Cambridge Secondary 2

Coursework Handbook

Cambridge IGCSE®
History 0470
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Contents

Introduction 4
How to use this handbook 4
Resources available from Cambridge 4
1: Requirements of the syllabus 6
1.1 The structure and content of coursework 6
1.2 The nature of the assessment objectives 7
1.3 Constructing coursework tasks 11
1.4 Circumstances under which learners complete coursework and the role of the teacher 12
2: Delivering the coursework 13
2.1 When to do coursework? 13
2.2 Choosing a topic area 13
2.3 Designing a scheme of work 14
2.4 Teaching and learning for coursework 14
3: Assessing the coursework 16
3.1 Some basic points 16
3.2 Main features of the mark scheme 16
3.3 The generic mark scheme 17
3.4 Using the mark scheme 18
3.5 Annotation of coursework 18
4: Coursework administration 19
4.1 Internal standardisation 19
4.2 Internal moderation 19
4.3 Recording and despatching of marks 19
4.4 The sample of work for external moderation 20
Appendices 21
Appendix 1: Marked sample 22
Appendix 2: Ideas for teaching ‘significance’ 57
Coursework Handbook

Introduction

This handbook is a guide to the delivery of Component 3 (Coursework) of Cambridge IGCSE History (0470).

It contains the following:

• details of the coursework requirements
• an explanation of the assessment objectives
• advice on setting coursework assignments
• examples of coursework schemes used by schools
• advice on marking coursework
• marked samples of learners’ work

How to use this handbook

• Section 1 makes sure you have a good understanding of the requirements of the coursework
component and how to set coursework questions.
• Section 2 gives advice on delivering the coursework that is particularly useful for those teaching this
qualification for the first time. It includes advice on timing, topics, scheme of work and some ideas for
teaching and learning relating to coursework.
• Section 3 explains the mark scheme and how to apply it.
• Section 4 gives good practice advice on internal standardisation and moderation and explains the
administrative procedures relating to coursework.
• The Appendices include the detailed mark scheme and examples of marked work.

Resources available from Cambridge

Teacher support
Teacher Support https://teachers.cie.org.uk is our secure online support platform for Cambridge teachers.
You can obtain a password and username to access it from your Examinations Officer who will have
received these at the point your school became a registered Cambridge Centre. There are many resources
on this site including the latest syllabuses and suggested textbooks.

Coursework consultancy
This service approves coursework programmes and questions. It is compulsory for Centres constructing a
Centre-Devised Depth Study but is also available to Centres using Depth Studies from the syllabus for their
coursework. There is no fee for the service.

Centres can post either their programme of study or their coursework question, or both, to:

The Product Manager

Cambridge IGCSE History
Cambridge International Examinations
1 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB1 2EU UK

Or they can email them to [email protected] marked for the attention of the Product Manager, Cambridge
IGCSE History.

If your Centre is using one of the Depth Studies from the syllabus we recommend you use the chosen Depth
Study as it is specified in the syllabus (although these can be adapted).

Centres devising their own Depth Studies should organise and present them using a similar structure to that
used for Depth Studies in the syllabus, i.e. using Key Questions and Focus Points. The Centre-Devised
Depth Study should be comparable with the Depth Studies in the syllabus in terms of length, breadth and
depth.

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 Coursework Handbook

Training
Cambridge regularly offers training for Cambridge IGCSE History, both in the UK and in other parts of the
world. Details of future training can be found via the Cambridge public website www.cie.org.use/events.

Moderators’ reports
For each examination series moderators produce two types of report.
(1) An individual report to each Centre about their learners’ coursework and the Centre’s marking.
(2) A general report to all Centres. This describes good practice and offers general advice to Centres.

Scheme of work
A scheme of work for parts of the syllabus content including Depth Studies is available on Teacher Support.

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Coursework Handbook

1: Requirements of the syllabus

1.1 The structure and content of coursework

1.1.1 Content
Component 3 of Cambridge IGCSE History asks candidates to produce one piece of extended writing (up to
2000 words in length). This can be based on:

Either

a Depth Study selected from the syllabus (that is from those studied for Component 1)

or

a Depth Study devised by the Centre.

This option is sometimes used by Centres in countries that are not represented amongst the Depth Studies
listed in the syllabus for Component 1. However, the content of a Centre-devised Depth Study must not
overlap with any of the core content that learners are studying for Paper 1.
A Centre-devised Depth Study must be approved by Cambridge in advance and should be similar in amount
and level of difficulty to the Depth Studies in the syllabus.

We expect that during a two-year course of study, about 12 weeks would be spent on coursework, including
the teaching and learning of the Depth Study.

1.1.2 The task

Learners must complete one question on the chosen Depth Study set by the teacher.

Advice for setting the question

• The question does not have to cover all aspects of the Depth Study, for example, it could focus on a
major individual or development from within the Study.
• The question must allow learners to use and demonstrate their broad contextual knowledge and
understanding of the whole Depth Study.
• The question set for coursework, or the issues within it, should not be directly addressed during the
teaching and learning of the Depth Study.
• The question should be focused on the issue of ‘significance’. The significance of an individual, a
group, an organisation, an event, a development, a policy, or even an idea may be used.
• The task must be set as one question. It should not be broken down into a series of smaller
questions.
• Usually all learners in a Centre will complete the same question. However, different Depth Studies
can be set for different classes within the same Centre. Questions would be appropriate to the
particular Depth Study being studied in each case. It is theoretically possible for every learner
within a Centre to answer a different question but this is not advised. Where different questions are
used for different classes, it is important that the questions are similar in their level of difficulty and
in what they allow learners to do.

1.1.3 Learners’ responses

Learners’ responses should be no longer than 2000 words. Any part of the answer beyond 2000 words will
not be assessed. Coursework may be produced in class or in the learner’s own time. However, the Centre
must make sure that coursework is the learner’s own work.

Learners should:
• choose relevant material and organise and use it appropriately to answer the question.
• Develop, explain and support their own arguments and judgements.
• Avoid description and narrative, and focus on producing a clear and supported answer to the
question.

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• Be encouraged to develop and use their own arguments, judgements and points of view.
• Fully acknowledge any quotations, copied or paraphrased material within the text or in footnotes.

To earn high marks, learners will need to produce an extended piece of writing. Weaker candidates may use
sub-headings.

Learners should not be encouraged to use the generic mark scheme as a checklist. They should, instead, try
and write a focused, informed and well-argued answer to the question. It is important that they understand
that the markers and moderators are not interested in how much candidates know or can write; they are only
interested in how well they have used their knowledge and information to answer the question.

Once coursework has been assessed, learners are not allowed to repeat the task or redraft their work.

1.1.4 Marking and moderating

You must use the generic mark scheme in the syllabus booklet for the year in which the examination is to be
sat for marking coursework. Alternative versions of this mark scheme must not be used. Coursework is
marked out of 40 marks by the Centre and externally moderated by a Cambridge Moderator.

Assessment objectives as a percentage of the qualification:

Assessment objective Weighting in IGCSE %
AO1 30
AO2 43
AO3 27

Assessment objectives as a percentage of each component:

Assessment Weighting in component %
objective
Paper 1 Paper 2 Component 3 Paper 4
AO1 33 17 25 25
AO2 44 0 28 28
AO3 0 100 0 0

1.2 The nature of the assessment objectives

1.2.1 Assessment objective 1

This assessment objective as it relates to coursework is about the ability to select relevant material, and then
organise and deploy it relevantly for a particular question.

The skill of selection

When learners start their coursework the first thing they need to do is think about what the question is
asking and what answering it will involve. They can then begin to select material that might be useful and
relevant. Most learners will have access to their knowledge of the topic, their classwork, textbooks and
perhaps reference books and the internet. They need to select examples from all this content that will be
useful and relevant. This stage of the process is vital because the challenge for most learners will be to
provide an answer to the question within 2000 words.

For example, if a learner is asked to explain ways in which Hitler was significant in the rise of the Nazis and
the consolidation of their power, they might choose to include in their answer (among other things)
Hitler’s use of the Reichstag Fire and the Night of the Long Knives. It would not, however, be wise to write a
narrative of the years 1924 to 1934. Learners should understand that a comprehensive answer to the
question is not expected when only 2000 words are available. They need to select what they regard as the
most important features that allow them to construct and support an argument about significance.

Answers that use two or three aspects (of significance) relevantly and in depth will always score higher
marks than answers that try and cover many more aspects because each will be dealt with only superficially.
It should be noted that ‘relevant’ is a key word in the mark scheme. Coursework that contains substantial
sections of irrelevant material e.g., long-winded descriptive introductions, will be failing against one of the
key criteria and this will affect the level into which it can be placed.

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Coursework Handbook

The skill of deployment

Once learners have selected some relevant material and examples from the given context, they need to
think about how they are going to deploy these relevantly to answer the question. It is not unusual to read
work where the learners have chosen relevant material and good examples but have not used them in the
right way. Sometimes this is because they have used them for a description or a narrative.

Learners need to remember that their main task is to answer the question. Every paragraph should help
towards this. It should be helping to drive the answer along. The material and examples selected by the
learner should be used in this way – to help drive the argument.

In the example used above, Hitler’s use of the Reichstag Fire should be used as an example of how Hitler
manipulated situations in a skilful way to help strengthen the Nazi position. To describe what happened is
not enough. To assert that it was important to the Nazis is not enough. Providing an explanation of how it
helped strengthen the Nazi position is key.

However, it is also important that learners remember that they are not explaining the importance of the
Reichstag Fire for its own sake. They are explaining it as one element in a bigger explanation of the
significance of Hitler’s contribution to the consolidation of Nazi power.

The skill of organisation

It is possible for answers to demonstrate good, relevantly deployed material but still fail to give an effective
answer. Answers need to be well-organised and coherent (more is said about this later). They need to tackle
the question in a logical order, having identified how the material builds up and supports the main thrust of
their argument. Above all, as the answer proceeds, a clear and consistent argument should be emerging.

For example, let’s consider the question ‘Assess how far Stresemann was significant to Germany in the
1920s and early 1930s’. A learner might divide an answer into four parts:
(i) examining what happened before Stresemann,
(ii) considering how far Stresemann changed what was already happening (and how far he was
responsible for these changes),
(iii) considering what happened after Stresemann’s death to establish how long-lasting or deep his
changes/ improvements were,
(iv) reaching an overall assessment of his significance based on the earlier section.

1.2.2 Assessment objective 2

Argument and judgement

It is important that learners develop their own personal views and arguments. A moderator will not be
impressed by all the learners in a Centre using exactly the same views and arguments. Learners should be
encouraged to understand that there are no right answers to their coursework question. The same question
will produce dozens of different answers, all of them valid. However, learners also need to understand that
their views need to be supported with argument that is informed by sound and accurate knowledge, relevant
and well-chosen examples, and good understanding of the history. The latter will include the learners’ grasp
of concepts such as causation and change and of peoples’ ideas, beliefs and intentions at the time. Above
all, learners need to have some understanding of the concept of significance.

