How to write arguments in an essay: evaluation criteria, options, useful tips and examples

How and when does it happen?

In the new academic year, the deadlines for submitting the final essay are determined as follows:

• December 2, 2021 (main date)
• February 3, 2021 (additional dates)
• May 5, 2021 (additional dates)

Who will write in February and May?

• Unlucky owners of “failure”;
• Those who were removed from the exam for disorderly conduct;
• Those who were unable to appear for valid reasons;
• Those who were unable to complete the work for good reasons (all “reasons” are supported by documents).

The test is conducted at your school.

The exam starts at 10 am (local time), lasts 3 hours 55 minutes (235 minutes), instructions and filling out the form are not included in this period.

For persons with disabilities (this sad fact must be documented) a different type of activity is provided - a presentation that takes 1.5 hours longer to write. If the exam lasts four hours or more, meals will be provided for the participants and breaks to carry out the necessary medical and preventive measures.

The procedure for conducting the exam is strictly regulated:

• Seating of exam participants in random order;
• Conducting instructions on the rules of conduct, the duration of the event and familiarization with the results;
• Filling out the registration form, checking it by the organizer and assistant;
• Familiarization with the topics of essays or the text of presentation;
• The organizer records the start time of the exam, its duration, end time and writes it on the board. If for some reason you are late for the start of the exam, do not worry, you will be allowed to write an essay, but the writing time will not be increased and no one will give you repeated instructions;
• You start working on your essay. You will be given additional drafts and forms as needed;
• Half an hour and 5 minutes before the end of work, the organizers remind you that the writing time is coming to an end and you need to have time to transfer notes from the draft to the answer form;
• When you finish your work, check it carefully again and turn it in;
• The organizer or assistant with you should put a Z sign on the part of the form where there are no notes (so that no one from outside will supplement your work with their notes, and that you yourself will no longer return to “adding”);
• The organizer or assistant indicates in his reporting form the number of forms that you submitted. You sign an autograph if everything is calculated correctly;
• You leave the classroom with a sense of accomplishment and expect results within 7 calendar days.
• The only things that may be on the table during the exam are pens, a passport, instructions for participants in the final essay, exam forms, drafts, medications and food (if necessary), and spelling dictionaries, which will be provided to you during the exam.

Everything else is illegal, and any violation may result in expulsion from the audience. But for those who like to take risks and don’t care about the rules, we have prepared cheat sheets for the final essay, they are in the group.

What can you use while composing?

On the participants’ desktop, in addition to the registration form and entry forms, there are:

• • pen (gel or capillary with black ink);
• • identification document;
• • a spelling dictionary issued at the location of the final essay;
• • sheets of paper for drafts, issued at the location of the final essay;
• • medications and nutrition (if necessary);
• • special technical means (if necessary).

“Participants in the final essay do the work on black and white registration forms and A4 format recording forms,” reports Rosobrnadzor. — On the day of the final essay, participants are prohibited from having communication means, photo, audio and video equipment, reference materials, written notes and other means of storing and transmitting information.

New directions for 2020-2021

Future applicants are prepared from school for the traditions of studying at a higher educational institution: first, admission to the exam, and then the examination test itself. So, in order to gain admission to the Unified State Exam in the Russian language, an eleventh-grader must write a final essay on literature in December. This will bring the student morally closer to passing the Unified State Exam and will turn out to be a certain rehearsal for the future exam.

The thematic areas of the final essay for the 2020/21 academic year have been approved on the FIPI website:

1. Not subject to oblivion;
2. Me and others;
3. Time for a change;
4. Self talk;
5. Between past and future: a portrait of my generation.

Also, comments are provided for each direction: what to write about?

In the “Not to be Forgotten” direction, the student is asked to reflect on an event or person who cannot be forgotten. Who should we remember? These could be important historical events, great people whose contributions to science, culture or other areas raised civilization to another level of development. If you decide which event or figure to link this direction to, then all that remains is to choose works of art, journalism, memoirs, criticism or books of a philosophical nature, from which it would be appropriate to give an example.

