Exam Technique Cheat Sheet

History Paper 2 – The USA: A Nation of Contrasts, 1910-1929

Monday 4th June 2018

Exam technique is incredibly important. Knowing exactly what is asked of you for each question will allow you to pick up easy marks!

Question 1 – 5 marks

• 2 points directly from the source.

• 3 points from your own knowledge.

Use your own knowledge

Make sure you use the source.

COP it! Explain the source’s content, origin and purpose.

Make a clear judgement.

Look out for the following symbols…

Question 2 – 8 marks

• 3 good reasons the source was produced.

1. What is it? What’s the message of the source?

2. Why was it generally needed at the time?

3. Why was it needed in the specific year?

Question 3 – 10 marks

• Make a decision: does each interpretation support the view?

• Add a bit of own knowledge to support the interpretation

• Who wrote it? Is it accurate?

Question 4 – 10 marks

• COP both sources (content, origins, purpose).

• Make a judgement: how useful is each source?

• Mini-conclusion. Which is most useful?

Question 5 – 19 marks

• Needs to be a two-sided answer.• Why is the interpretation accurate?

What evidence do you have to back it up?

• Why might the interpretation be inaccurate? What evidence is there for other interpretations?

• Conclusion • +3 for SPG