Assignment

National 5 History

Assignment

Assessment task

This is the assessment task for the assignment Component of National 5 History Course assessment. It must be read in conjunction with the general assessment information for this Component of Course assessment.

This edition: February 2013 (version 1.0)

The information in this publication may be reproduced to support SQA

qualifications. This publication must not be reproduced for commercial or trade

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© Scottish Qualifications Authority 2013

Valid from session 2013/14 and until further notice

This assessment is given to centres in strictest confidence. You must keep it in a secure place until it is used.

National 5 History assignment: assessment task 1

Introduction This is the assessment task for the National 5 History assignment.

This assignment is worth 20 marks. The marks contribute 25% of the overall

marks for the Course assessment. The Course will be graded A–D.

Marks for all Course Components are added up to give a total Course

assessment mark which is then used as the basis for grading decisions.

This is one of two Components of Course assessment. The other Component is a

question paper.

This assignment has one Section.

This document gives marking instructions for assessors for the assignment

component of this Course and instructions for candidates.

It must be read in conjunction with the general assessment information for this

component of Course assessment.

The assessment instructions for candidates are provided in Appendix 1 and must

be detached and given to the candidate.

Equality and inclusion This Course assessment has been designed to ensure that there are no

unnecessary barriers to assessment. Assessments have been designed to

promote equal opportunities while maintaining the integrity of the

qualification.

For guidance on assessment arrangements for disabled candidates and/or those

with additional support needs, please follow the link to the Assessment

Arrangements web page: www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/14977.html

Guidance on inclusive approaches to delivery and assessment in this Course is

provided in the Course Support Notes.

http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/14977.html


Marking Instructions Part One: General Marking Principles for National 5 History assignment

This information is provided to help you understand the general principles you

must apply when marking candidate responses in this assignment.

Marks for each candidate response must always be assigned in line with

these general marking principles and the specific Marking Instructions.

If a specific candidate response does not seem to be covered by either

these principles or detailed Marking Instructions, or where they have

researched an area in which you are unable to verify the knowledge which

they have presented, and you are uncertain how to assess it, you must seek

guidance from your Team Leader/Principal Assessor.

Marking should always be positive, ie marks should be awarded for what is

correct and not deducted for errors or omissions.

The purpose of the History Resource Sheet is to support candidates in

presenting the findings of their research. This should be no more than one

single side of A4. It should not be marked. However, it may enable

clarification of points which the candidate has made in the presentation of

their evidence, and may allow markers to gain an insight into what the

candidate intended.

In presenting their findings, candidates should show the following skills,

knowledge and understanding:

A. Explaining different factors contributing to the impact or causes of an

event or development.

B. Using information from sources referred to, in order to support a factor.

C. Using other information, to support a factor.

D. Evaluating different factors contributing to the impact or causes of an

event or development.

E. Organising the information to address the question or issue.

F. Coming to a conclusion about the question.

G. Supporting a conclusion with reasons and/or evidence.

A. Explaining different factors contributing to the impact or causes of an

event or development

Candidates can be credited in a number of ways up to a maximum of

2 marks. Candidates should identify the factors contributing to the causes

or impact of an event or development and show the connection between

this factor and the event or development.


B. Using information from sources referred to, in order to support factors


2 marks. They may reference their sources in a number of ways.

One mark should be given for each accurate relevant key point of

knowledge which is referenced up to a maximum of 2 marks.

C. Using other information, to support a factor


4 marks. One mark should be given for each accurate relevant key point

of knowledge used to support a factor, up to a maximum of 4 marks.

D. Evaluating different factors contributing to the impact or causes of an

event or development


3 marks. Candidates should make evaluative comments on the factors

they have identified, making clear their importance given the context of

the event or development.

E. Organising the information to address the question or issue


3 marks. They may take different approaches to organising their findings.

Candidates should structure their answers to show a degree of balance in

their assessment of the factors.