The “Self and Others” direction involves reflection on issues of self-determination and relationships with other people. How does a person see himself in this world, in society? What conflicts can arise in society and how to resolve them? Many works of fiction are based on conflict, by analyzing which one can draw conclusions about how a person interacts with other people. In addition, self-knowledge and deepening into your own “I” will help you find common ground with others and describe your experience in this area.

“Time of Change” is the direction where the student needs to think about the variability of the world. Changes are happening literally before our eyes, so we should think about the reasons that lead to changes, what consequences arise when a person’s worldview, culture, and social life change? An example would be a work of fiction, journalism, memoirs that describe the changes taking place around, the ups and downs, if it is an autobiography, a change in the political system, changes in the life of society.

In the direction of “Talk to yourself” we will talk about a person as an individual. Here we can talk about words with the prefix self-, that is, about self-determination, self-knowledge, self-development, self-identification. This is a search for deep, subconscious and conscious connections and reflections. As an example, you can safely take non-fiction literature, which specializes in self-development and personality psychology. Fiction will be no less suitable if you take a specific hero, whose life can be told from the perspective of understanding him as a person: his impulses, aspirations, attitudes. Both memoirs and diary entries are suitable here.

“Between Past and Future: A Portrait of My Generation” is a direction in which you will have to think about the modern world and the people who live here and now. What is the level of his culture, what does he know, what does he like to read, what problems does he face? Here the conversation will be about the moral values ​​and spiritual guidelines of the younger generation. You can compare the existence of modern society and human life with the previous generation, you can think about how our descendants will be strikingly different from us. Examples from modern fiction and journalism will help. It may be difficult to talk about yourself in real time; even among scientists and journalists, this topic is controversial, and for a student, writing an essay in this area is an excellent way to formulate your opinion on this issue and try to express it, supporting it with your own arguments.

According to the tradition of last year, all directions for the final essay are pairs of antonyms from conflicting moral and philosophical concepts. For each of them, we have already selected arguments from the literature recommended by FIPI.

Since the 2014-2015 academic year, as part of the Unified State Exam, a final essay (presentation) as an admission to the Unified State Exam for 11th grade students .

The final essay is given to 11th grade students on the first working Wednesday in December, February and May of each year.

Students with disabilities have the right to write a final summary instead of a final essay.

The results of the final essay (presentation) are graded “pass” or “fail”. Only those 11th grade students who received a “pass” are allowed to take the Unified State .

A “pass” grade is a necessary condition for admission to all other Unified State Examinations. To receive a “pass” grade for the final essay, the student must

• correctly determine the range of problems necessary to uncover the topic;
• select suitable literary material;
• provide convincing arguments to explain your position;
• express your thoughts clearly and competently.

The time allotted for writing an essay (presentation) is 3 hours 55 minutes .

At the beginning of each academic year, 5 areas of topics for the final essay . Within the framework of these areas, specific essay topics (texts of presentation) are developed, which are communicated to graduates 15 minutes before the start of the exam .

Topics for the final essay for the 2020-2021 academic year

• "Not subject to oblivion"

  – The topics of essays in this direction are aimed at thinking about significant historical events, figures, social phenomena, achievements of science and culture that influenced both the destinies of specific people and the development of society and human civilization as a whole. The memory of them has no statute of limitations; it is passed on from generation to generation, recalling the bitter lessons of the past and its glorious pages. An example of a deep understanding of this problem can be found in works of fiction, philosophy, scientific literature, criticism, journalism, and memoir prose.

• "Me and others"

  – When discussing topics related to this area, it is advisable to turn to various forms of human interaction, issues of relationships between the individual and society, and the problem of human self-determination in the social environment. The essay can be based on discussions about the causes and ways of resolving interpersonal conflicts, about ways to achieve understanding and agreement between people. Your own life experience, as well as reference to various literary sources (including philosophical literature and journalism) will provide the opportunity for a deep response to the proposed topic.

• "Time for a change"

  – Within the framework of this direction, it will be possible to reflect on the changing world, on the causes and consequences of changes occurring within a person and in the reality around him, on the choices he faces during the period of forming his own worldview, in an era of social and cultural changes. These and other questions in line with specific topics can be answered based on various literary sources (works of fiction, memoirs, scientific literature, journalism), as well as on one’s own experience of understanding life in the “big time” with its problems and contradictions.

