Choosing your three themes is the first decision in every 30-mark essay. Practise it here for both Paper 3 options - Global Politics and US Politics. Pick a question, write your own themes first, then reveal the model themes and compare.
The house method: three themes is enough for a 30-mark essay, and three developed well beats four rushed. Think of four possible themes, then choose the strongest three. Each theme name works for BOTH sides - the agree paragraph and the disagree paragraph share it. Every paragraph ends with an interim judgement that backs your line of argument. Pick a side and hold it - no fence-sitting.
1. Pick a past question
Every Paper 3 30-mark past question, grouped by option and topic. A tick means the site has a full model plan; the rest still let you practise, and reveal the exam board's indicative themes from the mark scheme.
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2. Write your themes
Jot down four possible theme names, one per line, then choose your best three. Each must be a fair fight: something the agree side AND the disagree side can both argue about. Your work saves automatically on this device.
3. The model themes
These are the theme names from the site's full plan for this question, with the opening line of each agree point as a gloss.
Theme names are paired: the disagree side of the plan uses the same theme names, so each paragraph carries the argument and the counter-argument before the interim judgement.
1. Pick a topic
For a question you have never seen, you still pick themes the same way. Choose a topic, imagine a 30-mark question on it, jot down four possible themes and choose the best three. Then reveal the topic's theme bank.
2. Write your themes
Jot down four possible theme names, one per line, then choose your best three. Your work saves automatically on this device.
3. The theme bank
Candidate themes for this topic. In the exam you pick the best three that fit the exact question - you never need them all.