How to Answer as and A2 Questions Edition 2

Strathallan School History Department

AS & A2 History Question answering techniques

How to write a good AS essay ? Good essays will be based primarily on an analytical rather than a narrative approach – this means: The Introduction – OCR suggests 6 good opening sentences to provide the framework for a focused answer – you don’t need to write a long introduction.

– needs to focus in on the immediate meaning and demand of the question, and show the examiner that you know exactly what is being asked of you in your response.

– will set out your agenda, i.e. the ideas/factors you are going to use to answer the question, but not facts

– will give some indication of your answer to the question, i.e. what your interpretation is, so you are adopting a position from which to argue your case in the essay. [This is important in case you find yourself running out of time towards the end of the paper, and it also helps avoid adopting a narrative approach to the question]

The Main Body

– this should follow on logically from the agenda you have set in the introduction – it should set out your case for your answer using supporting historical knowledge,

historical interpretation, and evaluative rather than narrative technique. – remember to justify your claims with supporting evidence and make links between

factors – it is rare that all factors are equally important, and more often that some are more important than others, though all working together to create an historical situation.

– paragraphs should follow-on logically from the preceding ones using linking sentences or evaluative comments.

The Conclusion

– needs to focus on what you think about the question, and how far your preceding words have proved the position you adopted at the start of the essay.

– needs to follow-on from what you have already written – it is not the place to introduce something new or unproved.

– needs to sum-up your argument and re-state points directly related to the question set, not the question you would like to have been set !

OCR Dos and Don’ts

DO pay attention to the question. What does it ask you to do ? DO remember that you will probably know more than you need for your answer. Choose

what is relevant from what you know. DON’T begin writing without thinking out how you are going to answer the question. DON’T tell a general story. Show that you understand what the facts mean& how they link

to the question. Use specific & accurate examples to support the points you want to make. DON’T say that everything is equally important – it rarely is. Put your reasons (about 4 or

5) in order of greater and lesser importance, & explain why you think one factor was more important than the others – or why several were more important than all the others.

DON’T just say something was more important than something else. Justify your claim with evidence & make clear linkages between factors (they often influenced each other)

DON’T run out of time. 45 minutes gives you plenty of time & allows you a few minutes to check your answer.



The following is taken from the OCR Report, June 2004; There are four types of questions commonly used in Period Study papers (2583, 2585), all of which demand evaluation or assessment of a variety of factors. This means that candidates need to weigh up the relative importance of factors against others … 1. Assess the reasons why:

A good answer will not simply list and explain a variety of reasons, but will evaluate or assess them, by weighing up their relative importance and show how they are linked. Candidates should look to consider four or five key factors as it is not possible to assess all the reasons for an event in 45 minutes. The key to reaching the top levels is to show their relative importance and explain how they are linked.

2. Compare the importance of X and Y on Z etc:

Questions such as these require a real comparison of both factors. Candidates need to evaluate the similarities and differences, compare the similar and different ways X and Y contributed etc. Candidates will be rewarded if there is a lengthy conclusion that compares the role of the factors, but they will score more highly if comparison is present throughout the essay.

3. How successful ? How serious ? How important ?:

One of the key requirements is for the candidate to establish clear and relevant criteria for evaluating success, seriousness, greatness etc. These questions also require not a description of the problems/policies etc referred to in the question, but an assessment of their ‘success’, ‘seriousness’ or ‘importance’. Success can be assessed against the aims, results or context.

4. How far was X the most important reason for Y ?

The candidate must explain how the named factor helps explain the event, and also explain its relative importance against other factors. It is not enough for candidates simply to identify, list and explain a number of reasons. The aim of the question stem is to draw the candidate into a relative assessment of the factors.



How to answer AS document questions ? Module 2581 - Luther and the German Reformation, 1517-1530 – is a source-based paper with two sub-questions dealing with four source extracts. OCR has given some guidance about what (not) to do if you want to be successful … Sub-question (a)

1. Sequencing is still prevalent – i.e. summarising points from each Source in turn; OCR wants you to select issues/themes from each Source and build your comparison around these

2. Not focusing on content – OCR argues that comparison of content is a good foundation for the good answer, not simply focusing on the background of a Source or its origins (provenance). You need to focus your comparison on the issue specified in the question, not a general comparison of the sources

3. Paraphrasing – i.e. summarising the content of the sources is often used to answer questions, but this is not true comparison – anything comparative is only implicit and many answers don’t have any real conclusion related to the issue raised in the question.

4. All too frequently the comparisons are not focused on the issues raised by the question, but are a mere general comparison.

5. Evaluation of the provenance – i.e. the background of the author, intended ‘bias’ etc of the source – too often candidates rely on this exclusively when comparing sources – it is important but NOT at the expense of content or possible context. If you mention provenance, then explanation is required, not simply stating it and hoping it explains itself.