• "Self talk"

  – This direction encourages reflection on what it means to “be yourself.” This topic is related to questions that a person asks himself about the danger of internal discord, about the work of conscience and the search for the meaning of life. Themes in this direction are aimed at introspection, understanding the experiences of other people (or the actions of literary heroes) seeking to understand themselves. Topics allow you to think about the strengths and weaknesses of your own personality, the value and uniqueness of your inner world, the need for self-knowledge and self-improvement. Expanding the topic, you can turn to fiction, psychological, philosophical literature, memoirs, diaries and journalism.

• “Between past and future: a portrait of my generation”

  – The topics of essays in this direction invite reflection on the cultural needs of modern man, his literary preferences, life position, the similarities and differences between him and his predecessors, and the influence of the younger generation on the formation of the future world. It will be necessary to understand the spiritual values ​​and moral guidelines of young people, their place in the modern world. Modern writers, scientists, and journalists reflect on the essence of today's generation, the traits of people of the 21st century, whose position is sometimes debatable, which makes it possible to express their opinion within the framework of the identified issues.

Checking and evaluation criteria for the final essay

The essay is assessed according to two requirements:

• volume of the final essay (recommended number of words – from 350);
• independence in writing the final essay.

and five criteria:

• relevance to the topic;
• argumentation, attraction of literary material;
• composition and logic of reasoning;
• quality of written speech;
• literacy.

The presentation is assessed according to two requirements:

• volume of the final presentation (recommended number of words – 200);
• independence in writing the final summary.

and five criteria:

• content of the presentation;
• consistency of presentation;
• use of source text style elements;
• quality of written speech;
• literacy.

To receive a “pass” grade, you must have a positive result on two requirements, three criteria (according to criteria No. 1 and No. 2 - without fail, as well as a “pass” on one of the other criteria).

The essay is assessed according to five criteria :

To receive a “pass” , you must have a positive result on three criteria, and the first two criteria are mandatory.

Essays are checked by the Commission of Educational Organizations or expert commissions created at the municipal / regional level.

After checking, the essays are sent to a single database . When applying to universities that decide to take this form of exam into account (this is announced in advance in the rules for admission to these universities), the essay can bring the applicant up to 10 additional points towards the Unified State Examination. The graduate may, if he wishes, submit the final essay as an individual achievement; in this case, the university retrieves the graduate’s essay from the database and independently evaluates this essay.

Directions of the topics of the final essay, features of the texts of the final presentation, criteria for evaluating the final essay and final presentation

Topics for 2020-2021

Of course, you will receive a list of the topics for the essay only during the exam, but we have already prepared for you a list of those formulations that are most likely to be relevant at hour X. We compiled them by analogy with the topics of last year, because then many of our predictions were justified, and the children were able to find the necessary information, barely recognizing the thesis. So, we do not recommend breaking the rules for holding such an important event, but in preparing for it our resource can serve you well.

Approximate

Here we will list the most popular topics in all areas, but this is not all we have. Follow the updates on the site, and you will probably find something that may appear on the exam.

Not subject to oblivion

1. How do historical events influence a person's destiny?
2. Why is it important to preserve cultural monuments created by our ancestors?
3. Do you agree with the statement of the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero: “The life of the dead continues in the memory of the living”?
4. Why can’t we forget the history of our people?
5. How do works of art become immortal?
6. How do you understand the words “titans of thought and spirit”?
7. Do modern readers need classical literature of the 19th century?
8. “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten” - how do you understand these words?
9. How can we understand the expression “timeless classic”?
10. What is hidden behind the phrase “Love dies from fatigue, but oblivion buries it”?
11. Do you agree that forgetting the past threatens to repeat it?
12. What can the loss of memory of the Great Patriotic War lead to?
13. Which personalities remain in history?
14. How do you understand the expression “art without a statute of limitations”?
15. Is a “mindless” person ungrateful or ignorant?
16. Do you agree with the words that “there is a memory that will not be forgotten”?
17. What wisdom is hidden in the saying “Ivan, who does not remember his kinship”?
18. How do you understand the words of Maxim Gorky “Without knowing the past, it is impossible to understand the true meaning of the present and the goals of the future”?
19. What is hidden behind the phrase of the philosopher Vasily Rozanov “Oblivion is the highest power of history”?
20. What, in your opinion, shows disrespect for ancestors?

