Exam Technique

Question 1

1. how does interpretation B differ from interpretation A about…

Answer 1

• 4 marks
• 5 mins
• identify one difference and explain:
  1. state the difference
  2. interpretation A states “…”, this suggests that…
  3. in contrast, interpretation B states “…”, this suggests that…
• NO KNOWLEDGE OR PROVENANCE NEEDED

Question 2

2. why might the authors of interpretation A and B differ….

Answer 2

• 4 marks
• 5 mins
• PROVENANCE
• identify reasons why these interpretations are different and explain:
  1. state the reason for difference (author’s role in the events/purpose of source/nature of source)
  2. the author of interpretation A has its view because…
  3. the author of interpretation B has a different view because…

Question 3

3. which interpretation do you find more convincing…

Answer 3

• 8 marks
• 10 mins
• 2.5 paragraphs
• SOLELY ABOUT CONTENT- do NOT include ANY provenance
• you MUST say which is more convincing out of the two interpretations
  1. interpretation A states “…” this is convincing because… (OWN KNOWLEDGE X2)
  2. interpretation B states “….” this is convincing because…. (OWN KNOWLEDGE X2)
  3. overall, both views are valid because…. - ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO HELPS ACHIEVE L4
  4. however, interpretation …. is more convincing because… (JUDGEMENT)

Question 4

4. describe…

Answer 4

• 4 marks
• 5 mins
• 2 paragraphs
  1. identify one factor and add a supporting sentence showing historical knowledge
  2. identify a second factor and add a supporting sentence showing historical knowledge

Question 5

5. in what ways….explain

Answer 5

• 8 marks
• 10 mins
• 2.5 paragraphs
  1. identify one factor and explain using historical knowledge (OWN KNOWLEDGE X4)
  2. identify another factor and explain using historical knowledge (OWN KNOWLEDGE X4)
  3. (smaller paragraph) evaluate how far each factor has changed- was the experience the same for across society?

Question 6

6. which of the following was the most important reason why… bullet point factors

Answer 6

• 12 marks
• 15 mins
• look for key word in the question and focus on that in your answer
• 3 paragraphs
• each bullet point requires one paragraph plus a conclusion with a clear judgement
  1. introductory sentence : introduce both reasons and state which you believe to be the most important
  2. first bullet point : explain why/how this first factor contributes to the question + why this is important (OWN KNOWLEDGE X6)
  3. second bullet point : explain how/why this second factor contributes to the question + why this is important (OWN KNOWLEDGE X6)
  4. conclusion- FULL PARAGRAPH - you MUST reach a clear judgement and decide that one is MORE significant than the other. you should then explain why that factor is MORE important than the other, with reference to both