GCSE History AQA: How to Answer All GCSE History Questions

Dear GCSE History students, I’ve put together this GCSE History revision aid to help you feel more confident in tackling different GCSE History AQA question types. Inside, you’ll find not only the question types but also detailed advice on how to approach them. My hope is that this clear, structured GCSE History guide will make revision feel less overwhelming and give you a boost in your next GCSE History paper. Goodluck!

GCSE History AQA Paper 1 Section A

This first Section A guide is for the Period Study part of the GCSE History exam. Your school will choose one of the following topics, and each follows the same question types for Section A: America 1840–1895, Germany 1890–1945, Russia 1894–1945, or America 1920–1973.

Question 1: How do interpretations differ? (4 marks)

You will be presented with two interpretations. Your task is to:

1. Identify the main argument of each interpretation.

2. Compare these arguments, noting their similarities and differences.

   
   

Top Tip: Focus solely on the content of the interpretations. What is written or depicted in the source itself? Do not consider the origin of the source at this stage.

Question 2: Why do interpretations differ? (4 marks)

Now, you will explain the reasons behind the differences between the two interpretations. To do this, you must analyze their provenance.

Example: An author who was a member of the Hitler Youth might speak positively about it due to personal positive experiences and respect gained. Conversely, another author whose siblings were murdered for opposing the Nazis would likely express strong negative views.

Top Tip: "Provenance" refers to the origin of the source. This includes:

• Author: Who created the source?

• Date: When was the source created?

• Type: What kind of source is it (e.g., diary, newspaper, speech)?

• Purpose: Why was the source created? You can find this information next to the source.

  
  

Question 3: How convincing are these interpretations? (8 marks)

For this question, you will use your own historical knowledge to evaluate the accuracy and persuasiveness of the interpretations' content.

1. Support and Challenge: For each interpretation, explain why its claims are convincing, using your own factual knowledge.

2. Focus on Convincing Aspects: You are not required to discuss why they might be unconvincing.

3. Overall Judgement: For maximum marks, identify which interpretation is more convincing and explain why. This often involves determining which view is more widely accepted by historians.

   
   

Top Tip: Apply your subject knowledge to thoroughly assess how convincing each interpretation is.

Question 4: Describe... (4 marks)

Provide a concise and accurate description of a specific topic or event, using factual information. You will typically need to present two distinct points.

Question 5: In what ways...? (8 marks)

This question requires you to explain the impact of a key development on a particular situation or group of people. Support your explanation with specific factual knowledge.

Top Tips for top marks:

• Consider how the impact changed over time.

• Analyze how different groups were affected.

• Discuss the social or economic consequences of the change.

  
  

Question 6: Essay question (12 marks)

You will be given two factors, events, or individuals and asked to evaluate their significance or impact.

1. Focused Discussion: Your discussion must be limited to the two bulleted points provided in the question.

2. Factual Detail: Include substantial and relevant factual information to support your arguments.

3. Overall Judgement: Conclude with a clear judgment stating which of the two factors was most significant and explain your reasoning.

   
   

Top Tip: Remember to explain your judgments throughout your answer.

Paper 1 Section B

This next Section B guide is for the Wider World Depth Study part of the Paper 1 GCSE History exam. Your school will choose one of the following topics, and each follows the same question types for Section B: Conflict and Tension during WWI, the Inter-War Years, the Cold War, Asia 1950–1975, or the Gulf and Afghanistan 1990–2009.

Question 1: Source analysis (4 marks)

You will be given a source and a specific viewpoint it represents. Your task is to:

1. Carefully read or examine the source.

2. Identify how the source conveys the given viewpoint.

3. Connect the source's content (what it says or shows) with its provenance (author, type) and your own historical knowledge to explain its representation of the viewpoint.

   
   

Question 2: Source usefulness or utility (12 marks)

You will receive two additional sources and need to make a supported judgment on their usefulness for a specific historical inquiry.

Example Inquiry: "How useful are the two sources in showing American attitudes towards the space race at the beginning of the 1960s?"

To answer effectively, consider:

• Content: What information is present in each source?

• Provenance: Who created the source, when, and for what purpose?

• Context: How does your own historical knowledge enhance or limit the source's usefulness for the given inquiry?

  
  

For full marks: Provide an overall judgment on the combined usefulness of both sources, based on both their content and their provenance.

