The 16 Mark "How Far do you Agree" Question: The First World War (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 the example question, when evaluating the causes of the First World War, one could argue that the alliance system was the main cause of the First World War. In your answer, you could highlight the relationship between the alliance system and other causes of the war such as the Moroccan and the Bosnian 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:

• 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 main cause of the First World War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.' 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 Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive 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