Me and others

1. Why does society not accept some people?
2. How do you understand the expression “be yourself”?
3. Do you agree with the statement “Alone in the field is no warrior”?
4. What is leadership?
5. What is a “comfort zone” and should you leave it?
6. What is hidden behind Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s statement “All roads lead to people?”
7. Why is it necessary to develop tolerance in yourself?
8. What does it mean to be an altruist?
9. Should conflicts always be avoided?
10. Can a person survive without communication?
11. Why don't people understand each other?
12. Do you agree with the statement of Alexander Radishchev: “Only then will you become a person when you learn to see a person in another”?
13. What is important to change in yourself in order to better understand others? Why do many people depend on the opinions of others?
14. Is it always necessary to strive for complete mutual understanding with loved ones?
15. What does it take to live in harmony with other people?
16. How do you understand the words of Oscar Wilde “Living the way you want is not selfishness. Selfishness is when others should think and live the way you want”?
17. Can one person influence and change society?
18. How do arrogant people behave towards others?
19. How to learn to appreciate loved ones and loved ones?
20. Why is it important to admit your mistakes and ask for forgiveness?

Between past and future: a portrait of my generation

1. Who is the “hero of our time?”
2. Is it possible to say that today’s youth are in some ways guided by generations of past years?
3. Why is conflict between fathers and children inevitable?
4. Do you need to read books in the 21st century?
5. Can Generation Z be called lost?
6. Do you agree with the statement of A.S. Pushkin: “Disrespect for ancestors is the first sign of immorality”?
7. Why is the level of speech culture declining in modern society?
8. Is it important to maintain connections between generations?
9. Can material values ​​supplant spiritual ones?
10. Why is it necessary to pass on life experience from generation to generation?
11. Is it possible to talk about the degradation of the modern generation?
12. How do modern technologies affect the life of society?
13. Why does modern man not have enough time for anything?
14. What moral guidelines guide modern man?
15. What role does emotional intelligence play in the life of a modern person?
16. How can a modern person learn to live consciously?
17. How do you understand Richard Gere’s words about modernity: “The abundance of information does not guarantee its reliability”?
18. Do modern readers need large libraries with paper books?
19. Are those right who claim that in the modern world spirituality has given way to the material?
20. How do you understand the words of A. Zinoviev “The 21st century has begun, but instead of the extraordinary progress promised by futurologists in all spheres of human existence, we are seeing a global clouding of minds and a turn to dense obscurantism”?

Time for a change

1. Do you agree with A.P.’s statement? Chekhov: “Science is the most important, the most beautiful and necessary in a person’s life”?
2. How do you understand the expression “If you want to change the world, start with yourself”?
3. Does technological progress always benefit humanity?
4. How do modern technologies affect the life of society?
5. How can a person change for the better?
6. How do you understand the words “Every change brings new opportunities”?
7. What can scientific discoveries devoid of humanity lead to?
8. What is hidden behind the phrase of Confucius “Do not be afraid of change. Most often they happen exactly at the moment when they are needed”?
9. Is it difficult to live in an era of change?
10. How do you understand the words “Big changes come into our lives only in small steps”?
11. How has man changed thanks to technological progress?
12. Is it important for a person to realize exactly what changes need to happen in his life?
13. Why are many people afraid of change?
14. How do you understand the words of Tom Peters, “Change is a door that opens from within”?
15. What do the words “revolutionary changes” mean?
16. Do cultural changes in society affect a person's worldview?
17. How does a person understand that the time has come for him to change?
18. How does human thinking change in the era of innovation?
19. How does war change a person?
20. Do life changes always lead to the better?

