Exam technique Paper 1 Section A Aim- To improve my exam technique in order to maximise my potential marks!

1. Comprehension Easy Marks – take three points from the source and get three marks. E.g. What does Source C tell us about German attitudes before the First World War? (3 marks) Now we know where our enemy stands. Like a flash of lightening in the night these events have shown the German people where its enemy is... When the hour of decision comes we are prepared for sacrifices, both of blood and of treasure. From a speech made by the Kaiser, November 1911 You would literally write down three pieces of information from this source to get three marks!

Description More easy marks – if you have revised! Level 1:- basic description, one or two facts, no detail (1 or 2 marks) Level 2:- detailed description of one or two points or a wide range of points not fully explained (3-4 marks) Level 3:- detailed description of at least two points related to the question(5-6 marks) E.g. Describe the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in Make sure you cover a range of points in detail !

Accuracy This type of question will ask you, ‘How accurate is the view given in source A of…’ If you concentrate on picking up the right historical skills this could be good way to pick up marks. Think carefully about what the examiner wants. You need to include certain elements to make sure you reach the top level. Carefully examine the provenance (origin) of the source, again using your own knowledge. Who produced it? Why was it produced? What is its purpose? Carefully examine the content of the source. Does it agree with your own knowledge? Is anything added in/missing? + = Top level! C ontent O wn knowledge P rovenance

 How accurate is the view in Source D is the view in source D about German attitudes in 1909? Use Source D and your own knowledge to explain your answer. (6 marks) Source D Germany is deliberately preparing to destroy the British Empire. We are all to be drilled and schooled and uniformed by German officials. Britain alone stands in the way of Germany's path to world power and domination. from an article in the Daily Mail newspaper, 1909

Accuracy Level 1:- A general statement – eg the source is not accurate as it is a cartoon (1 mark) Level 2:- Source accepted at face value – you do not question the accuracy at all (2 or 3 marks) Level 3:- Use your own knowledge to question accuracy or question the provenance of the source(4-5marks) Level 4:- Combines both parts of level 3 This means the origin of the source and why it was written. Now mark each others using the mark scheme below…

Source D Germany is deliberately preparing to destroy the British Empire. We are all to be drilled and schooled and uniformed by German officials. Britain alone stands in the way of Germany's path to world power and domination. from an article in the Daily Mail newspaper, 1909 C ontent O wn knowledge P rovenance Source D describes what Germany wanted to do to the British Empire. Some of it is accurate as the Germans did want to expand their empire and the Kaiser was jealous of Britain's Empire. It is also a little exaggerated when it talks about British people being ‘drilled and schooled’ by German officials. Britain was not the only country standing in the way of Germany who were also rivals with France. It may be exaggerated because it is made by British newspaper. Britain and Germany were great rivals at the time and the press may have wanted to play on this by producing controversial stories. Overall I do not feel that it is that accurate at all. NOTE – this is not perfect– it is just one example of how to answer the question.

Explanation/Analysis This is worth 10 marks so it is important to get it right. You need to talk about both factors/causes! Each one needs to be covered in detail but you must explain why one is more important than the other. You much reach a judgement!

An example… Which was the greater danger to European peace in the years : the rivalry between France and Germany in Morocco, or the rivalry between Austria-Hungary and the Serbs in the Balkans? You must refer to both parts when explaining your answer. Read the following three answers and give each a mark out of ten…..

ANSWER A The Moroccan crisis was important because they sent a ship to Agadir and this worried the British and Serbia was trying to gain land form Austria and this made them angry. ANSWER B The Bosnian Crisis came in 1908 when Austria annexed Bosnia into its empire. This made Serbia very angry and they asked Russia for help. The Russians called a conference but was not supported by France or Britain. They were humiliated and would not back down again. The Germans had also shown they would support Austria in a conflict and proved this again in 1913 after the Balkan wars. Serbia became a threat to Austria and with Germany backing up Austria and Russia backing up Serbia a large war was possible! Poor answer. Vague and no detail! I would not expect anything like this in an assessment! Much more detail but major problem – it only covers one factor! The maximum it can be is half the marks.

ANSWER C Both factors caused a threat to peace in Europe. The Moroccan crises of 1905 and 1911 nearly brought Germany into conflict with France and Britain over Frances colonial interest in Morocco. The Germans objected to this in 1905 but found that the British and the French would stand together. In 1911 the sent the battleship Panther to the port of Agadir in protest at the French army putting down a Moroccan rebellion. This was a big threat to Britain as the had an important port, Gibraltar, nearby. The British got ready for war but the Kaiser backed down in the end. The Serbians first came into conflict with Austria after they annexed Bosnia in The Serbians were not happy as they wanted to rule and asked Russia to step in. When Russia asked for a conference to be called it was rejected a by Britain and France so Russia was humiliated. The Germans had also made it clear the would stand by Austria. Trouble began again in 1913 after the Balkan wars. It was clear that if Serbia and Austria went to war then so would Russia and Germany, so this was also a big threat to European peace. A Good Answer but something is Missing! In my opinion the greatest danger to European peace was tension in the Balkans. If Serbia and Austria got into a conflict then it could easily drag the rest of Europe in. This was proven when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia in This caused Austria to declare war on Serbia and was the spark that caused the start of World War 1 JUDGEMENT