The concept of ‘significance’

It is important that teachers, learners and moderators share a common understanding of how the concept of
significance should be used in coursework. Assessing significance involves a broader judgement than
assessing importance and goes further than questions of causation.

For example, a question that asks how important Lenin was in the success of the October Revolution would
involve a learner in comparing the importance of Lenin with that of other factors such as Trotsky or the
weakness of the Provisional Government. The question turns into a causation question and answers explain
the causes of the success of the Revolution (i.e. a specific incident or event).

A question that asks about the significance of Lenin in Russian history from 1917 to 1930 is a question about
his importance over time and relates to a whole range of issues from which the learner must select. A good
approach to this question might be:
• to assess Lenin’s impact from 1917 to 1924 (one way of doing this would be to compare how much
Lenin changed things, which would involve some comparison with the period before 1917);

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• compare Lenin’s contribution in bringing about these changes with the contribution of other factors;
• and assess how long-lasting Lenin’s contribution was after his death up until 1930.

When measuring significance learners should try and measure it across time (impact at the time) and over
time (longer-term impact). This can be shown in diagrammatic form as a cross.

Criteria can then be used to help measure the extent of significance. These might include the following:

Significance at the time (impact)

width of impact

• how many people, groups or institutions were affected?

• which different types of people were affected (e.g. rich/poor)?
• were men/women affected to the same degree?
• were different parts of the country/world affected in the same way?
• how wide, geographically, was the impact?

depth of impact
• how deeply were people’s lives, beliefs and attitudes affected?
• how far were other aspects, e.g. institutions, power relationships, changed?
• for how long were people affected?
• how important was it to people?
• how powerful was the impact?
• what kind of reaction was caused?
• how far was it remarked on by people at the time?

nature of impact
• how far was it beneficial?
• how typical or unique?
• how expected/unexpected?
• how reported/how received?
• how iconic/symbolic?

Significance over time (relationship to other events)

• how much of a change occurred between what went before and what came after, e.g. how far was
it a turning point?
• how much continuity occurred between what went before and what came after, e.g. how far was it
part of a trend?
• how far did it affect things in the longer term, e.g. was it a false dawn, how long did the impact last?

Conclusions and points of view – different approaches

It is important that learners demonstrate a clear direction of purpose in their analysis as this helps to build a
context within which they can evaluate the facts and arrive at their own interpretation.

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Coursework Handbook

One of the advantages of coursework is that it provides learners with an opportunity to carefully plan their
work and produce a rough draft. Therefore, they should be in a position of knowing what their overall
argument and point of view is before they start writing the final draft. Learners can take different approaches
to developing their argument.

Approach 1
State their viewpoint in the opening paragraph of the coursework.
This gives focus and direction to the rest of the answer in which the learner justifies their point of view.

For example, using the Stresemann question above, a learner could begin by stating that they are going to
argue that Stresemann was not very significant for Germany.

This approach would need to take careful note of the command words in the question in order to answer
effectively and remain focused. In the Stresemann question the command is to ‘assess how far’. If this is
ignored, the answer could become one-sided and fail to deal with alternative arguments. The learner would
need to explain arguments that support Stresemann’s significance and then argue why these are not as
convincing as the opposing arguments.

The force of the argument is drawn from the opposition of one view against another. If the learner were to
argue that Stresemann’s significance was weak and the significance of other factors was stronger, then both
sides of the argument would effectively be arguing the same point.

This approach, if carried out effectively, makes sure that the question is being directly answered all the way
through and makes a conclusion unnecessary.

Approach 2
Explain and analyse the arguments that and then reach a conclusion.

This may be a more manageable approach for average and below-average learners, but the problem with
this approach is that the learner is only directly addressing the question (the crucial ‘How far?’ part) in the
conclusion. If the conclusion is only a few lines long, the answer will not receive a high mark. It is important
that the conclusion is at least a page in length and contains supported arguments that emerge from, but go
further than the main body of the answer.

Learners must avoid answers that simply explain both sides of the argument but never directly address the
evaluative aspects of the question such as ‘How far?’ or ‘To what extent?’

1.2.3 Producing an extended piece of writing

We ask learners to produce a piece of extended writing, which is a considerable challenge. The following
section contains advice about constructing such a piece of writing. It should be remembered that producing
a well-organised and focused answer of this length is a challenge and learners should not be attempting
such a piece of work for the first time when they start on this coursework. It is important that learners have
had earlier opportunities to practice and produce work of this length. This could be done on other, earlier,
parts of the syllabus content.

A plan
A plan helps learners think about the question and how to answer it. They will need to think about what is
relevant, what to leave out and the order in which they are going to answer the question. It also gives
learners an overview of the answer which they can constantly refer to when writing out their final draft. The
plan will help to keep them focused.

A blank sheet of paper is often terrifying for learners and the first sentence of an answer is often the hardest
part to complete. Producing a plan can help learners get over this. To get started they could generate ideas
(on separate bits of paper) and then begin to organise their ideas to create a kind of map. An outline of the
overall shape of the answer should then emerge.

First draft
Introduction
• Briefly explain how they plan to answer the question
• State what their overall argument/point of view is.
• There is no need to describe the content background/context.

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Main body of answer

• Every paragraph should directly address the question and should take the argument further.
• There should be a logical development from one paragraph to another.
• There should be an overall clear structure and organisation.

Conclusion
• This should grow out of and follow on from the argument and analysis in the main part of the answer.
• A direct answer to the question should be given and this needs to be substantiated and argued if this
has not been done earlier in the answer.

Questions for learners to ask themselves before writing final draft:

• am I within the 2000 words?
• have I answered the question?
• is my final answer to the main issue in the question clear, developed and supported? (This can be
either in the main part of the answer or in a developed conclusion.) Is each paragraph used for a new
idea, aspect or argument?
• does every paragraph address the question?
• do the paragraphs logically flow from one to the other?
• is there anything important that I have left out?
• are there any sections of description or narrative or anything irrelevant that I should delete?
• does sentence construction, grammar, punctuation or spelling need to be improved or corrected?

1.3 Constructing coursework tasks

1.3.1 Setting suitable questions

The task should always be set as a question.

Constructing a suitable question is essential. If the question does not provide learners with opportunities to
meet the requirements of Assessment Objectives 1 and 2 and to measure ‘significance’, they will struggle to
achieve a reasonable mark.

The question should be set so that learners must assess the significance of the chosen aspect. It is also
important that the question does not turn into a conventional ‘causation’ question simply requiring the relative
importance of causal factors to be compared. An assessment of significance goes beyond this, as has been
explained above.

To make sure that the question requires learners to assess significance, rather than simply describe it, it is
useful to begin the question with words such as ‘How?’ or ‘How far?’ or ‘To what extent?’ Another approach
is to provide a statement about significance and then ask how far the learners agree with the statement.

The question should not be phrased in a way that does not require assessment of significance, e.g. ‘Explain
the significance of...’. Questions should always require learners to measure or assess significance, e.g. ‘How
far was Mao a significant figure in Chinese history during the second half of the twentieth century? ’

The question should have a clear focus. It is not helpful to set a question that involves two ideas, factors or
statements, e.g. ‘Roosevelt’s New Deal was successful despite facing enormous opposition from different
directions.’ How far do you agree with this statement?’

The following questions would also be suitable:

How significant was General Haig in the First World War? Explain your answer.

To what extent was the New Deal a significant factor in American history, 1933–1942? Explain your answer.

‘In the area of civil rights, President Kennedy was a very significant figure.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.

The question should also allow learners to meet the requirements of Assessment Objectives 1 and 2;
particularly selection, organisation and deployment of knowledge; and the ability to construct historical
explanations, arguments and judgements.

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Coursework Handbook

1.4 Circumstances under which learners complete coursework and the role of
the teacher

1.4.1 Completion of coursework

Learners normally begin their coursework soon after the teaching and learning of the relevant Depth Study
has been completed.

Coursework can be completed in class under supervision, unsupervised in the Centre, or in the learner’s
own time, e.g. at home. Many teachers find it useful to allow learners to begin their work in class and then
complete it in their own time.

It is the Centre’s responsibility to make sure that the completed coursework is entirely the learner’s own
work. Learners should not collaborate with other learners, or have help from other individuals. Some
teachers find the easiest way to ensure this is to have all the coursework completed in class under
supervision. However, this does not necessarily mean examination conditions.

Learners can have access to the work they have completed during the teaching and learning of the Depth
Study, text books, reference books, the internet and any other resources the teacher decides may be useful.
Learners should not rely on just one textbook. They need to read a range of information to give them scope
to develop their own ideas and arguments. However, it is also important not to give learners too much
material.

Anything included in the work that is not the learner’s own work, e.g. quotations and copied or paraphrased
material, must be fully acknowledged. This can be done within the text of the answer or in footnotes.

Once coursework has been assessed by the teacher, candidates are not allowed to repeat the question or
redraft their work.

1.4.2 The role of the teacher

You can offer general advice on how best to approach a coursework question but must be careful not to give
learners too much information, or influence their decisions and arguments. Any advice given should be given to
the whole class and should not go beyond general points such as reminders to focus on answering the
question, to develop their own arguments, and not to write description or narrative.

You should not comment on work in progress. Learners cannot give a work in progress or a first draft to the
teacher for feedback.

One useful way to help learners is to focus on the skills mentioned in Section 2.2. in normal teaching and
learning. These skills can be developed during the teaching and learning of the Depth Study and when other
parts of the syllabus are being covered. It might be helpful to allow learners to complete a practice exercise
on a question similar to the coursework question but on a different part of the Depth Study content. Full
feedback can be provided on such work.

The concept of ‘significance’ should also be introduced early in the teaching and learning of the syllabus and
exercises should be devised that help candidates explore and develop their understanding of the concept.
Ideas for this are provided elsewhere in this booklet. You should provide all learners with enough resources
to be able to answer the coursework question. Learners are allowed to use their own extra resources and can
use the internet but many learners find it difficult to use this efficiently and effectively. It might be better for
teachers to explore interesting and relevant websites during teaching and learning. Any useful sections could
be downloaded for all learners to use.

You must be careful to avoid directly addressing the coursework question, or the issue implicit within it,
during teaching and learning of the Depth Study. It is also your responsibility to make sure that the work
learners complete is entirely their own work.

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2: Delivering the coursework

2.1 When to do coursework?

One important decision you need to make when planning the course is when to do coursework. There are
several factors that will influence this decision.

• Will the coursework be based on the same Depth Study that is being studied for Paper 1? If it is,
there is less flexibility. Many Centres like to complete teaching of the Paper 1 Depth Study so that it
fits in with the appropriate part of the Core Content, for example, teaching the Germany Depth Study
after getting to 1939 in the Core. This would probably dictate when the coursework would start as
this is best done as soon as work on the Depth Study is completed. However, some other Depth
Studies, for example South Africa, have less of a relationship with the Core and could be taught at
any time during the course.
• If coursework is based on a different Depth Study from that used for Paper 1 then there is more
flexibility concerning the timing of the coursework. Using the same Depth Study for both Paper 1 and
coursework clearly reduces the amount of content to be covered by learners, but they can become
bored after spending so long on the same Depth Study. A different Depth Study provides them with
more variety and gives them a more complete understanding of the past. Whether you cover one or
two Depth Studies may be influenced by the total amount of time you have to complete the course.
Some History departments have more time allotted to their subject than others. If a department has
an average amount of time (about 120 hours across two years) then it should be possible to
comfortably cover two Depth Studies.
• It is not a good idea to tackle coursework too early in the course because learners will not be familiar
enough with the overall period and will have made little progress in developing their skills and
understanding. However, neither is it a good idea to leave the coursework too late in the course
because this is when you want to focus on preparation and revision for the examination papers and
time will be needed to mark the work. This would suggest that the beginning of the second year of
the course is a good time to choose.

