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GCSEHistoryEdexcelModern Depth Study (Paper 3)Revision NotesMao’s China, 1945–76Exam Skills: Mao’s China, 1945–76The 16 Mark "How Far Do You Agree with Interpretation 2" Question

The 16 Mark "How Far Do You Agree with Interpretation 2" Question (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

Exam code: 1HI0

Zoe Wade

Written by: Zoe Wade

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Updated on

Summary of Question 3 (d)

  • Question 3 (d) requires you to:

    • Evaluate the topic outlined in the question

    • Use both Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2

      • This will help you to have a balanced argument

    • Come to an overall judgement on how far you agree with the topic outlined in the question

  • You should use Sources B and C in your answer

    • They count as your own knowledge

  • The interpretations used in Questions 3 (b) and 3 (c) will be the same ones used in this question

  • Like the 16 mark question in Paper 1, you are awarded marks for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

Amount of marks 

16 marks + 4 SPaG marks

The time that you should spend on the question 

5 minutes of planning

20 minutes of writing

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

Exam question about the impact of communist rule on women in China, requiring analysis using two interpretations and historical context, worth 16 marks.
An example of Question 3 (d) for Paper 3

Making judgements in history

  • The 16 mark question relies on your ability to weigh all the evidence from the interpretations and sources, and to state your opinion

    • Students often find this part the hardest to do 

Common mistakes in judgement questions

  • Explaining that all of the reasons are the most important 

  • Avoiding a clear decision by using phrases like “kind of” or “maybe”

  • Giving no opinion

  • Changing your argument halfway through

    • In the example question, you state in the introduction that you fully agree with Interpretation 2

    • However, in the conclusion you state that you partially agree with Interpretation 2

    • Doing this means that there is not a sustained judgement and you can not access Level 4 (13–16 marks) 

What makes a good judgement?

  • Explain how convincing you find Interpretation 2

  • Consider the other interpretation

    • Even if you fully agree with Interpretation 2, you must also evaluate Interpretation 1

  • Have a consistent judgement from start to finish

  • Use your best evidence to back up your decision

    • There is no "right" or "wrong" answer in history

What makes a great conclusion in GCSE History?

  • Conclusions are usually where most of your judgement marks will be awarded

  • All great conclusions have these three elements:

    • Judgement — State how far you agree with Interpretation 2

    • Counter — Introduce an argument against your judgement

    • Support — Use your strongest evidence to explain why you have reached your judgement on Interpretation 2

How to get SPaG marks

  • In Paper 3, students have access to an additional four marks for answering Question 3 (d)

  • This is awarded for SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)

SPaG Mark

Reason for This Mark

0

  • The student writes nothing

  • The student makes too many mistakes in spelling, grammar or content

1

  • The student has basic control over spelling and grammar

  • The student uses a limited range of specialist terms in their answer

2-3

  • The student spells and punctuates well

  • The student has good grammar

  • The student uses a good range of specialist terms

4

  • The student spells and punctuates well consistently

  • The student has excellent grammar

  • The student uses a wide range of specialist terms

Top tips for boosting SPaG marks

  • Spell historical terms correctly

  • Use paragraphs

  • Re-read your work for punctuation

  • Reading the answer in your head

    • Where you would take a breath, make sure there is a comma or full stop

How to answer a "How far do you agree with Interpretation 2?" question

  • This question asks you how far you agree with Interpretation 2 on a specific topic

    • It will be the same topic and interpretations you used in 3(b) and 3(c)

    • In the example question, this topic is "the impact of Communist rule on women in China"

  • To answer this question successfully you should:

    • Read the answer carefully and multiple times (if you have the time)

    • Annotate:

      • The question to know the topic

      • The interpretations, to come to a judgement

      • The sources, to select what information you can use to help support your judgement

    • Plan your answer, including:

