher level IB English essay. They emphasize the importance of having a clear research question and title, avoiding vague thesis statements, and crafting an engaging and informative introduction. The duo also advises on the necessity of a broad scope in essays, especially when analyzing shorter texts like poetry or advertisements, and the importance of well-structured body paragraphs with clear topic sentences. Additionally, they warn against long quotations that waste word count and the need for careful proofreading to avoid careless mistakes and poor formatting. Lastly, they stress the significance of adhering to the word count and the inclusion of an appendix for additional material to enhance the essay.

05:01

📚 Enhancing the Higher Level Essay with Appendices

In the second paragraph, the focus shifts to the strategic use of appendices in higher level essays. While not mandatory, appendices can provide additional material that enhances the essay, such as including poems or transcripts of video ads with screenshots. The speakers suggest that appendices can serve as a 'nice touch' and an extra effort to present the best work possible. They underline the importance of making the essay reader-friendly and accessible, which is a practice beneficial not only in academic writing but also in life. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to follow the teacher's guidance on citation styles and a final note encouraging students to apply the discussed tips to improve their higher level essays and succeed in IB English.

Keywords

💡Higher Level Essay

The 'Higher Level Essay' is a specific assignment type within the International Baccalaureate (IB) English curriculum, which requires students to write an essay of approximately 1500 words on a topic related to their study of literature or language. In the video, Andrew and Dave discuss common mistakes to avoid when writing this essay, emphasizing the importance of clarity, focus, and analytical depth.

💡Research Question

A 'Research Question' is a focused inquiry that guides the exploration and investigation of a particular topic. In the context of the video, having a clear research question is crucial for setting the direction of the Higher Level Essay and ensuring that the essay remains focused and relevant throughout.

💡Thesis Statement

A 'Thesis Statement' is a declarative sentence that presents the main argument or claim of an essay. It is a critical component of the Higher Level Essay, as it provides a clear and concise overview of the writer's position. The video emphasizes the need for a well-worded and precise thesis statement to guide the reader through the essay.

💡Introduction

The 'Introduction' of an essay serves as the first impression for the reader, setting the tone and providing an overview of what the essay will cover. In the video, Andrew and Dave stress the importance of an engaging and informative introduction that includes a strong thesis statement, as it is the reader's first encounter with the writer's argument.

💡Scope

The 'Scope' of an essay refers to the breadth and depth of the subject matter being explored. The video advises against a limited or narrow scope, suggesting that students should consider a larger body of work rather than focusing on a single text, to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

💡Paragraphing

Effective 'Paragraphing' is essential for organizing an essay and presenting ideas in a clear and structured manner. The video script mentions avoiding long and rambling paragraphs, advocating for clear topic sentences and well-organized content within each paragraph.

💡References

Proper use of 'References' is vital for supporting arguments and providing evidence in an essay. The video advises against using excessively long quotations, which can waste word count, and instead encourages the strategic use of quotes that advance the writer's argument and line of inquiry.

💡Word Count

The 'Word Count' is a measure of the length of an essay, and it is a critical aspect of the Higher Level Essay as it dictates the extent of the student's exploration of the topic. The video warns against both going over and under the word count, aiming for a balance that shows thoroughness and depth.

💡Topic Sentences

A 'Topic Sentence' is the first sentence of a paragraph that states the main idea or argument of that paragraph. The video emphasizes the importance of clear and precise topic sentences that remind the reader of the essay's broader focus and guide them through the writer's argument.

💡Formatting

Proper 'Formatting' refers to the presentation and layout of an essay, including font size, spacing, and citation style. The video stresses the importance of careful proofreading and formatting to ensure the essay is clean, organized, and professional, which contributes to the reader's overall impression.

💡Appendix

An 'Appendix' is additional material included at the end of an essay to provide supplementary information. While not mandatory, the video suggests that an appendix can enhance the essay by offering extra context or evidence, such as including poems or transcripts of video ads, which can make the essay more accessible and meaningful to the reader.

Highlights

Unclear research question or title is a common mistake to avoid.

Titles and research questions should be clear and focused.

Refer back to previous videos for advice on line of inquiry and thesis papers.

Poorly worded or vague thesis statements should be avoided.

Take time to refine the thesis for precision and focus.

Introduction acts as a handshake with the examiner and should be engaging and informative.

Strong thesis statement is crucial in the introduction.

Avoid a limited or narrow scope in the higher level essay.

Show command of an entire body of work rather than focusing on a single text.

Long and rambling body paragraphs should be avoided.

Ensure paragraphs have clear topic sentences and are well-structured.

Effective use of references is key; avoid long quotations.

Word count issues should be addressed; aim for close to 1500 words.

Poor topic sentences in paragraphs can mislead the reader.

Careless mistakes and poor formatting can negatively impact the essay.

Proofread and format the essay with a clean and organized appearance.

Consider including an appendix for additional material to enhance the essay.

Make the essay reader-friendly and accessible.

Tips provided aim to improve higher level essay writing and success in IB English.

