Examiner’s Specific Advice

This question is testing several skills and also your knowledge of the topic. Because the question is on an important topic, you are expected to know the main details, in this case the transformation of Henry Tudor from an obscure nobleman in exile in 1483 to the established King of England by 1487. You are also required to provide a historical explanation and make a substantiated judgement.

As always with an essay-type question, relevance is the key – your answer should be as concise as possible while taking into account all the demands of the question and its specific wording. Accuracy and clarity are more important than elegance of style.

The key thing is not to narrate and describe, but to keep the precise question in mind: to what extent did Henry Tudor depend on help from others (including the mistakes of Richard III) in 1483–85? How vital were events on the battlefield at Bosworth? Was the real key to Tudor’s success the way he consolidated his authority between his victory at Bosworth and the end of 1487?

It is important to make up your mind about which factors were the most important before beginning to write. For example, if you feel the battle was all-important, most of the focus of your answer and the supporting detailed evidence will be on 1485. If you feel that the long-term factors from 1483 and/or the process of consolidation after Bosworth were more important than the battle, the balance of your answer would be very different. Whatever your approach, do make a judgement and back it up with selected evidence.

Exemplar Question

1 (02) How important were events on the battlefield at Bosworth in explaining why Henry Tudor was able to establish himself as King of England between 1483 and the end of 1487?  [24 marks]

Plan

• Introduction – the context of 1483 and the argument you are going to follow
• Long-term factors before Bosworth that aided Tudor’s cause
• Why Tudor was victorious at Bosworth and whether this was the decisive ‘turning-point’
• The process by which Henry VII consolidated his power to 1487
• Brief conclusion focused on assessment

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2