Worked examples

RETRIEVAL STARTER — The French Revolution 1. Name two groups of people who made up the Third Estate in France before the Revolution. [Recall] 2. What was the significance of the Estates-General meeting in 1789? [Recall] 3. A French peasant in 1788 pays 80% of their income in taxes and tithes. How might this have contributed to their support for the Revolution? [Application] 4. Explain why the harvest failure of 1788 made the political situation in France more dangerous. [Explain why] 5. Louis XVI was a weak king who struggled to make decisions. How might this weakness have made the Revolution more likely? [Application] ANSWER KEY 1. Peasants (the majority) and the bourgeoisie (middle class — merchants, lawyers, doctors). 2. It was the first meeting of the representative body since 1614. When the Third Estate's demands were rejected, they formed the National Assembly — a key step toward revolution. 3. Heavy taxation while the nobility paid little or nothing created deep resentment and made ordinary people willing to support dramatic change. 4. Food shortages caused by the failed harvest meant bread prices soared. Hungry, desperate people were far more willing to take to the streets and support radical action. 5. A more decisive king might have made reforms early enough to prevent the crisis. Louis's inability to act — he kept changing course and alienating different groups — meant the situation escalated unchecked.

Comment 3: Your personal voice comes through clearly in the opening paragraphs, and the central experience you chose is genuinely interesting. Where this essay could go further is in developing the reflection — at the moment, the narrative describes what happened more than it explores what it meant. As a next step, look at your final paragraph and ask: what did I actually learn from this? Write two sentences that answer that question directly. Comment 7: There is a real sense of atmosphere in your writing, particularly in the descriptive passages — the reader is drawn in. The area to develop is the ending, which arrives a little abruptly and leaves the reader without a sense of completion. Before your next draft, try writing three possible final sentences for this essay and choose the one that feels most resolved.

EXTENSION — The Water Cycle Part A: Complete the standard task (draw, label, and explain each stage). Part B — Climate Challenge: Imagine a region where average temperatures increase by 3°C over the next 50 years. Using your knowledge of the water cycle, explain: — How evaporation rates would change, and why. — What effect this might have on precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) patterns. — Why this could lead to both more severe droughts and more intense flooding in different parts of the world. Write your answer in three paragraphs — one for each bullet point above. Part C — Going further: Scientists use the water cycle to study and model climate change. Suggest one way that studying the water cycle helps scientists predict the effects of global warming. You may use your own research to support your answer.