How to write a CCOT Essay (Guide for students)
This is a special type of essay highly preferred on the AP World History Exam though it is also applicable to other courses. The essay mainly focuses on explaining how a particular field has gradually advanced over time. Similarly, the essay also seeks to give an explanation of what to be expected could the subject stayed the same. Writing Continuity and the Change-Over-Time essay is simple and interesting through practice. In addition to this, generating perfect CCOT essays requires the author to have all the basic requirements in the mind. Most importantly, the author should the necessary skills and ideas about this type of essay prior to writing. Moreover, a Continuity and the Change-Over-Time essay are a simply a comparison text in which starting the exact time periods is inevitable. In regards to this, knowing the exact time periods for a various unit of activities in question is vital to complete the essay. The timeline from the first date of activity to the end is marked, while the changes and continuities are noted down.
How to start a CCOT essay
Starting the essay commenced by gathering all the relevant information about the topic to be addressed. The writer is supposed to promptly read the chosen topic while recording down important basic information needed to develop a CCOT essay. Some of the critical information for consideration are date range and the specific milieus. Upon successful and in-depth reading the essay prompt, writing a thesis statement is the next step. In a brief summary, thesis statement refers to a light summation of key essay’s points. In regards to CCOT essay, the thesis statement must highlight a continuity and the observed change. Writers should express the thesis statement in just one sentences to remain relevant and focus on the argument. For instance, a thesis statement should be something like “Despite Japan maintained its position Automobiles production superpower in the first three decades after the Second World War, over time Japan shifted focus from the production of manual automobiles to the creation of modern automatic gearbox.”
The second step upon writing a thesis statement is evaluating and determining fundamental facts and information be included in the essay. Contrary to Document-Based Questions, CCOT essays do not have any sources for enhancing the knowledge. In regards to this, the writers will entirely rely on the previous knowledge of the world history. The author should build the essay basing their argument on concrete details and basic facts they perceived to have gathered from experience or learning. Start from the general information during that specific time period and conclude with the more refined and detailed information. While analyzing and determining the fundamental facts about the selected topic, figuring out the turning point of events and activities is certain. The essay should identify what changes happened at a different point in time. More particularly, the essay should highlight the when was the climax of activities. At this point, creating a timeline of events for the purpose of identifying historical information at a different point in time is crucial.
The most important preparation steps before commencing in writing CCOT essays is an identification of local and global concepts about the topic. Despite focusing on a particular location and time, CCOT essays may also require an overview background concerning the activities that was taking place in other regions of the world at the time. Though it is not advisable to dwell into details about other locals and topics, however, it is significant to highlight how other world events could have contributed to the concerned topic. This, for instance, helps to convey a message of a widely researched CCOT essays.
How to write body paragraphs for a CCOT essay
Organization of body paragraphs in a CCOT essay is vital for better understanding and flow of the entire essay. Within the introductory paragraph, a clear and precise thesis statement should be there to guide and invite the readers on what the essay is all about. In most cases, the thesis statement comes at the last sentence in the paragraph. The body paragraphs for the CCOT essays should be structured to emphasize changes and then continuity. The argument in the essay becomes more clear and precise when the changes are discussed before continuity. Lastly, it is important to create an outline that gives the direction and the framework of the essay. Moreover, having evidence within the paragraphs is the taste of the essay. The writer should be selective in ideas and evidence to add in the paragraph, though stay relevant with time and place.
How to conclude a CCOT essay
A CCOT essay is incomplete without a comprehensive and clear conclusion paragraph. Being a one paragraph text, the author should be selective and organized in the ideas to capture all the discussed content in the body. It is advisable to refrain from jumping out any other information you could have heard about the subject. However, staying focus on time and place is significant. The author should never ignore to explain the global contribution of the topic.