2.2 Choosing a topic area

Coursework must be based on a study of a Depth Study. This can be one of the Depth Studies in the
syllabus or a Depth Study devised by the Centre. Centres might choose a Depth Study such as Russia from
the syllabus because it fits in well, and adds to, the study of the twentieth century Core content. On the
other hand, the Depth Study on the First World War would act as a useful climax for those Centres studying
the nineteenth-century Core and a useful introduction for those studying the twentieth-century Core. A
Centre whose learners are studying the nineteenth-century Core may choose a later Depth Study such as
South Africa as an interesting contrast and change.

Those Centres that choose to devise their own Depth Studies usually do so for one of the following reasons:
• they have good resources on another topic,
• they have staff expertise on a particular topic,
• the learners have an interest in a particular topic,
• they want the learners to study some regional or local history which is not covered in the Core.

Centre-devised Depth Studies should be comparable to the Depth Studies in the syllabus and structured in
the same way using Key Questions and Focus Points.

The benefit of choosing a different Depth Study for coursework is that it allows both teachers and learners to
focus on the particular skills and understanding required of coursework alone without also thinking about the
additional requirements for the Component 1 written paper.

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2.3 Designing a scheme of work

A scheme of work gives more detailed guidance about the teaching and learning of a course than an outline
plan which only identifies Key Questions and Focus Points. Schemes of work vary but typically include
details about:
• the Key Question being covered
• the total amount of time devoted to that Key Question
• for each lesson
o content and issues to be covered
o learning outcomes
o learning activities
o skills and understanding
o assessment opportunities
o resources to be used.

The Depth Studies in the syllabus are organised through Key Questions and Focus Points to encourage
issue-based and problem-solving learning and to encourage learners to discuss and develop their own views
(very important for coursework). The scheme of work should reflect and encourage this approach to learning.

The scheme of work for a Depth Study being used for coursework should make sure that there is a focus on
the skills and understandings explained in Sections 1.2.1 and 1.2.2.

A scheme of work for parts of the syllabus content is available on Teacher Support.

2.4 Teaching and learning for coursework

Learners need as much knowledge and understanding for coursework as they need for the written papers.
Learners do have access to notes, books and other materials while completing their coursework but their
ability to make good use of these materials will depend on the knowledge and understanding they have
already acquired.

If a different Depth Study is being used for coursework then it is possible to focus on the coursework
requirements. If the same Depth Study is being used for both Paper 1 and coursework then the skills and
understanding required for coursework will need to be fitted in alongside preparation for Paper 1.

There are some issues that are relevant to both approaches:

• the coursework question, and the issues within it, should not be directly addressed during teaching
and learning. The teacher’s role is to prepare learners so that they have the knowledge, skills and
understanding that will enable them to tackle the coursework question by themselves. For example,
if the coursework question is about the significance of Mandela in South Africa between 1950 and
the present, teaching and learning can include the main developments in South African history from
1948 and Mandela’s role in these. However, there should be no special focus on Mandela – the
teaching should put as much stress on other individuals and factors, and the issue of Mandela’s
significance should not be directly addressed or assessed
• learners will answer their coursework question better when they can place it in a broader context.
This will add extra depth to their answers, enabling them to make the necessary links and to go
across and backwards and forwards in time – all of which will lead to more sophisticated
assessments of significance
• it is important to use teaching activities that develop the learners’ ability to discuss and debate
issues. This will help to build their confidence in developing their own views. It can be useful to
introduce learners, in a gentle way, to different interpretations about issues such as the causes of the
First World War or who was responsible for causing the Cold War, so that they understand there are
no right answers to these kinds of issues and questions
• learners will benefit from practising how to select relevant information from large amounts of
material. They should also be given the opportunity to produce extended pieces of writing so that
they have experience of deploying and organising information it is important that learners have time
to explore and understand the meaning of ‘significance’ and how it can be measured. This
could be done using factors/individuals other than the one used in the coursework question. There is

14 Cambridge IGCSE® History 0470

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some discussion of ‘significance’ in Section 1.2.2, and some ideas for teaching and learning are
given in Appendix 2.

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3: Assessing the coursework

3.1 Some basic points

The generic mark scheme must be used when marking coursework. It can be found in the syllabus booklet
on the Cambridge website and has also been reproduced in Appendix 1 of this handbook.

If two or more teachers within a Centre are involved in marking coursework, Centres must ensure that all
candidates are assessed to a common standard.

The coursework of a sample of learners will be externally moderated.

3.2 Main features of the mark scheme

Each level descriptor covers all the relevant assessment objectives.

The main aspects covered in the mark scheme are:

• breadth, depth, accuracy and relevance of knowledge and information used
• relevant deployment and organisation of information
• focus on the question
• understanding of significance
• command and understanding of the history topic
• ability to use relevantly an understanding of causation, change, key characteristics of the time, links
and comparisons
• ability to construct and support descriptions, explanations, arguments and judgements
• ability to reach and support conclusions.

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3.3 The generic mark scheme

Level Marks Description
• Candidates demonstrate and select and effectively deploy relevant and
accurate contextual knowledge.
• Candidates select a wide range of relevant information which is well-organised
and deployed effectively.
• Candidates demonstrate excellent understanding of the significance of the key
features, reasons, results or changes of societies, events, beliefs, people and
situations studied with good awareness of the importance of interrelationships
and the broad context.
• Candidates consistently produce relevant, effective, convincing and well-
Level 5 36–40 supported arguments and judgements.
• Candidates produce conclusions that are entirely consistent with the rest of the
answer and are effectively supported.

• Candidates demonstrate and select and effectively deploy mostly relevant and
accurate contextual knowledge.
• Candidates select a range of relevant information which is generally well-
organised and effectively deployed.
• Candidates demonstrate a good understanding of the significance of the key
features, reasons, results or changes of societies, events, beliefs, people and
situations studied with good awareness of the broad context.
• Candidates demonstrate some understanding of interrelationships in the period
studied.
Level 4 27–35 • In several places, candidates produce relevant, effective, convincing and well-
supported arguments and judgements.
• Candidates produce conclusions that are argued and supported.

• Candidates demonstrate and select some relevant contextual knowledge and

deploy it appropriately to address the question in several parts of the answer.
• Candidates select and organise mostly relevant information which is
sometimes deployed relevantly.
• Candidates demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the key features,
reasons, results or changes of societies, events, beliefs, people and situations
studied with some awareness of the broad context.
• Candidates produce structured descriptions and some reasonable
explanations.
Level 3 18–26 • Candidates make some comparisons or links.
• Candidates produce conclusions that are based on basic explanations with
some support.
• Candidates demonstrate some limited contextual knowledge.
• Candidates select and organise some relevant information. This is deployed
relevantly on a few occasions.
• Candidates describe or narrate some relevant key features, identifying and
describing some reasons, results and changes of societies, events, beliefs,
people and situations studied but with limited awareness of the broad context.
• Candidates demonstrate some ability to structure descriptions or narratives.
• Candidates attempt some obvious comparisons or links.
Level 2 9–17 • Candidates assert relevant conclusions but these are not explained or
supported.

• Candidates demonstrate little relevant contextual knowledge.

• Candidates demonstrate limited ability to select and organise information.
• Candidates describe or narrate a few relevant key features. The work contains
a little relevant information but this is not deployed relevantly in terms of
Level 1 1–8
answering the question.
Level 0 0 • Candidates submit no evidence or do not address the question.

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3.4 Using the mark scheme

It should be used in a ‘best-fit’ way. This means that an answer does not have to meet all the requirements
of a level before being placed in that level.

Many answers will have elements of two different levels, e.g. if some parts of an answer are Level 3 but
other parts are Level 4, you should ask yourself ‘Which level does this answer fit best?’.

Answers should be read and assessed by considering the whole piece of work. Ask yourself, ‘Allowing for the
strengths and perhaps weakness of the answer, which level does it fit best?’.

Do not use the mark scheme in a ‘tick box’ way. For example, do not expect learners to have covered all the
aspects of the third bullet point of the generic mark scheme – some of these will not be relevant for particular
questions.

There are key ‘drivers’; a focus on these when marking should help you decide the Level. These are:
• relevance and focus
• a direct answer to the question
• good command of the history
• an ability to use this to support arguments and conclusions.

Answers that meet most, or all, of the requirements of a level should be placed towards the top of that level.
If an answer is on the borderline between two levels but is finally placed in the higher level, it should go at
the bottom of that level.

3.5 Annotation of coursework

It is useful to the external moderator if work is annotated by the teacher. The purpose of these comments is
to identify key features of the answers and explain why a particular level and mark has been awarded. Key
features can be annotated through comments in the margin such as ‘good explanation’, ‘strong argument’,
and ‘irrelevant description’. Explanations about why a particular level and mark has been awarded are best
done at the end of the piece of work, summing up the main qualities of the answer and identifying key
features of a level descriptor which the answer has achieved.

Judgements about which level an answer reaches should not be made halfway through the answer. A final
judgement can only be made after the whole answer has been read.

The level and the mark awarded should be shown at the end of the answer with the comments and
explanations of the level and mark.

You can find examples of marked coursework with examiner comments in Appendix 1.

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4: Coursework administration

4.1 Internal standardisation

If two or more teachers within a Centre are involved in marking coursework, it is important that Centres ensure
that all work is marked to a common standard and that a single valid and reliable set of marks is produced.

This is best achieved by carrying out an internal standardisation meeting before marking begins. The lead
teacher or Internal Moderator should select and mark samples of coursework taken from each teaching set.
These should represent the full range of abilities. These can then be used in the meeting to provide a
standard against which the marking of other teachers can be evaluated and made sure that all teachers are
marking consistently.

4.2 Internal moderation

When everybody has completed the marking, the lead teacher should check the marking of a small sample
from each teacher to make sure everyone is marking to the same standard. Any differences in marking
between the Internal Moderator and other markers should be talked through and resolved. Marks can be
adjusted from any part of the range of marks. If there is a trend of marking being too strict or too lenient,
marks should be adjusted for other coursework in that range. If the trend is consistent, it is possible to scale
marks upwards or downwards without the need to re-mark all coursework within the range affected.

If, however, there is no clear pattern of how the marking differs, and if learners are at risk of being awarded
the wrong mark, more coursework from that teacher’s marking should be marked and adjustments made
until there is no doubt about the accuracy of the marking. Samples should be re-marked from the remaining
teachers’ marking until the process is complete.

