The 4 Mark "Explain One Consequence of" Question (Edexcel GCSE History)

Summary of Question 1

• Question 1 requires you to understand and explain the consequence of a given event

• This question has changed format since 2024

  • Previously, you were asked to explain two consequence of one event

  • Now, you have to explain one consequence of two given events, separated into Question 1 (a) and Question 1 (b)

• 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 for Superpower Relations: 

How to explain consequences

• 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 Cuban Missile Crisis was the arms race between the USA and the USSR

  • The consequences are the other dominos that fall

    • For the example question. a consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the establishment of a 'hotline' between the USA and the USSR

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

Consequence 

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

• Consequences can be:

  • Different for different groups of people 

    • For example, the consequences of the Hungarian Uprising on the people of Hungary were different from those of the US government

  • 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 Superpower Relations exam, you may want to revise key events by organising them into cause and consequence, as it will help you to answer this question

"Explain one consequence of" question structure

• Your answer should consist of: 

  • Specific and relevant knowledge 

  • A developed and well-explained consequence of the event or issue

• Your answers could  be written in PEE paragraphs: 

  • P- Make a point by writing a consequence of the event in the question

  • E- Include knowledge to support the point you have made

    • Focused on key information about the event in the question 

    • Show knowledge to demonstrate a good understanding of the consequence

  • E- Explain the question

    • Focus on the key demands of the questions 

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

• To achieve full marks, you need to answer both Questions 1 (a) and 1 (b). The questions are on two different events

  • Each consequence question is worth 4 marks

    • 2 marks for knowledge (K) 

    • 2 marks for your analysis of the second-order concept of consequence (SOC) 

  • For answering both parts of Question 1, 8 marks are available

Worked example of a "Explain one consequence of" question