HELP! AS Level History - Exam techniques ?

Currently in history I'm hitting grade D/C when I got an A in GCSE. I understand As level is a lot harder but my teacher puts it down to exam texhnique. No matter how much I look over my work I can't see what's wrong. Could someone help me and maybe give an example on how an AS Level History essay (20 marks) should be written ? It would help a lot ! Thank you!
( also I am studying Tudor history with the Dutch revolt )

Reply 1

WhiteyBread101

21

Original post by sophhhampson

Currently in history I'm hitting grade D/C when I got an A in GCSE. I understand As level is a lot harder but my teacher puts it down to exam texhnique. No matter how much I look over my work I can't see what's wrong. Could someone help me and maybe give an example on how an AS Level History essay (20 marks) should be written ? It would help a lot ! Thank you!
( also I am studying Tudor history with the Dutch revolt )

What exam board?

Reply 2

geog1998

Original post by sophhhampson

Currently in history I'm hitting grade D/C when I got an A in GCSE. I understand As level is a lot harder but my teacher puts it down to exam texhnique. No matter how much I look over my work I can't see what's wrong. Could someone help me and maybe give an example on how an AS Level History essay (20 marks) should be written ? It would help a lot ! Thank you!
( also I am studying Tudor history with the Dutch revolt )

in terms of answering AS essays, I'd say use the point, explanation, evidence technique. I'm currently studying A2 history and i got 94/100 and 100/100 last year on AQA, although not for your topics (so I can't help you specifically with those) and I kept with that approach. make sure you make a point to introduce your argument. follow it up with an explanation and explain what actually happened in the event or whatever it is you're discussing. evidence would follow this, which could be the impact that it actually had - you have said what happened, and now you have said how it affected the outcome. this is where also if figures come in handy. also use historians options where necessary and as part of your evidence and remember to answer the question! this is where most people mess up. explicitly say "therefore this/that/they cannot be/can be considered successful/unsuccessful". by putting a point at the beginning of your paragraph and your evidence at the end, with your content in the middle, you're avoiding a narrative approach which people tend to take by accident and where they lose marks yet keeping your content there :smile:

Reply 3

sophiamarni

16

Original post by geog1998

in terms of answering AS essays, I'd say use the point, explanation, evidence technique. I'm currently studying A2 history and i got 94/100 and 100/100 last year on AQA, although not for your topics (so I can't help you specifically with those) and I kept with that approach. make sure you make a point to introduce your argument. follow it up with an explanation and explain what actually happened in the event or whatever it is you're discussing. evidence would follow this, which could be the impact that it actually had - you have said what happened, and now you have said how it affected the outcome. this is where also if figures come in handy. also use historians options where necessary and as part of your evidence and remember to answer the question! this is where most people mess up. explicitly say "therefore this/that/they cannot be/can be considered successful/unsuccessful". by putting a point at the beginning of your paragraph and your evidence at the end, with your content in the middle, you're avoiding a narrative approach which people tend to take by accident and where they lose marks yet keeping your content there :smile:

do you have an examplar :smile:

Reply 4