England – A New Century 1900-24 AS History Source Paper Revision Overview

Overview – Both Questions Sources are always the focus and drive the answer Own knowledge used to test and evaluate sources Avoid sequencing in both answers – sources MUST be cross referenced Use the time at the start to plan Read EVERY source carefully – work out its nature, origin and purpose Provenance is important in BOTH questions, not just the 1st one Focus on the KEY ISSUE in the Q – they are not looking for a generic response to the topic as a whole. Underline it on the Q Paper if it helps The introduction and attribution of the source are vital – READ and USE them

Question A – Compare 2 Sources In your plan – identify key areas of agreement and disagreement that you can compare You must compare the sources consistently Never write a paragraph on 1 source Avoid sequencing – never write about A, then B Sources should be cross referenced consistently There should be even use of the 2 sources Own knowledge should be carefully selected and used to evaluate sources – not narrate them Use provenance to evaluate the sources The judgement you are making is on which of the 2 sources is better evidence about the key issue in the question – not a judgement on the key issue itself You should be making judgements as you go along – not just in the conclusion

Question B – How far do the 5 sources support the interpretation that … In your plan – group the sources according to what they say about the interpretation You must use all 5 sources You must group your sources according to whether they support or do not support – use them in groups, never in isolation Never use the sources sequentially (A, then B, then C etc) Each paragraph should be using 2, if not 3 or 4 sources You have to use your own knowledge and the provenance to assess the validity of the sources as well as saying whether THE SOURCES agree or disagree with the interpretation in the question – NOT WHETHER YOU AGREE Cross referencing of sources is vital Again, judgement should be seen throughout and in the conclusion – on balance how far ‘DO THEY SUPPORT the interpretation that …’ Sources must be used in the conclusion / judgement

Hints and Tips Different colour pens for different sources Different colour pens for sources / own knowledge Different colour pens for content / provenance Never start Qb with source A … might help avoid sequencing! Take at least 5 minutes to PLAN each answer The differences between the dates of sources is crucial – what happened in the intervening period and how does that affect what it is saying Build a big, detailed chronological timeline of people and events Contextual knowledge is key for evaluation – but not pages of it. One or two carefully selected sentences are fine The sources always DRIVE the answer – you should write more about the sources that what you know Structure is important – use defined paragraphs (indent), good spelling and grammar and have a clear defined conclusion