History Help

9

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

Reply 1

sderby3fghui

3

2 effects of the prague spring?

Reply 2

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by sderby3fghui

2 effects of the prague spring?

If this is for the IGCSE tomorrow it probably be two effects that Prague Spring had on superpower relations:

1) One effect was that the crack down had a short-term negative impact on relations. The USA (and Nato allies) diplomatically condemned the Soviets through the UN and their embassies.
2) A second effect is that Prague Spring confirmed (similar to Hungary in 1956) that the USA was not prepared to intervene in Eastern Europe and therefore threaten WWIII. This meant that relations in the late 1960s continued to improve during the so-called "Thaw" which led to Detente in the early '70s.

You'd have to expand both a little especially the first effect. They could throw one like this at you because it's not an easy one.

Reply 3

BbokAri00

3

Who are the key people to remember for Nazi Germany? (I only know Hitler and Goebbels) And do you know anywhere I can find a decent Nazi Germany timeline by any chance?

Reply 4

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Goering - Luftwaffe and Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan (economy)
Rohm - SA (murdered 1934)
Himmler - SS
Heydrich - SS
Bormann - Head of Chancellery (office where all the laws were issued)
Speer - Head of the Economy from 1943
Schacht - Head of the economy from 1933-37ish (overlap with Goering)

Reply 5

A_dz05

7

I do AQA Alevel Tudors and Nazi German. I have only ever sat 1 mock in year 12 because I’ve been absent due to hosp admission most of the year and now I’m struggling since I have no notes, flash cards and haven’t memorised facts and had not a lot of essay or extract practice so I’m panicking because I don’t even know what level I’m at rn

Reply 6

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by A_dz05

I do AQA Alevel Tudors and Nazi German. I have only ever sat 1 mock in year 12 because I’ve been absent due to hosp admission most of the year and now I’m struggling since I have no notes, flash cards and haven’t memorised facts and had not a lot of essay or extract practice so I’m panicking because I don’t even know what level I’m at rn

When's your exam? If you don't know much, I'd get a hold of your scheme of work and start reading your textbooks. You're teacher should have given you a scheme of work from the exam board or maybe he/she wrote one.

Reply 7

A_dz05

7

I’ve read the textbook but it’s really long and I don’t know what to memorise and what not to. I’m also worried because i haven’t done a lot of practice with exam questions so I’m really scared

Reply 8

A_dz05

7

Original post by McKerrow_History

When's your exam? If you don't know much, I'd get a hold of your scheme of work and start reading your textbooks. You're teacher should have given you a scheme of work from the exam board or maybe he/she wrote one.

I’ve read the textbook but it’s really long as it’s a breadth study so I don’t know what to memorise or how to. I’m also not sure how to write an exam essay as I haven’t been given examples of what a level 5 Tudor essay looks like, even on the AQA commentary it only has those that are level 3

Reply 9

jyot1s

9

Original post by McKerrow_History

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

Hello!
I was wondering if you had a complete list of all the possible questions for

1.

the Italy and fascism topic

2.

Germany topic

or if you would know what questions could come up per subtopic (I'm currently trying to revise the liberal state)
I would also appreciate any resources you would be willing to share
Thank you so much :smile:

Reply 10

jyot1s

9

Original post by McKerrow_History

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

Also, my question above was for the History Alevel Edexel board

Reply 11

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by jyot1s

Also, my question above was for the History Alevel Edexel board

Are you sure you're on Edexcel? I don't teach that board. As I said, I teach the Cambridge International A-Level (CAIE)

Reply 12

ritguoir

1

Original post by McKerrow_History

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

I am new to IGCSE and getting totally confused with exams formats. Can you tell me the following :

1.

How many exams would I be taking ? 2 or 4. I am getting confused between 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. the A exams are 1.5 hours and B exam are 45 mins. Can you just explain this to me please.

2.

my topics are a) Germany - development of dictatorship
b) world divided super power relations
c) Changes in medicine
d) Vietnam conflict.

