a2 learning journey

7/31/2019 A2 Learning Journey

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A2 HistoryLearning Journey

Contact - Mr D Roberts and Mr P Devlin Humanities Faculty


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WelcomeOr rather Welcome Back

Congratulations on making it through to Year 13. Now we can let you into

the real secret of A Level history. Having passed your initiation, you are

now well on your way to becoming a member of the most secretive andimportant society in the world: historians.

Hopefully you will have now found out just how rewarding the hard work

and effort you put in last year is. What you have accomplished in making

it through to A2 is no mean feat. You have worked hard and have done

better than many other students. You should now prepare yourself for

even harder work but even greater reward.

What is going on?

This year is similar to your first year and you will have two units to

complete. One of them is your controlled assessment and one is a

traditional examined unit. Your controlled assessment will be about

German History and the examined unit will be about International

Relations in the C20th with particular reference to the Cold War.

In this document you will find important pieces of information to help youunderstand what we are studying and the ways in which it will be

assessed.

Any questions you have can be addressed to Mr Roberts or Mr Devlin in

the Humanities Faculty

The supreme purpose of history is a better world - Herbert Hoover


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Unit 3 - Depth Studies and Historical Associated Controversies

The past is always a rebuke to the present - Robert Penn Warren

2

6HI03/E War and Peace: Twentieth Century International Relations

SECTION A

Answer ONE question in Section A on the topic for which you have been prepared.

You should start the answer to your chosen question in Section A on page 3.

Section B begins on page 11.

E1 The World in Crisis, 18791941

Answer EITHER Question 1 OR Question 2.

EITHER

1 To what extent was the accelerating European arms race after 1900 responsible forthe outbreak of the First World War?

(Total for Question 1 = 30 marks)OR

2 The disarmament policies pursued by the major powers in the years 192133 hadlittle success. How far do you agree with this view?

(Total for Question 2 = 30 marks)

E2 A World Divided: Superpower Relations, 194490

Answer EITHER Question 3 OR Question 4.

EITHER

3 How far did peaceful coexistence ease Cold War tensions between the Soviet Unionand the USA in the years 195361?

(Total for Question 3 = 30 marks)OR

4 To what extent was the deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations in the years 195869 due

to personal rivalries?


TOTAL FOR SEC TION A = 30 MARKS


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E2 A World Divided: Superpower Relations, 194490

Study the relevant sources in the Sources Insert.Answer EITHER Question 7 OR Question 8.

EITHER

7 Use Sources 7, 8 and 9 and your own knowledge.

How far do you agree with the view that the development of the Cold War in theyears 194548 owed more to Soviet expansionism than to the USAs economicinterests?

Explain your answer, using Sources 7, 8 and 9 and your own knowledge of the issuesrelated to this controversy.


OR

8 Use Sources 10, 11 and 12 and your own knowledge.

How far do you agree with the view that the Cold War came to an end because ofmounting economic pressure on the Soviet Union during the 1980s?

Explain your answer, using Sources 10, 11 and 12 and your own knowledge of theissues related to this controversy.


TOTAL FOR SECTION B = 40 MARKS

Unit 3 - Depth Studies and Historical Associated Controversies

The past is always a rebuke to the present - Robert Penn Warren


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A2 Unit 4: Historical Enquiry *Unit code 6HI04

two

Unit 4 Historical Enquiry

History must be written of, by and for the survivors. - Anonymous

ThisUnitisyourCourseworkUnitandwillbeformedoftwo

parts.BothofthemwillbeaboutGermanyintheNineteenth

andTwentiethCenturywithonehalffocussingontheroleof

anindividualandtheotheronbroaderthemes.


