1
SOSS1000 Policy and Society - Term 2, 2022
Minor Essay (Essay 1) Questions

Answer one of the following questions:
1. How may a policy advocacy group influence policy change? Use a recent
Australian policy debate as an example.
2. Political leaders stick to the ideological stances of their political party when they
make policy decisions. Do you agree? Consider the examples of the relief for
natural disasters such as flood and bush fires.

Sample essay structure:
Your essay may be structured in various ways. A useful essay structure that you might like
to follow is:
1. Provide the question you are answering so the examiner knows which question you
are responding to.
2. Introduction, 100 words. The introduction should provide an overview of the entire
argument, in a very brief form. Importantly, it should also tell the reader what you
conclude. For example, the final sentence might read ‘Finally, I conclude that
liberalism continues to strongly influence policy making in Australia’.
3. The argument in paragraphs, 800 words total. Each paragraph should be a series of
connected sentences, focused on a particular theme. A paragraph might have
between 5 and 8 sentences, depending on how long they are. Each paragraph might
be between 100 and 150 words. The body of your essay might have around 6 to 8
paragraphs. Each paragraph is likely to include multiple references.
4. A conclusion, 100 words. The conclusion rounds out the essay. It does not offer
new argument, but briefly sums up the key points.
5. A reference list. This is not included in the word count and should include all works
cited in the body of the essay. An essay of this length is likely to have between 7
and 15 references. The more references you use the clearer it is to the examiner that
you have researched the essay and that you have not plagiarised. Make sure you
refer to the SOSS Referencing Guide.

A few tips:
1. Always make sure that you make a clear point (a thesis statement) on what this paper is
about in the introduction. (e.g. This essay argues that… This essay intends to answer the
question that…). You can come up with your own wording. But make sure that the core
argument is up front. It will help you to be clear about what you write early on.
2. This is a short essay. You will only have space to make a couple of points. If the
question was “In your view, why is ice-cream so popular?’ you might be able to
think of 20 reasons why ice-cream is popular. But, in an essay of 1,000 words it is
better to choose two main points and argue them – with reference to the evidence. In
the introduction you can write ‘Ice-cream is popular for many reasons. In this essay I
will focus on two key reasons: the hot climate in Sydney and the popularity of sweet
foods. Then, half the body of the essay is focused on showing a link between climate
and ice-cream consumption (don’t forget you will have to show that Sydney is in
2
fact hot), and the other half is spent demonstrating that sugar is popular. Again, at
the end of the essay you can remind the reader that you could have said much more, but
3
you decided to focus on two key issues.
3. It is okay to write in the first person. You should use formal language, but it is
okay to say ‘I’.
4. References are absolutely essential. Try to cite when you are using other people’s
words, repeating other people’s ideas, or citing a fact mentioned by other people. For
all academic articles, readers expect to see some references. The purpose for doing so
is to acknowledge that you are aware of other people’s work and show proof of
evidence. For this essay, try to use 5 references to begin with. Even if you know
everything you write by heart when you write, it is important to note that someone
else might have made similar points already. If you submit an essay without any
reference, you are implying that you are the first person making this idea. This is
very rare. As a result, a paper without any reference may be referred to the academic
integrity team. Please note that citing someone else’s work. That is what you are
supposed to do in the academic world. You need to read what other people have said
to respond to the question. All you need to do is show us via citations where you look
to other people’s work to answer the question.
5. Keep your language clear and simple. Avoid using words that you are not
confident in using. It is better to make a clear argument using straightforward
language, than to misuse words.
6. Revising is a very important part of the writing process. Start your essay early,
put it aside for a bit after the first draft and return to it later. Give yourself plenty
of time to revise before submission.