Question 3: Write an account of (8 marks)

This question requires you to explain the causes, events, and consequences of a specific historical development.

• Chronological Focus: Pay close attention to any dates provided in the question and limit your discussion to events within that timeframe.

• Narrative Flow: "Tell the story" of the events, ensuring they are presented in chronological order and logically linked.

• Significance: Explain the significance of the consequences to achieve maximum marks.

Example Question: 'Write an account of how the Prague Spring became an international crisis.'

Top Tip: Quickly plan the key events you will include and arrange them chronologically. Think about the causal links between events—how one led to another.

Question 4: Essay: How far do you agree with the statement (16 marks + 4 SPAG)

For this essay, you will form and support your own judgment on the extent to which you agree with a given statement.

1. Explain the Statement: Describe and explain the event or viewpoint presented in the statement, demonstrating how it supports the statement.

2. Provide Alternative Viewpoints: To score over half marks, you must present at least one alternative viewpoint or factor that challenges the statement. Explain this alternative in detail.

Example Statement: "The main cause of tension in the years 1945-1949 was the Truman Doctrine."

• You would explain the Truman Doctrine and how it caused tension.

• Then, you would introduce and describe in detail at least one other event (e.g., the Berlin Blockade, the Marshall Plan) that also contributed significantly to tension during that period.

For Level 4 (13-16 marks):

• Maintain a clear argument from the beginning, consistently supporting your agreement or disagreement with the statement.

• Do not remain neutral; take a definitive stance.

  
  

Top Tip: Don't hesitate to disagree with the statement. Answers that effectively challenge the given premise often demonstrate a stronger grasp of the historical material and analytical confidence.

Paper 2 Section A

Let's now move on to Paper 2. This section is for the Thematic Study part of Paper 2: Shaping the Nation. Your school will choose one of the following options, all with the same question types for Section A: Health and the People, Power and the People, or Migration, Empires and the People.

Question 1: How useful is this source to a historian studying...? (8 marks)

You will be presented with a source (written or visual) and asked to evaluate its usefulness for a specific historical inquiry. To achieve top marks, you must:

1. Analyze Content: Identify the information and perspective presented in the source.

2. Contextualize: Link the source's content in detail to your own historical knowledge. Explain how your understanding of the broader historical period helps you evaluate its usefulness.

3. Examine Provenance: Discuss the origin of the source, including its author, type, date, and purpose. Explain how these aspects influence its usefulness.

4. Overall Judgment: Conclude with a clear and supported judgment on the overall usefulness of the source, explicitly referencing both its content, provenance, and context.

   
   

Question 2: Explain the significance of (8 marks)

You will be asked to explain the significance of a particular event, person, or discovery in the context of medical development.

• Role and Impact: Explain the contribution of the given event/person/discovery to advancements in medicine. For example, if asked about anesthetics, explain their benefits and why they were significant, providing examples.

• Development Over Time: Discuss how their significance was viewed and how their development unfolded over time.

• Continuous Link to Significance: Throughout your answer, consistently link your points back to the concept of significance.

  
  

For maximum marks:

• Explain how the significance developed or lessened over time.

• Compare the significance of the given topic to other discoveries within the broader subject area.

  
  

Top Tip: Use SQUID (Significance, Quadruple Impact, Impact on Different Groups/Areas, Development over Time) to help you here.

• Significance: What was its importance?

• Quadruple Impact: Consider its impact on four areas (e.g., diagnosis, treatment, prevention, understanding).

• Impact on Different Groups/Areas: Did it affect different people or aspects of society differently?

• Development over Time: How did its significance evolve or diminish?

  
  

Question 3: Compare two events, times, people… in what ways are they similar? (8 marks)

You will be given two elements (events, people, or time periods) and asked to compare their similarities.

• Categorize Similarities: Use clear categories to structure your comparison. For example, if comparing the Black Death and Cholera, consider similarities in:

  • Believed causes

  • Actual causes

  • Impacts on society

  • Treatments or preventative measures

• Paragraph Topics: Use these categories as the basis for your paragraphs.

• Complex Explanation: Provide a detailed explanation of the similarities, discussing the extent of the resemblance and the underlying reasons for these similarities.

• Linking Language: Use the word "similarly" to connect your points between the two chosen elements.

Top Tip: Do not discuss differences. This will not earn you marks and wastes valuable time. Focus exclusively on the similarities.