Self talk

1. What influences the formation of a person’s inner world?
2. What does it mean to be a conscientious person?
3. What is motivation and determination?
4. Are there circumstances when a person can go against his conscience?
5. Why do “smart unnecessary people” (“extra people”) appear?
6. Do you agree with the statement of L.N. Tolstoy that “man is fluid” and people are like rivers?
7. Do you agree with Bertrand Russell's statement, “He who is inspired by love and guided by knowledge lives well”?
8. Why should a person engage in self-knowledge?
9. Does every person search for the meaning of life?
10. Comedy hero A.S. Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit” gave himself the following description: “The mind is not in harmony with the heart.” What is the danger of internal discord with oneself?
11. What is hidden behind Cicero’s phrase “Every person is a reflection of his inner world. As a person thinks, so is he”?
12. Does the inner world always correspond to the outer appearance?
13. What does the expression “find yourself” mean to you?
14. What is a sense of life?
15. What happens to a person who does not want to develop?
16. “Positively beautiful” person – fiction or reality?
17. What is self-realization?
18. What distinguishes a harmonious personality?
19. What is mindfulness?
20. What is moral choice?

Real

The real topics will come a little later, while they are not even at the development stage. In order not to miss them, add our site to bookmarks or join our special VK public page!

All the topics that we offer you are formulated by analogy with previous years, that is, the likelihood that they will come up during the exam is very high.

Preparing for the final essay

You have the opportunity to make your preparation for the exam more successful and efficient if you join our public page on VK, where you can discuss topics, arguments, introductions and conclusions. It will be great if you offer your theses, examples from literature and essays in discussions, and we will share our thoughts on them, write a paper or edit your work.

Judge for yourself, what kind of “failure” can there be when we prepare together?

Here are some more tips:

Select several core works from the school curriculum that can be used to cover different topics. Make a summary of each book and use it in writing practice essays. This will help you remember all the important details and not make mistakes in your work.

Here is our list of similar books and excellent summaries from Literaguru. In our memory, they were used most actively every year.

1. War and Peace;
2. Crime and Punishment;
3. Taras Bulba;
4. Captain's daughter;
5. Fathers and Sons;
6. Storm;
7. Woe from mind;
8. Eugene Onegin;
9. Hero of our time;
10. Oblomov.

We also recommend that you read collections of arguments and finished essays that we publish daily. If you have not yet subscribed to our public page, do not waste time and subscribe!

How to write?

Work registration rules:

• Volume: minimum 250 words, norm 350, no restrictions;
• Composition (4 paragraphs): introduction, two arguments from literature, conclusion;
• Approximate distribution of semantic load: 1 paragraph - 75 words, 2 and 3 - 100 words each, 4 - 75 words.

In order to receive credit, you must cover the topic, write a text of more than 250 words, and provide at least one literary argument. Work without examples from books is worth zero points, so you need to choose a question based on whether you can find the relevant material.

Below are examples of essays in each area:

1. Not subject to oblivion;
2. Me and others;
3. Time for a change;
4. Self talk;
5. Between past and future.

Essay writing algorithm:

• Choose a clear topic for which you can find literary examples. For example: “Can fidelity bring disappointment?”;
• Highlight the question contained in the chosen formulation. For example, in the thesis you say that it can, and give examples of cases where this happens, so your question would be: “When can fidelity disappoint a person?”;
• Formulate your answer to the question posed. For example, devotion brings suffering when there is no reciprocity in the relationship.
• To this answer, select arguments to finish the second and third paragraphs with a logically correct micro-conclusion. For example, the hero of Kuprin’s “Garnet Bracelet” suffered because he could not change his feelings for Vera, that is, family, love and offspring were a pipe dream for him, so he was forced to die.
• Write your essay in draft form, carefully making sure that your idea is clear and does not go into the jungle of word debate. Don’t try to write a lot, the main thing is to be to the point. Don't be distracted by other topics, stick to one, always compare the thesis and argument so that there are no discrepancies in what you are proving. Also, do not get carried away with details and quotes from the text of the book; retelling the novel will not be counted as an essay. You don't have to prove that you have read the work, it is important to prove that you understand it.
• Check your draft and correct any mistakes. Remember that speech errors can be spotted using a simple method: imagine what you are writing about. It is impossible to “highlight” or “emphasize” attention, but you can “sharpen” and “draw” it. Count the repetitions and replace them, if possible, with synonyms or pronouns that fit the meaning.
• Copy it into a clean copy and check it again, reading the text to yourself, as if out loud. This helps you spot errors. Don't forget to do this, because the draft is not taken into account when checking!

To help you, we have compiled a universal plan and example for the final essay:

How to open the topic correctly?

