Paper One Markscheme

(Section 1)

 

These markschemes will allow you to gauge the standard of your own work.  

Why not give them to your parents, or email them to your teacher or an A-level or university student friend with your answers, and ask them to mark your work.

Eventually, you should be able to work out accurately what mark your work will be worth - and this is an important step to improving your answers.

  

 

The Basic Principle:

  

Note that GCSE History questions are marked by judging the ‘level of response’ – more sophisticated answers score at a higher level according to a hierarchy of understanding.  

  

Therefore:

  1. The first thing you do when marking an answer is to work out what Level it is at.  

  2. Then - depending on the depth of explanation and amount of factual knowledge shown - allocate a score within the range of marks allocated to that Level.

  

When marking

1. Gauge the LEVEL.

2. Gauge the depth of explanation and amount of factual knowledge.

Note:

These are GENERAL templates. You will need to assess the depth of explanation and the amount of factual knowledge for each question:

  

Factual knowledge: look at the revision sheet for ideas about the kinds of facts that ought to be included.

Explanation: a good explanation is clear, refers directly to the question asked, and takes the argument right through to the question.   Look out for connectives such as 'so', 'therefore', 'however', 'nevertheless' etc..   The best explanations have multiple ideas (e.g. 'This worked in two ways, firstly...')

  

Levels of Response

AQA markschemes have FOUR levels of response.

I have simplified things to reduce most to three levels.

  

Different Types of Question:

There are FOUR different kinds of question you will meet in section 1 of Paper One.  

Each one is marked in a different way:

  

 

Types of Question

1. Extraction

2. Reliability

3. Description

4. Explanation/analysis.

  

Extraction from a Source (3 marks)

Explain what an historian might learn from Source A about....

  

Give one mark for ANY fact – surface or inferred – taken from the Source to a maximum of three.

  

DO NOT CREDIT to answers which cannot be found in the source or which give facts which, although they are taken from the source, are not about the topic specified.

 

Reliability/ Accuracy of a Source (6 marks)

How accurate is Source D to an historian studying...?   Use Source D and your own knowledge to explain your answer.

  

Level 1 (score 1–2 depending on the depth of the answer and factual proof)

EITHER

generic, unsophisticated statements about reliability, either taken from their own knowledge or the source (e.g. ‘It is accurate because it says…’, 'It was produced by the government so it must be biased…’, ‘This was just one source so it may not be typical…’ etc.)

OR

statements which mention content or provenance but don’t adequately explain how this affects the source’s reliability – the reader is left to infer that for themselves.

 

Note that, to score more than half marks, candidates MUST BOTH use information from the source AND provide factual information from their own knowledge.

 

Level 2 (score 3–4 depending on the depth of the answer and factual proof)

EITHER

explained statements based on the provenance of the source

OR

explained statements based on the content of the source (e.g. ‘It is accurate because I know from my own knowledge that....’)

 

Level 3 (score 5–6 depending on the depth of the answer and factual proof)

Fully explained answers which use both the provenance and the content of the source.   Award the highest marks to answers which understand the issue: ‘reliable for what?’ (e.g. a poster gives a very reliable insight into how the government  wanted people to think and feel, but it may or may not accurately reflect the actual feelings of the man-in-the-street.)

    

Reliability/ Utility/

Evaluation of an interpretation

Use:

1. the provenance

2. the content

but you MUST

ANSWER THE QUESTION

  

 

Description (6 marks)

Describe....

Level 1 (score 1–2 depending on the depth of the answer and factual information)

        general, unsophisticated statements (e.g. ‘The Germans attacked France but wanted to go back and attack Russia.’)

       

Level 2 (score 3–4 depending on the depth of the answer and factual information)

        EITHER

        shallow treatment of a number of relevant aspects (i.e. a number of general facts)

        OR

        in-depth treatment of ONE relevant aspect..

 

Level 3 (score 5-6)

        In-depth treatment of at least TWO relevant aspects.  

     

Explanation and Analysis (10 marks)

Which (of two alternatives)....

Level 1 (score 1–2 depending on the depth of the answer and factual information)

        EITHER          

        simplistic, general or purely factual statements (e.g. simply describes facts)

                                                                                   

Level 2 (score 3–5 depending on the depth of the answer and explanation)

        EITHER          

        makes a number of relevant points but undeveloped to explain the question – inferred not explicit explanation.

        OR

        develops one point convincingly.

        OR

        narrative implying an answer to the question.

 

To score above Level 2, answers MUST examine the question from both points of view

 

Level 3 (score 6–8 depending on the number of reasons, depth of answer and factual information)

        a number of valid points explained in depth for and against the proposition, coming to a conclusion based on the arguments given.  

 

Level 4 (score 9–10 depending on the depth of the answer and factual information)

        The argument is balanced and well-argued in depth.   Award the highest marks to answers which organise their arguments in a logical and coherent manner, and which come to a considered judgement which is more than a re-statement of points made.  

 

A Judgement

A judgement is like a conclusion, but it contains a NEW IDEA - it is not just a summary of points already made..