F. Coming to a conclusion about the question


3 marks. Candidates may come to a conclusion at the end of their

assignment or may provide a series of conclusions. Their conclusion

should involve a qualitative judgement about the question or issue they

set themselves.

G. Supporting a conclusion with reasons and/or evidence

Candidates can be credited in a number of ways up to a maximum of 3

marks. Reasons given should relate to the evidence presented.


Part Two: Detailed Marking Instructions

These detailed marking instructions provide the basis on which the marking principles should be applied. These have also

been presented in tabular form to assist markers to develop an overview of how the marking principles should be applied.

Skills General Marking

Instructions

Max

Mark

Supported commentary

1 A Explaining different

factors contributing

to the impact or

causes of an event or

development

2 Candidates can be credited in a number of ways up to a maximum of 2 marks.

Candidates should identify the factors contributing to the causes or impact of an

event or development and show the connection between these factors and the event

or development.

two marks Two or more different factors on the impact or cause of an event

are explained.

one mark Two or more different factors on the impact or cause of

an event are identified but without any explanation.

no mark No awareness of different factors.


B Using information

from sources

referred to, in order

to support a factor

2 Candidates can be credited in a number of ways up to a maximum of 2 marks. They

may reference their sources in a number of ways.

One mark should be given for each accurate relevant key point of knowledge which

is referenced up to a maximum of 2 marks.

two marks Evidence of information having been collected from at least 2

sources which have been referred to clearly and directly.

one mark Evidence of information having been collected from one

source which has been referred to clearly and directly.

no mark Evidence is not referenced.

C Using other

information to

support a factor


One mark should be given for each accurate relevant key point of knowledge used

to support a factor, up to a maximum of 4 marks.

four marks Four points of knowledge used.

three marks Three points of knowledge used.

two marks Two points of knowledge used.

one mark One point of knowledge used.

no mark No evidence is used.


D Evaluating different

factors contributing

to the impact or

causes of an event or

development


Candidates should make evaluative comments on the factors they have identified,

making clear their importance given the context of the event or development.

three

marks

The question or issue is placed in its historical context and relevant

comment is made on more than one viewpoint in relation to the context.

two

marks

The question or issue is placed in its historical context and relevant

comment is made on one viewpoint in relation to the context.

one mark Relevant comment is made on one or more factors, but without relation

to any context.

no mark No relevant comment is made on any factors.


E Organising the

information to

address the question

or issue

3 Candidates can be credited in a number of ways up to a maximum of 3 marks. They

may take different approaches to organising their finding.

Candidates should structure their answers to show a degree of balance in

their assessment of the factors.

three marks There is a well-balanced argument showing at least two

factors/areas of impact, showing some balance within at least

one factor/area of impact, recognising its limitations.

two marks There is a balanced argument showing at least two factors/areas

of impact.

one mark A narrative approach has been adopted. This is clearly presented

from a single point of view which addresses the question.

no mark The answer is disorganised with the evidence not being used to

address the question.


F Coming to a

conclusion about the

question


Candidates may come to a conclusion at the end of their assignment or may provide

a series of conclusions. Their conclusion should involve a qualitative judgement

about the question or issue they set themselves.

three

marks

There is a conclusion which relates to the question. This will make a

relative judgement about the factors in addressing the question or issue.

two

marks

There is a conclusion which addresses the

question. This will make a judgement about the

question or issue.

one

mark

There is a conclusion which relates to the topic.

This will be a summary which fails to make a

judgement.

no

mark

There is no attempt to reach any

conclusion in terms of the question or

issue.


G Supporting a

conclusion with

reasons.


Reasons given should relate to the evidence presented.

three marks The judgement is supported with more than one reason

related to the evidence presented.

two marks The judgement is supported with one reason related to

the evidence presented.

one mark At least one supporting reason is presented but does not

relate to the evidence presented.

no mark There is no attempt to support the conclusion, or reasons

do not relate to the evidence presented.