      • What parts of the interpretations and sources you wish to use

      • An outline of your opinion about Interpretation 2

A revision diagram titled "How far do you agree with Interpretation 2 about the impact of communist rule on women in China?" is presented as a spider diagram using coloured boxes and arrows to plan an interpretation question. The layout is divided into two main halves. Top Section – Planning the Argument Pink box (top): Contains the question: “How far do you agree with Interpretation 2 about the impact of communist rule on women in China?” Red box below: “Planning a question using a spider diagram.” Centre Left – Introduction Green box (Intro): “I mostly agree – many reforms were ignored, especially in the countryside.” Arrow from this points up to a green box labelled “Intro.” Right Side – Interpretation and Contextual Knowledge Purple box (Interpretation 2): “Party officials soon backed away from attempts to enforce the law.” Purple box (Source B): “Women still did domestic work and farming – ‘not only had to work outside, but also take care of the children’.” Purple box (Own knowledge): “The 1950 Marriage Law gave women more rights, but local officials often blocked change and divorce remained difficult in rural areas.” Purple box (Peel 1 – Agree): “The Marriage Law was not enforced consistently.” Bottom Section – Developing the Counterargument Pink box (bottom): Repeats the exam question for emphasis. Left of Bottom Half – Peel 2 Disagree Orange box (Peel 2 – Disagree): “Interpretation 1 is partly convincing – it reflects the CCP’s official aims.” Three supporting orange boxes: “Interpretation 1: ‘marriage became ideally a relationship of equal companions.’ Source C supports this with the positive message: ‘A free and independent marriage is good’.” “Own knowledge: some urban women got jobs and education.” “Interpretation 2 is more convincing showing how impacts on the countryside, where most people lived in China.” Bottom Right – Conclusion Blue box (Conclusion): “Mostly agree with Interpretation 2. While the CCP made promises to improve women’s lives, these were often not delivered in practice. Interpretation 1 shows the aims, but Interpretation 2 shows what life was really like.”
An illustration showing how to plan a 16-mark Mao's China answer using a spider diagram
A table titled “Planning a question using a table”, designed to help students plan an answer to the question: “How far do you agree with Interpretation 2 about the impact of communist rule on women in China?” The table is divided into four rows: Intro, Peel 1, Peel 2, and Conclusion. The first column lists the section headings, and the second column contains the content of the answer plan. Intro: “I mostly agree – many reforms were ignored, especially in the countryside.” Peel 1: Agree – “The Marriage Law was not enforced consistently”. Cites Interpretation 2: “party officials soon backed away from attempts to enforce the law”. Source B: Women still did domestic work and farming – “not only had to work outside, but also take care of the children”. Own knowledge: The 1950 Marriage Law gave women more rights, but local officials often blocked change and divorce remained difficult in rural areas. Peel 2: “Interpretation 1 is partly convincing – it reflects the CCP’s official aims.” “Interpretation 1: ‘marriage became ideally a relationship of equal companions.’ Source C supports this with the positive message: ‘A free and independent marriage is good’.” “Own knowledge: some urban women got jobs and education.” “Interpretation 2 is more convincing showing how impacts on the countryside, where most people lived in China.” Conclusion: “Mostly agree with Interpretation 2. While the CCP made promises to improve women’s lives, these were often not delivered in practice. Interpretation 1 shows the aims, but Interpretation 2 shows what life was really like.”
An illustration showing how to plan a 16-mark Mao's China answer using a table

"How far do you agree with Interpretation 2?" question structure

  • Your answer should include:

    • A logical structure

    • Both Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2

    • The use of Source B and Source C

      • Do not use Source A as you will not be rewarded any marks for your comments

    • An explanation based on the demands of the question

    • A clear and sustained judgement throughout the answer

    • 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 on Interpretation 2 

    • E — Use evidence that supports the point that you have made

      • Evidence can come from Source B and Source C, or your own knowledge

    • E — Explain why this evidence supports your point

      • Your explanation should focus on how much you agree with Interpretation 2

    • L — Link your explanation back to the question to help sustain your argument and show your understanding of the question

  • The question is out of 20 marks:

    • 16 marks are awarded for analysis and evaluation of the interpretations (In)

    • 4 marks are awarded for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

      • This is an overall mark, not awarded in specific areas of your answer

Worked example of a "How far do you agree with Interpretation 2?" question

Worked Example

3 (d) How far do you agree with Interpretation 2 about the impact of Communist rule on women in China?