To begin with, you should pay attention to the composition and logic of your essay, the structure of which should correspond to the following plan: introduction, main part and conclusion.

In the introduction, it is necessary to describe the main idea that helps to reveal the topic. It will be presented in the form of main theses, the proof of which will be carried out in the main part of the essay. The work must be arranged in order. You can reveal the main idea using an explanation of the key concepts of this topic or a quote. Talk about the relevance of the topic: why it is significant, what makes you think about it. And the direct answer to the question stated in the topic is the thesis.

The main part includes several paragraphs, each of which builds arguments in favor of the theses. We support each thesis with examples, come to a mini-conclusion on this thesis and move on to a new thought, which is reflected in the second thesis. It also draws on evidence with examples, has a mini-conclusion, and leads to the next point. The volume of the main part should be greater than the number of words in the introduction and conclusion as a whole.

In conclusion, you should write conclusions on the topic that we are covering. These may be the same mini-conclusions, but they should look different, that is, the conclusion should be written in different words in the conclusion. In conclusion, you can also use an appeal using the words “important”, “necessary”, if such an appeal does not sound too pretentious or clichéd, for example, “Take care of nature!” The last paragraph can also express hope for something positive and optimistic. You can get by with quoting if you are absolutely sure that the statement is suitable and will serve as an embellishment to the essay, and will not spoil it with inappropriateness or incorrect punctuation.

The links provide specific tools with which you can explore the topics of the main directions.

1. Not subject to oblivion
2. Me and others
3. Time for a change
4. Self talk
5. Between past and future: a portrait of my generation

List of literature recommended for writing essays

When the directions became known, a list of books recommended for writing the work was released along with them. It is these works that we will list in this selection for the final essay. We also analyzed them for arguments that can be taken as examples from literature for essays. You can see this analysis in the article “Bibliography for the final essay with examples.”

Not subject to oblivion:

• N.S. Leskov, “Lefty”;
• I.S. Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons”;
• A.S. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter";
• M.Yu. Lermontov, “Borodino”;
• B.L. Vasiliev, “And the dawns here are quiet”;
• A.I. Kuprin, “Garnet Bracelet”;
• L.N. Tolstoy, “War and Peace”;
• M.A. Sholokhov, “Quiet Don”;
• M.A. Sholokhov, “The Fate of Man”;
• A.T. Tvardovsky, “Vasily Terkin”;
• A.T. Tvardovsky, “I was killed near Rzhev...”;
• A.A. Akhmatova, “Requiem”;
• A.A. Blok, "Twelve";
• D. London, “Martin Eden”;
• E. M. Remarque, “All Quiet on the Western Front”;
• EM. Remarque, "Return";
• V. Hugo, “Notre Dame Cathedral”;
• Charles Dickens, “The Antiquities Shop.”

Me and others:

• A.S. Pushkin, “Eugene Onegin”;
• I.S. Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons”;
• A.S. Griboedov, “Woe from Wit”;
• L.N. Tolstoy, “War and Peace”;
• N.M. Karamzin, “Poor Liza”;
• N.S. Leskov, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”;
• B.L. Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago;
• VC. Zheleznikov, “Scarecrow”;
• H. H. Andersen, "The Ugly Duckling";
• V. Hugo, “Notre Dame Cathedral”;
• V. Hugo, “Les Miserables”;
• J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye;
• D. Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon”;
• R. Bach, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”;
• Daniel Goleman "Emotional Intelligence";
• M.E. Litvak, “Psychological Aikido”;
• Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages.

Time for a change:

• A.S. Griboedov, “Woe from Wit”;
• A.P. Chekhov, “The Cherry Orchard”;
• I.A. Goncharov, "Oblomov";
• I.S. Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons”;
• A.P. Platonov, “Yushka”;
• M.A. Sholokhov, “Quiet Don”;
• F.M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”;
• M.A. Bulgakov, “Heart of a Dog”;
• G.Sh. Yakhina, “Zuleikha opens her eyes”;
• Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince";
• D. Rowling, “Harry Potter”;
• D. Defoe, "Robinson Crusoe";
• D. London, “Martin Eden.”

