hello I have two questions!
1- Is there some secret to structuring sor essays? No matter what I try I can't get decent marks
2- How many bible verses per essay?
thank you! and congrats on such a great score!
Hey James!
1. I'll break down a bit on how I personally structured my SOR responses but I know plenty of people who structured their responses differently and received amazing results as well so it's important to try find a way that gets the information down succinctly and clearly!
- For an essay on Significant Person, I planned to do 1 paragraph = 1 contribution and/or impact (+ impact). I found this allowed me to structure my response in a way that did not confuse me and enabled the examiner to understand my different points. Another point is, at the end of each paragraph, I would always link it back to how the person's legacy remains today. (i.e. how did they influence the beliefs, teachings, practice of the present day religion).
- For an essay on Ethics I typically did intro paragraph, 1 paragraph on the ethical teachings of the religion and link in sacred texts/principal beliefs, then 1 paragraph = 1 Ethical issue. Within these ethical issue paragraphs (i.e. abortion, euthanasia, contraception, deforestation etc), I would clearly define the issue, state how it relates to an ethical teaching, and what the various denominations say about this issue. Using a variety of scripture references and also quotes from important people really help your essay stand out from the crowd as well as contrasting/comparing different denominational viewpoints (e.g. Orthodox vs Catholic vs Uniting)
- For an essay on practice, I typically did introduction, 1 paragraph explaining what it is (and how it expresses the beliefs of Christianity) and then focus on exploring the significance for individuals and the community !
Be sure however, that these are very general essay structures! SOR essay questions can be super broad or very specific so it's important to have essay PLANS (not essays) prepared for all the different options. The more practice you get writing these types of essays, the easier it becomes so don't worry if it's a bit daunting at first
2. In terms of quotes, I typically did 2 quotes per paragraph, however some paragraphs used more and others less - again, it's going to depend on what your argument is and if that quote supports and extends your point! -- there's no point putting a quote in for the sake of putting a quote in, I'd always try link it back to my main argument
Hope this helps and good luck!