"The creation of the New Model Army was the significant cause of the Parliamentary victory in period 1642-46." Assess the validity of this veiw.

This is a 25 mark essay question which can be structured into 4 main paragraphs + brief intro and conclusion. The student would be advised to link the paragraphs together in order to ensure a smooth transition from one topic to another. Also, any facts they may know should be incorporated into the essay as evidence to reinforce their points. Intro (very brief) - summary of all discussed factors (e.g. NMA, royalist errors, Scottish covenantors etc.) + judgement on whether statement is valid.
Para 1 - New Model Army's significance e.g. training and discipline, professional funding + structure, military record (battles)
Para 2 - either a continuation of themes covered in paragraph (e.g. good leadership - Fairfax and Cromwell) or counter to points made in paragraph 1 (e.g. tide already turned, parliament controlled richest areas of the country etc.)
Para 3 - Transition to other factors aside from NMA e.g. Scottish covenanters (army of 21,000 = royalists fighting on 2 fronts), their intervention in battles = contributed to Parliamentary victory?
Para 4 - Royalist errors (factionalism in their military, tactical errors e.g. failure to win at Edgehill = road to London not cleared, strategic errors = failure to capitalise on victories early in the war/initiative, nepotism over merit for promotion).
Conclusion - summary of above factors + reiterate the judgement.