Can you give me any information / guidance that I should know. basically I dont event know what I should know about the exam technique/ exam format etc. I am studying the topics and aiming for a 9.

Reply 13

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by ritguoir

I am new to IGCSE and getting totally confused with exams formats. Can you tell me the following :

1.

How many exams would I be taking ? 2 or 4. I am getting confused between 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. the A exams are 1.5 hours and B exam are 45 mins. Can you just explain this to me please.

2.

my topics are a) Germany - development of dictatorship
b) world divided super power relations
c) Changes in medicine
d) Vietnam conflict.

Can you give me any information / guidance that I should know. basically I dont event know what I should know about the exam technique/ exam format etc. I am studying the topics and aiming for a 9.

Okay, looks like you're on the Pearson/Edexcel IGCSE.

There are two papers. Both are 90 minutes.

Paper one is the Depth Study. You're teacher has decided on the topics:

3 Germany: development of dictatorship, 1918–45
6 A world divided: superpower relations, 1943–72

Paper Two is Investigation and Breadth Studies:

A4 The Vietnam Conflict, 1945–75
B2 Changes in medicine, c1848–c1948

Here's a link to the spec and some sample papers. Take a look and get back to me:

Edexcel International GCSE History (2017) | Pearson qualifications

Reply 14

Deborah1972

3

Did you see the question on paper two of the edexcel igcse, changing nature of warfare, 8 marks, two problem with the use of drones. Pearson do not produce any resources for this topic and you can barely make a six marker out of the resources that you can find.

Reply 15

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by Deborah1972

Did you see the question on paper two of the edexcel igcse, changing nature of warfare, 8 marks, two problem with the use of drones. Pearson do not produce any resources for this topic and you can barely make a six marker out of the resources that you can find.

So did you write this paper last month? I didn't see that question. My department dropped warfare and took up modern China. My PhD is in military history, but I find the changing nature of warfare topic quite dry.

Reply 16

McKerrow_History

OP

9

Original post by jyot1s

Hello!
I was wondering if you had a complete list of all the possible questions for

1.

the Italy and fascism topic

2.

Germany topic

or if you would know what questions could come up per subtopic (I'm currently trying to revise the liberal state)
I would also appreciate any resources you would be willing to share
Thank you so much :smile:

I have a list of questions for CAIE. Here you are:

Past Paper Questions – Hitler and Mussolini

Mussolini

Comments – You can see that Mussolini questions have revolved around big themes: Rise to Power, Economic Policies, Totalitarianism (Nature, How far was Mussolini's Italy totalitarian), social impact of Mussolini’s rule, success/failure of rule, etc.

Rise/Consolidation of Power

Evaluate the reasons for the failure of democracy in Italy by 1922. [30]
‘The appeal of fascism was the main reason for Mussolini becoming Prime Minister in 1922.’ How
far do you agree? [30]
How important were social and economic conditions in Italy from 1918 to 1922 to Mussolini’s rise
to power? [30]
‘The impact of the First World War was the main reason for Mussolini’s rise to power.’ How far do
you agree? [30]
‘The failure of Italy’s political elite to provide effective government was the principal reason for
Mussolini’s rise to power.’ How far do you agree with this judgement? [30]
How far was the incompetence of the Liberal governments in Italy responsible for Mussolini’s rise
to power? [30]
‘Few opposed him.’ To what extent was this the main reason for Mussolini becoming dictator of
Italy? [30]
To what extent can the rise of Fascism in Italy be attributed to the fear of communism? [30]
To what extent was Mussolini himself responsible for the rise of fascism in Italy? [30]

Economics

How successful were Mussolini’s economic policies between 1922 and 1941? [30]
Assess the impact of Mussolini’s social and economic policies in Italy. [30]

Totalitarianism/Power

To what extent did Mussolini create a totalitarian state in Italy? [30]
‘A dictator in name only.’ Discuss this view of Mussolini. [30]

