The 16 Mark "How Far do you Agree" Question: The Gulf & Afghanistan (Q4) (AQA GCSE History)

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 

• 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: 

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 example, when evaluating the reasons for tension in the Gulf in 1990, one could argue that the Iran-Iraq War was the main reason. In your answer, you could highlight Saddam Hussein and the Israeli-Palestine conflict

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 Four

• This is awarded for SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)

• SPaG marks are allocated in the following categories:

• 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 Iran-Iraq War was the main reason for tension in the Gulf in 1990." 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 Gulf War, you must discuss this event in one of your paragraphs 

“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 

'The Iran-Iraq War was the main reason for tension in the Gulf in 1990.'

How far do you agree with this statement? 

[16 marks + 4 SPaG]

Answer:

One reason for the tension in the Gulf was the consequences of the Iran-Iraq War from 1980- 1988, however, this was not the main reason. The war ended in a stalemate which means that neither side gained anything. Both sides lost millions of dollars of money and casualties. This created tension because the issue hadn’t been resolved. Which meant the tension between the two was now at an all-time high. The Iran-Iraq war also split public opinion. The US and Western countries supported Iraq and Pakistan some supporting Iran. The US also played a big part in the Iran-Iraq War by supplying weapons to Iraq (publicly) and to Iran (privately). This means that both countries were weaker so America could maintain its global hold on the Middle East and its oil. 

Another reason for the tension in the Gulf in 1990 was the continued Israeli-Palestine conflict, however, this was not the main reason. Israel was established after the Second World War. Its existence was challenged territorially by Palestine because some of Palestine’s land was taken away. Religiously, it was contested because Israel was created as a Jewish country. There has been constant Israeli-Palestine conflict since its founding which means different countries in the Middle East had different opinions. Israel was supported by the US and the Western countries and Palestine was supported by Iraq and Pakistan. Therefore, tensions in the Gulf were escalated by the continued unwanted influence of the US troops and government. 

The main reason for tension in the Gulf in 1990 was Saddam Hussein. Hussein was the leader of Iraq. He wanted to extend his global territory and improve his reputation. The Iran-Iraq War had made him seem weak internationally. This caused Saddam to plan an invasion of Kuwait. This was the pinnacle of tension in the Gulf. There was a UN coalition formed and Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield commenced in 1991. Saddam aimed to get rid of his debt and claimed that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq. This meant that another war had broken out in an already fractured and crumbled Middle East. This was where the most tension came from. 

In conclusion, the main reason for tension and conflict in the Gulf in 1990 was Saddam’s global policy. His desire to extend his power and boost his reputation after the bad outcome of the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988 caused significant tension in the Gulf. The Israeli-Palestine conflict contributed to this and America’s constant influence on the region only heightened the already high tensions.