Self talk:

• L. N. Tolstoy, “War and Peace”;
• F.M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”;
• M.Yu. Lermontov, "Mtsyri";
• M.Yu. Lermontov, “Hero of Our Time”;
• A.N. Ostrovsky, "The Thunderstorm";
• A.S. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter";
• V.P. Astafiev, “A Horse with a Pink Mane”;
• A.P. Platonov, “Yushka”;
• D. Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon”;
• V. Hugo, “Notre Dame Cathedral”;
• L. Oliver, "Before I Fall";
• D. Fowles, "The Collector";
• D. Cameron, "The Artist's Way";
• E. Gilbert, "Big Magic";
• L. Parfentyeva, “100 ways to change your life”;
• A. Pease, “Answer”;
• M. Williams and D. Penman, “Mindfulness.”

Between past and future: a portrait of my generation:

• I.S. Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons”;
• P.V. Sanaev, “Bury me behind the baseboard”;
• V.P. Astafiev, “A Horse with a Pink Mane”;
• YES. Glukhovsky, “Text”;
• Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall;
• Catherine Boo, In the Shadow of Eternal Beauty;
• F. Backman, “Grandmother told me to bow and tell her that she asks for forgiveness.”

Bank of arguments 2020-2021

We have prepared for you many collections with arguments for all popular trends and topics, and we continue to do this every day, so bookmark the site and stay tuned for updates.

And if you write to us about what is missing, then within a day we will prepare the necessary literary material.

Here we have placed links to our publications with literary examples in all areas of the current year:

1. Not subject to oblivion;
2. Me and others;
3. Time for a change;
4. Self talk;
5. Between past and future: a portrait of my generation.

Topics from previous years:

1. Kindness and cruelty;
2. Dream and reality;
3. Art and craft;
4. Fathers and Sons;
5. Revenge and generosity.

Quotes and aphorisms for directions 2020-2021

Quotes or aphorisms used in the essay will decorate the text if they are written correctly (given in direct or indirect speech) and to the point - that is, they confirm your thought and not contradict it.

• Not subject to oblivion;
• Me and others;
• Time for a change;
• Self talk;
• Between past and future: a portrait of my generation.

Structure of the final essay

There is nothing special in this work, so the composition is the simplest:

Introduction

Here you discuss the topic of the essay and put forward a thesis that needs to be proven. If the topic of the essay is a question, answer it, and if it is a quote, expand on it.

Main part

It is necessary to give two arguments in defense of the thesis. Remember that it is better to break the main body into two paragraphs and at the end of each paragraph make a micro-conclusion.

It is important to correctly construct logical transitions from one argument to another. Don't make a sudden and disconnected jump from the first part to the second. This shouldn't happen. Use the following words and phrases to express connections between paragraphs: “let’s turn to...”, “let’s also remember,” “let’s move on to...”.

Conclusion

Here you should repeat the thesis and summarize the entire argument.

FIPI recommends writing an essay of 300 to 350 words, but the minimum is 250. If you do not type more than 300, there is no need to write too much, this can only add speech errors. You can read in detail about the composition of the essay here.

Evaluation criteria

The work is assessed by two values: “pass” and “fail”. If you do not intend to get involved in the humanities in the future, a “credit” will be enough for you, but potential journalists, philologists and linguists will have to try to write an essay with the maximum possible number of points. Their successes in the literary field will definitely count towards admission, because the country's leading universities have already developed their own criteria for checking essays. Yes, yes, members of the admissions committee will certainly watch it.

1. Volume of the final essay. If the essay contains less than 250 words (all words, including function words, are included in the count), then a “failure” is given for failure to comply with requirement No. 1 and a “failure” for the work as a whole.
2. Independence in writing the final essay. No cheat sheets or cheating from your neighbor. You may use citations, with proper acknowledgment of the source, but these citations should not be larger than your own work. If the essay is not considered independent, then you will receive a “failure” for failure to fulfill requirement No. 2 and a “failure” for the work as a whole.

