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A Level History Source Question Feedback !

Hi ! I’ve just started a level aqa history and I was wondering if anyone would be able to give feedback on the paragraph I’ve written about the first of the 3 sources (of the 30 mark source question). This is for the making of modern Britain.
Yes i can
Original post by Dominininc
Yes i can

Thank you !

This source is highly valuable as it presents the Consrvative parties view for how they managed the economy during this time. They argue that their policies had led to ‘prosperity’ and that ‘the economy is sounder than at any time since the first world war’. Suggesting that the conservatives economic policies had a greatly positive effect on the country. It identifies that ‘life is better with the conservatives’ as great successes of their economic management showing how they had raised the living standards for the population. We know that the 1950s was an age of affluence, with their being a 500% rise in car ownership. Wages increased greatly with nearly an increase of 50% from 1951 to 1964 allowing people to buy more luxuries and therefore increasing their standard of living. It is also valuable in demonstrating how there was ‘a better health service’ and ‘new homes’ under the Conservatives. NHS spending doubled between 1951 and 1962 and spending on welfare increased from 3% to 19%. Presenting the idea that social welfare flourished under the conservatives economic policies. Therefore, it can be seen that this source presents a very valuable insight into how the Conservatives identified economic management as one of their key successes, and chose to focus on it in their manifesto. However, the failure to mention the use of stop and go policies and the failure of the government to create policies which encourage a consistently performing economy limits the source from being valuable to a complete extent. Therefore, this source is highly (but not completely valuable to a historian studying the conservative government's management of the economy in the years 1954 to 1961.
This source is highly valuable in telling a historian how the conservatives managed the economy as the source is from the Conservative party’s 1959 election manifesto. The manifesto of a party is what the party presents to the electorate, and therefore the party's insight will be highly valuable to our understanding of the period as it shows how they would want their policies to be perceived. We know at the 1959 election the conservative parties majority increased by 100, this is significant as it shows to a historian that the electorate was content with the government's policies. Making the source valuable, as it shows what positive impacts to the economy the government made, which incentivised the people to vote them in again. However, as part of the manifesto, the source may be influenced into portraying the conservative’s management of the economy positively in order to persuade people into voting for the conservatives. In addition, the source does not benefit from being written in hindsight and therefore fails to mention failures of the economic policies (such as the economies growth rate was the lowest in western europe). This limits the source from being valuable to a complete extent, but it is still valuable to a large extent in portraying to a historian the benefits of the conservatives economic policies.
In conclusion , the source is valuable to a large extent to a historian studying the conservative government's management of the economy in the years 1954 - 1961 as it details the great successes of their policies. However, it is limited from being completely valuable by failing to reference the downsides to their management.
Firstly i would reccomend the following structure.
In your first paragraph write about the provenance. Anything to do with who where why when.
Next write about tone. This is very important as you cant get above a low level 4 without it. So think about the language and how it effects the validity. You could alternatively use tone to back up points made about the provenance.
Next write two points about the content. However it is important to focus on what is in the source rather than what it emits.
Finally finish with literally one sentence conclusion stating with a certain quantity how valuable the source is and for what reason you have come to this judgment.

As for your essay can you send the source and question
Original post by Dominininc
Firstly i would reccomend the following structure.
In your first paragraph write about the provenance. Anything to do with who where why when.
Next write about tone. This is very important as you cant get above a low level 4 without it. So think about the language and how it effects the validity. You could alternatively use tone to back up points made about the provenance.
Next write two points about the content. However it is important to focus on what is in the source rather than what it emits.
Finally finish with literally one sentence conclusion stating with a certain quantity how valuable the source is and for what reason you have come to this judgment.

As for your essay can you send the source and question

Hi ! Thank you for the feedback, i don’t have the question and source on me now but I can send that in the morning. As for writing the provenance first , is there a particular reason for that ?
(edited 2 years ago)
Structure the essay into 3 paragraphs; paragrah 1 being what the source is arguing and the content/supporting evidence. Paragraph 2 should be about the tone and the provenance of the source (it really doesnt matter what order these two go in but I always get high marks with this order) and paragraph 3 should be about the utility of the source in reference to the provenance and tone. I hope this has helped!
(edited 1 year ago)
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Avatar for sophimans
sophimans
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do you have insta? i would like to send you some of my practise source questions and would like some feedback?

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