The 8 Mark "Write an Account" Question: The First World War (Q3) (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
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:
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 | |
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 | |
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
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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