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AQA History AS level exemplar answers and answering questions

Hi I was just wondering if anyone knew any useful resources for answering history questions. I'm doing HIS1B Britain, 1483-1529 and HIS2M Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, on the AQA board. Learning the facts are hard enough, but I'm finding the exam technique difficult, and would really appreciate some exemplar answers (A grade). I'd also be grateful if anyone could recommend some useful revision sites, to help with grouping the crucial parts of the course. Thanks

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Original post by Mia1001
Hi I was just wondering if anyone knew any useful resources for answering history questions. I'm doing HIS1B Britain, 1483-1529 and HIS2M Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, on the AQA board. Learning the facts are hard enough, but I'm finding the exam technique difficult, and would really appreciate some exemplar answers (A grade). I'd also be grateful if anyone could recommend some useful revision sites, to help with grouping the crucial parts of the course. Thanks


Hi,

I did AQA AS history last year where, like you, I studied HIS2M. While I don't have any exemplar essays I wrote saved (that I'm aware of, I will look) or 'official' resources for this module, I typed my notes (from text books, sources etc.) into a word document which I used to formulate essays and for general revision. I can send you this if you wish and you can see if you find it helpful as to how I structured out topics within HIS2M :-) It might be worth a look, even if it's not your style of revision, as it was what aided me to achieving 100% at AS!


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Original post by Mia1001
Hi I was just wondering if anyone knew any useful resources for answering history questions. I'm doing HIS1B Britain, 1483-1529 and HIS2M Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, on the AQA board. Learning the facts are hard enough, but I'm finding the exam technique difficult, and would really appreciate some exemplar answers (A grade). I'd also be grateful if anyone could recommend some useful revision sites, to help with grouping the crucial parts of the course. Thanks


On second thoughts, there's a textbook called 'My revision notes: AS AQA History Life in Nazi Germany 1933 - 1945' by Hodder Education which has a few exemplar essays within. I think they may be marked also! I found it quite useful last year.




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Original post by Mia1001
Hi I was just wondering if anyone knew any useful resources for answering history questions. I'm doing HIS1B Britain, 1483-1529 and HIS2M Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, on the AQA board. Learning the facts are hard enough, but I'm finding the exam technique difficult, and would really appreciate some exemplar answers (A grade). I'd also be grateful if anyone could recommend some useful revision sites, to help with grouping the crucial parts of the course. Thanks


No exemplars for those topics but you may wish to look at this:
Hope it helps
anyone who did HIS2M last year (June 2014), what were the questions?????
Original post by jamesstudent
anyone who did HIS2M last year (June 2014), what were the questions?????


I don't know the exact questions, so I can only really comment on the two I answered (obviously with part A and B each). But the source based question was on the Churches and then there was another on consolidation of power. I think the other one may have been about workers...? However, if you ask your teacher they can access the paper from last year. Otherwise, I believe you have to wait until May to get them yourself. Sorry to not be more helpful!


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Original post by jamesstudent
that's really helpful, thanks a lot! btw, so one of the non source questions was on consolidation of power? can you remember the 24 marker?


No worries :-) Yes, one of the non-source questions was on the Nazi consolidation of power. I can't remember it unfortunately, despite doing it myself! I remember I liked it though... I want to say it may have been on lines of: 'how important was - something - in the Nazi consolidation of power?' So something could be terror, the Enabling Act or compromise, for example. I may be wrong though.
Good luck with the exam by the way! What other exam topic do you do?


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Original post by aemlawstudent
I don't know the exact questions, so I can only really comment on the two I answered (obviously with part A and B each). But the source based question was on the Churches and then there was another on consolidation of power. I think the other one may have been about workers...? However, if you ask your teacher they can access the paper from last year. Otherwise, I believe you have to wait until May to get them yourself. Sorry to not be more helpful!


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thanks! btw, was the consolidation of power question about terror and propaganda or something like that? and was the churches source 24 marker on coordination of the churches?
Original post by aemlawstudent
No worries :-) Yes, one of the non-source questions was on the Nazi consolidation of power. I can't remember it unfortunately, despite doing it myself! I remember I liked it though... I want to say it may have been on lines of: 'how important was - something - in the Nazi consolidation of power?' So something could be terror, the Enabling Act or compromise, for example. I may be wrong though.
Good luck with the exam by the way! What other exam topic do you do?


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Britain 1906-51
Original post by jamesstudent
thanks! btw, was the consolidation of power question about terror and propaganda or something like that? and was the churches source 24 marker on coordination of the churches?


Replied as you renewed this reply, sorry! So read above for the consolidation question. But yes, it was on the process of Gleichschaltung of the churches. It was quite a nice paper really as the topics had came up before in previous papers so nothing out of the ordinary. Looking back on my notes, I have a feeling the other non-source question was on the coordination of workers. As I remember a 12 marker on either the German Labour Front or Strength Through Joy.