If marks are changed as a result of internal moderation, the change of marks should be clearly shown on the
work and on both the Individual Candidate Record and the Coursework Assessment Summary Form.

4.3 Recording and despatching of marks

All forms mentioned below are available on the Cambridge Samples Database at
www.cie.org.uk/samples. Simply enter your Centre number and the syllabus code (0470) to access
information, forms and instructions concerning the selection of samples.

To record and despatch marks you will need the following three forms:
• Individual Candidate Record Card
Once the work has been marked, an Individual Candidate Record Card should be completed for each
candidate. This form should be attached to the front of the candidate’s work.
• Coursework Assessment Summary Form
This provides the moderator with an overview of all the candidates and marks in the Centre
• Coursework Sheet, MS1
Cambridge sends a computer-printed Coursework Sheet, MS1, to each Centre in late March (for the
June examination series) and in early October (for the November examination series).
MS1 will list all the candidate names and numbers. This mark sheet should be completed and a
copy returned to Cambridge as soon as possible. The deadlines for return are 30 April (for the June
examination series), and 31 October (for the November examination series).

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4.4 The sample of work for external moderation

The sample submitted for external moderation should:

• represent the spread of marks across the entire ability range for the cohort, and include the top-
scoring piece of coursework, some middle-range marks and the lowest scoring piece of work
• include a balance of work from candidates across all teaching sets and assessors.

Each sample should:

• include the candidates’ coursework. (The pages of the work of each candidate can simply be stapled
together with the Individual Candidate Record Card attached as the front page.)
• be clearly marked with candidates’ names and numbers, and your Centre’s name and number
• include the Coursework Assessment Summary Form(s)
• include a copy of the form MS1
• include the coursework question and any other instructions given by you to the candidates
• contain information on the circumstances in which the coursework was completed by candidates and
about how you undertook internal moderation.

On all forms, those candidates selected for external moderation must be indicated by an asterisk (*).

It might be necessary for Cambridge moderators to call for a further sample of work, beyond the original
submission. Full details of this further sample would be addressed to the named Examinations Officer at your
Centre.

Centres are asked to keep copies of all Individual Candidate Record Cards and Coursework Assessment
Summary Forms until the publication of results.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Marked samples

Appendix 2: Ideas for teaching ‘significance’

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Coursework Handbook

Appendix 1: Marked sample

Please refer to the generic mark scheme and the guidance on how to use the mark scheme provided in this
handbook.

Candidate 1

How significant was the New Deal?

“I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, accepting the Democratic Party nomination for President, 1932 1

Significance can be measured by several aspects, however for this essay key criteria have been
selected to hopefully try and high light how the New Deal in 1930s America was significant.
Evidence and opinion has been split into four strands: politics, economics, social and culture.
Within these each strand there is more pin-point criteria, to whether it resulted in change,
was revealing of the time, is remembered now and whether it was revolutionary or popular.

Comment
The candidate has explicitly identified the criteria they have used in this essay.

The New Deal can be seen as having significance in terms of the politics surrounding it. Firstly,
the New Deal and its effects on things such as economics and social aspects were revered by
the public to the extent that Roosevelt, the New Deal's creator, was re-elected into his second
term of presidency with an increased majority of over 4 million additional Popular Votes, as
seen in Figure 1. Roosevelt was in office for 4 terms, the longest amount of time for any
President and this, it could be argued, is down to the popularity he first gained by
implementing the New Deal. Not only did it mean Roosevelt was continually re-elected, but it
also meant that the Democrats won successive elections after more than a decade of
Republican rule 2. Furthermore, this introduced to American society a new theory: Keynesian
Economics 3. This new economic theory at the time, as well as in hind sight, was
revolutionary because it so clashed with ideals of the American dream and "Rugged
Individualism". Roosevelt's New Deal was epitomsed by Keynes's theory, with emphasis on
Government and "Alphabet" Agencies creating jobs for people to try to stimulate the
economy, and thus pull America out of recession. Therefore this abrupt and vast change in
political direction, and the electoral popularity from the public, shows that the New Deal held
significance for the people who lived through it at the time, because they repeatedly returned
the man and the party who lead the New Deal.

1
David M. Kennedy, Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 (Oxford, 1999)
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States
3 http://www.investopia.co/temrs/k/keynesianeconomics.asp

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Comment
This paragraph shows an excellent assessment of the political significance of the New Deal.

Critics of the New Deal may say that it was not the popularity of Roosevelt but a
fundamental hatred of Hoover, the man that Roosevelt beat in the 1932 election (Figure
1), that kept the New Deal and its creator in power. While Hoover had been in office, Wall
Street had crashed and the Great Depression started; unemployment rose by over 20% 4
(Figure 2) in just four years; slang such as "Hoovervilles" and "Hoover-soup" became popular
to describe some effects the Great Depression had; shanty towns and soup kitchen s where
some peoples' only way of surviving. Therefore it could be said that it was only the
unpopularity of Hoover, and not a popularity for the New Deal, that kept Roosevelt in
power. However, this argument does not seem to appreciate that after Hoover other men
were placed as opposition leaders, and yet Roosevelt beat them too. In fact, Roosevelt was in
Office for so long that the 22nd Amendment as added to the Constitution, limiting future
Presidents to a maximum of two terms 5, although this was also due to his untimely death
whilst still in office. Considering the sheer amount of time that Roosevelt was given in
Office, first dealing with the Great Depression and then the outbreak of World War One, it
seems only logical to suggest that it was what he was actually implementing as President,
his New Deal, that kept him in office, regard less of Hoover or the other Republican s.
Therefore the New Deal is hugely significant , because it changed the way a society thought
about economics, changed the political direction of an entire country, and was mostly
popular with those is strove to help out of dire poverty.

Comment
Here the counter-argument has been explained and rejected. This leads to a clear assessment of
the significance of the New Deal.

However it is not only in terms of politics that the New Deal can be seen as having
significance: the economic changes brought about by New Deal policies are obvious. Take, for
example, the change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the 1920s and 30s, as seen
in Figures 3 and 4. It is commonly agreed that GDP can be used as a way of seeing a
country's economic health, because it looks at "the monetary value of all the finished goods
and services produced with in a country's borders" 6. As it can be seen from both Figures 3
and 4, there is an obvious dip in GDP around the time of the Great Depression starting,
which lasts until 1934. Although this is two years after Roosevelt and his New Deal were
elected into Office, it must be remembered that there would a delay on annual GDP
righting itself. When taking this into account, it appears that the economy slowly started
to recover and grow steadily again only after the New Deal was in place. This, it therefore

4
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1528.html
5 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-roosevelt-dies
6 http://www.investopia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp

Cambridge IGCSE® History 0470 23

Coursework Handbook

seems, is strong evidence to suggest that the New Deal is significant, because without its aid
the American economy could have failed to recover completely, or at least as quickly.

However, it could be said that the "Boom and Bust" was cyclical and that the New Deal did
not have any effect, because the economy would have recovered by itself given time. Yet,
the stimulation given to the economy in term s of the amount of state spending was so
great - so significant - that it must have had an effect, because of the sheer amount of
stimulus. For example, if the government had solely pumped money into an economy that
was already growing, it would tend to be inflationary. However inflation figures 7 show that
in 1 934, after years of deflation, inflation averaged at 3.I% - this shows there was no
recovery spending before the New Deal. Therefore the New Deal can be seen as significant
because prior to it there was no sign of real economy recovering.

Comment
The candidate has considered the economic significance of the New Deal. It has been assessed with
a clear argument and counter-argument. Both of these are well supported with evidence.

Another strand where the New Deal can be seen as having significance is in terms of social
aspects. Figure 2 shows the amount of unemployment from 1929-43. There is a clear incline
up to 1932 and then a decrease for the next 5 consecutive years: 1932 also happens to be
the year the New Deal was started and the government started job creation schemes. Not only
is this a social aspect, but it also feeds into the economic side: the more jobs there are means
the money there is, which increases the demand for goods and therefore production, creating
a multiplier effect as well as changing individuals’ lives. Furthermore, when Roosevelt was
elected prohibition of alcohol was still in effect 8 - he recreated millions of jobs by legalising the
production, transportation and sale of alcohol. This greatly helped the economy and worked
with the New Deal to allow people who had lost out due to prohibition. Not only did the New
Deal help more people back into work, it resulted in a change to society in general via an
increase in the standard of living. This can most clearly be seen through meat consumption
rates, a key indicator of individual average wealth as Figure 5 shows. There is a clear dip in
rates around the Great Depression, and then as soon as the New Deal comes into effect the
total meat consumption rates increase until a slight decrease in 1937, where it then continues
to gradually increase. This is significant because it shows that the New Deal not only helped
the country's economy and changed the political direction, but also changed lifestyles and
what people could afford to consume.

Comment
In this paragraph the social significance of the New Deal has been assessed. It is not as strong as the other
sections.

7 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/hidtorical-inflation-rates/
8 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/usa/prohibitionrev1.shtml

24 Cambridge IGCSE® History 0470

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Furthermore, the New Deal is significant because it reveals a great deal about the time. It
shows that before Roosevelt there was no social security, that people still believed in "Rugged
Individualism", although the New Deal actually helped to raise America's social conscience,
with the "Rugged Individualism" ideal starting to be viewed as another name for selfishness.
The New Deal also makes apparent the fact that even when, in the 1930s, the New Deal
was starting to work, racism and sexism were still substantial issues, especially within the
Alphabet Agencies­ the Civilian Conservative Corporation (CCC) employed 2.7 million men,
and only 8,000 women; the National Recovery Administration (NRA) actually allowed
black people to be pa id less; the average income for women in 1937 was $525pa
compared to $1027pa for men; the Agricultural adjustment Administration actually cost
thousands of black people their jobs. Therefore the New Deal is not only significant in terms
of politics and economics, but also in terms of the social aspects because it gave people living
decades later an insight into the issues of the time and of some of the change that the New
Deal brought about.

Comment
This is a strong paragraph on the significance of the New Deal and what it reveals about the period.

Finally, there are aspects within culture that make the New Deal significant. The Wall Street
Crash did not only affect America, but the entire world. In Britain, Downing Street didn't
know what to do and the policies pursued exacerbated the problem for the British public 9; in
Germany, Hitler was dealing with the depression by rearmament 10. But Roosevelt did not do
this, and that is a remarkable achievement. The New Deal saved the entire country from
complete financial ruin, and protected democracy - there was no revolution like in the USSR,
or rise of a fascist leader like in Germany.

