The 16 Mark "How Far do you Agree" Question (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note
Exam code: 1HI0
Summary of Question 3 or 4
You will choose between Question 3 or Question 4
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
Unlike for the 16-mark question in Paper One, you are not awarded marks for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)
Amount of marks | 16 |
|---|---|
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 Elizabethan England:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: The effective use of naval tactics by the English during the Spanish Armada Question 4: Attitudes towards the poor |
2019 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: Catholic opposition to Elizabeth Question 4: Sir Francis Drake and his achievements |
2020 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: Mary, Queen of Scots and her claim to the English throne Question 4: Education in Early Elizabethan England |
2021 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: Rivalry between England and Spain Question 4: Leisure activities for the rich and poor in Elizabethan England |
2022 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: The problem of Elizabeth's legitimacy Question 4: The Revolt of the Northern Earls and challenges to Elizabeth's rule |
2023 (opens in a new tab) | Question 3: England's involvement in the Netherlands Question 4: The increase of exploration by England |
2024 | Question 3: English Catholics challenge of the Religious Settlement Question 4: Poor planning as the main reason why the first colony in Virginia failed |
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 may state in the introduction that the main reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was due to Walsingham
However, in the conclusion, you state that it was due to religious issues in England
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 answer a "How far do you agree?" question
In the exam, only answer either Question 3 or Question 4
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
our 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 16 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)
Worked example of a "How far do you agree?" question
Worked Example
'The main reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was Francis Walsingham.'
How far do you agree? Explain your answer.
(16)
You may use the following in your answer:
You must also use information of your own. |
Answer
I agree that the main reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was because of Francis Walsingham (SOC). However, there were other reasons such as Mary's own actions and the continued Catholic threat in England.
The main reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was due to the actions of Francis Walsingham. Walsingham was Elizabeth's spymaster who's role it was to protect her from threats to her reign. During Elizabeth's reign, Walsingham collected evidence of Mary's involvement in plots. During the Babington plot Walsingham intercepted letters which were used in Mary, Queen of Scot's trial (K). Therefore, Walsingham was the main reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed as his evidence of Mary's involvement in treasonous acts convinced Elizabeth to execute Mary. The evidence made it impossible for Elizabeth to continue Mary's imprisonment as Walsingham proved that Mary posed a huge threat to Elizabeth's reign (SOC).
Another reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was due to her own actions during her captivity in England. Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in England for 19 years. During this time, Mary was either connected or physically involved in several plots to kill Elizabeth. However, her choice to be involved in the Babington Plot resulted in her execution as she sent coded letters to Babington and approved the plans (K). Therefore, her own actions resulted in her execution as Elizabeth could no longer persuade the Privy Council not to force her to sign the execution orders. Mary's presence in England was a threat that could no longer be ignored (SOC). Although this was an important reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed, it was not the main reason. Without the evidence Walsingham collected, Elizabeth would have been able to ignore her Privy Council's demands for Mary's execution as she had done for many years (SOC).
A final reason why Mary, Queen of Scots was executed was due to the Catholic threat in England. Mary, Queen of Scots was a legitimate Catholic heir to the English throne. Many people in England supported her claim as there was ongoing religious unrest in England due to the continuous change of religion since Henry VIII's religious Reformation. However, there was an increased Catholic threat in England because of Elizabeth's excommunication by the Pope and the papal bull (K). Therefore, Mary, Queen of Scots was executed because the Catholic threat in England was a continuous threat which was a challenge to Elizabeth's reign, which could be reduced if Mary was executed (SOC). This understanding was clear to Elizabeth's Privy Council and is one of the reasons why Walsingham collected evidence against Mary to force the execution (SOC).
Overall, I agree that the main reason why Mary Queen of Scots was executed was due to Francis Walsingham. Walsingham collected evidence that forced Elizabeth to order Mary, Queen of Scots' execution. In addition, Walsingham's actions were caused by other factors such as the continuous threat from Catholics in England and Mary's own actions which led to him collecting evidence for her execution (SOC).
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