Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2024

First exams 2026

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The 12 Mark "Explain Why" Question (Edexcel GCSE History)

Revision Note

Test yourself

Summary of Question 4

  • Question 4 requires you to provide an analytical explanation of the event, development, theme or factor outlined in the question

  • This question will require you to use second-order concepts in your answer

Amount of marks 

12

The time that you should spend on the question 

No more than 20 minutes

5 minutes of planning

10- 15 minutes of writing

  • An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:

Question asking to explain changes in disease treatment methods in the 20th century, mentioning penicillin and government, with a 12-mark value.
An example of Question 4 in Paper 1
  • In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics in Medicine in Britain:

Year of Exam 

Question Topic 

2018

Prevention of illness

2019

Improvements in medical knowledge

2020

How developments in science and technology led to progress in medicine

2021

The prevention of illness

2022

Attitudes towards surgery

2023

Access to medical care and treatment

What are second-order concepts?

  •   Second-order concepts are:

    • Cause and consequence

    • Change and continuity 

    • Similarities and differences 

    • Historical significance 

  • For the example question, the second-order concept is change and continuity

    • The example question asks you to explain why there have been changes in the methods of treating diseases during the 20th century

  • These second-order concepts allow you to:

    • Understand history 

    • Give a complex explanation

  • This question usually focuses on the second-order concept of change and continuity by asking about:

    • The speed of change in medicine

    • What caused change or continuity in the public's ideas or attitudes about illness and cures

    • What caused improvements in medicine

How to answer an "Explain why" Question

  • This question asks you to explain why there has been a change or continuity to the factor mentioned in the question

    • You need to demonstrate a clear knowledge and understanding of how certain factors have either stayed the same or changed over time

  • As shown in the example question, you will receive two stimulus points

    • In the exam, you will be given two possible areas of knowledge to discuss in your question

    • If you only discuss these two stimulus points, you cannot access Level 4 (9-12 marks)

    • You must discuss three areas of knowledge in your answer to access Level 4

  • You should always plan your answers before writing them. When creating a plan for this question you should consider the following:

    • What three areas of knowledge are you going to use?

      • For the example question, you could include penicillin, the government and the NHS

    • How do they demonstrate change or continuity across the time period outlined in the question?

"Explain why" question structure

  • Your answer should consist of:

    • Specific and relevant own knowledge

    • The second-order concept of change and continuity

    • A sustained explanation

    • A logical structure

  • Your answers could be written in PEEL paragraphs :

    • P - Make a point about the question

    • E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made (K)

      • The evidence should be from the time period outlined in the question

      • Your evidence should include a wide range of knowledge

    • E - Explain the question (SOC)

      • Explain why the evidence caused changes or continuity in the development outlined in the question

    • L - Link your explanation back to the question by stating how significant this factor is for change or continuity (SOC)

  • To achieve full marks, you need to repeat this structure three times

  • The question is out of 12 marks:

    • 6 marks for a wide range of specific knowledge of the period and the topic (K)

    • 6 marks for the analysis of the key second-order concepts (SOC)

Worked example of an "Explain why" question

Worked Example

  1. Explain why there have been changes in the methods of treating diseases during the 20th century.

(12)

You may use the following in your answer:

  • penicillin

  • the government

You must also use information of your own.

Answer

One reason why there were changes in the treatment of diseases in the 20th century was the development of penicillin. In the early 20th century, people could die from a small wound due to infection. In 1928, Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin. However, it wasn't until 1939 that Florey and Chain began to investigate how penicillin could be mass produced. Their experiments became successful in 1943 when penicillin was used to treat wounded soldiers in the Second World War (K). This changed how diseases were treated because it allowed people to recover from injuries rather than dying from infection. This made the treatment of minor to severe injuries easier, allowing people to recover (SOC). However, during the 20th century, some bacteria had become resistant to penicillin. This encouraged scientists to discover more versions of antibiotics that can treat penicillin-resistant diseases.

Another reason for the change in treatment in the 20th century was the actions of the government. Before the 20th century, the government had a laissez-faire attitude towards public health. This means that the government did not believe that it was their responsibility to ensure people could access effective treatment for diseases. However, in the 20th century, the government took a proactive role in the treatment of disease. The government funded the development of penicillin and of new treatments for various diseases such as cancer (K). This helped change the treatment of disease because it advanced the progress of developing new cures. In the 20th century, the government's support ensured that people's standards of living and their life expectancy increased during the 20th and the 21st centuries (SOC). Therefore, the government's proactive attitude towards health in the 20th century led to a significant change in treatments in the 20th century.

The final reason why there was a change in treatments is the development of the NHS. The Labour government under Aneurin Bevan launched the NHS (the National Health Service) in 1948. It provided free care for everyone at the point of access (K). The government used the existing hospitals and medical services and took them under their control. This changed treatment because the NHS increased people's access to healthcare. People were no longer turned away for being unable to pay for treatment. This meant that the poorer people in society had improved health in the 20th century. In addition, more patients had access to specialist doctors, skilled in treating their condition. This meant that more people received the correct treatment for their illness (SOC). Therefore, the NHS caused significant changes in how people accessed treatments in the 20th century.

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Zoe Wade

Author: Zoe Wade

Expertise: History

Zoe has worked in education for 10 years as a teaching assistant and a teacher. This has given her an in-depth perspective on how to support all learners to achieve to the best of their ability. She has been the Lead of Key Stage 4 History, showing her expertise in the Edexcel GCSE syllabus and how best to revise. Ever since she was a child, Zoe has been passionate about history. She believes now, more than ever, the study of history is vital to explaining the ever-changing world around us. Zoe’s focus is to create accessible content that breaks down key historical concepts and themes to achieve GCSE success.

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