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Original post by aemlawstudent
Replied as you renewed this reply, sorry! So read above for the consolidation question. But yes, it was on the process of Gleichschaltung of the churches. It was quite a nice paper really as the topics had came up before in previous papers so nothing out of the ordinary. Looking back on my notes, I have a feeling the other non-source question was on the coordination of workers. As I remember a 12 marker on either the German Labour Front or Strength Through Joy.


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so with regard to the churches, the question was on gleichshaltung and to what extent the coordination was successful?
Original post by jamesstudent
so with regard to the churches, the question was on gleichshaltung and to what extent the coordination was successful?


Yes, I think the 24 mark question was along the lines of how successful was the coordination of the churches (with regard to the sources which spoke about religion and the Churches). There's been a question on churches in another past paper which might be worth a look :-)


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Original post by aemlawstudent
Yes, I think the 24 mark question was along the lines of how successful was the coordination of the churches (with regard to the sources which spoke about religion and the Churches). There's been a question on churches in another past paper which might be worth a look :-)


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yeah think it was June 2011? do you by any chance remember the 12 marker for the consolidation of power question of the non source questions?
Original post by jamesstudent
yeah think it was June 2011? do you by any chance remember the 12 marker for the consolidation of power question of the non source questions?


Probably, I think the 24 marker on it was similar to last year's paper though. I unfortunately do not, I remember writing a lot on the Enabling Act so it may have been on that in the 12 marker? Like I said, I'm sure your teacher wouldn't mind finding the paper for you as they can access it :-) I doubt my bad memory is proving any useful!


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Original post by aemlawstudent
Probably, I think the 24 marker on it was similar to last year's paper though. I unfortunately do not, I remember writing a lot on the Enabling Act so it may have been on that in the 12 marker? Like I said, I'm sure your teacher wouldn't mind finding the paper for you as they can access it :-) I doubt my bad memory is proving any useful!


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Not at all, you've been a great deal of help, thank you very much :smile:
Reply 15
Original post by aemlawstudent
On second thoughts, there's a textbook called 'My revision notes: AS AQA History Life in Nazi Germany 1933 - 1945' by Hodder Education which has a few exemplar essays within. I think they may be marked also! I found it quite useful last year.

Hi just read this, im revising for the Nazi Germany exam as well and the usa 1890-1945. Im resitting this exam hoping to get an A. Can you send me your notes that would be really helpful. Also do you have any Historical quotations that I can use. Thanks




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Original post by humar

Hi just read this, im revising for the Nazi Germany exam as well and the usa 1890-1945. Im resitting this exam hoping to get an A. Can you send me your notes that would be really helpful. Also do you have any Historical quotations that I can use. Thanks


Yes of course I can send them. I'll message you :-) I did Tsarist Russia for my other topic so can't help you on the USA unfortunately. I personally didn't use any historians' quotes in the exam, I know for A2 you're supposed to, but I don't think it's necessary for AS. I just ensured I provided alternative suggestions.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 17
Original post by aemlawstudent
Yes of course I can send them. I'll message you :-) I did Tsarist Russia for my other topic so can't help you on the USA unfortunately. I personally didn't use any historians' quotes in the exam, I know for A2 you're supposed to, but I don't think it's necessary for AS. I just ensured I provided alternative suggestions.


Oh thank you so much. When you answered your questions did you remember key dates etc. How much did you write for the 12 and 24 marker especially for the sources. Thanks a lot!
Original post by humar
Oh thank you so much. When you answered your questions did you remember key dates etc. How much did you write for the 12 and 24 marker especially for the sources. Thanks a lot!


No problem! I think I remembered most key dates, yes. I'm sure sometimes I did leave them out though, but as long as you know the gist of when everything took place and the chronological order of it all then I'd imagine that is fine. Roughly, for the twelve markers, I'd write three paragraphs (though, I think in one of my exams I only did two) so about a page of A4. For twenty-four markers, I'm not entirely sure, it depends on the question and how much I feel I could write. Usually two A4 pages, but sometimes less, sometimes more. With the source, I'd just intertwine it into my paragraphs so I did probably write a little more, but nothing drastically longer than usual.
Reply 19
Original post by aemlawstudent
No problem! I think I remembered most key dates, yes. I'm sure sometimes I did leave them out though, but as long as you know the gist of when everything took place and the chronological order of it all then I'd imagine that is fine. Roughly, for the twelve markers, I'd write three paragraphs (though, I think in one of my exams I only did two) so about a page of A4. For twenty-four markers, I'm not entirely sure, it depends on the question and how much I feel I could write. Usually two A4 pages, but sometimes less, sometimes more. With the source, I'd just intertwine it into my paragraphs so I did probably write a little more, but nothing drastically longer than usual.


Thanks I am just a bit worried about history cause you have to remember so much and plus I have other exams coming up as well in may. How long did it take you to revise?

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