6. There is too much simplistic use of evaluative language – candidates should say why one source is better or is biased than the other – how ? You do this by taking into account what is said, the intended audience, the date, the tone etc. ‘An integration of content and context, that assesses how far a Source is useful as evidence, should be the ideal’.

7. Candidates need to be flexible in their approach – use of own knowledge is not required in (a), but comparison of the Sources is.

Sub-question (b) The biggest challenge here is the balance to be maintained between use of own knowledge and the use & analysis of the Sources. The better answers use relevant Source content to build an argument, which is then extended and developed through evaluation of the sources and extra content coming from own knowledge. If answers are formulaic, or mechanically constructed, then this could lead to paraphrasing of source content, perhaps ignoring of some of the sources, random dumping of own knowledge and uncertain conclusions which may betray a less than clear approach to the question. Worryingly, many candidates only refer with token use of sources via referencing - i.e. quoting a brief phrase, a few words to make a point and then say ‘as is shown in Source B …’ This often leads to sequential answers, and/or a concentration on mining the sources for knowledge only, or writing a conventional essay with only passing reference to the source materials. Look at the generic mark schemes to see what is required at each Band level. Sequencing can lead to simply summarising each source and losing sight of the question. Candidates should group sources according to the internal evidence – and incorporation of pros and



cons would be a good way of doing this – a candidate needs to build in evaluation naturally and historically. Pick up on conditioning words in the questions – i.e. words such as ‘only’, ‘main’, ‘reason’, ‘cause’ etc. Ignore them at your peril.



What is in a good A2 essay ? The criteria for writing an A2 essay differ from those required for AS, in that you are expected to have developed a more consistent and sophisticated answer to examination questions. This means a tighter structure and more analytical approach than you may have used at AS level. Another crucial difference, particularly in the Philip II paper [2588], is that you need to be more aware of historians’ views – i.e. the historiography of the major topics we have studied. After all, the paper is entitled Historical Investigations. So, where to begin ? What does OCR have to say about A2 essays ? Weaknesses pointed out in the June 2004 report …

• Answering questions different to those set ! • Concentrating so much on schools of historical thought that answers lack factual support • Mistaking key words/phrases in the question • Failing to observe limits in time or scope • No reference at all to debate • Using too informal or inappropriate language

* * * * *

Good essays will be based primarily on an analytical rather than a narrative approach – this means: The Introduction

– needs to focus in on the immediate meaning and demand of the question, and show the examiner that you know exactly what is being asked of you in your response.

– will set out your agenda, i.e. the factors you are going to use to answer the question – will give some indication of your answer to the question, i.e. what your interpretation is,

so you are adopting a position from which to argue your case in the essay. [This is important in case you find yourself running out of time towards the end of the paper, and it also helps avoid adopting a narrative approach to the question]

The Main Body

– this should follow on logically from the agenda you have set in the introduction – it should set out your case for your answer using supporting historical knowledge,

historical interpretation, and evaluative rather than narrative technique. – remember to justify your claims with supporting evidence and make links between

factors – it is rare that all factors are equally important, and more often that some are more important than others, though all working together to create an historical situation.

– paragraphs should follow-on logically from the preceding ones using linking sentences or evaluative comments.

The Conclusion

– needs to focus on what you think about the question, and how far your preceding words have proved the position you adopted at the start of the essay.

– needs to follow-on from what you have already written – it is not the place to introduce something new or unproved.

– needs to sum-up your argument and re-state points directly related to the question set, not the question you would like to have been set !



OCR Dos and Don’ts Paper 2588 Historical Investigations



How to answer A2 document questions ? Part 1 – asks you to compare two passages on a particular issue

o work out what the main themes are in each passage – then compare each for similarities and differences on specific points to do with the theme of the question

o compare and contrast the overall impression/interpretation of each passage o have in your mind who the intended audience is for each extract – or the intended

interpretation to be drawn from each passage o always read the captions – they can help you understand the different views of historians o USE the passages to answer the question – DO NOT summarise them

OCR suggests you should spend no more than 10 minutes on this question Part 2 asks you to use all the sources and your own knowledge to address a specific issue

o Look for a pattern/shared interpretation among the passages o is there a coherent argument (remember two-sided) going on among the passages ? o What differences are there ?

o Try to avoid sequencing – i.e. A says ... then B says … then C says … o Pick out the themes/interpretations of the extracts and put them together to answer the

Question o Then, use own knowledge and your opinion – how far do you agree with the given statement o Remember – there is a debate being carried on in the extracts – they are evidence for this o The breadth of your discussion of the evidence contained in the extracts is important for the

top Bands OCR suggests you spend 30 minutes answering this question

Documents

How to Answer as and A2 Questions Edition 2