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Triumph of Elizabeth A2 AQA June 12th Exam

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Reply 20
Original post by Sophyla
My teacher is convinced that the mid-Tudor crisis is going to come up, and she says puritanism as well, but I really don't know.
How does everybody revise? I basically write up the entire AQA textbook ahaha!


The mid-Tudor crisis will definitely be on the paper.
Reply 21
My teacher thinks that there is a good chance that the last phase of Elizabeth's reign may come up as it hasnt been covered yet and they cant avoid it much longer. She also has a feeling that foreign policy might come up- i just wonder what the synoptic question will be???? I just wish I could remember all the facts!
Quick question here: Could we get a question on Ireland? To my knowledge, it's never come up in any previous papers, and the syllabus to me indicates that we only need to know about the problems in Ireland after 1588, i.e. the Tyrone Rebellion (which won't be a question in itself). We've covered it but only briefly and I don't understand it well. The teachers think that it's unlikely, but haven't said for definite - but to me, since it isn't on the syllabus nor in the course textbook (discounting Tyrone as mentioned), it shouldn't come up. Am I definitely right here? (a little worried :P)

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Aside from that, I think that we can only be truly sure that we won't have a question about rebellions or missionary priests specifically, although that isn't very useful because we need to revise those topics in case they appear as part of a different question e.g. Catholic threats. I doubt that there'll be anything about the Council, given that ministers came up last year, but I can't be certain. I predict that there's a good chance of getting foreign policy, particularly earlier in the reign, and Puritanism or the early/later years of the Elizabethan period seem a good bet.
Reply 23
Hey guys quick question

If you're asked to talk about say the minsters during elizabeth's reign apart from the obvious ones (e.g. cecil and leicester) does that include like the parliament as well?

Or do you only talk about parliament if they specifically mention them?

Thanks!
Original post by Safe
Hey guys quick question

If you're asked to talk about say the minsters during elizabeth's reign apart from the obvious ones (e.g. cecil and leicester) does that include like the parliament as well?

Or do you only talk about parliament if they specifically mention them?

Thanks!


Big no - if you're thinking about last year's question, I read the exam report and they pointed out that many candidates had referred to parliament, which they should not have done. MPs do not count as ministers - that mostly just includes Privy Councillors and possibly a few select others.

The good news is, that's it's a very niche question and it came up last year so we're unlikely to be faced with a similar question this year. By all means revise and clarify it, but don't get too hung up on this.
Just some advice:

- There's yet to be a question on Tudor parliaments, this is a HUGE topic and is extremely likely to be asked.

- Foreign policy during Edward and Mary, also unasked, quite a significant topic.

- The decline of Elizabeth has been done to the death. As has Catholic and Puritans, however, don't discount those topics, I feel a Puritan threat question coming on!


Good luck. :smile:
Original post by confusedexcited

- Foreign policy during Edward and Mary, also unasked, quite a significant topic.


Unasked because it isn't on the syllabus, you'll find.
Reply 27
Original post by MalleusMaleficarum
Unasked because it isn't on the syllabus, you'll find.


True it isn't on the syllabus, but if I come across a paper that shows an awareness of said foreign policy, in the context of the question, I'd look very favourably on the answer.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by MalleusMaleficarum
Unasked because it isn't on the syllabus, you'll find.


Oh, fair enough, I thought it was! Still, as Mr. Calm says, it demonstrates a 'breadth and depth of knowledge' outside of the syllabus.
Original post by Mod Calm
The mid-Tudor crisis will definitely be on the paper.


Is that a syllabus requirement, guesswork, or some sort of inside knowledge?
Reply 30
Original post by agoetcherian
Is that a syllabus requirement, guesswork, or some sort of inside knowledge?


The mid-Tudor crisis is inextricably linked to almost every question they can possibly ask because it was so wide-ranging. Whether they ask you a question on Religion, Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy etc, the events of the mid-Tudor crisis had implications that affected all of the above both during and after the crisis.

