Paper One Helpful Hints and Tips

Question 1, part a (3 marks):

o Be sure to paraphrase into your own words (dont rely too
much on quotes)
o Avoid making vague statements
o Avoid making the same statement more than once by restating
it in a slightly different way
o Be sure to make 3 definitive points
Question 1, part b (2 marks):
o Be sure to make 2 definitive points
o Avoid inverse points (e.g. the cartoon suggests the U.S.A. is
evil [point 1] and that Japan is good or honorable [point 2]
o Be sure to follow each point up with a specific reference to
source content
o Be concise (leaves more time for the more detailed answers
needed later)
o Dont expand beyond the subject matter of the source (avoid
turning your answer into a history lessonespecially if your
facts are inaccurate or your chronology is off)
Question 2 (4 marks):
o Make 4 distinct points (some combination of 4 values and
limitations)
o You MUST address both values and limitations (you will only be
eligible for 2 marks if you only address one or the other)
o Be concise and clear
o Try not to make contradictory points
o Try to comment on values & limitations of origin, values &
limitations of purpose, and values & limitations of content (6
distinct pointsredundancy!)
o Avoid simply saying that a source is biasedbriefly explain
how or why it is biased
Question 3 (6 marks):
o Importance of linkage (e.g. an integrated approach to talking
about both sources in relation to one another at all times
o Avoid end-on accountswhere you talk about one source at
a time (e.g. the first paragraph about Source A and the second
paragraph about Source B)
o You must address both similarities and differences
o You must make at least 6 points of linkage (does not have to
always be 3 similarities and 3 differences)
o Do not use grids, charts, or bullet-points as a part of your
answer
o It is not a valid point of contrast to simply say that one sources
says one thing and the second source does notyou must go
deeper than this
 o Refer to bullet-points on page 9 in the text!
Question 4 (9 marks):
o A mini-essay is required (not a listing of materials from each
sourceavoid being over descriptive regarding the sources)
o You must synthesize the information in the sources as well as
your own content knowledge
o Pre-planning your essay is essentialrefer to the grid on page
11 of the text!
o Your essay should be analytical (be aware of the command
term)include a thesis statement in your introductory
sentence and be sure to use the sources and your knowledge
to analyze the thesis statement
o Refer to bullet-points on page 10 in the text!