Overview of marking instructions

Skills 0 marks 1 mark 2 marks 3 marks 4 marks

Explaining

different factors

contributing to

the impact or

causes of an

event or

development

No awareness of

different factors.

Two or more

different factors

on the impact or

cause of an event

are identified but

without any

explanation.

Two or more

different factors on

the impact or cause

of an event are

explained.

Using

information

from sources

referred to, in

order to support

factors

Evidence is not

referenced.

Evidence of

information

having been

collected from

one source which

has been referred

to clearly and

directly.

Evidence of

information having

been collected from

at least 2 sources

which have been

referred to clearly

and directly.

Using other

knowledge to

support factors

No knowledge is

used.

One point of

knowledge used.

Two points of

knowledge used.

Three points of

knowledge used.

Four points of

knowledge used.

Evaluating

different factors

contributing to

the impact or

causes of an

event or

development

No relevant

comment is made

on any factors.

A relevant

comment is made

on one or more

viewpoints, but

without relation

to any context.

The question or issue

is placed in its

historical context and

relevant comment is

made on one factor in

relation to the

context.

The question or issue is

placed in its historical

context and relevant

comment is made on

more than one factor in

relation to the context.


Organising the

information to

address the

question or

issue

The answer is

disorganised with

the evidence not

being used to

address the

question.

A narrative

approach has

been adopted

clearly presented

from a single

point of view

which addresses

the question.

There is a balanced

argument showing at

least two

factors/areas of

impact.

There is a balanced

argument showing at least

two factors/areas of

impact, showing some

balance within at least

one factor/area of

impact, recognising its

limitations.

Coming to a

conclusion

There is no

attempt to reach

any conclusion in

terms of the

question or issue.

There is a

conclusion which

relates to the

topic. This will

be a summary

which fails to

make a

judgement.

There is a conclusion

which addresses the

question. This will

make a judgement

about the question or

issue.

There is a conclusion

which addresses the

question. This will make a

relative judgement about

the factors in addressing

the question or issue.

Supporting a

conclusion with

reasons.

(May be overall

or may be after

each factor.)

There is no

attempt to

support the

conclusion, or

reasons do not

relate to the

evidence

presented.

At least one

supporting reason

is presented but

does not relate

to the evidence

presented.

The judgement is

supported with one

reason related to the

evidence presented.

The judgement is

supported with more than

one reason related to the

evidence presented.


Appendix 1: Instructions for candidates This assessment applies to the assignment for National 5 History.

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to apply your

skills, knowledge and understanding to answer a historical question of your

choice. This may be related to areas you have studied in class if you wish, but

you are free to research any historical question. You may wish to use this

opportunity to research areas of local history or an area of interest suggested

by what you have studied in class.

This assignment is worth 20 marks. The marks contribute 25% of the overall

marks for the Course assessment. The Course will be graded A–D.

The assessment for the assignment will be in the form of a report of your

findings. You must complete this report within one hour.

You will have the History Resource Sheet which you should refer to as you

produce a report of present your findings. This will help you produce your

report of your assignment. You may use only one side of this single sheet. The

History Resource Sheet should be submitted with your report of your findings to

SQA for marking.

This assignment has one Section.

Your assessor will let you know how the assessment will be carried out and any

required conditions for doing it.

It assesses the following skills, knowledge and understanding:

Choosing, with minimum support, an appropriate historical

question.

Explaining different factors contributing to the impact or causes of

an event or development.

Using information to support factors.

Referring to sources.

Evaluating different factors contributing to the impact or causes of

an event or development.

Organising the information to address the question or issue.

Coming to a conclusion about the question.

Supporting a conclusion with reasons.

History assignment


In this assessment, you will:

Choose a historical question

How you can do this

Choose a historical question which should allow you to:

The best questions to choose focus on an event or development and ask why it

happened or what impact it had. The best types of question start with phrases

such as:

These types of questions allow you to analyse and present your own conclusions

based on your research.

Your teacher/lecturer may support you by commenting upon the suitability of

the event or development you have chosen and advise on the likely availability

of resources.