While it is highly likely that you will get a question that deals specifically with the mid-Tudor crisis, even if you don't, you should still bring it in if you get asked a more general question. Your examiners are looking for breadth and depth of knowledge - Candidates who don't understand and address the mid-Tudor crisis in some form or another are not demonstrating either particularly well.
Original post by confusedexcited
Oh, fair enough, I thought it was! Still, as Mr. Calm says, it demonstrates a 'breadth and depth of knowledge' outside of the syllabus.


True, one definitely ought to know it - I think that it would be very difficult to answer most possible questions on the topic without a fair grasp of foreign affairs. It just won't come up as a question in its own right; after all, there isn't really enough of it to sustain an essay IMO.
Original post by MalleusMaleficarum
True, one definitely ought to know it - I think that it would be very difficult to answer most possible questions on the topic without a fair grasp of foreign affairs. It just won't come up as a question in its own right; after all, there isn't really enough of it to sustain an essay IMO.


I don't know, I think there's enough for a 45 minute essay in there. They've asked questions about Jesuits and missionary priests before..thank god I didn't have to sit that paper!
Original post by confusedexcited
Just some advice:

- There's yet to be a question on Tudor parliaments, this is a HUGE topic and is extremely likely to be asked.

- Foreign policy during Edward and Mary, also unasked, quite a significant topic.

- The decline of Elizabeth has been done to the death. As has Catholic and Puritans, however, don't discount those topics, I feel a Puritan threat question coming on!
Good luck. :smile:


I agree with this to an extent, but Puritan and Catholic threats will basically come in to just about every question about religion in Elizabeth's reign. Given that Elizabethan religion is such a portion of the course, I would say they're one of the most important parts to learn.

Personally, I'm hoping for a question about Puritan threats. They've done one about just Catholic threats, so Puritans may well come up.
Hey guys, I am doing this exam and am **** scared. I need an A I got 90/100 and 87/100 and 54/60 (yet to be moderated externally) on my coursework. But in the practice essay for this I rarely get above 22/45! I am revising by reading through AQA textbook and access to history and dabbling in others like Susan Doran but I need help, the textbook to me seems like all description, I don't know how to use all that precise evidence to formulate arguments and make synoptic links. Does anyone have any model answers they can post or can somebody tell me how to do this?

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Desire HD A9191
Original post by agoetcherian
I agree with this to an extent, but Puritan and Catholic threats will basically come in to just about every question about religion in Elizabeth's reign. Given that Elizabethan religion is such a portion of the course, I would say they're one of the most important parts to learn.

Personally, I'm hoping for a question about Puritan threats. They've done one about just Catholic threats, so Puritans may well come up.


I meant a specific question on the puritan and catholic threat just to clarify! The puritan/Catholic threat will come up in every answer, as will Elizabethan foreign policy and all that jazz. I don't know if there'll be a specific puritan question, I'm hoping not personally! Though, there may be a puritan parliament question.. that'd be nice!
Reply 36
Hi everyone, I did this exam last year and got an A. From what I remember, my advice is to learn themes for each likely question, practice planning essays for all past questions (very helpful), learn a few historians views to drop in to look impressive and don't rely on facts too much - it's better to talk about interpretations instead.
Also I think Ireland only comes up as a topic within the rebellion section, so it's highly unlikely there will be a question on that alone. From my memory we only spent about 1 lesson on it.

Link to our very comprehensive thread last year, with practice essays in it - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1573337
(edited 11 years ago)
I am sh*tting myself about this exam! I've had two bad dreams regarding it already (one included a 45 mark essay on JUST the Throckmorton plot, I woke up near tears, and there was a listening question - I do Spanish - on Henry VIII!) and am really starting to panic.

In the mock exam I did a few weeks ago, I got an A by answering a question on Edward/Mary religion (29/45) and the effectiveness of Elizabethan government (34/45 even though I forgot about local gov., so rather pleased with that) but I'm still really worried!

I'm still struggling to understand some historical interpretations though, so if anyone could help me with these, that'd be great:

-Was Marian Catholicism traditionally seen as unsuccessful while the Edwardian Reformation was seen as successful, and now vice versa? (In my essay mentioned above, I included a paragraph on how the sources used to measure the Edwardian Reformation are historically unreliable, does that count?)

