The 16 Mark "How Far do you Agree" Question (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note
Exam code: 1HI0
Summary of Question 5 or 6
You will choose between Question 5 or Question 6
Answering either question requires you to:
Make a clear, sustained judgement about a historical statement
Use second-order concepts like cause, change, significance, or consequence
Compare the given reason with other valid reasons
Reach a well-structured conclusion
From the 2025 exams onwards, the question will cover either a complete period or at least 200 years
Amount of marks | 16 + 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:
In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics in Medicine in Britain:
Year of Exam
Question Topic
2018 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: Understanding the cause of disease
Question 6: Advancements in surgery
2019 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: Galen and his impact on the progress in medical care and treatment
Question 6: The role of the government in the development of care and treatment
2020 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: The work of Florence Nightingale and the development of care and treatment in hospitals
Question 6: The improvements in dealing with infectious disease
2021 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: The role of the church in the progress of care and treatment
Question 6: The significance of the printing press
2022 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: The role of the physician in providing care and treatment
Question 6: The work of Pasteur in understanding the causes of illness
2023 (opens in a new tab)
Question 5: The work of Thomas Sydenham
Question 6: People's attitudes towards medicine
2024
Question 5: Progress in medical knowledge, c1500–c1700
Question 6: The role of individuals in prevention, c1700–present
Making judgements in history
The 16-mark question requires you to weigh all the evidence and make a decision
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 John Snow was a key turning point in the prevention of infectious disease
However, in the conclusion you state that it was not a key turning point
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?
Clearly answer the question using second-order concepts
Acknowledge other sides of the argument
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
Consider other reasons
Even if you fully believe a reason is the most important, you still need to present evidence for other reasons
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 your opinion using words from the question
Counter – Mention a reason from the other side
Support – Use your strongest evidence to explain why your side is more convincing
How to get SPaG marks
In Paper 1, students have access to an additional four marks for answering either Question 5 or 6
This is awarded for SPaG ( Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)
SPaG mark | Reason for this mark |
|---|---|
0 |
|
1 |
|
2-3 |
|
4 |
|
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?" question
In the exam, only answer either Question 5 or Question 6
You should put an "X" in the box next to the question you have chosen to answer
You will receive two stimulus points
These are areas of knowledge to discuss in your question
If you only discuss these two stimulus points, you are limited to a maximum of 11 marks
You can choose not to use any of the suggestions
You can still achieve full marks by not using the two stimulus points
You must discuss three areas of knowledge in your answer to access Level 4
To answer this question successfully, you should:
Read the answer carefully and multiple times
Annotate the question to find the key demands of the question
Plan your answer, including:
What your judgement is
The key knowledge you wish to use
"How far do you agree?" question structure
Your answer should include:
A logical structure
A range of specific and relevant knowledge
An explanation of the second-order concept outlined in 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
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made (K)
Evidence needs to be relevant and specific to the question
E - Explain why this evidence supports your point
Your explanation should be focused on the second-order concept outlined in the question (SOC)
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:
6 marks for a wide range of specific knowledge of the period and the topic stated in the question (K)
10 marks for the analysis of the key second-order concepts of cause and consequence, similarities and differences and importance (SOC)
4 marks are awarded for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)
Worked example of a "How far do you agree?" question
Worked Example
‘John Snow’s work on cholera was a turning point in the prevention of infectious diseases c1700-c1900.’
How far do you agree? Explain your answer.
(16 + 4SPaG)
You may use the following in your answer.
You must also use information of your own. |
Answer
I disagree that John Snow's work on cholera was a turning point in the prevention of infectious diseases c1700-c1900. I believe that vaccinations had a bigger impact on preventing infectious diseases (SOC).
Some historians may argue that John Snow's work on cholera was significant for progress in the prevention of disease. Before Snow’s work on the Broad Street cholera epidemic, there was no understanding of how diseases spread. Most people believed in miasma. When Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump in 1854, the cases of cholera decreased (K). This proved his theory that contaminated water, rather than miasma, spread disease. This had an impact on the prevention of infectious diseases as this disproved the widely held belief in miasma. In 1884, Koch proved that contaminated water contained cholera which allowed scientists to give better advice to the public on how to avoid catching epidemic diseases. Therefore, Snow had some impact on preventing infectious disease. However, after Snow presented his findings in 1855, the government did not act. The government and the public ignored Snow's findings, showing that it lacked importance. In addition, Snow's findings were only relevant to cause of cholera (SOC).
I believe the most important factor in preventing infectious diseases was the development of vaccinations. Jenner created a vaccine for smallpox and published his findings in 1798. It saved many lives worldwide. By 1800, 100,000 people had been vaccinated (K). However, Jenner's methods in vaccine development could not be replicated to other diseases. It was not until Pasteur's work in vaccines that significant progress in preventing infectious diseases occurred. Pasteur used his method to create vaccines for other diseases such as anthrax and rabies. This meant that, by the start of the 20th century, more dangerous and infectious diseases were vaccinated against (SOC). Therefore, the creation of vaccines was a more significant turning point than John Snow's work. This is because it had a bigger impact on a wider range of diseases than just cholera.
Another important event in the prevention of infectious diseases was the 1875 Public Health Act. This act made it compulsory for local authorities to provide clean water, dispose of waste properly to avoid polluting drinking water and hire a public officer of health to monitor where epidemics of disease occurred (K). This improved the prevention of infectious diseases because it shows the government taking responsibility for preventing diseases. This allowed tougher rules to improve public health to be passed, which improved the living standards of people across Britain. This reduced the number of epidemics and gave the public more knowledge about how to prevent them from catching diseases (SOC). Therefore, the Public Health Act made progress in the prevention of infectious diseases. However, vaccines were a better preventative method as it was a scientific way to prevent diseases rather than relying on the actions of the public and the local governments.
To conclude, I believe that Snow's work on cholera was not a turning point in the prevention of infectious diseases. Whilst Snow's work disproved miasma as a cause of cholera, it had less application for other infectious diseases in c1900. However, the development of vaccines by Jenner and Pasteur had a longer-term impact on infectious diseases (SOC).
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