History assignment

find information on the event or theme you have chosen to study

show different points of view on your question

come to a conclusion which you can support with reasons

To what extent did …

How important was …

How significant was …

How far can it be argued that …



Use information from sources, saying which sources they are, in order to support each factor

How you can do this

This will involve a number of stages:

Collecting information

You should collect evidence relevant to a specific historical theme or event,

from at least two distinct sources. These may be either primary or secondary

sources such as:

Try to take fairly detailed notes, using specific points of information where

possible.

Collect information which will help you answer your question.

Take a note of where you found this information.

Identify the different factors contributing to the impact of the event

or development, or different factors involved in causing the event or

development.

Organise your information into which viewpoints or factors they

support.

websites

newspapers/magazines/books (print or electronic)

visits or fieldtrips

television/video

radio/podcasts

libraries

textbooks

history books

interviews

letters, photographs, diaries etc

other sources of information

History assignment


Taking a note of the source

In presenting evidence from sources, you should say where the information

comes from. This allows the reader to judge how useful the sources you have

used really are.

If you use a quote from a source, you may simply put the author, the type of

source or title of the book, and the date if you know it. For example:

If you are vague in the way you refer to sources you will limit the number of

marks available. For example:

If you collect information in a group, it is important that each person is able to

provide individual evidence of their contribution to the research process.

Identify the different factors

As you research your event or development, you will find different points of

view on the question you have chosen.

If you have asked about the causes of an event or development, you will need

to identify the different factors which contributed to that event or

development.

If you have asked about the impact of an event, you will need to identify

different viewpoints the different ways in which things changed because of that

event.

Try to put them into a logical order. This may be short, medium and long term

impact; most important to least important factor etc.

Organise your information into which factors they support.

Having identified your factors, you will need to organise the evidence you have

found from your sources into which factor they best support.

‘Churchill was the greatest prime minister that Britain ever had’. (J.

Bloggs, Britain in World War Two, 2011)

According to the Times newspaper in June 1915, …

You could also summarise a viewpoint from a longer source by saying:

J. Bloggs suggests that Churchill was the best Prime Minister Britain

has ever had.

Historians think…

People at the time believed…

Newspapers at the time said…



Use other information from your own knowledge to add further support to each factor

How you can do this

Think of what other information you know about this event or development.

You don’t need to say where this information came from.

Add this to the information you found in your research.

History assignment



Come to a conclusion about the factors and support this with reasons

How you can do this

Think about what the evidence from your research and your own knowledge tell

you about the question you chose.

If you have asked about why an event or development happened, you should

make a judgment about which factor is more important in causing the event or

development and explain why you think this one is more important than the

others.

If you have asked about the impact an event or development had, you should

make a judgment about which impact is more important or significant and

explain why you think this one is more important than the others.

History assignment


The History Resource Sheet

You are able to have the History Resource Sheet with you when you produce

the report of your findings. This is a single-sided sheet of A4 containing

evidence you have collected during your assignment and where you found this

evidence.

There is no word limit for the Resource Sheet and there is no restriction on the

types of evidence you put on it. It is there for you to refer to when you produce

your report. However, you should not copy large chunks from this evidence. It

is the way you use the evidence that is important.

Working with others

While you should choose your own topic to research, others in your class may

have chosen a similar topic. It might be helpful to work part of the time with

others when you are collecting information.

If this is the case it is important that you are able to show what you have

contributed to this part of your assignment and that the evidence you take into

the assessment is your own work.

You will report the findings of your assignment under supervision in

up to 1 hour.

You will have the History Resource Sheet which you should refer to

as you produce a report of present your findings. This will help you

produce your report of your assignment. You may use only one side

of this single sheet.

The History Resource Sheet should be submitted with your report of

your findings.

Additional advice and guidance


History Resource Sheet

1. Evidence 2. References


Administrative information

Published: February 2013 (version 1.0)

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by Date

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© Scottish Qualifications Authority 2013

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