Question 4: Essay: Has... been the biggest factor in helping/developing/hindering a topic (medicine, understanding of disease, surgery, public health) during the years 1000 to Modern Day (16 marks + 4 SPAG)

This essay question is a significant component of the paper. You need to construct a well-supported argument agreeing or disagreeing with the given statement.

• Address the Stated Factor: You must explain the factor mentioned in the question (e.g., war, superstition/religion, chance, government, communication, the economy, ideas, science and technology, or the role of the individual) and how it has influenced the topic (medicine, understanding of disease, surgery, or public health).

• Develop Your Argument: Argue for or against the statement, providing detailed historical evidence.

• Introduce Alternative Factors: To achieve higher marks, you must discuss other relevant factors that have also influenced the topic, comparing their impact to the one given in the statement.

  
  

For Level 4 (13-16 marks):

• Establish a clear argument from the beginning of your essay.

• Maintain this argument consistently throughout your body paragraphs.

• Reiterate your clear stance in your conclusion.

• Do not "sit on the fence" – present a definitive judgment.

Top Tip: Do not be afraid to disagree with the statement. Essays that effectively challenge the premise often demonstrate a deeper understanding of the subject and strong analytical skills.

Paper 2 Section B

Section B of GCSE History Paper 2 focuses on a British Depth Study, which also includes a study of a specific historic environment. Your school will select one of the following options, each assessed using the same style of questions: Norman England, Medieval England under Edward I, Elizabethan England, or Restoration England.

Question 1: How convincing is this source? (8 marks)

You will be given a source and asked to assess how convincing it is regarding a specific topic. Your focus should be on demonstrating how the source is convincing, rather than what it lacks.

1. Identify Convincing Aspect: Pinpoint one way the source is convincing.

2. Describe in Source: Explain how this convincing aspect appears in the source's content.

3. Link to Knowledge: Connect this aspect to your own historical knowledge, demonstrating how it aligns with what you know.

4. Explain Convincingness: Explicitly explain why this connection makes the source convincing.

For Level 4: Throughout your answer, consistently refer to the degree of convincingness, using phrases like, "The source is incredibly convincing as it depicts..." and substantiating this with your knowledge.

Question 2: How significant/important was this event? (8 marks)

You will be asked to explain the significance of a particular event, person, development, or group to Elizabethan England.

• Focus on the Question: Depending on the question, you will need to explain the consequences, causes, or changes over time in detail.

• Detailed Explanation: Provide an in-depth explanation of the consequences, causes, or changes of the event.

• Prioritize Significance: As you progress through your answer, explain which cause, consequence, or change was the most significant.

• Link Connections: A highly effective way to achieve top marks (e.g., a Grade Point 8) is to link consequences/causes/changes together, showing how one led to another.

  
  

Question 3: Write an account of... (8 marks)

You will need to write a narrative account of a studied event.

• Comprehensive Coverage: If appropriate for the event, ensure you cover causes, the event itself, and its consequences.

• Factual Knowledge: This question assesses your factual recall. Write as much relevant information as you can about the event.

• Explain Extent/Significance: As you describe the causes, events, and consequences, try to explain their extent or significance. For example, if discussing the Spanish Armada, explain the key turning point and why it enabled England's victory.

Question 4: Essay: How far do you agree with the statement about the Spanish Armada? (16 marks)

You will be given a statement about the Spanish Armada and must evaluate the extent to which you agree with it.

1. Explain the Viewpoint: Begin by explaining the viewpoint presented in the statement, using your knowledge to support it.

2. Argue Against (or provide alternative views): Then, use your historical knowledge to argue against the statement or present alternative perspectives that challenge it.

3. Link to Wider Knowledge: Crucially, tie your discussion to your broader understanding of the Elizabethan England module. The question might implicitly touch upon themes like the rise of the gentry, changing fashions, displays of wealth, and so on.

   
   

For Level 4 (13-16 marks):

• Establish a clear argument regarding your agreement or disagreement from the very beginning of your essay.

• Maintain this clear stance throughout your body paragraphs and in your conclusion.

• Avoid being indecisive ("sitting on the fence"). If you agree with the statement, make that unequivocally clear from the outset.

With this GCSE History AQA guide, you're fully equipped to tackle every section in the GCSE History exam—just keep practising with past questions, revise your content knowledge, and apply the exam techniques you’ve learned here.