This post shows you how to answer the A Level History Extract Questions that will make up a part of your exam. A Level History Extract Questions follow the same formula across all three exam boards of AQA, Edexcel and OCR, though the questions asked will be formatted in a slightly different way. The number of extracts to deal with may also vary between two and three. However, fundamentally, the question will always ask you to assess how convincing you find the arguments in the extracts, with regard to that particular topic and question.
A level History Extract Question Structure
Here you can see the perfect structure for analysing extracts. This structure is to deal with one single extract. From that one extract you pick out three key arguments/views of the extract. This is represented by the line running down the illustration. You then support or challenge each of the three arguments/views using your own contextual knowledge.
The reason this structure works well is that it enables you to cover 3 of the arguments/views of the extract. You can then align these 2-1 or 1-2 in terms of supporting or challenging the extract. Your analysis of the extract is now balanced, both supporting and challenging. At the same time it is decisive in terms of assessing the arguments. Overall you will either be ‘supporting more’ or ‘challenging more’ how convincing the arguments are.
A Level History Extract Questions – Further Considerations
So we have now established an excellent structure to deal with any A Level History extract. The following points also merit consideration when dealing with extracts:
- Do I have the contextual knowledge to back up my supporting or challenging? – You need to have adequate contextual knowledge to be able to support or challenge arguments. Try to pick out arguments from extracts that you have knowledge around.
- Where have the historians overstepped the mark? – It is often the case that there is a degree of truth to arguments. However, the view maybe too definitive. Look for those definitive words (changeless, uniformly, exclusively, unresponsive etc) to potentially identify arguments that are overstepping the mark. These can provide great opportunities to challenge.
Do you want more information and a step by step guide to answering extract questions? Pass A Level History, gives you step by step video lessons, using examples, to show you exactly how to answer A Level History Extract Questions.
How To Improve Further at A Level History
Pass A Level History – is our sister site, which shows you step by step, how to most effectively answer any A Level History extract, source or essay question. Please click the following link to visit the site and get access to your free preview lesson. www.passalevelhistory.co.uk
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