The 16 Mark "How Far do you Agree" Question: East & West (Q4) (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Summary of Question Four
Question Four requires you to evaluate the statement in the question
You need to evaluate the importance of the statement given in the question against other reasons
These other reasons will not be mentioned in the question
The question can be based on cause, consequence, change and/or continuity
Amount of marks | 16 + 4 SPaG |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 25 minutes Spend 5 minutes planning Spend 20 minutes writing |
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:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 | |
2019 | The Cuban Missile Crisis was the main cause of tension in the 1960s |
2020 | The atomic bomb was the main cause of tension between the USSR and the USA from 1945 to 1949 |
2021 | NATO was the main cause of developments in the Cold War in the 1950s |
2022 | The U-2 Crisis was the main reason for the tension between the East and West in the 1960s |
Sample 1 | The actions of the Soviet Union were the main reason for tension in Europe in the 1960s |
Sample 2 | The Truman Doctrine was the main cause of developments of the Cold War from 1945- 1949 |
Making judgements in History
The 16-mark question relies on your ability to weigh all the evidence and state your opinion. Students often find this part the hardest to do
There are some common mistakes students make when making a judgement, they include:
Not giving a clear judgement. Students do this by:
Explaining that all of the reasons are the most important
Failing to decide which factor is the most important
Using language in their answer which is not decisive e.g. “kind of” or “maybe”
Contradicting your judgements
Students sometimes haven’t planned their answers properly. They start to write their answer with one judgement and then change their opinion halfway through
Doing this means that there is not a sustained judgement and you can not access Level 4 (10- 12 marks)
Good judgements will:
Explain which reason is the most important
There is no "right" or "wrong" answer in history
If you are unsure of your opinion, pick the side of the argument that you have better or more evidence to support
Consider other reasons
Even if you fully believe a reason is the most important, you still need to present evidence for other reasons
Be sustained throughout your answer
They should be used to structure your answer and help you explain
This is why planning your answer is important
Try to explore the relationships between causes/ changes/ factors/ consequences that you have presented in your argument
This will help you to evaluate your argument
For the example question, when evaluating the cause of tension between the USSR and the USA in the 1960s, one could argue that the Bay of Pigs was the main cause of tension. In your answer, you could highlight the relationship between the Bay of Pigs and other factors such as the Cuban Missile Crisis
What Makes a Great Conclusion in GCSE History?
Conclusions are usually where most of your judgement marks will be awarded
Students often rush their conclusions so they are not as developed as they could be
All great conclusions have these three elements:
Judgement – Start with your opinion. Try to include the words from the question. Consider second-order concepts like short- and long-term consequences, change and continuity and significance
Counter – Give an example from the other side of the argument to show your awareness of this
Support – Explain why, after considering all the evidence, you have reached your judgement. Use your best piece of evidence to show your opinion
How to get SPaG Marks
In Paper 1B, students have access to an additional four marks for answering Question 4
This is awarded for SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)
SPaG marks are allocated in the following categories:
SPaG mark | Reason for this mark |
|---|---|
0 |
|
1 |
|
2-3 |
|
4 |
|
You can boost your SPaG marks by:
Ensuring key terms mentioned in the question are spelt correctly in your answer
Making sure that you use paragraphs in your answer
Allowing yourself an appropriate amount of time to re-read your answer to check for mistakes
Reading the answer in your head as if you were speaking it. Where you would take a breath, make sure there is a comma or full stop
How to Answer a “How Far do you Agree” Question
The "How far do you agree" question will present you with a statement which you have to create a substantiated judgement around
For the example question, this is:
"'The U2 Crisis was the main reason why tension developed between East and West during the 1960s.' How far do you agree with this statement?"
To answer this question successfully you should
Read the answer carefully and multiple times (if you have the time)
Annotate the question to find the key demands of the question
Plan your answer
In your plan include what key knowledge you wish to use and an outline of your argument
This will help you to create a sustained judgement
To achieve Levels 3 and 4 (9-16 marks) you must discuss the stated reason in the question
If the question was on the Potsdam Conference, you must discuss this event in one of your paragraphs
Awaiting Image
A table and spider diagram displaying an example of how to plan a 16 marker "How far do you agree" question for the Conflict and Tension between the East and West, 1945- 1972 course
“How Far do you Agree” Question structure
Your answer should consist of:
Specific knowledge
Relevant evidence
Substantiated judgement
A conclusion
If you want to include an introduction you can, but it is not necessary
Your answers could be written in PEEL paragraphs:
P - Make a point about the question
This should include your judgement
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made
Evidence needs to be relevant and specific
E - Explain why this evidence supports your point
L - Link your explanation back to the question by stating how it or is not the most important reason
To achieve Level 4 (13-16 marks), you should aim to write three paragraphs and a conclusion
Worked Example of a “How Far do you Agree” Question
Worked Example
'The U2 Crisis was the main reason why tension developed between East and West during the 1960s.'
How far do you agree with this statement?
[16 marks + 4 SPaG]
Answer:
The U2 Crisis developed tensions between the East and West during the 1960s, however this was not the main reason. A US spy plane was spotted and shot down in Soviet territory in 1960. Initially, the USA tried to claim that it was a weather plane. However, this was discovered to be a lie when the pilot Gary Powers was discovered carrying cyanide and the plane had cameras. America admitted to spying but did not apologise This increased tensions as it led to Khrushchev walking out of the Paris Peace Summit. Although the U2 Crisis did increase tensions it was not the main reason why tensions developed between the East and West in the 1960s because it did not result in war like other events.
The main reason for tensions developing between East and West during the 1960’s was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, the USA was concerned when the USSR sent arms to Cuba. The USSR sent tanks, jet bombers and 5,000 Soviet technicians. On the 14th of October 1962, an American spy plane discovered nuclear missile sites in Cuba. Due to the proximity of Cuba, this worried the USA as it meant that the Soviet Union could easily and quickly destroy USA cities due to the close range. This resulted in a naval blockade of nuclear weapons and was witness to the closest point of nuclear warfare between the two nations. The USA and USSR de-escalated the situation by promising to remove their weapons from Cuba and Turkey. This was the main reason for tensions as it risked nuclear war, whereas the U2 Crisis only created tensions between the two nations.
Another reason why there was a development of tension between the East and West in the 1960s was the creation of the Berlin Wall. In 1961, the USSR developed a wall across their side of Berlin. The wall was created to stop people from the East from going to the West due to the ongoing consequences of the Brain Drain. Berlin was a source of tension between the East and the West throughout the 1960s as it resulted in a physical division between the two and even a tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie on the 27th of October 1961. This was not the main cause of tension between the East and the West as the standoff was easily defused and neither side felt as threatened as they did during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Overall, the Cuban Missile Crisis was the main reason for tensions developing between East and West during the 1960s. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a demonstration of how tensions between the East and West could potentially become nuclear. Although the creation of the Berlin Wall resulted in a standoff, neither the West nor the East gave concessions after the event showing that it was merely a test of strength rather than a real threat, like in Cuba.
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