Explain your answer, using both interpretations and your own knowledge of the historical context.

(16)

Interpretation 1 – From Defining Difference: The "Scientific" Construction of Sexuality and Gender in the People's Republic of China, H. Evans, published in 1995​. "Marriage became ideally a relationship of equal companions who shared responsibility for child care and the family ... Between 1950 and 1953, numerous publications sought to educate the public about the new [marriage] law, with particular emphasis on its importance for women, oppressed for centuries by the traditional system of arranged marriage." Interpretation 2 – From State of the Field: Women in China's Long Twentieth Century, G. Hershatter, published in 2004.​ "Aside from a one-month period of intensified publicity for the Marriage Law in March 1953, party officials soon backed away from attempts to enforce the law, particularly when it engendered conflicts with the priorities of land reform and collectivisation. Divorce spiked briefly in 1953 with the campaign to publicize the Marriage Law [and] remained low throughout the rest of the Mao era."
Source B: An interview in 1997 with Feng Sumei, a woman living in rural China. Her account is based on her experiences in the 1950s. "Men were digging channels and building reservoirs at that time. Women carried fertiliser, planted potatoes, fertilised wheat — all were done by women. Women suffered more and worked more than men when gathering wheat. Men worked mainly outside. Women not only had to work outside but also take care of the children, feed the pigs, wash, starch, sew, mend." Source C: A 1953 Chinese government poster showing a smiling couple during harvest, with the caption "A free and independent marriage is good; there is great happiness in unified production".

Answer:

I mostly agree with Interpretation 2 that the impact of Communist rule on women was either small or negative due to other policies taking priority (In).

Interpretation 2 states that policies such as the Marriage Law were not enforced if they got in the way of "the priorities of land reform and collectivisation". This is supported by Source B, in which a rural woman describes how women "not only had to work outside but also take care of the children, feed the pigs, wash, starch, sew, mend". This shows that although Communist policies claimed to support gender equality, in reality, many rural women continued to experience traditional burdens and double workloads (In). From my own knowledge, the 1950 Marriage Law was a major policy that outlawed arranged marriages and gave women the right to divorce. However, in practice, particularly in the countryside, many local officials did not support these reforms, and women often faced pressure not to divorce or challenge family traditions. Therefore, this evidence supports Interpretation 2’s argument that Communist policies for women were often ignored when they conflicted with other aims (In).

Interpretation 1 gives a more positive view, arguing that "marriage became ideally a relationship of equal companions who shared responsibility for child care and the family" (In). This is supported by Source C, which shows a happy couple and the caption: "A free and independent marriage is good." From my own knowledge, there was a major government campaign between 1950 and 1953 to promote the Marriage Law and gender equality. In cities, some women did benefit from better access to education and employment opportunities. For example, many women became teachers or worked in factories as part of the state’s industrial growth. However, while these gains were significant, they mostly benefitted urban women and were not always sustained, especially during the Cultural Revolution when schools collapsed and women’s work was devalued. Therefore, this supports the Interpretation 2 viewpoint that women experienced little progress under the CCP (In).

Overall, I mostly agree with Interpretation 2 about the impact of Communist rule on women. Although Communist rule introduced important reforms for women, these were often not enforced, especially in rural areas where traditional roles continued (In). Interpretation 1 is partly convincing because it shows what the government intended, but Interpretation 2 is more accurate in showing what actually happened. Women’s rights were often put aside when they clashed with the priorities of the state, such as economic development under the Great Leap Forward (In).

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    Author
    Reviewer
    Zoe Wade

    Author: Zoe Wade

    Expertise: History Content Creator

    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.

    Bridgette Barrett

    Reviewer: Bridgette Barrett

    Expertise: Geography, History, Religious Studies & Environmental Studies Subject Lead

    After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 30 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.