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Part A




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Part B

What the student

will need to

produce




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Resource record

Word limits




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A-level history is all about writing essays. No matter how much you know,if you can't: write a good essay you will not do well. Unfortunately, a goodessay does not just consist of writing all you know about a given topic; atA-level examiners tend to insist on tricky things like answering thequestion, analysis rather than narrative and including information tosupport your point of view. Unless you are particularly gifted, these skills

take time to learn and poor marks are common early on. Fortunately,however, these skills can be learnt. Although every essay will demand aunique answer, there are techniques common to all essays which willensure that you don't go too far wrong. First some general points.

Read the question

This sounds too obvious to mention. But every year some students see aword or phrase in the title and proceed to reel off an a prepared answerwithout considering whether what they are writing actually addresses thequestion asked. This will be immediately obvious to anyone reading the

essay and gain you a few marks. Read the question several times to makesure you understand what it is asking.

Analyse the question

When you have read the question should then analyse it. This is vital many people do not make the distinction between what the question isasking and what the question is about. By breaking down the title into keywords (the issue to be considered) and topic words (the subject matter),you can ensure that you actually answer the question rather than providea simple narrative of events. A look at a couple of examples will show

what I mean: Examine the motives that influenced the Stalins Foreign Policies Main topic foreign policies of Stalin Key word motives How far were Wittes Economic Reforms successful? Main topic economic policies of Sergei Witte Key word successful?

Planning

This is without doubt the most vital part of writing an essay. It is your

plan that determines what approach you take to answering the question.If you have written your plan properly, you will know exactly what youranswer is going to be this is not something that should be decided whileyou are writing your essay. More importantly, your plan will ensure thatyou actually answer the question. Everything you write must be related tothe question, and without a plan it is all too easy to lose focus and writeirrelevant nonsense. Not answering the question is the most commonfailing in A-level essays, and there is nothing a teacher likes doing morethan crossing out huge chunks of an essay with the word 'irrelevant'!Write a good plan and this won't happen to you.

Essay Guide

God alone knows the future, but only an historian can alter the past -

Ambrose Bierce


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Once you have made your plan, you are ready to begin. How do you startan essay? Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule it will dependvery much on each individual title. However, one thing is certain: yourintroduction must make a good impression. It is the first thing anyone willread: if it fails to grip, the rest of the essay will have to be very good toretrieve the situation. Ideally your introduction should sparkle, leaving

the impression 'Wow, this girl knows what she's talking about: I want toread more'. At the very least it must be competent. Preferably, it shouldalso be short if your introduction lasts much more than a third of apage, you have missed the point. So, faced with a blank piece of paper,what do you actually write?

Let's consider the title 'In 1680 Louis XIV was awarded the title 'Great'.Considering his reign as a whole, did he merit it?' The safe way to begin issimply to state what you are going to do: sum up in a few sentences whatthe question is asking and say how you are going to answer it. Thisapproach will not excite an examiner, but as long as you have identified

the key areas for investigation (which you will have worked out in yourplan), you will have made a satisfactory start.

Another approach is actually to state your answer in the introduction andthen go on to prove your case in the essay. This approach is far mareexciting because it shows that you have a definite point of view, and areprepared to argue it. It shows an examiner that you have planned youressay, know what you are going to say and in all probability will support itwith good evidence.

The final type of introduction is far more individual You might use aninteresting quote, describe a significant event, take issue with thequestion or otherwise set the scene It is hard to define, but the effectwill be to show that you have complete mastery of the subject,understand the issues at stake and will be dealing with them thoroughly.

This kind of introduction will grip readers, impress them and make themwant to know more. Its also very difficult to write! Not everyone can dothis but, as long as you follow some of the guidelines above, you will avoidshooting yourself in the foot before you have even begun.

The Middle

The main body of the essay is where you prove your case. Once you haveplanned your essay, this section will almost write itself It is just aquestion of filling in the gaps. You will know what paragraphs you aregoing to write and what information you are going to use. However,remember that you are making an argument, not narrating a story. Youhave already identified the key words in the question now is the time touse them. Every paragraph must refer in some way to the key words or itwill be irrelevant. Be ruthless you will have far more information thanyou need and must select carefully only that which you need to support

your argument.

