The 8 Mark "Explain the Significance" Question: Power & the People (Q2) (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Summary of Question Two
Question Two requires you to identify and explain the significance of a key event, development, person or group both at the time and over time
This question will require you to use second-order concepts in your answer
Amount of marks | 8 |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 10 minutes |
An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:
In previous years this question has focused on the following topics in Power and the People:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | |
Sample 1 | The signing of the Magna Carta for the development of the rights of the British people |
Sample 2 |
How to Explain Significance
Significance is a key second-order concept in history
Second-order concepts allow you to:
Understand history
Have a complex explanation
Significance is decided using hindsight
Modern historians look at a time period and decide which events or people:
Created new ideas
Directly changed events at the time
Impacted a significant amount of people
Had important long-term impacts that can be seen today
For the example question, the American Revolution has been selected because of its impact on revolutionary ideas in Britain
To understand the significance, try to visualise the events and people of a period as a set of falling dominoes
A significant event, development or person is a domino which changes the direction of all of the dominos that come after it
Historical significance is often:
Subjective
Each historian brings their own opinion on what events or people are important
Debatable
Historians use different evidence to come to their own conclusions about how important an event or a person was in history
Imagine the set of dominos again
A significant development, event or person is a domino that, if taken out of the sequence, stops other dominoes from falling
This shows that the development, event or person is vital for causing the events of the period
An insignificant development, event or person is a domino that, if taken out of the sequence, does not stop the dominoes from falling
This shows that development, event or person did not significantly impact the events of the period
How to Answer an “Explain the Significance of” Question
When answering an "Explain the Significance of" question you need to:
Read the question carefully
Include specific and relevant knowledge
For the example question, the significant event that you need own knowledge about is the American Revolution
Explain how the event, development, person or group impacted the time period
In Britain: Power & the People: c1170 to the Present Day course, these could include
Key laws and rights such as The Factory Act (1833)
Individuals like Oliver Cromwell
Institutions like parliament
Ideas like feudalism
Movements such as the Suffragettes
To access Level 4 (7-8 marks), explain that:
Significance can change over time
A person’s background and experiences affect how they view how significant an event is
“Explain the Significance of” Question Structure
Your answer should consist of:
Specific relevant knowledge
Complex explanations showing:
How a development, event or person impacted the time period
How significance changes over time or due to a person’s background
Your answers could be written in PEE paragraphs:
P- Make a point about the question
E- Include knowledge to support the point you have made
Focused on the development, person or event mentioned in the question
Show knowledge to demonstrate significance
E- Explain the question
Focus on the key demands of the questions
Include a complex explanation showing your understanding of significance
To achieve full marks, you need to repeat this twice
Worked Example of a “Explain the Significance” Question
Worked Example
Explain the significance of the American Revolution for Britain
[8 marks]
Answer:
The American Revolution was significant for Britain because it changed the empire. Before the American Revolution, Britain used North America as a penal colony and a key part of the slave trade. After the revolution, Britain had to rely on Australia, New Zealand and India for the empire’s success. This is significant because Britain had lost an important territory. The empire relied on America and could not allow American independence to weaken the empire. Therefore, Britain had to adapt to keep the empire as successful as it had been.
The American Revolution was also significant to Britain because it empowered the working classes. The 2.5 million settlers in America had no representatives in the British parliament. The revolution allowed America to create their own constitution and political system. This was significant to Britain because, at the same time, Britain was dealing with calls to reform its own political system. Some working-class people became inspired by the American Revolution to attempt to overthrow the monarchy. This reduced the British monarch’s power and increased the power of parliament. The change of power between the monarch and parliament remains today.
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