Examiner’s Specific Advice

Question (a) is worth 30 marks and candidates should therefore spend about a third of their allocated time on it. The question requires the candidate to compare and contrast two sources. In other words, similarities and differences need to be identified. It should be noted that the sources are unlikely to reveal an equal number of similarities and differences. Also, candidates must stick to the ‘tag’ in the question. The ‘tag’ is the part of the question that follows the command stem or instruction from the examiner. In the example below the ‘tag’ is ‘opposition to the introduction of National Insurance in 1911’.

The best approach to answering this question is to adopt a point by point comparative structure. If each source is dealt with in turn it is possible that the candidate may drift to describing the content of each source which is unlikely to result in an answer that will reach the higher mark levels.
A final piece of advice here is that candidates should avoid using the term bias. All sources are biased but that does not mean that they are not useful or reliable. It is important to consider what attitudes, ideas and beliefs lie behind what is said or can be seen in a source before making judgements about validity and reliability.

 

Exemplar Question - 1 (a)

1. (a) Study Sources B and D. Compare these two Sources as evidence about the opposition to the introduction of National Insurance in 1911. [30 marks]

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2