History

How to get an A/A* in History

What does an A-A* student do/have?

• Ability

• Engagement in the subject

• Knows exactly what is expected of them in the exam

• Has practised exam questions repeatedly

• Has precise knowledge of events from thorough revision of all topics

• Has the understanding to apply that knowledge to any question that comes up.

Have you reached it yet? If not, why not?

• Poor time management- this is crucial for an A-A*.

• Failure to answer questions set. Even the best students sometimes over-complicate questions or deviate to their dream question.

• Failure to understand the marking criteria i.e. What is expected of them.

Paper 1:

How do I approach a 4 mark ‘describe’ question? 4-5 minutes

•       The Exam Board says;

‘Answers are often too long, leading to timing problems at the end of the exam. A* students can end up with a B because they fail to finish the exam. This can be a result of taking too long over the 4 mark question’.

• Start with an opening statement but do not just repeat the prompt information provided in the question.

• Watch out for dates. Make sure you do not go before or beyond the dates specified in the question.

• Develop 2-3 ideas for full marks but keep your information precise and accurate. Avoid waffle, adding too much detail will not get you any more marks.

How do I approach a 6 mark ‘interpretations’ question? 10 -12 minutes

•   Don’t describe exactly what you see/ what is written in the source as an introduction. You get no marks for this and you are wasting valuable time. Rather write what the message of the source is or what it is implying. This is much more focused.

•  To get full marks-A*- the purpose of the source is crucial and needs addressing thoroughly. Avoid vague statements like ‘this is a cartoon and so must be biased’. Instead treat the source individually and identify and develop its purpose.

•  The source shows/the message of the source is.....................

•  I agree that ................... because .....................................

•  I disagree that ................because................................

•  The source is unreliable because.........(NOP)

•  Overall I agree/disagree that ......................because ....

How do I approach an ‘either-or’question-10 marks: 15-18 minutes

•   ‘10 mark answers are often very descriptive but there are limited marks available for description (max level 2/4). Students must move onto explanation and assessment. For a top level Students need to compare the two factors in the question directly when reaching a judgement in their conclusion. They need to make a precise comparison.’

•   To achieve a top level in this question you need to for each bullet point:

•   DESCRIBE-you give a general description and add detail by mentioning 2 extra facts.

•   EXPLAIN-you need to explain how each of the events led to war. If you do this for BOTH events, you will go up to a C grade.

•   ASSESS- the question does not ask you how the 2 events led to war. It asks you to ASSESS HOW IMPORTANT the events were in causing the war. Part of the way to do this is to look at the RESULTS of both events. Do this and you will go up to an A grade.

•   COMPARE- the final step is to compare the importance of one event with the other. Explain why one event is more important than the other in your opinion, you can get full marks- A*.

Paper 2

How do I approach a 4 marks ‘what does the source suggest’ question? 4-5 minutes:

What the board says

• Generally the 4 mark question is answered well but some answers are too long.

• There is no need to paraphrase the source, just draw on inference.

• Also do not use your own knowledge; you get no marks for this.

     How do I approach a 6 mark ‘Explain’ question? 8-10 minutes

The Board says......

• ‘There is a tendency for students to write descriptive answers, rather than explaining causes or effects of an event’.

• All that is needed is 2 PEEL paragraphs to gain a top level.

How do I approach a 10 mark ‘utility’ question? 15-18 minutes

Tips from the Board.....

• ‘Focus on purpose not bias.

• Students should avoid paraphrasing content and just commenting on it if they wish to get higher marks- low levels for this and it wastes time.

• Important to link knowledge to the question i.e. Source is useful because.....Never take the source at face value’

Structure

This source is useful because it shows....

However, this source is limited because it does not mention ......

This source is useful in other ways as it is a front cover of a catalogue.....(mention provenance- who, when and why here)

However, it is not reliable because......

In conclusion, this source is useful to a great/ certain/limited extent because......

How do I approach an 8 mark ‘Explain’ question?  14 minutes

3 PEEL paragraphs

How do I approach a 12 mark ‘how far do you agree with the interpretation’ question? 21 minutes

Tips from the Board.....

•  To achieve a top level you need to explain where the interpretation has come from and why. You must explain the validity of the interpretation.

•  You are given one view of events. You have to agree/disagree with the view and then show a different interpretation.

•  Your detail and analysis needs to be precise and you need to make a judgement in your conclusion for the highest level.