The 4 Mark "Explain One Way" Question (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note
Exam code: 1HI0
Summary of Question 3
Question 3 tests your ability to explain one similarity or one difference between two historical events or developments
It always draws on content from two time periods in Warfare & British society, c1250–present
Amount of marks | 4 |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 5 minutes |
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 Warfare & British society:
Year of exam | Question topic |
|---|---|
2018 | The role of the mounted knight and tanks (opens in a new tab) |
2019 | The impact of warfare on civilians (opens in a new tab) |
2020 | The role of Henry V and General Haig as commanders (opens in a new tab) |
2021 | The recruitment of the army (opens in a new tab) |
2022 | The impact of heavy artillery and computerised high-tech on warfare (opens in a new tab) |
2023 | The impact of warfare on civilians (opens in a new tab) |
2024 | Fighting in the Battle of Waterloo and the Iraq War |
Explaining similarities and differences
This is part of the thematic study, so Question 3 assesses:
Your understanding of continuity and change over time
Your use of similarities and differences
Questions may:
Compare two events across the four time periods of the course
Focus on a specific area, such as the civilian experience of war
Use the key themes of the course to help with this question. These are:
The nature of warfare
The experience of war
The impact of war
How to answer an "Explain one way" question
To access Level 2 (3–4 marks), you must:
Read the question carefully
Focus only on the two time periods mentioned
Mention one similarity or one difference, not both
Make a direct comparison between the two events or developments
For the example question, a direct comparison is the strength of weapons in both time periods
"Explain one way" question structure
Your answer should include:
Specific and relevant knowledge about the topic to support the comparison
An explanation of the similarity or difference outlined in the question
Your answers could be written in a PEE paragraph:
P — Make a clear statement about how the two events are similar or different
E — Support your point with accurate knowledge from each time period (K)
Use comparative phrases such as "similarly", "whereas" and "in contrast"
E — Explain the question (SOC)
Explain why the two events are different or similar
Link back to the focus of the question
There are 4 marks available for this question:
2 marks for your analysis of a similarity or difference between the two given time periods (SOC)
2 marks for specific knowledge of each time period (K)
Worked example of an "Explain one way" question
Worked Example
Explain one way in which the weapons used in warfare were different between the medieval period (c1250–c1500) and the modern period (c1900–present).
(4)
Answer:
One way in which weapons changed between the medieval and modern periods is in their speed and destruction (SOC). In the medieval period, soldiers mainly used swords, spears and longbows. The longbow was important at battles such as Agincourt, but it still relied on the skill of the archer and could only fire one arrow at a time (SOC). In contrast, in the First World War, armies used machine guns that could fire hundreds of bullets per minute and tanks that could move across no-man’s-land. These modern weapons caused mass casualties and changed how battles were fought (SOC).
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