history aqa gcse

How do you structure a significance question?

Hi there, year 12 here, I can help you if you let me know if this is an 8 marker or a 16 marker, I can't remember but if I know how many marks I can help you out with the structure?

its an 8 marker question.

Ah, okay. I'm pretty sure this "how significant question" is one of my least favourites on the GCSE history paper. However, I'll try and explain how I structured it.

I'll be honest, I'm struggling a little to remember how I answered this question but you need to write 2 paragraphs in total for this question. Spend 5 minutes on each. You need to think of a reason the factor in the question was significant (aka important) for each paragraph and if you're aiming for top marks, you need to link these two factors.

Off the top of my head, I can think of the question:

"Explain the significance of Alexander Fleming in the development of medicine."

So for this, my two points might be: he was extremely significant because of his discovery of penicillin published in 1928 and then I might talk about how he discovered it and although he never actually took his discovery further, this initial discovery allowed other scientists to further develop it and arguably create penicillin. Then my second point might be, he was less significant because he never actually developed his initial discovery, meaning Florey and Chain should be credited for the discovery of penicillin then write about how Florey and Chain tested their discoveries many times (e.g: I'm pretty sure they tested it on a postman who had been pricked by a thorn from a rose bush and although he died because they ran out of penicillin, the penicillin did work in combating his infection while it lasted). Then I guess you just need to flesh out the essay a little bit, linking the factors and developing it? I feel like the two points I just wrote about may be too closely linked though, they're basically the same thing but I don't really remember too much from the history of medicine.

I'm sorry I don't think I've been much help but I genuinely struggle to remember GCSE questions at this point!