How do I approach a History essay exam question?

Knowing the course content is essential to exceed in History, but exam technique is equally vital in achieving a good grade. At GCSE level, there must be a strong focus on the question throughout your response to ensure the question is answered in full and to make sure students do not 'waffle' and go off-topic. The simple PEEL format is useful at this level (make a point, evidence it, explain how this evidence supports your point, and link - demonstrating how this point is relevant in answering this question.) Practising this type of structured answers will allow you to focus on the topic of the question, as with History many students panic and simply try to throw all their knowledge onto the paper without any relevence to the question - this is a waste of time and you will not be rewarded for knowledge not deemed relevent to the question. Having an idea of paragraph structure is always helpful, ensuring to briefly introduce your argument in the introduction and link back to the question, and your argument, in the conclusion. Ensure time is spent planning your answer before you start writing your essay.