Popularity/Propaganda/Terror – Hold on Power

‘Clever propaganda was the reason why Mussolini stayed in power for so long.’ Discuss this view. [30]
Evaluate the reasons for Mussolini’s popularity in Italy to 1941. [30]
‘Mussolini stayed in power for so long because he was a popular leader.’ How far do you agree?
[30]
‘Propaganda is more important than repression in explaining Mussolini’s long tenure of power in
Italy.’ How far do you agree? [30]
How far did Mussolini rely on the use of terror to retain power? [30]

Success/Failure

‘Mussolini’s Corporate State failed.’ How far do you agree? [30]
How successfully did Mussolini rule Italy? [30]
How far do you agree that Mussolini achieved little of significance after 1924? [30]

Strengths and Weaknesses of Mussolini

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of Mussolini as a national leader. [30]

‘A dictator in name only.’ Discuss this view of Mussolini. [30]

Social Policies

‘He had limited aims and limited achievements.’ Discuss this view of Mussolini’s domestic policy.
[30]
Assess the impact of Mussolini’s social and economic policies in Italy. [30]

Change and Continuity

How far did Mussolini change Italy? [30]
How fascist was Italy under Mussolini? [30]

Opposition to the Regime

How successfully did Mussolini manage opposition to his regime? [30]

Comments – You will see similar themes below regarding Hitler: economics, rise to power, social policy, totalitarianism, etc.

Hitler

Totalitarianism/Power
How accurately can Hitler’s government of Germany from 1933 to 1941 be described as totalitarian? [30]
‘A weak dictator’. Assess this view of Hitler. [30]
To what extent was Hitler ‘Master of the Third Reich’? [30]
How far had the Nazis created a totalitarian state in Germany by 1941? [30]

Social Policy
‘Hitler’s social policies were inconsistent and incoherent.’ How far do you agree? [30]
How successful were Hitler’s policies towards women and young people? [30]
‘Racism was at the heart of Nazi domestic policy.’ How far do you agree? [30]

Rise to Power/Consolidation of Power
To what extent does popular support for Nazism explain Hitler’s rise to power? [30]
‘Weimar politicians must bear the greatest responsibility for Hitler becoming Chancellor in 1933.’ Discuss this view. [30]
‘The existence of mass unemployment was the principal reason for Hitler’s rise to power.’ How far do you agree with this judgement? [30]
‘The main reason for Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor was the popularity of Nazi ideas.’ How far do you agree?
‘Hitler was able to establish himself in power by 1934 mainly because of a weak opposition.’ How
far do you agree? [30]
‘During 1933–1934 Hitler established his dictatorship using lawful methods.’ How far do you
agree? [30]
To what extent did Hitler become Chancellor because of the failings of Weimar’s leaders? [30]

Economic Policy
‘Incompetent from start to finish.’ Discuss this view of the conduct of Nazi economic policy between 1933 and 1941. [30]
‘Nazi economic policies failed.’ How far do you agree? [30]

Popularity/Propaganda/Terror/Opposition/Hold on Power
‘There was limited opposition to Nazi rule after 1933 because most Germans supported Hitler and his ideas.’ How far do you agree? [30]
It was the use of propaganda that allowed Hitler to retain power.’ How far do you agree? [30]
‘The main reason why Hitler faced so little opposition was because he brought real benefits to the German people.’ How far do you agree? [30]
‘Brilliant propaganda and effective indoctrination.’ How far do these factors explain Hitler’s domination of Germany after 1933? [30]
‘Hitler’s control over Germany was based largely on popular support.’ How far do you agree? [30]
How successful were the Nazis in imposing their ideas on the German people? [30]
Assess the factors which enabled Hitler to consolidate his power during 1933 and 1938. [30]

Nature of the National Socialist State
‘The government of Nazi Germany was characterised by economic and administrative inefficiency.’ Discuss this view. [30]