However, not everyone was in favour of what the New Deal was doing, as illustrated in the
cartoon in Figure 6. The artist of this cartoon is suggesting that the New Deal allowed
Roosevelt to become a dictator and hinder the economy and government, and this can be
seen by the money being thrown out of the back of the truck. In the background Stalin can
be seen saying, "How red the sunrise is getting" and is suggesting that the artist does not
agree with the more left­ leaning ideals that the New Deal represented. However, despite
how critical some may have been of the New Deal, it's not disputed that the New Deal gave
many American s hope by providing job s and saving houses. Furthermore it led to cultural
aspects of the time being kept alive where they might have otherwise suffered or completely
died out. For example, the Work s Progress Administration (WPA) supplemented public
institutions 11. It kept alive places like museums, which in turn allowed for a plethora of job s

9
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/britain/depressionrev1.shtml
10 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/economicrev2.shtml
11 http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/pdfs/ppDIRwpa.pdf

Cambridge IGCSE® History 0470 25

Coursework Handbook

such as entomologists to be saved and thus prevent the level of unemployment worsening. In
addition to keeping these cultural places open, the New Deal further supported literacy rates
by sending out "Bookmobiles" to rural areas, kept archaeological excavations going and also
kept sporting activities such as golf classes and WPA built swimming pools going. As well as
these things filling people s' time with greater personal fulfilment, they also allowed for more
jobs to be created. Therefore, the New Deal is significant because it protected and enhanced
American culture, halting it from completely changing and being only about having food on
the table. Also, without the New Deal there would not have been as rich a documenting and
recording of culture as there was at the time. For example, the WPA California Folk Music
Project comprised 35 hours of folk music in 12 1anguages from a variety of European
ethnic and English and Spanish speaking countries in Northern California. This undertaking
was one of the earliest field projects to document folk music in a region of the US ever made
and it can still be heard today, decades later. Therefore the New Deal is significant because it
helped preserve a culture, as well as help keep an economy afloat.

Comment
This is an interesting paragraph arguing that the New Deal had cultural significance. The candidate
is right, the New Deal did support democracy in the USA during a period when other countries
turned to fascism, but this could have been explained and developed. The second paragraph is
better as it begins to show greater understanding of these ideas.

Overall, the New Deal was significant because it is still remembered, studied and held in
high esteem to the day. It resulted in a great deal of change during and after it was
implemented, a lot of it remark able for the time, as well as being revealing of the time in
which it happened. Critically, it gave millions of people hope and a chance in an otherwise
difficult situation; although it may not have completely solved the issues brought about by
the Great Depression, it did keep America alive.

Comment
The conclusion to the essay is not strong. It is consistent with the rest of the answer but needs to
be better supported and developed. It should have been used to bring together the different
assessments the candidate has made about the significance of the New Deal.

Word count 2069

Summative comments
This answer has two important strengths. Firstly, it focuses on an assessment of significance all the way
through, and secondly it makes explicit use of criteria to measure this. The answer is well organised and
deploys a wide range of material relevantly and effectively.

There is good understanding of the reasons for change and the various interrelationships. There are strong,
well-supported and convincing arguments all the way through. There are also counter-arguments which help
to ensure that significance is assessed and not just explained. The candidate has also been able to assess
significance from a number of different perspectives.

26 Cambridge IGCSE® History 0470

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There are a few weaker sections but overall there is a consistent focus on answering the question about
significance. There is plenty of evidence of Level 5 performance. With a stronger conclusion, this answer
could have been close to full marks.

Level 5, 37 marks

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Candidate 2

How significant were the Five Year Plans for Russia up to 1941?

Between 1928 and 1941Joseph Stalin imposed three Five Year Plans on Russia, each of
which set unrealistically high production targets for different industries. Stalin believed that
state control over industry was the only way to turn Russia from "an agrarian and weak
country[ ...] into an industrial and powerful country" 1 However, the claims that Russia's
industry was so backwards were made by Stalin and therefore must be examined more closely
to determine their validity. There is some evidence to suggest that "[Stalin] had exaggerated
Russia's industrial deficiency in 1929 [since] the Tsars had developed a considerable industrial
capacity" 2. Despite this, significance can be defined not as how successful something was but
as how many people and how many groups of people it affected. For example, an event that
affected millions of people from different backgrounds, areas of work and religions can be seen
to be more significant than one that just affected peasants alone. It can be argued, therefore,
that although the Five Year Plans were perhaps not as effective as they could have been, they
greatly speeded up the rate of industrialisation and "allowed Russia [...] to become a
superpower” 3. However it was undoubtedly "at great human cost" 4. The significance of the
Five Year Plans can be seen by the effect they had on the lives of workers, peasants and the
population as a whole and by the millions people who died.

Comment
The opening paragraph discusses the significance of the Five Year Plans and sets some criteria.
The candidate makes a useful distinction between the terms successful and significant.

The Five Year Plans were primarily a change in the way the country's industry was run
. and
so obviously the main people affected were Russia's huge workforce. The Plans had a big
impact on every aspect of the lives of the workers; "wages were low, housing often lacked
basic sanitation, and accommodation was insufficient for the huge numbers involved" 5.
Thousands of workers died from freezing cold working conditions, exhaustion or the lack of
food. The work became more difficult as they were expected to reach unrealistic targets,
despite the fact many of them did not have the tools or training required. On top of this
punishments "such as denial of ration cards, eviction from lodgings and even penal sentences" 6
were introduced for crimes such as absenteeism. Eventually workers were even punished for
crimes they did not commit. 'Saboteurs' were found and tried for things that were often

1
J.Stalin, Speeches, (January 1934)
2 S.J. Lee, The European Dictatorships 1918-1945, (1987)
3 A. Ulman, Stalin, (1987)
4 A. Ulman, Stalin, (1987)
5
P.D. Allan, Russia and Eastern Europe
6 Lewin, ‘Society, Sate and Ideology during the First Five-Year Plan’, 1976, in C. Ward (ed.), The Stalinist
Disctatorship, (1998)

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simple mistakes made by unskilled workers forced to work in skilled positions. Workers were
expected to work harder than was possible and were encouraged to compete against each
other. A common story of success amongst the workers was that of Alexei Stakhanov, a
Donbass miner, said to have moved 102 tons of coal in one shift 7. He was held up as a hero,
received many rewards and workers were expected to aspire to become like him. However it
was later discovered that he had not done it alone, it was purely propaganda. The death of
thousands and the poor conditions of the remaining workers clearly displays the significance
of the Five Year Plans on the lives of the workers.

Comment
This section explains the significance of the Five Year Plans by considering their impact on the
workers. This section could be improved as it is descriptive in places.

Although the Five Year Plans were created to boost industry this could not be done without
aIso boosting agriculture and so the lives of the peasants who worked the land were also
affected by the Five Year Plans. Stalin attempted to revolutionise agriculture by forcing
peasants to abandon their farms and work instead for the state on collective farms or kolkhoz
where they would work together communally and share everything. However, collectivization
happened only at "great cost in human life and misery" 8 as peasants saw no difference
between Stalin's collective farms and their old historic "serfdom" 9. Worse still, a key part of
collectivisation was 'dekulakisation ' in which neighbours, friends and family informed on
'kulaks' or rich peasants who were then taken away to forced labour camps or executed.
However, by the 1930s there were no real kulaks left, the people being named kulaks were
merely those who opposed Stalin's collective farming methods. Victor
Kravchenko, an eye witness, described dekulakisation as "a lot of simple peasants being torn
from their native soil, stripped of all their worldly goods and shipped to some distant labour
camps" 10. It often was this horrific with those who had committed no crime being stripped of
all of their rights. Women were driven out of their homes naked and "beaten with rifle
butts" 11 and forced to endure long journey s with little food where "new-born babies were
buried on the banks of the roadside" 12. Even peasants who agreed to work on the collective
farms had unbearably hard lives as they were forced to work all day but did not receive much
of the food that they were farming. The introduction of collectivisation through the Five Year
Plans led to some 5 million people 13 being sent to labour camps and 10-15 million people 14

7 T. Fiehn, Russia & the USSR 1905-1941, a study in depth (1996)

8
E. Roberts, Stalin: Man of Steel, (1968)
9 J. Cape in M. Hindus, Red Bread, (1934)
10 V. Kravchenki, I Chose Freedom
11 V. Serge, Memoirs of a Revolutionary 1901-1941, (1963)
12
V. Serge, Memoirs of a Revolutionary 1901-1941, (1963)
13 Wikipedia, Collectivisation in the Soviet Union
14 A modern historian, Source Pack Source 80

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dying of hunger. Clearly Stalin's collectivisation and his Five Year Plans were significant in the
lives of the peasants and kulaks.

Comment
This section explains the significance of the Five Year Plans by considering their impact on the
peasants.

Perhaps the key reason that the Five Year Plans were so influential was that they not only
affected the workers and the peasants but also the other classes. The Plans set targets that
were so unachievably high that more labour was needed; not enough could be gained through
volunteers and so forced labour was introduced. Between 1932 and 1946 the NKVD sent
around 18 million people to labour camps 15 and although many of these were peasants failing
to cooperate on collective farms many of them were members of the public who had
committed no crime. People lived in fear as "nobody knew whether they would be arrested" 16.
In industrial cities like Magnitogorsk around a quarter of the workers "came under
compulsion” 17. “A large number of prisoners were too hungry, sick, or injured from the
intense working conditions to complete the labour" 18 and many died from the cold or
starvation. Forced labour caused millions of innocent people to be ripped from their homes
sent to work in horrifying conditions with little food where many died. Once again one can
witness the huge impact the Five Year Plans had on the lives of millions of ordinary citizens
which highlights their significance.

Comment
Here the candidate has been able to explain the significance of the Plans by considering their
impact on people in forced labour.

Famine was another unlooked for consequence caused by collectivisation, on the lives of the
Soviet population. As the state began seizing peasant's animals and resources for collective
farms "rural Russia became pandemonium” 19. Rich peasants resented the idea that they had
to "work all the time and share everything with others" 20 and they soon saw that they "had
nothing to lose [and so] expressed their despair by burning their crops, killing their cattle and
destroying their machinery" 21. Peasant rebellion and "the chaos of collectivisation" 22 led to
poor harvests which in turn led to the famine of 1932-1933 in which an estimated 6 to 8

15 Wikipedia, Forced Labour in the Soviet Union

16
T.Ter-Yegiazarova in J. Lewis and P. Whitehead, Stalin, A Time for Judgement, (1990)
17 J. Scott, Behind the Urals, (1942)
18 Wikipedia, Forced Labour in the Soviet Union
19 I. Deutscher, Stalin, (1949)
20
J. Cape in M. Hindus, Red Bread (1934)
21 J. N. Westwood, Russia 1917-1964
22 J. N. Westwood, Russia 1917-1964

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million people died 23. This famine affected not just the peasants working on farms but also
the other classes who struggled to find food. The famine was only worsened by the fact that
Stalin "continued to export grain in exchange for industrial plants" 24 which he needed to
continue Russia's industrial growth in order to meet the targets set by the Five Year Plans. By
forcing peasants into collective farms the Five Year Plans in effect cause the 1932-33 famine
in which millions of people, not just peasants, died making it a clearly significant event.

Comment
The candidate has explained the significance of the Five Year Plans by considering how they
helped to lead to famine.

Stalin's Five Year Plans did have a beneficial effect in one area. In 1941 approximately 4
million 25 Axis alliance soldiers invaded Russia in what is now thought to be "the largest
invasion in the history of warfare" 26. However, because the third and final of the Five Year
Plans focussed almost all of Russia's industry on developing armaments, Russia was able "to
withstand foreign invasion" 27. It can be argued that without the industrial development s set
off by the Five Year Plans, Russia might not have been able to defeat Germany. The
significance of this cannot be overstated not only in Russia's history but in the course
European history took with Russia's involvement as an ally against Germany.

