History N5 question formats

Learn the: Elevate, Comparison, Explain, and Describe question in history for optimal SQA marking.

Comparison question

The comparison question is structured by 5 different points: Overall, Simple Developed. And then simple and developed again. This question is worth 4 marks and consists of two sentences per-point. This question requires the learner to compare at least from 2 sources.

Here is an example of this structure being used -

Overall: Sources X and X disagree.

Simple: Sources X and X disagree because Source X has [ Missing information from other source]

Developed: Sources X and X not not match because [Explain the missing information in detail]

Simple: Source X is missing/having information making this source (Unreliable/Reliable)

Developed: Source X agrees/disagrees because (Final information)

The evaluate question

The evaluate question requires 4 different structure to be implemented into your answer and is worth 5 marks.

Use the wording of the question to create a paragraph of medium length to create a introduction, Point, Explanation Connecting, And reason.

Key: Introduction (Question wording) Point, Explanation Connecting, Reason/ Additional information

Example:

Q: What happened in Cuba in 1961?

A: In Cuba on August the 17th in 1961, The bay of pigs took place. An invasion lead by the CIA to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro. This was because the United States was under tension of nuclear war.

The explain question

To answer this question use the 5’s structure: What is, What is not, Who, Why, When. This question can be up to worth 6 marks you can add two points of one one W to gain an extra 2 marks.

Example: A newspaper on the space race by an editor From 1959:

The USA’s development and progress makes it the victor of this space race!

Answer:

What is: This Source includes the USA’s positive developments in the space race. However, This source is biased making it unreliable.

Second sentence (Optional)

What is not: This source doesn’t include the USSR’s current state within the space race making this source unreliable.

Second sentence (Optional)

Who: A news editor

Why: Newspaper, Inform citizens of the state of the Space race.

When: 1957.

The describe question

The describe question is a recall based question that requires memorisation instead of a source to answer from. That is worth 4 marks. You have to answer as to what happened in a certain time without explaining why. Answer in two sentences maximum. Answering with more than 2 sentences will not make you gain any more additional marks. If specific information is contained within the question and if used in the answer it will not receive a mark.

Mark/No Mark: Mark No mark

Example:

Q: What happened in Cuba in Bay of pigs?

A: CIA agents sent by John F Kennedy the former president of the states where made to assassinate Fidel Castro in laya Girón and Playa Larga in Cuba. The mission was a failure making the reputation of the united states poor and the big of the pigs the biggest failure for the United States.