Examiner’s Report 2016

Most candidates grasped that this was really a ‘depth’ paper and that not only were a high level of analytical skills being looked for, but also a really thorough grasp of the topic/s based on independent study and serious reflection. It was very evident that Centres who worked on developing a high level of analytical skills and encouraged their candidates to read widely for themselves in order to gain a real understanding of their chosen topics, did very well indeed.
Some candidates spent too much time on a general ‘introduction’ to ‘set the scene’ which very often contained nothing which an Examiner could credit in any way as it did not deal with the question set. This was sometimes followed by two narratives or descriptions representing a ‘balance’ and then a conclusion which did not seem to match up with the implied drift of the facts listed earlier. Sometimes, because of the amount of time spent on the ‘introduction’ there was no time left for a conclusion, which meant that there was little chance of gaining the higher ‘analysis’ marks.

The better candidates tended to make a real attempt to deal with the question set in their opening paragraphs. If they were asked about ‘How successful was….’, they tended to think about what the criteria for ‘success’ might be in the context and then set out the main reasons why they felt that ‘X’ might or might not have been successful.

Subsequent paragraphs carefully developed the case set out earlier. It is always important to make it clear what the actual purpose of any paragraph is. If the question asks ‘How far do you agree that…’ or ‘To what extent was…’ successful answers really tried to give a very firm answer which made it clear they had a view on the topic. That ‘X’ was the principal cause and it was the principal cause because of reasons a) and b) and c) and that other causes such as ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ were not as important because… If asked to ‘Evaluate the reasons for/why….’ the better candidates did not just list the relevant factors but really tried to comment on them, identifying which might be the most significant factor, and above all, why. It was the candidates who really imposed their own ideas and judgement on a response who got the highest marks.

Knowledge of the historiography of the topic is not necessary for the highest marks. While commenting, as part of an answer, on the various historian’s views on whether Johnson was responsible for the Vietnam War, or Lenin was responsible for the rise of Stalin, can gain credit, it is not necessary. Some responses deal largely with historian’s views, and responses tend to be a list that starts each paragraph with ‘Historian X says that…’ and the next with ‘Historian Y says that….’, and there is a never an answer to actually what the candidate thinks and why.

Examiner’s Report – 2018

Key messages
● Candidates perform best when they keep a focus on the specific nature of the question set throughout their answer.
● It is important that each point of the argument is fully supported by relevant factual information. Answers which contain greater depth are more successful depth.
● Candidates should ensure that their answer is analytical in nature and balanced in approach. Providing a list of a case for and against does not demonstrate the skills required in the top bands of the Generic Levels of Response.

General comments
Many candidates demonstrated that they had thought very carefully about exactly what the question was asking. Weaker responses often attempted to try and turn their response to the question in a different direction where they possibly knew more detail, which resulted in the inclusion of irrelevant material. An example of this was in Question 2 where some candidates spent a long time dealing with the issue of whether Mussolini was a success or a failure and not reflecting on his strengths or weaknesses as a national leader. There was ample evidence given of depth of knowledge on the topic as a whole. However, one of the discriminators in the quality of responses was often the ability to stay within the date or topic parameters of the question.

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 17

jyot1s

9

Original post by McKerrow_History

Are you sure you're on Edexcel? I don't teach that board. As I said, I teach the Cambridge International A-Level (CAIE)

Oh, that's alright and yes i am on Edexcel. Thanks for the help anyways!

Reply 18

weeping-peppermi

4

Original post by McKerrow_History

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

hi im an IAL studrnt self studying history the international option for the may June sescion do you have any advise on how to answer and mark any of the papers

Reply 19

AlisonCW

1

Original post by McKerrow_History

I'm a history teacher. Exam boards IGCSE Pearson and CAIE International A-Level. I can help with technique questions and the following topics:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Russia
Cold War
Modern China
Modern Britain
Tudors
American and British Politics

Hi, our school (Cambridge International A Level) told us that the number of students getting an A or A* was extremely low (something like 2 or 3%, from memory). I would like to know what is required to lift the predicted grade from a B to an A, because the history teacher (not a UK native) doesn't seem able to tell us.

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