Comment
Here the candidate has explained the significance of the Plans with regard to the ability of the
USSR to defeat German invasion. This is an important area and as such the significance of this
could have been explained in more depth.

Despite the undeniable success of the Five Year Plans in transforming Russia "from an
untrained society of peasants to an advanced industrial economy" 28, there still remains a
question as to whether they were as effective as they as Soviet propaganda claimed them to
be. Although they did achieve several great things such as the Dnieper dam and the Moscow-
Volga canal there were also several occasions on which months if not years of work went to
waste. For example the dam on the Ural River was completed in a record 74 days 29. At first
this was seen as a "Bolshevik miracle" 30 but the dam was soon revealed not to have been built
deeply enough, which led to "a chronic shortage of water" 31. The dam would have perhaps
been more successful had it not been for the desperate rush to finish it in time, a side effect of

23 Encyclopaedia Britannica
24 J. N. Westwood, Russia 1917-1964
25
D. Glantz, The Soviet-German War 1941-54: Myths and Realities: A Survey Essay
26 Wikipedia, Operation Barbarossa
27 A. Ulman, Stalin, (1973)
28 K. Verma, Stalin’s Five Year Plans
29
S. Kotkin, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilisation, (1995)
30 S. Kotkin, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilisation, (1995)
31 S. Kotkin, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilisation, (1995)

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unrealistic targets which led to poor planning. This could also be seen in the many state
factories producing goods that did not work as they were so rushed to finish in time to reach
the targets. Punishments were so harsh that "before they had managed to learn their job,
people had already [...] done something in order to get them fired" 32. This led to a lack of
skilled workers which meant that mistakes were often made and products did not usually
work properly. However, since "the system could never be at fault" 33 more workers were fired
and arrested as 'saboteurs' and the cycle continued. Because of the terror surrounding not
meeting production targets, the Soviet government faced another problem -forged figures.
Managers and heads of factories were often so scared of being sent to labour camps or even
being shot that they increased the production figures so not to be seen as under the target.
Because of this it is hard to trust the production figures coming out of the Soviet Union at
that time. Despite this, it is impossible to deny that the Five Year Plans prompted significant
advances in industrialisation. Even if they were not necessarily the most effective way of doing
this, they still considerably changed the lives of millions of the Russian people and killed many
millions more.

Comment
Despite the distinction between significance and success made in the opening paragraph, success
rather than significance is assessed here.

The Five Year Plans were created as a "gigantic drive to do away with backwardness" 34 and
have been described both as "the greatest crime of modern history" 35 and as "a grandiose feat
of social engineering" 36. The Plans were one of the biggest industrial movements the world has
ever seen, increasing for example Soviet coal production from 35 million tons in 1927 to 128
million tons in 1937 37. The Plans were however accompanied by "severe deprivation” 38.
Workers died of starvation, cold and accidents; peasants were shot or sent to forced labour
camps and millions of people died from the famine or were left "tortured by hunger" 39. There
is no question that the Five Year Plans were "cruel in its effects on millions of human beings" 40
- millions of people died as a direct result of them. It is possible to argue that the plans were
not as effective as they were portrayed, however this does not lessen the huge impact they
had on the lives of millions and their significance. The Plans' extreme significance is
emphasised by the fact that they affected Russian people from all different backgrounds and

32 Lewin, ‘Society, State and Ideology during the First Five-Year Plan’, 1976, in C. Ward (ed.), The Stalin
Dictatorship, (1998)
33 T. Fiehn, Russia and the USSR 1905-1941, a study in depth (1996)
34
The Illustrated History of the USSR
35 A. Ulam, Stalin (1973)
36 A. Ulam, Stalin (1973)
37 T. Fiehn, Russia and the USSR 1905-1941, a study in depth (1996)
38
S.J. Lee, The European Dictatorships 1918-1945, (1987)
39 V. Serge, Memoirs of a Revolutionary 1901-1941, (1963)
40 A. Ulam, Stalin (1973)

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areas of life and by the fact that they supported the new economic and industrial strength of
Russia which allowed it to defeat Germany in the Second World War. Stalin's Five Year Plans
undoubtedly affected everyone in Russia and were one of the main tools by which Stalin
imposed his vision of the new and powerful Soviet state. However, they led to untold
suffering, the deaths of millions of his citizens and undoubtedly changed Russian history
forever, making their impact one of the most significant in the history of 20th Century Russia.

Comment
The conclusion represents a reasonable summing up of main points in answer.

Word Count: 2000

Bibliography

A. Ulam, Stalin, (1987)

C. Ward (ed.), The Stalinist Dictatorship, (1998)

D. Glantz, The Soviet-German War 1941-45: Myths and Realities: A Survey Essay
Encyclopaedia Britannica
E. Roberts, Stalin: Man of Steel, (1968)
I. Deutscher, Stalin, (1949)
J. Lewis and P. Whitehead, Stalin, A Time for Judgement, (1990)
J . Scott, Behind the Urals, (1942)
J . N.Westwood, Russia 1917-64
K. Verma, Stalin's Five Year Plans
M. Hindus, Red Bread, (1934)
S.J. Lee, The European Dictatorships 1918-1945, (1987)
S. Kotkin, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilisation, (1995)
Sources Pack
T. Fiehn, Russia & the USSR 1905-1941, a study in depth (1996)
The Illustrated History of the USSR
V. Kravchenki, I Chose Freedom
V. Serge, Memoirs of a Revolutionary 1901-1941, (1963)
Wikipedia, Collectivisation in the Soviet Union
Wikipedia, Forced Labour in the Soviet Union
Wikipedia, Operation Barbarossa

Summative comments
This is a well organised answer with clear attempts to keep the focus on an assessment of
significance. The candidate has shown good knowledge and understanding. A wide range of
material has been organised and deployed effectively to address to explain significance. The
candidate explains significance in a number of ways: for the workers, the peasants, people in
forced labour and resistance to Germany in Second World War.

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The focus on significance is lost in some places and occasionally the answer drifts more into
description. This keeps the answer to Level 4 rather than Level 5. There could have been more
assessment of significance rather than simply the explanation of it. This could have been improved
through a discussion of where the greatest significance of the Plans can be found.

Some criteria have been used but they are mostly connected with the immediate impact on
people's lives. The significance of the Plans during the German invasion stands out as a different
way of measuring significance. This could have been developed more instead of simply describing
the impact of the Plans on people in so much detail. Other angles that could have been used
include: assessing significance for the Soviet Union's industrial strength and turning it into a
modern world power and assessing the political significance of the Plans. Overall, there could have
been more assessment of significance rather than just an explanation of it.

Level 4, 31 marks

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Candidate 3

How significant was the new deal?

In October of 1929 the worst depression the world had ever seen hit America. There were

entire families on the streets fighting for scraps of food; there were cases of millionaires being

turned into peasants over night. This was all because of the Wall Street market crash. But

then came along America’s saviour. His name was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. He was Americas 32nd president

and immediately set to work on creating the ‘New Deal’ which would be policies to deal with

Americas social and economic problems. Roosevelt adopted some of John Maynard Keynes, a

leading British economist of the time, economic ideas of deficit spending. This was the idea of

spending more money than you had, borrowed from other countries, for a short period of

time to kick start the economy and get it out of depression. Roosevelt used this to base New

Deal policies on.

The first thing that Roosevelt did was set up an emergency meeting with congress, a group of

American politicians, to discuss what needed to be done to help America out of the economic

crisis they were currently in. During this meeting Roosevelt promised, with the support of the

Congress, that in the first 100 days of being in office, he would introduce new policies to help

the American citizens.

Comment
In the first three paragraphs the candidate has set the scene but they are not addressing the issue
of the significance of the New Deal.

Het set up many associations and schemes to bring America out of the turmoil they were

currently in. I will talk about some of these in detail in the essay but some were CCC, FSA,

NRA. He also put other schemes into place like the 3 r’s – relief, recovery and reform. I will

start by talking about the schemes that Roosevelt put into place.

The Banking Act

The banking act was Roosevelt’s way of helping all the banks that did not close during the

Wall Street crash, he did this by giving America a five day national bank holiday so the banks

had time to re-organise and re-evaluate the way they were run in the hope that when they

re-opened they would not lend out more money than they had. The president went on the

radio to over 50 million American citizens and asked them to re gain faith in the banks and

put their money back into the banks. This radio broadcast was called the ‘The fireside chat’.

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Civilian Conservation Corps ‘CCC’

The civilian conservation corps was designed for young men who were unemployed. They

were paid a wage of 30 dollars a month and had to do manual labour such as improving

flood control, reforestation projects and building public roads. Approximately 3 million men

worked in CCC camps over the 9 year project.

The federal emergency relief administration FERA

The federal emergency relief administration was given $500 million. FERA gave out half

$250 million to bankrupt state and local governments and the governments distributed the

money. They were given to the people in the community that really needed it. FERA also

created the civil works administration this was an organisation that generated temporary

labour for those in need.

Agricultural adjustment administration “AAA”

The agricultural adjustment administration was created primarily to benefit farmers the AAA

temporarily reset prices of commodities including corn, wheat, rice, milk, cotton and

livestock. Many farmers were encouraged to burn their crops so there would be less of them

thus raising the price but this was very controversial because there were starving families and

children in the city streets

The Tennessee valley association “TVA”

The Tennessee valley association’s goal was to modernize and reduce unemployment in the

Tennessee River valley - one of the poorest and hardest hit regions throughout the whole of

America. The associations worked by getting local workers to build dams and hydroelectric

power plants which brought cheap energy to thousands of struggling people. This organisation

was highly controversial like the AAA because some people said it was a mild form of socialism

and that it disrupted the market prices too much but even though it had all its criticism by

the electric companies and people it was effective and its idea was used in the west and the

south. Also you can tell people liked it because it is still around today many decades after its

beginning.

The national industry recovery act “NRA”

The national recover act was the government’s first attempt to revive the economy as a

whole. Also the bill created the national recovery administration. Its aim was to limit

productions of consumer goods thus raising the prices. The NRA also helped to create the

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public works administration. The PWA job was to construct buildings, public roads and

bridges. All these companies’ main aims were to improve the public infrastructure because

Roosevelt thought it would bring money into the economy.

Comment
These paragraphs have described the main parts of the New Deal. There is unfortunately no
assessment or account of the impact policies.

Restructuring the American finance

Roosevelt met up with congress to talk about new regulations regarding the financial side of

the economy; he took the country off the gold standard, which was a policy that allowed

citizens and foreign countries to exchange paper money for gold and to also stop people from

hanging onto the precious metal. He ordered all private gold stocks to be handed in for an

exchange of paper money. Congress also created the Securities and Exchange Commission this

regulated the wall street market to make sure no shady deals were happening that caused the

crash in the first place.

Relief

Relief was instant help for the American people, Hoover could not give Americans relief but

his predecessor Roosevelt gave out millions to American families to keep them from starvation.

