The 4 Mark "How Do You Know" Question: The First World War (Q1) (AQA GCSE History)

Summary of Question One 

• Question One requires you to analyse a source referring to the content and/or provenance of the source 

• You should include knowledge that is relevant to the source 

• You should analyse two parts of the source in your answer

• 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: 

Using a Source's Content & Provenance 

• A historical source is made up of two sections: 

  • The provenance 

  • The content 

Provenance 

• Provenance is the background information of a source 

• The provenance can be found at the top of each source

• The provenance usually tells you

  • Who created the source

  • What type of source it is, for example, a newspaper article

  • When the source was made

  • Where the source was created 

• For the example question, here is a breakdown of the provenance of Source A:

• In this question, you should use the provenance of the source to:

  • Help you to analyse the source

  • Gain valuable or first-hand information about the question topic

    • For example, Nevinson visited the Western Front in 1917 and based this painting on his sketches made during the visit

Content 

• The content is the information presented in the source

• The content could be a variety of different types of sources such as:

  • A picture 

  • A photograph

  • An extract from a book 

  • A speech 

  • A political cartoon 

  • A letter 

• In this question, you should use the content of the source to: 

  • Show what you know about the question topic

    • For the example question, you can see craters in the ground, You can use your own knowledge of artillery and trench warfare to explain how they were caused and how this affected living conditions on the Western Front

  • Answer the question 

How to Apply Your Knowledge to a Historical Source 

• When applying your knowledge to a historical source you should:

  • Read the source carefully 

  • Read the source more than once, if you have time 

  • Focus on just the content and the provenance of the source 

  • Whilst reading the source, underline or highlight relevant pieces of text 

  • Annotate the source by attaching your knowledge to the content and the provenance of the interpretation 

• When applying knowledge to a historical source, many students forget to focus on the given issue in the question 

  • For example, if a question is asking you about the reactions to the Spring Offensive and the interpretation includes reactions towards the Armistice, you should disregard the information about the Armistice 

How to answer a “How do you Know” Question 

• You will find the source in an insert

  • An insert is an additional booklet to your answer paper. It provides key sources or interpretations needed to answer specific questions in the exam

• Firstly, you need to read the question carefully 

  • Underline the topic mentioned in the question 

• Read the source in full, including both the content and the provenance 

  • The content and provenance can be used in this question

• Annotate the source by applying knowledge to the source where relevant to the question 

• Choose two parts of the source 

  • That is relevant to the question 

  • That you can apply knowledge to 

• Remember, this question is asking you ‘How do you know’ you must apply your knowledge to this question

  • If you do not include knowledge in this question you cannot achieve a Level 2 (3 - 4 marks)

“How do you Know” Question Structure 

• Your answer should consist of: 

  • The sources' content and/or provenance 

  • Contextual knowledge 

  • Analysis of the source

• You need to identify a relevant feature from either the content or the provenance of the source 

• Support the chosen feature with contextual knowledge 

• Analyse the source according to the topic in the question 

• This should be repeated twice to achieve a Level 2 (3-4 marks)

Worked Example of a “How do you Know” Question