Essay Guide


Ambrose Bierce


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However, you must equally avoid an essay consisting only of argument you must not make unsubstantiated claims. For everything you say youmust have a supporting fact or example otherwise your essay will bejust so much hot air. This balance between analysis and supporting detailis what makes up the skill of' essay writing, and takes time to learn. Onceyou have done so, success will be yours.

Quotes

After all your efforts making notes, you will naturally want to use some ofthem in your essay that is why you made them. However, you must bevery careful how you use quotes. They can only be used in a discussion ofvarious historians' paints of view, i.e. 'Wilkinson says..., but Shennansays...', or to sum up an argument you have already proved. What theyabsolutely 100% can never be used for is to prove a point. The mostcommon use of quotes is 'Wilkinson says that...', with no furtherinformation. This does not prove your point. A quote from an historian,

however well respected, is not proof. Saying that Wilkinson has saidsomething does not prove that what he has said is true. If you are goingto use a quote you must support it with the relevant facts or examples,just as if' it was your own words, or you will gain no marks for yourcarefully memorised notes.

Conclusions

The conclusion is where you sum up what you have said in your essay. Itis absolutely vital never fail to write one. This is the last thing anexaminer reads and counts for a great deal: a good conclusion can rescue

an indifferent essay and set the seal on a good one. It is here that youdraw together the threads of your argument and hammer home yourpoints, leaving the reader in no doubt as to your answer. You should referexplicitly to the key words of the question and reinforce the points youmade in the main body. Above all it should contain nothing new it issimply a restatement of your argument. If there is anything you have notalready said it is too late now!

Essay Guide


Ambrose Bierce


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We will now look at the construction of a good essay, how exactly shouldyou go about writing it?

(a) Writing an Introduction. An introduction should show how you intend toanswer the question, by (1) indicating the line of argument you intend totake, by (2) giving an overview of the organisation of what follows, and by(3) indicating the sort of material or evidence you will be using. It is aneffective strategy, especially when writing a short essay, to begin with abold, attention-grabbing, first sentence which shows the marker that youknow what you are doing: that is, answer the question as briefly aspossible with your first sentence. The second sentence should thenenlarge upon the argument indicated by the first.

(b) The body of the essay. Intelligent use of paragraphing is crucial tothe success of an essay. Often, it is best to organise the paragraphs sothat each makes and defends a point or premise essential to theargument of the essay. (By 'premise' is meant a point which is part of andessential to the argument of the essay.) It must be entirely clear howyour points fit into the argument: essays which meander around the topicleaving the marker to join the dots to comprise an answer are notacceptable, since they fail to demonstrate understanding.

It is a good idea to use 'topic sentences' to signal the subject and makeexplicit the point of each paragraph. These ought not to be too repetitive

in form but should show how the paragraph fits into the argument of theessay as a whole. The following topic sentences (here marked in red forclarity) would, for example, be appropriate as a way of introducingparagraphs that comprised a series of 'tests' in a 'to-what-extent' essaythat called for an assessment of the effects of the Hydrogen Bomb onthe Cold War.

It is possible to argue that the Hydrogen Bomb made the world a muchmore dangerous place. This was because, whilst the bombs were merelyatom bombs maybe slightly bigger than the Hiroshima bomb, a nuclearwar could be won by one side if they were decisive and able to deliver the

bombs. This would have left a defeated but not destroyed enemy. Now,with the advent of the hydrogen bomb it would be possible thatdestruction would be total and that is not actually a desirable outcome ofwar.

One could also possibly argue that it was the impact of Soviet espionagethat really made the world a dangerous place. They Soviets were able tospy on the Americans and learn their secrets thus enabling a much earlierdevelopment of their own Hydrogen Bomb. This prompted furtherdevelopment from the American which, coupled with fear and an inability

to penetrate Soviet research made the Americans far more likely to reactbadly to any development.

