Paper 1
You will need to study for 3 units in core content and 3 units in Depth Study. (Pick the ones you care about the most.) Start CORE revision process as soon as you start learning DEPTH STUDY and DEEPLY STUDY THE DEPTH STUDY so you don’t leave everything to the last minute (comme moi)
Q1/4 marker: Describe means listing the facts. Do not analyze and do not go deeper than asked. Give relevant, vivid facts as if you were talking enthusiastically. Narrate. 4-5 minutes should be spent on this question.
Q2/6 marker: Why means that come up with causes/reasons to answer. Group evidence in support of these causes and analyze. Use Peal structure and write 3 paragraphs in response to this question. Constantly use words from the question. 10-12 minutes to be spent on this question.
Q3/10 marker: To what extent/how far means an essay. Spend 20 minutes and calmly rush through the 4/6 markers just so you can get to this question. Use PEAL furiously and rigorously.
Introduction: bring up the factors you would like to talk about and clearly stating a response to the question.
Body paragraphs: the minimum for full marks you should have 2 points for, 1 against. Always always always use PEAL. It’s okay, I also don’t know what the word analyze means.
Point: Only revolutionaries within empires rose up in 1848 due to nationalism,
Analysis: showing that nationalism was not an universal cause for revolution.
Evidence: In France, the bourgeoisie and the working poor rose up due to unemployment and the suppression of civil liberties instead of nationalism.
Link: As nationalism was only a regional cause, it is less significant than more universal causes such as liberalism and poor harvests.
Point: Nationalism was a catalytic cause for revolution in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Analysis: it was significant as its power immediately inspired the people to revolt.
Evidence: The nationalistic speech made by Lajos Kossuth in the Hungarian Diet on 3 March 1848 were reprinted and passed around in Vienna, inspiring revolutions in Vienna on the 13 March when the Austrian Diet met.
Link: Being the most immediate cause meant that many people care about Nationalism, increasing its significance.
There you have it, a single, basic paragraph fit for Q3 that is actually quite sophisticated if you read into it.
Conclusion: evaluate. It’s okay, I also don’t know what the word evaluate means.
Evaluation: While nationalism was significant regionally as a catalytic cause, universal causes such as poor harvests, liberalism and class inequality are more significant in general.
Paper 2
There shall be 6 questions on 7-8 sources on [GERMAN UNIFICATION] in 2 hours for me. For each of the questions there is a way to get the top marks without writing loads and loads.
A very important thing about Paper 2 is COPVL. Content origin/provenance purpose value luck/limitations. Analyze the sources as you would an English unseen. Use own knowledge where necessary, so underline the keywords.
Content – What. Message of the source/meaning. What is in the source.
Origin – Who, Where, When. was created?
Purpose – Why. For whom. The intended audience… therefore this source is useful for an historian because…
Values and Limitations – Scale of usefulness measured in Content, (+Origin and Purpose), and Reliability meaured in context of Origin and Purpose.
Q1 / Study Sources A and B. How far do these two sources agree? Explain your answer using details of the sources.[7]
These will likely be history book sources so you can always go provenance and say they are different interpretations etc…
Top criterion: Compares big messages / i.e. A says it’s mainly war, B says it’s diplomacy
Structure: two paragraphs: 1 agree, 1 disagree. Start with “On the other hand…”
Timing: 15 minutes.
Q2 / Why is the source published at X time… Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge. [7]
These will likely be cartoons/pamphlets so use your own knowledge. Talk about purpose and use provenance to support claim.
Top criterion: purpose in context as a reason
e.g. The cartoon is published in 1866 to stir up anti-Prussian sentiment in France around the Austro-Prussian war as France is afraid and alarmed that Prussia may be coming after it next.
Structure: 1 detailed paragraph.
Timing: 15 minutes.
Q3 / How useful is Source X… [8]
Answer the question and use the words useful in your answer.
Top criterion: Useful/Not useful: evaluates the source to accept/reject it
e.g. The source is useful in deducing the Austrian sentiment against Prussia because it provides a reliable Austrian perspective however it is not useful in discovering Bismarck’s motives since it is biased against Prussia.
Structure: 2 paragraphs, 1 useful and 1 not useful, plus conclusion.
Timing: 16 minutes.
Q4 / Does source X prove source Y wrong? [8]
Start with “It is practically impossible to prove anything using a single source. or No single source can prove another wrong. However, source X do suggest source Y is… ” Use reliability to compare.
Top criterion: Compares the sources and evaluates both of them
e.g. Source X suggests that Prussian military is more powerful than Austria, but its reliability is to be questioned as it is published by a Prussian state newspaper as propaganda. Source Y however, proves a more realistic imagery of Prussian military as it is more reliable as an internal document for Bismarck, hence Source X cannot prove source Y wrong.
Structure: Sentence starter, 2 paragraph – 1 yes and 1 no, plus conclusion. Must include reliability comments.
Timing: 16 minutes.
Q5 / Are you surprised by this source? [7]
Do not be sarcastic. Answer with own knowledge and cross reference.
lower criterion asks for cross reference to match content of C to other sources to show surprised or not surprised.
Top criterion: Yes/No: cross-reference to contextual knowledge to explain surprised or not
e.g. Some might find the source surprising as it is unusual that a Prussian liberal is pronoucing support for Bismarck, who since 1862 had been known as a staunch conservative who passed the army reform bill heavily disliked by liberals.
However, the source is not surprising when viewed in the context of 1866, as after the Austro-Prussian war Bismarck had achieved German unification which is originally a liberal aim albeit using conservative means.
Structure: 2 paragraph – 1 surprised and 1 not surprised, plus conclusion.
Timing: 15 minutes.
e.g. Author of Source X believes which is contrasted by Author of Source B believing…
Top criterion: Compares big messages – compares the points of view of cartoonists –
Structure: 2 paragraph – 1 agree and 1 disagree, plus conclusion.
Timing: 16 minutes.
Q6 / Study ALL THE SOURCES! How far do these sources provide convincing evidence… [12]
No introduction. Use all the sources and arrive at conclusion, quote sources to support topic sentencing, use factors like political/economic/military as a part of topic sentences.
e.g. Source that are internal to Prussia overall suggest that unification is brought about by long term plannig… while sources generally external from Prussia suggest he is a calculating opportunist. Hence, since internal is more reliable, Unification is brought about by planning.
10 marks are to be gained for that alone. 2 bonus marks for evaluation / saying whether source is reliable or not. Include unreliable sources and comment how that shouldn’t be taken into consideration as it’t not convincing evidence. Analyze 2 sources for 2 marks.
Some sources can be used in more than 1 side of the argument!
Top criterion: Uses sources to support and reject the statement [7-10]
If you write 2 sides it’s automatically 7 marks. Bottom line.
“Source use must be referenced to a source by letter, by provenance or by direct quote. There must be examples from source content. There must be an explanation of how this supports/does not support the statement.” Use PEAL furiously I guess.
Structure: 2 paragraph – 1 supports and 1 reject, plus conclusion.
Timing: 25+5 minutes.
IGCSE REVISION 