Transcripts

hi i'm andrew and i'm dave and we are

the ib english guys and today we want to

address the higher level essay this is a

i think an assessment lots of students

are working on and we want to talk about

the 10 common mistakes in the higher

level essay okay these are 10 things not

to do not 10 things that you want to do

that's right just want to be clear all

right mr giles start us off give me

number one what's the first common

mistake we should avoid i think the

first thing is an unclear research

question or unclear title we want to we

don't want to be cryptic with our with

our titles and our and our title page we

want to really be very clear and focused

i mean you have to have a research a

title and a research question yeah folks

you might want to go back to that last

video where we talked about line of

inquiry you might want to go look at our

higher level essay thesis papers video

as well we have a lot of advice for you

on this i'm surprised sometimes i'll

just get a paper and there'll be no

there'll be no title no research

question and just the the introduction

just staring at me that's prob that's

problematic yeah that's a very poor

first impression the second thing you

want to avoid when thinking about the

higher left higher level essay excuse me

is a poorly worded or vague thesis

statement mr giles we've got plenty of

time to wordsmith this paper we have

plenty of time to conference with our

teacher we have plenty of time to do

research we have to be very precise very

focused and very analytical and exact

with the wording of our thesis broad

literary or linguistic perspective right

that's our line of inquiry please

remember the essential components of the

line of inquiry third common mistake a

week introduction i think your

introduction's your handshake with your

examiner with your reader and we want to

make sure that our introduction is

engaging we want to also make sure that

our introduction is informative and

gives informed information about the

text this is again the in the examiners

being thrown into your text you got to

do some explanation and you have to have

a strong thesis statement so make sure

your introduction great first handshake

first impression i agree 100 mr chiles i

think another thing to avoid is a

limited or narrow scope in your higher

level essay typically you would see this

perhaps when a student has chosen poetry

or an advertisement where they're

looking at one small text but they're

not considering the larger body of work

remember this is a 1 500 word paper you

want to show command of an entire body

of work if you're doing poetry you need

two or three poems if you're doing ads

you need two or three ads you can't just

focus on one ad you must connect to that

larger campaign or work sure texts need

friends short texts need friends mr

giles okay the next one is our kind of a

pet peeve is long and rambling body

paragraphs your paragraphing is really

important this is a 1500 word essay so

you got to make sure you're really

thinking deliberately about your body

paragraphs and and make sure that your

paragraphs are not long and rambling and

and you have an unclear topic that's

that's a problem yeah if you have to

break up a long paragraph consider

adding another sort of mini topic

sentence as a holding point because we

don't like to see paragraphs without

topic sentences right so right keep that

in mind i think another thing to avoid

is poor use of references mr giles we

like to see little nuggets of quotes

interspersed throughout the text we

don't like to see long long quotations

that take up you know two three lines we

think that's a waste of your word count

a waste of your space so please use your

references effectively make sure they're

well chosen only identifying the key

aspects of the play that help push your

argument and your line of inquiry

further yeah that's great you choose

those you choose those really rich

quotes that just give you so much stuff

to talk about it's great okay the next

thing is word count issues and i say

word count issues because

going over word count is an absolute no

no no one goes over word count we don't

want to do that but we also want to

think about going under go having a

really low word count is to me a a sign

that you could have more to say and so

we want to make sure we want to try to

get as close to 1500 as possible but mr

giles the course guide says 12 to 1500

words no

yeah that's true that's true but we

think better you better be close to 1500

not close to 1200 it shows that you put

a lot of time and energy and thinking in

your hand make sure you put the word

count at the bottom of your paper

essential it has to be there yeah

another thing we've already talked about

briefly but again avoid poor topic

sentences in your paragraphs remember

you have a very precise line of inquiry

you have a broad literary or linguistic

focus let's see those things in the

topic sentences remind the reader of

your idea remind the reader of that

broad literary or linguistic focus

include that with a rich idea in the

topic sentence then use other features

to help round out your argument yeah

that's right remember also the next the

next thing to avoid and again this is

not just something that you're texting

to your friend where you have

autocorrect okay is careless mistakes

and poor formatting i can't emphasize

this enough and my friend lisa would

laugh because i do sometimes make

careless mistakes in my handouts i got

to be really careful every time i write

something i always find a mistake if i'm

not reading it over carefully so we have

to make sure we proofread it we're not

just using um a spell checker and then

we're really formatting that thing with

a nice font that's probably 12 point

font and a one and a half spacing and

it's really a clean great well organized

page yeah make sure your references your

citations are correct as well your

teacher will guide you on that there's

several different approaches so stay

with your teacher's advice on that mr

giles the last one

you're the higher level essay master

tell us about the appendix and why we

need to have an appendix in there yeah

there's no rule that says you can't have

an appendix an appendix is like

additional material that you want to put

in your essay to me if you're writing

about poetry put the poems in your

appendix the examiner would like that

because they probably would like to read

the poetry but mr giles of course god

says it doesn't say to do that why would

you do that because it's just that extra

final thing that you could add to

enhance your text it's a nice touch you

know you're making it's like you're a

job interview you're you're applying for

you want to do your best work here make

it look nice if you're doing a video ad

for langlet let's say you do a video ad

put the transcript of the video ad with

a few screenshots from your video ad in

an appendix really nice touch a big

takeaway for all this is make it easier

on your reader and this isn't just about

laying lit this is about life in general

you want to think about who's going to

be reading this piece of work and how

can i make it easy accessible and really

meaningful for them okay in closing once

again we hope that this video gives you

some ideas gives you some tips things to

avoid but hopefully we hope that this

makes you write a better higher level

essay and ultimately helps you succeed

in ib english and below hand out below

thanks for watching see you next time

thank you

you