Exam Technique Flashcards
How do you structure a “what is the cartoonist’s message?” Question?
1st sentence: message
2nd & 3rd: 2 examples in the cartoon and what they tell you
4th & 5th: own knowledge specific to source in context
6th: viewpoint and intention
How do you structure a “why is the cartoon published?” Question?
1st sentence: sources purpose/ published to
2nd: how source achieves this, message its conveying
3rd: own knowledge to explain context
4th: why published/ needed at the time it was
How do you structure a “how far does this source prove that…?” Question?
Paragraph 1: proves true:
Details of source, do they agree with own knowledge, why you should trust it.
Paragraph 2: proves false:
What you know that source doesn’t show, limitations of source.
Final sentence directly answering Q
How do you structure a “how useful is this source as evidence about…?” Question?
2 paragraphs, one for and one against.
In each:
Compare source with own knowledge,
How accurate/ complete an image is it,
How reliable is the source to support these conclusions,
Argue whether it’s useful given who, when and why source was written
What should you consider about each source to decide how trustworthy it is?
Provenance (who and when the source was written) and purpose
How do you structure a “how far does source A prove B is wrong?” Question?
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How do you structure a “how similar are these two sources?” Question?
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How do you structure a “which source gives a more trustworthy/… View of…?” Question?
2 paragraphs, 1 for each source:
What does source tell you,
Anything to suggest one account is exaggerated/ one sided/ inaccurate,
Does source agree with your knowledge, so how accurate is it,
How reliable is source.
Conclusion: decide which
How do you structure a “which source is more useful for finding out about…?” Question?
2 paragraphs, 1 on each source:
What does the source tell you about what you want to know,
How accurate is source compared to own knowledge, any gaps in source,
How reliable is source: purpose, author/type of source, tone
Unreliable source can still be useful.
Conclusion: decide
How should you address biased and one sided sources and their reliability?
Don’t describe source as biased,
Identify and describe the point of view the author is giving,
Suggest why author might want to put forward this point of view
How do you structure a “how far do you agree with this statement?” Question? (19 marks)
Two peel paragraphs, looking at both sides of argument,
Answer based on own knowledge,
Use sources to support arguments being made
2 sources per each side of argument,
Evaluate reliability of sources, (in paragraphs or conclusion)
Strong judgement in conclusion
How could you start each sentence for paragraph one of the 19 mark question?
There are certainly examples of…, underlining the degree to which this interpretation is accurate
For example… Furthermore…
This is supported by…which describes,
This suggests that…
However while X account is… It isn’t…
These examples therefore demonstrate
How could you start each sentence for paragraph two of the 19 mark question?
Yet this only provides a partial assessment of…
This view is supported by source A, which shows…
Moreover, this is compelling evidence to challenge the statement because…
This point is corroborated by source X which states that…
Overall, the evidence suggests that…
How could you start each sentence for the conclusion of the 19 mark question?
To conclude, there is undoubtably evidence which supports the view… especially earlier/later in the period.
However, utility of the sources are undermined because they are isolated and don’t reflect wider attitudes.
Whilst acknowledging…, arguably…
On balance, statement X is largely…