Even some of Roosevelt’s hardest critics applauded him on his relief strategy. He was

politically untouchable during his first term as president.

Recovery

The policies were designed to help in the short term, but also had a major long term effect on

the American economic recovery. The most important effect was that millions of American

men had long term work; they were supporting the economy and creating a lasting

infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, power plants and factories.

Reform

Another important factor in the new deal was to reform the banking and financial sector of

the economy. This was accomplished by stopping bad lending practices, corruption and poor

trading techniques. The aim of the reform was to raise confidence in people to invest in local

banks and the stock exchange once again.

The Good Neighbour Policy

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Roosevelt realised that he had to form strong bonds with neighbouring countries. He did this

by visiting the Latin American states and signed new treaties that pledged to avoid military

conflict with Latin America and bringing peace to the region. This would put America in

good stead for the future and create positive trade links.

Comment
There is an attempt to explain the impact of the New Deal in several ways. However, the
candidate has not assessed the significance or effectiveness of the elements discussed.

My personal views on why the new deal was significant

I personally think the new deal was very significant, because it was pumping money into the

economy. Whether it be through the Tennessee valley association providing cheap electricity

for the struggling north at that moment in time or giving young men jobs through the civilian

conservation corps helping improving Americas infrastructure by building many roads, helping

with reforestation, flood control and helping improve the nations national parks.

The new deal did not really benefit minorities, African Americans or women at all. For

example the woman were not given the same chances in the work world as men the national

recovery administration codes allowed women to be paid a lower salary than men.

Comment
Here the candidate has attempted to address significance. This is done through describing some
of the impact of the New Deal. They have not shown good understanding and have not been able
to demonstrate the significance of the policies.

Conclusion

In conclusion I think the new deal was very significant because it solved the big issue of

unemployment and in turn if there were more people employed there would be more money

deposited into the economy, it had its flaws though like the lack of support it created for

African Americans, minorities and women but overall it helped America vastly and helped

them out of the depression they were in at the time.

Comment
The conclusion demonstrates another attempt to make a statement about significance. The
candidate has made a valid point, but they have not developed this sufficiently.

Word count 1318

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Summative comments
The candidate has shown some relevant knowledge but this has not been deployed effectively and
much of the answer is description. The candidate has shown some knowledge of the key features
of the New Deal. There is also some description of the reasons for, and results of, the New Deal.
The answer is structured but few comparisons or links are made. There is little evidence of
understanding of significance. The conclusions are mainly assertions.

Level 2, 14 marks

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Candidate 4

“How significant was the Treaty of Versailles for Germany and the German people in the period 1919-
1934?”

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people with short-term

and long-term results such as German pride and hatred, military territory, politics, and

economics. However, according to ‘The Golden Age’ it tells us that the Treaty of Versailles

was not as significant as one might think because Germany was able to recover quickly after

the war. Although, this might seem the Treaty of Versailles was not significant for Germany

and the German people in the short-term, it was actually significant in the long-term.

Comment
The candidate has used the introduction to develop the idea of short and long-term significance
and has set up a counter-argument.

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people because their

military was destroyed. Before the treaty was signed, Germany has this big and powerful

army that threatened the allies, especially France. Therefore, the treaty banned the German

armed forces a lot lower than what they used to have before the war. The army was limited

to 100,000 men. This upset Germans, because 100,000 men were not enough to protect

Germany’s size. Also their army was a symbol of their pride; so 100,000 men did not

resemble enough pride. Conscription was banned, which meant that soldiers were not forced

into the army. Germany was not allowed armoured vehicles, submarines, or aircraft. The

navy was allowed only six battleships. In addition the Rhineland became a demilitarized zone,

meaning German troops were not allowed in to that area. The Rhineland was very

important to Germany because it was the border between Germany and France; and also a

good industrial area. These disarmament terms caused the Germans to be upset, because

Germany was once big and powerful. However, due to the treaty they became less powerful

and not as big. (Walsh 87,89)

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people because of all of

their overseas territories was taken away and some of its land. They lost all of their overseas

colonies; this caused a bad effect to the relationship between Britain and German before the

war had begun. Unfortunately, Germany’s former colonies became mandates. In other

words, the British and French were increasing their empires while Germany was losing land

because they controlled those lost lands. Germany had lost about 10% of its land to other

countries. Alsace-Lorraine was given back to France because it was originally theirs. This was

a big loss because its one of their industrial lands they had. Meaning that mass production

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decreased. The union between Austria and Germany was forbidden, because it would have

made Germany stronger and the other countries didn’t want that. North Schleswig was

given to Denmark due to the results of the plebiscite, or a vote. Upper Silesia was given to

Poland. Germany lost the Saarland to become run by the League of Nations and then a

plebiscite was to be held after fifteen years. Both the Saarland and Upper Silesia were

important industrial areas. West Prussia and Posen were given to Poland as well. The Polish

Corridor, Danzig, was run by the League of Nations, in other words Poland was given a sea

port. It was a major blow to German pride and to its economy for losing half of its territory.

(Walsh 86,89)

Comment
In these sections the candidate has focused on the terms of the Treaty and argued they were
significant because they weakened Germany. They have done well in these sections by keeping
the focus on significance.

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people because of the

short-term effects of politics. They weren’t very satisfied with the new democracy in the

Weimar Republic that was lead by Ebert. The German people turned their fury on Ebert

when he signed the treaty because it wasn’t possible for Germany to go back to war and it

stabbed them in the back. The right-wing, known as the Kapp Putsch, attempted a

revolution against Ebert to establish a totalitarian government. This group was largely made

up of people who had grown up in the days of the Kaiser’s success. Therefore, they liked

having a dictator and his dictatorial style of government. They wanted Germany to expand

its territory and have an empire, because they had been proud of their industry. In March

1920, five thousand Freikorps were lead into Berlin. However, the army refused to fire on

the Freikorps instead the industrial workers of Berlin declared a strike that brought Berlin to

stop with no transport, power or water. The German people felt betrayed by Ebert and the

new government, because the new government was weak. The Munich Putsch in 1923 was

also an effect to Germany. The government was preoccupied with the economic crisis. On

November 8, Hitler hijacked a local government meeting and announced he was taking over

buildings but were hit back by the Weimar government forces. This led to chaos and was a

disaster for Hitler. People did not support him; leading Nazis were arrested and charged with

treason. The treaty was significant, it lead to all these revolutions. (Walsh 140-141, 213)

Comment
Here the candidate has argued the Treaty was significant because of the short-term effects on
German politics. Some description has been used to develop this point.

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The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people because of the

economic short-term effects. Not only did it mean that Germany had to accept blame for

starting the war but also pay reparations to its Allies. In April 1921, the reparations were

set at 6600 million pounds to be paid in annual installments. Germans protested because

this will cause an economic chaos due to their struggle to rebuild themselves after the war.

Unfortunately, their protests were ignored. In 1921, the first installment of 50 million

pounds was paid and nothing in 1922. Ebert tried to negotiate with the Allies for a longer

period of time until the deadline, but it went unsuccessfully especially with France because

they ran out of patience. The French also had to pay war debts to the USA, but they will not

be able to pay if they cannot get the reparations payment from Germany. Legally under the

Treaty of Versailles, the French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr. This was a bad result

for Germany, because the government immediately ordered workers to carry out passive

resistance, go on strike. Unfortunately, the French reacted harshly by killing over one

hundred workers and expelling over 100,000 protestors from the Region. The halt in the

industrial production in Germany’s most important region caused the collapse of the German

currency. This led to hyperinflation in Germany. The government eventually printed money

off since there was a halt in the industrial productions and no money was gained in the

process. At first, the government thought they had done the right thing because they were

able to pay off its debts including the war loans of over 2200 million pounds and all of the

debts for the great industrialists. Unfortunately, this led to a chain reaction. Eventually the

money was worthless and people suffered. A family that could buy a house in 1921 could not

even buy a loaf of bread in 1923. The hyperinflation had done great economical damage to

Germany and the German people. This suggests that the treaty was harsh. (Walsh 142,

143)

Comment
Here the candidate has argued the Treaty was significant because of its short-term economic
effects. Some descriptions have been used to develop this idea.

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the German people because of the

German pride and creation of hatred in the German mind. The war had destroyed much of

the old Germany. The German army that was once proud became defeated. The Weimar

Republic was created to help improve Germany and become the country it was once before

the World War. At first, the Weimar Republic was failing due to the leader Ebert and his

actions. The German people blamed the republic because they were seen as the ‘bad’ people in

history. They felt stabbed in the back sue to Ebert signing the Treaty; they felt humiliated. It

caused economic chaos in Germany. By that time it was clear that Germany needed some

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immediate help and action. In August 1923, Gustav Stresemann took over a new

government. He called off the passive resistance in the Ruhr. He collected all of the worthless

marks and burned them, replacing them with the Rentenmark, which became the new

currency. He was also able to negotiate and receive American loans by the Dawes Plan. He

also renegotiated the reparations payment for Germany. (Walsh 147)

Comment
Here the candidate identifies the significance of the Treaty due to its impact on the reputation of
the Weimar Republic. The focus of the answer drifts towards the end.

According to ‘The Golden Age’ it tells us that the Treaty of Versailles was not significant as

one might think because Germany was able to recover quickly after the war. Gustav

Stresemann was the leading member of every government from 1923 until 1929. He was

also more skillful than Ebert, which meant that he had wider support. With him being able

to sign the Dawes Plan, Germany was able to make reparation payments over a longer period

of time and 800 million marks were loaned to Germany from the USA. By 1927, Germany

was able to recover its industry. By 1928, Germany was able to return to the same levels of

production as it had before the war. Writers and poets flourished, artists produced powerful

painting such as ‘The pillas of Society’. The 1920’s were a golden age for the German

Cinema. Germans were able to do things they could not have done in the past. Such as going

to clubs, and performing songs criticizing political leaders, which would have been banned

during the Kaiser days. The politics became stable and the Republic is also in the process of

settling. Overall, Stresemann was able to sign the Locarno Treaties in 1925. In other words,

not changing Germany’s western borders with France and Belgium. In 1926, Germany was

finally invited into the League of Nations along with the Allies. By the time he died, he was

able to negotiate the Young Plan, which further lightened the reparations and had led to the

removal of British, French and Belgian troops from the Rhineland. The treaty is not

significant because we can see if someone leads the government well, there wouldn’t be as

many problems. (Walsh 146)

Comment
Here there is an attempt to develop some counter-arguments. This is done in a simplistic way in
places. The answer does not explore how far the recovery was built on firm foundations.

The Treaty of Versailles was significant for Germany and the Germany people because of the

long-term affects of the politics and economics. The impact of the Wall Street Crash was

more keenly felt in Germany because they still had to pay reparations under the terms of the

treaty. The treaty was significant because reparations made things worse in Germany during

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the Wall Street crash. Also, due to all the failures in Germany so far, they had no choice but

to start to listen to the Nazis. The Nazis used propaganda to spread out their aims.

