OCR – A2 GCE Historical Themes 1789–1997 F966: Option B
Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992
Mark Scheme
Examiners use Mark Schemes to determine how best to categorise a candidate’s essay and to ensure that the performances of thousands of candidates are marked to a high degree of accuracy and consistency. Few essays fall neatly into the mark levels indicated below: some essays only cover part of the period; others give a good overview but provide few supporting details. As a result, examiners seek to find the ‘best fit’ when applying the scheme. Each essay has a final mark based on two Assessment Objectives (AO1a and AO1b) worth 20 + 40 = 60 marks. As the standard of the two essays lies between Level I and Level IV, only the descriptors and marks for these levels have been tabulated below.
AO1a Mark Scheme for Levels I, II, III and IV | |
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Assessment Objectives | Recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately, and communicate knowledge and understanding clearly and effectively |
Level IA 18–20 marks | Uses a wide range of accurate, detailed and relevant evidence. Accurate and confident use of appropriate historical terminology. Answer is clearly structured and coherent; communicates accurately and legibly. |
Level IB 16–17 marks | Uses accurate, detailed and relevant evidence. Accurate use of a range of appropriate historical terminology. Answer is clearly structured and mostly coherent; writes accurately and legibly. |
Level II 14–15 marks | Uses mostly accurate, detailed and relevant evidence, which demonstrates a competent command of the topic. Generally accurate use of historical terminology. Answer is structured and mostly coherent; writing is legible and communication is generally clear. |
Level III 12–13 marks | Uses accurate and relevant evidence, which demonstrates some command of the topic but there may be some inaccuracy. Answer includes relevant historical terminology but this may not be extensive or always accurately used. Most of the answer is organised and structured; the answer is mostly legible and clearly communicated. |
Level IV 10–11 marks | There is deployment of relevant knowledge but level/accuracy of detail will vary; there may be some evidence that is tangential or irrelevant. Some unclear and/or under-developed and/or disorganised sections; mostly satisfactory level of communication. |
AO1b Mark Scheme for Levels I, II, III and IV | |
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Assessment Objectives | Demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation and analysis, arriving at substantiated judgements of key concepts and of the relationships between key features of the period studied |
Level IA 36–40 marks | Excellent understanding of key concepts relevant to the question set. Excellent synthesis and synoptic assessment of the whole period. Answer is consistently analytical with developed and substantiated explanations, some of which may be unexpected. |
Level IB 32–35 marks | Clear and accurate understanding of most key concepts relevant to analysis and to the question set. Answer is mostly consistently and relevantly analytical with mostly developed and substantiated explanations. Clear understanding of the significance of issues and synthesis of the whole period |
Level II 28–31 marks | Mostly clear and accurate understanding of many key concepts relevant to analysis and to the topic. Clear understanding of the significance of most relevant issues in their historical context. Much of the answer is relevantly analytical and substantiated with detailed evidence but there may be some uneven judgements. |
Level III 24–27 marks | Sound understanding of key concepts relevant to analysis and mostly focused on the question set. Answers may be a mixture of analysis and explanation but also simple description of relevant material and narrative of relevant events OR answers may provide more consistent analysis but the quality will be uneven and its support often general or thin. There may only be a limited synthesis of the whole period. |
Level IV 20–23 marks | Understanding of key concepts relevant to analysis and the topic is variable but in general is satisfactory. Answers may be largely descriptive/narratives of events and links between this and analytical comments will typically be weak or unexplained OR answers will mix passages of descriptive material with occasional explained analysis. Limited synoptic judgements of part of the period. |