-I know the traditional view on Parliament under Elizabeth was the Puritan choir, ultimately led to the civil war etc., but what about Elizabethan government as a whole? What was the traditional/revisionist view on the wider topic, unsuccessful or not?

-What are the traditional/revisionist views on her foreign policy? Was it originally that her policy was a definitive policy and now that it wasn't, or something else?

-Am I right in thinking the traditional view regarding Catholic/Puritan threats was that they were a threat and Elizabeth was right in defending against them? And that now people say that she either created these threats (in the case of the Puritans, by ignoring all their requests) or exaggerated them?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I must sound like I know nothing, but I don't want to come out of that exam and realise I wrote completely the wrong thing :frown:
Original post by OurDecemberSun

In the mock exam I did a few weeks ago, I got an A by answering a question on Edward/Mary religion (29/45) and the effectiveness of Elizabethan government (34/45 even though I forgot about local gov., so rather pleased with that) but I'm still really worried!


What would you say about local government? I know that the Lords Lieutenant took on a more important role from 1585 and the JPs became more numerous and more overworked, but how would you construct an answer with regard to their effectiveness? (We didn't do that in class.)

-Was Marian Catholicism traditionally seen as unsuccessful while the Edwardian Reformation was seen as successful, and now vice versa? (In my essay mentioned above, I included a paragraph on how the sources used to measure the Edwardian Reformation are historically unreliable, does that count?)

-What are the traditional/revisionist views on her foreign policy? Was it originally that her policy was a definitive policy and now that it wasn't, or something else?


You're pretty much right on mid-Tudor religion. Elton thinks that Mary failed completely and pushed people away from Catholicism; Haigh argues for her effectiveness. Dickens thinks that the Edwardian reformation was swift and people enthusiastically accepted Protestantism by 1553; Guy thinks that it was still very fragile, particularly since it was linked to naked greed and avarice in many cases, and the population was fundamentally conservative in most places.

For foreign policy, I'm not sure about traditional/revisionist views. I've read both Guy and Elton and they don't express too many opinions, though Elton says that her policy in the '70s was 'futile'. Wernham, though, thinks that her policy was consistent, decisive and gushes with praises over just about every action that she takes, while Wilson criticises it as rudderless. Loades thinks that it was mainly reactive.

There, there's a nice historiography spillage for you.
Original post by MalleusMaleficarum
What would you say about local government? I know that the Lords Lieutenant took on a more important role from 1585 and the JPs became more numerous and more overworked, but how would you construct an answer with regard to their effectiveness? (We didn't do that in class.)


I was thinking of putting in their effectiveness in terms of the relative success of the Books of Orders when dealing with plague and dearth, and when I talked to my teacher she said what was missing from my essay was more the effectiveness of the national government in controlling local gov. and administration, so in a question like the one I answered (which only specified Elizabethan government, rather than national and local gov. separately) only a small amount on local gov. would be necessary.



Original post by MalleusMaleficarum
You're pretty much right on mid-Tudor religion. Elton thinks that Mary failed completely and pushed people away from Catholicism; Haigh argues for her effectiveness. Dickens thinks that the Edwardian reformation was swift and people enthusiastically accepted Protestantism by 1553; Guy thinks that it was still very fragile, particularly since it was linked to naked greed and avarice in many cases, and the population was fundamentally conservative in most places.

For foreign policy, I'm not sure about traditional/revisionist views. I've read both Guy and Elton and they don't express too many opinions, though Elton says that her policy in the '70s was 'futile'. Wernham, though, thinks that her policy was consistent, decisive and gushes with praises over just about every action that she takes, while Wilson criticises it as rudderless. Loades thinks that it was mainly reactive.

There, there's a nice historiography spillage for you.


Haha thankyou! That makes sense to me, whereas the religion debate has traditional and revised views, the issue of Elizabethan foreign policy still has an open debate surrounding it. Thankyou!

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