Advice+from+experienced+D.P.+Teachers

Firstly, there are no 'limits' to how many sheets can be used, but (minor issue as it may appear) it would be good for students to be aware of trying to save paper for environmental reasons. Secondly, introductions and conclusions should be brief in a two-hour/90-minute exam. I find it difficult to justify a whole sheet of paper for either. The students could lose points under D - Presentation. The paragraphs should be linked and reveal a progression in the development of the argument - i.e. flow.

I tell them to keep introductions very short and focused, and ONLY to write after they have spent time making a clear plan, that should then be articulated in the introduction. Introductions that are long and rambling generally indicate a lack of clear direction.

If they lay out a plan in advance, they should be able to follow it in a more integral way.

My experience with surprises with Paper 1 is that otherwise-strong students may completely bypass establishing understanding of the extract (or using supporting detail from the extract) and dive straight into an esoteric analysis that's either unsupported by detail or flat-out wrong (e.g., a psychoanalytic reading that suggests the whole extract is just a metaphor).

The students should respond to the title of the essay as set. Failure to do so means losing a lot of points. If the title lends itself to a 'thesis statement' then go along with your plan. The most important point, however, is that their essay deals with the specific question

go for roughly 3-4 sides for SL and 5-6 for HL, depending on their handwriting and style. It's the old quality not quantity adage.