Examiner’s Specific Advice

The Unit 2 Part (b) essay asks candidates to cross-reference source material and own knowledge to test an interpretation.

First, candidates need to comprehend the sources and understand the ways in which they support or challenge the view advanced in the question.

Secondly, candidates must compare details from the sources, drawing out points of similarity or difference.

Thirdly, candidates need to consider the provenance of each source, using this to explain the similarities or differences between sources and give weight to the evidence provided.

Fourthly, candidates need to use their own knowledge to develop their argument. Own knowledge can be used to support or challenge information from the sources, or to give weight to the evidence in the sources.

Finally, candidates must reach a judgement about how far the interpretation in the question is accurate.

Exemplar Question

Study Sources 4, 5 and 6.

(b) Do you agree with the view that ‘women were given the vote because of the war’?

Explain your answer using Sources 4, 5 and 6 and your own knowledge. [40 marks]

Planning Your Response

Unit 2 Part (b) questions can be planned in much the same way as Unit 2 Part (a) questions, but with the additional inclusion of the candidate’s own knowledge.

It is important that the sources and own knowledge are used as a set. Candidates need to consider not only how far the sources and their own knowledge agree with the interpretation in the question, but also how far they agree with each other. This requires careful planning.

The quotation is taken from Source 4. Therefore, it is advisable to start with this source when planning your response. Source 4 argues that women’s work during the war, coupled with the end of militant protest, played a fundamental role in the decision to grant women the vote. Source 5 agrees that war work provided a pretext for politicians to extend the franchise to women. However, this source suggests that it was campaigning before the war that ensured that women would be granted the vote. Source 6 agrees with Source 4 in acknowledging the importance of women’s work during World War One. Additionally, it extends Source 4’s argument about the cessation of militant protest during the war, claiming that women were given the vote because politicians feared a return to militant protest after the war.

One possible way of structuring an answer to this question would be:

• Introduction: summarise the argument of the essay, integrating information from the sources and own knowledge
• Ways in which the war played a part in ensuring that women got the vote
• Ways in which the pre-war suffrage movement played a part in ensuring that women got the vote
• Ways in which the fear of a return to militancy played a part in ensuring that women got the vote
• Conclusion

 

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2