GCSE HISTORYPreparation for Paper 2

Royal Greenwich UTC

How far did British society change, 1939–1975?

• OCR requires that the whole period be studied and the question paper will cover a substantial part of 1939-1975.

• As you can see from your checklist there are essentially 4 topics:• Immigration• Women• Children• The NHS

Key tips

You really should be aware of the following points before sitting Paper 2.

•The examination will be 1½ hours long.

•It is marked out of 53, and is worth 25% of your final grade.

•There will be 5 questions. You must do them all.

•There are three SPAG marks on question 5.

•You must always lead your answer with your own knowledge, however, each question will also tell you which source(s) to use – You must quote from and make specific reference to them.

•Q5 is usually worth 35% of the paper.

•You should bring coloured highlighters to the examination.

•You should spend approximately 10 minutes reading the questions and the sources at the start of the examination.

Answering USEFULNESS questions

You should:

1.Consider how reliable the evidence in the source is. Consider why it was published.

BUT

2.Then think about how it might be very useful to a historian even if it is not reliable.

3.For example, what does it prove about the author or publisher?

Answering ACCURACY questions

You should:

1.Use YOUR KNOWLEDGE & understanding of the past to explain whether ONE SOURCE is more accurate than THE OTHER SOURCE .

2.When evaluating the two sources think carefully about who the authors were and what PURPOSES they had for writing / publication.

Answering RELIABILITY questions

You should:

1.Use YOUR KNOWLEDGE & understanding of the past to explain whether ONE SOURCE is more reliable than THE OTHER SOURCE .

2.When evaluating the two sources think carefully about who the authors were and what PURPOSES they had for writing / publication.

Answering MESSAGE questions

You should:

1.Identify the main message of the cartoonist (what is he/she wanting you to think)

2.Support your interpretation of the main message by:

• Your own knowledge• Details from the cartoon

Answering PURPOSE questions

You should:

1.Think carefully about who the author / photographer / newspaper editor was and what PURPOSES they had for writing / taking the photo / publication.

2.What impact were they aiming for when people read / saw it?

Answering QUESTION 5

A very short introduction

I t should just show that you understand the question.

One or two paragraphs to support the

INTERPRETATION based mainly on own

knowledge but referring to / using

some sources

One or two paragraphs arguing

against the INTERPRETATION

based mainly on own knowledge but

referring to / using some sources

ConclusionThis must give a direct answer to the

question

Planning Grid

For Statement

My knowledge

Which sources

Against Statement

My knowledge

Which sources