The 8 Mark "Write an Account" Question: The First World War (Q3) (AQA GCSE History)

Revision Note

Natasha Smith

Expertise

History Content Creator

Summary of Question Three 

  • Question Three requires you to explain the sequence or connections of the event or issue outlined

  • You also need to analyse how the event or issue impacted a wider development in the course

  • For the wider world depth study, this question will focus on cause and consequence 

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:

Question Three for The First World War, 1894-1918
An example of Question Three in Paper 1B
  • In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics: 

Year of Exam 

Question Topic 

2018

How events in the Balkans in 1908 became an international crisis

2019

The problems of the Schlieffen Plan in 1914 

2020

How trench warfare on the Western Front led to the war of attrition 

2021

How the assassination of Franz Ferdinand led to the outbreak of World War One

2022

How the alliance system contributed to conflict in 1914

Sample 1

How events in Morocco became a crisis in 1905 and 1906 

Sample 2

How events following the Ludendorff Spring Offensive became a crisis for both sides during the Spring of 1918

How to Explain Cause & Consequence 

  • Cause and consequence is a second-order concept 

  • Causes and consequences are like falling dominos

    • The causes are what push the dominos over

      • For the example question, a cause of the Moroccan Crisis was Kaiser Wilhelm II's speech

    • The consequences are the other dominos that fall

      • For the example question. a consequence of the Moroccan Crisis was the Entente Cordiale

  • Cause and consequence can be directly linked and can be used to help explain the relationship between events, issues or developments 

Hand labeled "Cause" pushes domino labeled "Event One," causing it to topple into "Event Two," and then "Event Three," all under the label "Consequences."
An illustration showing causes and consequences in history as a set of dominos

Cause

  • A cause in history is usually something that resulted in an event or issue to happen

    • For example, a cause of the First World War was the alliance system 

  • There can be multiple causes of a single event

    • Some can be short-term and long-term 

  • A cause does not always have to be something which happened before the event or issue happened 

    • For example, a cause of tension in the Moroccan crisis was the presence of the German Gunboat, The Panther, in the Mediterranean 

Consequence 

  • A consequence in history is something which has happened in response to the cause 

  • Consequences can be:

    • Different for different groups of people 

      • E.g. the consequences of a battle can be different such as the amount of casualties 

    • Short and long-term 

    • Both positive and negative 

  • When explaining cause and consequences you may want to use causation connectives such as:

    • Due to 

    • As a result

    • Consequently

  • For the wider depth study, you may want to revise key events by organising them into cause and consequence, as it will help you to answer this question 

"Write an Account” Question Structure 

  • Your answer should consist of: 

    • Specific and relevant knowledge 

    • A demonstration of the cause and consequence of the event or issue

    • An explanation of how the event or issue mentioned in the question impacted the wider development of the topic

  • 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 group or development mentioned in the question 

      • Show knowledge to demonstrate cause and/or consequence

    • E- Explain the question

      • Focus on the key demands of the questions 

      • Include a complex explanation showing your understanding of cause and/or consequence 

  • To achieve full marks, you need to repeat this twice 

  • It is tempting in this question to write your answer like a story, do not do this 

    • The question is asking you to explain the causes and consequences

Worked Example of a “Write an Account” Question

Worked Example

Write an account of how events in Morocco became an international crisis in 1905 and 1906. 

[8 marks]

Answer:

Morocco became an international crisis in 1905 and 1906 due to the actions of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The actions of Kaiser Wilhelm II caused an international crisis when he visited Morocco in 1905 and made a speech declaring his support for Moroccan independence when France announced plans to take control of Morocco. This caused an international crisis because it resulted in France becoming angry with Germany for their interference and Germany calling for an international conference held in Algeciras in 1906. 

Another way the Moroccan crisis became an international crisis in 1905 and 1906 was due to the outcomes of the Algeciras conference in 1906. The meeting started on January 16th 1906 and Germany planned at the conference to isolate Great Britain by building alliances with France and Russia, to have a German presence in Africa and for Morocco to remain an independent country. These events resulted in an international crisis in 1906 because Germany failed in its aims and was left humiliated because Germany was left isolated as France and Britain began an alliance which resulted in the Entente Cordiale and their ally Austria-Hungary proposed French policing in Moroccan ports.

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Natasha Smith

Author: Natasha Smith

After graduating with a degree in history, Natasha gained her PGCE at Keele University. With more than 10 years of teaching experience, Natasha taught history at both GCSE and A Level. Natasha's specialism is modern world history. As an educator, Natasha channels this passion into her work, aiming to instil in students the same love for history that has fuelled her own curiosity.