Essay Guide


Ambrose Bierce


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Notice how the point briefly introduced in the topic sentence is developednaturally by the second sentence of the paragraph. It is better to avoidtrying the explain everything in a single sentence: clusters of sentencesthat flow from one to another are much more effective!

Signposting your evidence will give the essay that all important sense ofcritical depth and originality:

The development of effective and capable delivery systems also madethe world more dangerous. For instance, whilst the Americans hadHydrogen bombs and the Russians didnt, the delivery systems were poorenough that the Russians could have shot down the bombers on their wayto Russia. Once ICBMs had been developed the world faced thepossibility of a surprise attack and an inability to prevent destructiononce the button had been pushed

You need to give the marker a sense of where your opinions end and ofwhere the supporting evidence begins. But remember to vary yoursignposts: using the same phrase over and over again will distract andbore the reader. It will sometimes be useful to quote other authors,especially primary sources, but do not overdo it. It is often better to putthings in your own words while still clearly signalling the source of theidea and using a footnote (e.g. 'According to Mayer the first crusade.'),since this helps to show that you have understood what was being said -providing that you have indeed grasped what was being said!

(c) The Conclusion. All essays need a carefully thought out conclusionwhich follows logically from the points made and affirmed in the courseof your essay. It need not rehearse the points you have rejected. Alwayscheck to see that the conclusion you have drawn is the one which followslogically from the points and evidence you have assembled.

There are several different types of question that you may be askedwhen it comes to essays. Each of them is fairly simple to understand onceyou can grasp the fundamental points that should always be included in anessay of that type.

Explain' and 'why' questions demand a list of reasons or one big reason;each reason will have to be explained - that is, clarified, expounded, andillustrated.

'Assess', 'evaluate' and 'define-the-significance-of' questions requirejudgements supported by reasons, explanation and evidence. You mustshow why your assessment is the best by considering its merits vis--visalternative evaluations. It might be useful to define and defend thecriteria on which your judgement depends. That is, to explain why theyare the best criteria for judging the historical phenomenon at issue.

'What-role-did-X-play-in-Y' questions imply a functionalist approach -that is, they require that you identify the function of some phenomenon,

Essay Guide


Ambrose Bierce


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group or institution within some specific system. Thus, the subject of thequestion is the 'Y' rather than the 'X' element. That is, the questionrequires a discussion of the system as a whole and the consideration ofalternative explanations of how 'X' worked within it.

'To-what-extent' questions involve a judgement of measure. One way of

answering the question would be set up a series of 'tests', as it were, thatcan be investigated in turn.

'Quote-and-discuss' questions require you to identify the issue at stakeand to produce a reasoned response. You may respond, for example, byagreeing with the quotation in which case you will need to explain whyagreement is the best response, why it would be wrong to disagree. Youshould consider the merits of a variety of responses. If possible youshould always examine the book or article from which the quotation hasbeen taken in order to discover what its author meant by it, to discoverhow the author has understood the issues.

'Compare-and-contrast' questions demand the identification of similaritiesand differences. One method of tackling such an essay would be todistinguish five or six areas of similarity and contrast, and to devote asection of the essay to each area - a section in which you would assessthe degree of similarity and reach a sub-conclusion. The conclusion wouldthen require a summation of the various 'sub-conclusions'.

It needs to be stressed that none of these types of question calls for anarrative approach. You will never be asked to produce a narrative ofwhat happened. In rare circumstances, a few sentences of narrative may

form part of the evidence cited in support of a point, but the essay as awhole should be organised according to a logical structure in which eachparagraph functions as a premise in the argument. The analytical andexpository voice will always prove more effective than the narrative modeof writing.

Here is a checklist to help with your essay writing

Point to include

Introduction

Points related to both sides of the argumentLink phrases/words between paragraphs

A reference to the question in every paragraph

Developed statements supported by factual material

Relevant facts

Conclusion - balanced and justified (it follows what youhave said in your essay)

Correct spelling and grammar

Essay Guide


Ambrose Bierce

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