If your essay is independent and meets the required length, hurray, it will be checked further. Here we are already checking according to five criteria:

1. Compliance with the topic (0-2 points). You will receive a “failure” only if the essay is written about something else altogether, or if there is no clear purpose for the statement, that is, you are talking about everything and nothing.
2. Argumentation (0-2 points). You will not be given the coveted points if you want to speculate without using literary sources. This also includes serious distortion of the content of the book or its simple mention.
3. Composition and logic of reasoning (0-2 points). When gross logical errors make it difficult to understand your plan, or you do not provide any evidence that you are right, you receive 0 points on this point.
4. Quality of written speech (0-2 points). If you have a lot of speech errors that prevent you from understanding the text, then you may fail this criterion. But if you distinguished yourself and did everything beautifully (complex grammatical structures, logically correct train of thought, use of original and appropriate words), then get 2 points in your piggy bank.
5. Literacy (0-2 points). You should learn to avoid grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors. The inspectors even cite a critical number of shortcomings: more than 5 violations of the rules of the Russian language per 100 words = “failure.”

The first and second criteria are required for credit. Plus, you need to get an additional credit according to one of the criteria - No. 3 or No. 4.

Rosobrnadzor also presents several more criteria for evaluating work:

• Factual accuracy (1 point). All titles, names, surnames, dates and main events must be indicated correctly, otherwise they will only lower the final score.
• Grammar norms ( o-2 points ). If you managed to make one mistake of this kind, then you are still guaranteed 2 points. If two or three - one point. Anything more will result in a zero for this criterion.
• Speech errors (0-2 points). You can still afford no more than 1-2 mistakes, this is 2 points, but 3-4 mistakes will steal one point, and if more, then all two are lost forever;
• Spelling standards (0-3 points). The magic number three will indeed work a miracle if you never make a mistake. 2-3 mistakes already promise two points, and 4-5 mistakes will bring a consolation 1 point;
• Punctuation standards (0-3 points). Exceptional knowledge of punctuation marks is worth three points, 2-3 mistakes will mean one point out of three, and 4-5 mistakes mean participation, but not victory - 1 point;
• Original approach (0-1 point). It's time to show the world what you are capable of and incorporate more creativity into your work: independent, unconventional thoughts, unexpected and convincing arguments using non-trivial literary material, original observations, interesting logic of reasoning. 1 point at stake is a small thing, but nice.

In total, you can earn 20 points for your efforts. If you are going to study in a technical specialty, the number of points is unlikely to greatly affect your fate, but humanities students will have to show mathematical skills and calculate how many of their initial points will be in terms of those that the admissions committee will add to your score. Also, the university may recheck your work and assign a new number of points. Here's some help for the truly humanist:

• from 0 to 4 points for an essay – 0 on a ten-point scale;
• from 5 to 6 – 1 point;
• from 7 to 8 – 2 points;
• from 9 to 10 – 3 points;
• from 13 to 14 – 5 points;
• from 15 to 16 – 6 points;
• 17 – equal to 7 points;
• 18 – 8 points;
• 19 – 9 points;
• 20 – 10 points.

Top 5 tips on how to formulate arguments in an essay

Here are 3 tips to help you master your argumentation:

1. Avoid general language . When thinking through your answer, try to find non-trivial and interesting examples. Must be related to the topic of the essay.
2. Use illustrated examples . Such examples include links to famous works, films, and statements of famous people.
3. Stick to logical transitions . Paragraphs should flow smoothly from one to another and be connected. This will demonstrate that you can think logically and consistently.
4. Avoid paraphrasing . Thesis and arguments are two different things. Therefore, you should not explain the theses with them, but in your own interpretation.
5. Make sure the reasoning is not "fuzzy" . You shouldn't write about everything and nothing. Every word must carry meaning.

Results and appeal

The results of your efforts and worries can be found out at the school or at the point where you applied for participation in the exam. The work is checked for only a week, the wait is not long. These results will be valid for admission to the university for 4 years following the year the essay was written. The grade you receive will not affect your admission, however, at the university itself, in the relevant areas of study, the admissions committee may initiate its own review and credit you with additional points (no more than 10). Therefore, it is better to try to get the most out of the final essay, because writing it, as we have seen, is not so difficult.

There's another reason to be diligent: you won't be able to appeal. The participant has the right only to submit an application for verification of an essay written again by a commission for re-checking essays. You can send your application for a review of work there by email or come in person, specifying the date, place and hours of operation of this organization.

Important! The results of the final essay as admission to the IGA are unlimited.
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