Votes for Women Evaluation

Line of Argument Your line of argument is crucial to your essay. This outlines what your opinion is regarding the issue. This should be reflected throughout the essay in your evaluations in order to get 3 or 4 marks for evaluation.

Evaluation The evaluation is the judgement you have made about that particular factor after looking at the evidence (KU and analysis) This should thread through your essay and back up your line of argument.

2 marks For two marks, each paragraph should have an evaluation of that individual factor and a reason to back this up.

Eg – War work was a contributing factor to women gaining the vote because they showed they could be responsible and patriotic which convinced the Government to give them the vote. Eg – Naturally changing attitudes were a key reason why women gained the vote as women were gaining more marital and property rights throughout the 19 th century and eventually this would have led to them being given the vote. Eg – The Suffragettes played a part in women gaining the vote because their violent tactics kept the campaign for women’s votes in the headlines and forced the Government to make a decision. Eg – The Suffragists were important in women gaining the vote because their methods gained the support of many MPs and trade unions and showed that they could be responsible if given the vote.

3 and 4 marks For 3 marks, your evaluation has to show that you understand that the factor you are writing about is part of a wider issue and is connected to the other factors you have written about.

Line of argument Suffragist campaign was biggest factor in gaining women the vote.

Suffragettes paragraph example The Suffragettes brought publicity to the campaign with their violent tactics which did keep votes for women high on the public agenda. However, their tactics reinforced the idea that they were irrational and could not be trusted [You will have shown this in your paragraph]. The Suffragists were able to get the Conciliation Bill of 1912 to Parliament which was defeated because if the Suffragette Wild Period. Therefore, the Suffragettes were actually counter productive and not as important as the Suffragists. [Directly weighing up factors and supporting your line of argument]

Example Notice that in this example, we explain that the Suffragettes did have an impact, but then go on to explain that they were actually more counter productive and that this was not as important as the Suffragists.

Line of argument Suffragettes were the most important reason why women got the vote. (ie a positive evaluation of the Suffragettes)

Suffragettes example The Suffragettes were more important in gaining women the vote than the Suffragists. The Suffragists were too quiet and did not draw attention to the cause. With their violent tactics, the Suffragettes kept the idea of votes for women in the headlines and forced the Government into giving the vote. Women were therefore given the vote as the Government feared a re emergence of the militant campaign.

4 marks For 4 marks, your evaluation must be linked to the question and not just the issue. Issue – Why did women win the vote? (Possible) Question – How important was the work of the Suffragettes in women gaining the vote.

Example – War Work Paragraph Overall, the work done by women during the war was more important than the Suffragettes in gaining women the vote as it showed they could be trusted and work as well as men. However, it was not as important as the Suffragist campaign as only women over 30 who were householders or university graduates could vote, which suggests that the women who worked during the war were not in fact given the vote. It was the middle class who gained the vote, which the Suffragists campaigned for and they gained respect of MPs through their peaceful methods which was the biggest factor in gaining the vote.

Your evaluation When you write your essay, you should know what you are going to argue. Your argument should be along the lines of ‘Every factor contributed but Suffragists/Suffragettes/War work was the main factor’. Write an evaluation for each section of your essay – say how important that factor was and why this is the case. If you can, include historiography or link it to another factor (Eg Suffragettes were actually counter productive and destroyed the progress achieved by the Suffragists)