Paper 2
For IGCSE History Paper 2, you will be given two hours to answer six questions. Each of the six questions have marks ranging from seven to twelve each. The paper is valued at 33% of your final grade.
For the entire exam
- Read the Background Information
- Read the questions. Pay attention to the number of marks awarded for each question.
- Read and annotate all sources in relation to all questions. This way, you won't waste time rereading the sources later.
- Answer the questions using the sources, paying special attention to the exam technique that works best for each question. Make sure you use the sources to explain your answer.
For the 'how similar are the accounts' question
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Study Sources A and B. How similar are the accounts in these two sources? Explain your answer using details of the sources.' Basically, this is what you have to include in your answer:
To answer this question efficiently, you should highlight what they have in common in one color, and what is different in another color.
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Study Sources A and B. How similar are the accounts in these two sources? Explain your answer using details of the sources.' Basically, this is what you have to include in your answer:
- What is in Source A that isn't in Source B?
- What is in Source B that isn't in Source A?
To answer this question efficiently, you should highlight what they have in common in one color, and what is different in another color.
For the 'how far does one explain the other' question
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'How far does Source C explain why a particular event happened in Source D? Explain your answer using details of the sources and your knowledge.' This question is almost the same as a [10] mark question on Paper 1: you have to explain why you agree with the question and why you disagree with it. For this question, you are allowed to answer using details from your own knowledge: you will get marks if you apply the information in the source using your own knowledge.
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'How far does Source C explain why a particular event happened in Source D? Explain your answer using details of the sources and your knowledge.' This question is almost the same as a [10] mark question on Paper 1: you have to explain why you agree with the question and why you disagree with it. For this question, you are allowed to answer using details from your own knowledge: you will get marks if you apply the information in the source using your own knowledge.
For the 'make you surprised' question
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Does Source E make you surprised by Source F? Explain your answer using details of the sources and your knowledge.' For this question, you have to explain why you are surprised, and why you are not surprised, backing up your explanation with details from your own knowledge in both cases. When you evaluate the two sources, make sure you include the context of the source.
This question requires you to compare two sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Does Source E make you surprised by Source F? Explain your answer using details of the sources and your knowledge.' For this question, you have to explain why you are surprised, and why you are not surprised, backing up your explanation with details from your own knowledge in both cases. When you evaluate the two sources, make sure you include the context of the source.
For the 'prove that somebody was lying' question
This question may require you to compare multiple sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Does Source H prove that somebody was lying in Source G? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge.' The answer to this question is always no: it has been for every single IGCSE History Paper 2 for the 'prove that somebody was lying' question. You have to explain why the answer is no in order to get top marks.
This question may require you to compare multiple sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'Does Source H prove that somebody was lying in Source G? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge.' The answer to this question is always no: it has been for every single IGCSE History Paper 2 for the 'prove that somebody was lying' question. You have to explain why the answer is no in order to get top marks.
For the 'message of the source' question
This question requires you to explain one source. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'What is the message of this source? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge.' You simply have to explain what the source shows. The source is often a cartoon. Start by stating the obvious before explaining the deeper meaning of the source, backing up your explanation with evidence from your own knowledge. Pay attention to the caption if the source has one.
This question requires you to explain one source. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'What is the message of this source? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge.' You simply have to explain what the source shows. The source is often a cartoon. Start by stating the obvious before explaining the deeper meaning of the source, backing up your explanation with evidence from your own knowledge. Pay attention to the caption if the source has one.
For the 'how far do these sources' question
This question requires you to evaluate all sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'How far do these sources provide convincing evidence that something caused an event? Use the sources to explain your answer.' This question is worth the most number of marks on the entire paper. When answering this question, make sure you:
Do not quote from the sources - you are wasting time by doing so. You will ideally have around twenty minutes to answer this question, which is worth [12] marks.
This question requires you to evaluate all sources. Likely wording for a question like this would be 'How far do these sources provide convincing evidence that something caused an event? Use the sources to explain your answer.' This question is worth the most number of marks on the entire paper. When answering this question, make sure you:
- Read the question
- Reread the Background Information
- Identify which sources fall on each side of the argument
- Answer the question
Do not quote from the sources - you are wasting time by doing so. You will ideally have around twenty minutes to answer this question, which is worth [12] marks.