Germany hated the Jews and was miserable because of the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore,

the Nazis made sure to point out that they would kick out the treaty and increase

employment. Through the Nazi campaigning, they made posters; pamphlets and rallies that

would say the Jews, Communists, Weimar politicians and the Treaty of Versailles were the

causes of Germany’s problems, bringing energy and enthusiasm. They used social media, such

as radios to make sure they people would vote for Nazis and Hitler. The Nazis promised to

help Germany’s struggling farmers with Communists. They would also talk about restoring

old traditions. (Walsh 153-155)

Comment
Here the candidate attempts to develop some ideas on long-term significance. They have tried to
link the Treaty with economic problems at beginning of 1930s and the rise of Nazis. This writing is
not always convincing. Some points have been made but there are only simplistic links.

In conclusion, the Treaty of Versailles was significant on Germany and the German people

with results of short-terms and long-terms such as German pride and hatred, military,

territory, politics and economics. It led to chaos and disaster in Germany.

Comment
This conclusion is disappointing. It is just assertions of key points.

Word count 1873 words

Bibliography:

Walsh, B. GCSE Modern World History, London: Hodder Education, 2001

Summative Comments
There is an attempt throughout this answer to focus on significance. The answer is relevant and
reasonably well organised although not enough space is left for some aspects.

The candidate has shown good knowledge and understanding of many elements of the topic.
There is evidence the candidate appreciates the reasons for, and results of the Treaty. In places
they are able to explain interrelationships between different factors.

The answer does not just describe or explain the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles but
explains why they mattered. This helps them to make some judgements about significance. There
is evidence of a supported argument and in places the candidate has developed a counter-
argument. These counter-arguments and the attempts to consider long-term significance are not
as strong as the earlier parts of the answer.

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To improve, the candidate could have explored whether the Weimar Republic built on firm
foundations. They need to consider the long-term significance of the Treaty in more depth. The
conclusion is very weak.

Overall, this is an uneven answer with both clear strengths but some weaknesses. However, the
relentless focus on significance justifies a mark in Level 4 towards the lower end.

Level 4, 27 marks

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Candidate 5

Assess the Significance of the Depression for Germany

In this essay I will demonstrate that because of Germany's already weak economy, dependence
on American loans and unstable government the Depression was significant for Germany in
the short term and long term. It resulted in immediate negative effects on many people's
lives, some of which continued. It completely changed the political structure, culture and
society and led to future changes in Germany's leadership and empire.
The Wall Street Crash of October 29th 1929 precipitated a worldwide collapse of share values
and led to the Depression. As a result America called back its loans, including those which it
had provided to Germany, at a time when Germany was still subject to reparations and
recovery following the First World War. This was extraordinarily significant economically to
Germany and by 1931 five major banks closed down and many businesses were going
bankrupt. This resulted in increased unemployment levels (30% by 1932) which in tum
affected the government's ability to pay out benefits. Only 30% of the unemployed people got
the normal state unemployment benefit and 15% got nothing at all. The loss of tax revenue
also forced the government to cut pensions leaving the elderly poorer as they were forced to
rely upon their savings which had lost their value as a result of the stock market crash.

Comment
In the introduction the candidate has identified the short and long term significance of the
Depression. They have also hinted at some social, political and cultural significance.

In the short term, the Depression had a huge effect on the lives of many. Many businesses shut
down because businessmen were faced with raised taxes as the government needed money to
spend on the poor but their income dropped as people had less money to spend. Fanners were
suffering due to falling prices of their produce and their increasing debts and demilitarisation
of Germany meant that young people were unable to find jobs. By 1933 60% of university
graduates couldn't get a job and over 50% of people between the ages of 16 and 30 were
unemployed. Therefore the Depression was significant to many groups of people in the short
term as they were affected negatively, but only by the immediate aftermath of the Wall
Street Crash.

In comparison to other cow1tries worldwide, the Depression was much more significant for
Germany which may have prompted the German people to seek a more extreme leadership.
In France 1 in 7 were unemployed, in Britain it was 1 in 5 and in the USA it was 1 in 4.
However, it was 1 in 3 in Germany. This was due to the fact that it was already weak
economically due to the harsh reparation s. However, during the downturn industrial
production in the US declined by 47%, the GDP fell30% and unemployment reached 20%. The
UK's industrial production fell by 16.2% and France's fell by 31.3%. In Germany the industrial
production declined 41.8%, less than in the US but unemployment reached 30%. However,
even though Germany's economy was already suffering the US recalled its loans to help its

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own recovery. Unfortunately Germany couldn't increase the amount of money printed to help
repay those loans and boost its economy due to legal restrictions imposed on the Reichsbank
in the Dawes and Young plans. The above statistics show that the Depression was more
significant for Germany than for other countries. Germany also suffered because it had
endured hyperinflation in 1923 and the government was terrified of this happening again so
they found it very hard to make decisions which was exacerbated by the fact that the country
was run by a coalition in which the two parties could not agree.

The Depression also effected the social aspects of Germany. There was social unrest as people
lost confidence in the government and turned to extremism. The economic downturn resulted
in severe poverty that left many starving which accompanied a loss of pride and
respectability. This had a short term significance as society changed yet again with the rise of
the Nazis and the following war. However, although the initial societal changes were short
term there continued to be changes following the defeat of Germany in the Second World
War so is therefore also significant for the longer term.

Comment
In these sections there has been an explanation of the short-term economic significance of the
Depression with some links to political significance. These sections have been well supported with
evidence. The candidate explained why the Depression was more significant for Germany than
other countries.

The economic and social instability also resulted in political changes within Germany as people
turned from the democratic Weimar government towards extremist parties like the Nazi
Party and the Communist Party who knew how to appeal to people and use the situation to
their advantage. By July 1932 the Nazi Party had 230 seats in the Reichstag and was
therefore the largest party in Germany. From 1928 to 1933 there were four different
Chancellors resulting in political instability. Firstly, Brüning recognised the impact of the
Depression on Germany and sought to alleviate the reparations by abolishing the Treaty of
Versailles. He resigned when his attempts failed ru1d was followed by von Papen who also
recognised the need for significant change. However, his proposal to abolish the Weimar
Constitution was unfavourable with Hindenburg whose political career had succeeded under
the Weimar Republic. As a result, von Papen was replaced by Schleicher who was removed
when Hitler and von Papen, having formed an alliance, warned Hindenburg that, as
Chancellor, Schleicher would lead to a Communist takeover. As a result, President Hindenburg
appointed Hitler as Chancellor and von Papen as Vice-Chancellor. During this period there
were a number of occasions when the Reichstag was dissolved and new elections were held in
the hopes that the Nazis would lose favour. Throughout this time of political intrigue people
started getting tired of all the elections so less people were voting and people lost confidence
in the government. The significant impact of the Depression on the German political system
resulted in the downfall of the democratic Weimar Republic and the rise of' the Nazi

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dictatorship which was enforced by the Enabling Act and the use of Article 48 in which the
President could rule by decree.

Comment
This section develops some explanation of the short-term social significance of the Depression.

The Depression was a turning point for Germany in that it was a complete change from what
came before. Before the depression, Germany was a democracy run by the Weimar
government. However, the Depression gave the Nazis a stand and allowed them to come into
power, which meant that Germany became a dictatorship. This dramatic change in
government changed the culture, the leadership and the lives of the people. This was
significant across time because Germany is different even now to what it would have been if
the Wall Street Crash had not happened. In the short term it was significant because the
Nazis effected the culture. They used extreme propaganda that extended into festivals, movies,
art and education to indoctrinate people and to censor production.

When the Nazis first came to power they managed to strengthen the economy so that it
recovered by 1935. They led German labour programmes and built Autobahns which
employed 400,000 people, both directly and indirectly. The Nazis also started to rearm
Germany so the working class were recruited into the army and into factories where they
had better working conditions due to the Ge1man Labour Front (DAF) created by the Nazis.
The German Labour Front replaced trade unions and was supposed to allow workers and
owners to mutually represent their interests and meant that wages were set by the German
Labour Front trustees. It essentially combated capitalism, liberalism, but also revolution
against the factory owners and the national socialist state. This was very significant for the
working and upper classes for the duration of the Nazi regime as it increased the Nazis
control of them and changed the policies of companies. This control over the people was a
significant contributor to the Nazi Party's ability to lead Germany into a war which changed
many important aspects of people lives throughout Europe. So the Depression was significant
in that it led to the Nazis rising, changing Germany and leading them to a war which
involved many countries.

However, with the rise of the Nazi Patty Jewish businessmen were persecuted, farmers had
controlled production so had smaller income and the elderly were forced into euthanasia
programmes. It can therefore be said that the Depression was more significant for people in
rural areas because those in indust1y were supported by the Nazis in order for them to
support their rise to power. The Hitler Youth organisations indoctrinated young people and
meant they had a lack of proper education. The indoctrination of the youth was significant in
the long term because after the war they had to be re-educated.

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Comment
The candidate has explained the political significance of the Depression well. There is good and
appropriate use of the idea of a turning point. They have been able to explain the longer-term
significance of the Depression under the Nazi regime.

Politically, the Depression had different long and short term effects as it continued to effect
the political situation in the country after the war when Germany was being reorganised .
Germany was divided into four zones that were controlled by either Britain, France, the US
or the USSR. This would have dramatically changed the lives for the people in terms of their
culture and society as there was a significant difference between what came to be known as
East Germany controlled by the USSR and West Germany which was formed when the
British, French and American zones were merged. This was very significant as it was a
complete change in running both East and West Germany and would have damaged it
economically as its military was dismantled and significant places like ports were destroyed to
prevent future wars. Germany had not only lost its empire, become a divided nation and lost
much of its land but yet again it was faced with the devastation and cost of war.
There have been many movies and documentaries made and many books written about the
Depression and the Nazis. Therefore the Depression must have been significant in the long
term because we still talk about its effects today.

Comment
Here they have attempted to explain the significance of the Depression by examining how it is
still remembered and studied today. This concept could have been better developed.

It can be argued that the Depression in Germany was not due just to the Wall Street Crash.
It already had a weak economy and the people had a lack of confidence throughout the
world. The lack of confidence in the world led to the growth of protectionism (restricting
imports) and a decline in world trade. Germany relied a lot on exporting and importing
goods and suffered greatly when this stopped. Businesses therefore cut back production which
was only enhanced by the Wall Street Crash and this led to the vicious cycle of
unemployment, poverty, less demand, lower prices and lower wages. President Hindenburg
was 85 by the time Hitler was appointed Chancellor so was no longer the strong President
Germany needed. This may also have contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic. The
death of Stresemann may have as well because he had spent years leading the German
recovery after 1923 but he died before the Wall Street Crash when his experience could have
benefited Germany's ability to respond more effectively to the Depression.

Comment
This section has not contributed to an assessment of the significance of the Depression.

In conclusion, I think the Depression was extraordinarily significant for Germany in the short
and long term. The Wall Street Crash occurred at a time when Germany had a weak
economy and political instability driven by reparations, fear of hyperinflation and an old

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President who was too weak to enforce changes that should have been made to lead the
German recovery. The Wall Street Crash led to immediate political, economic and societal
changes like unemployment and political intrigue. In the long term there was the rise of
political extremism that led to war and yet more changes that continued after Germany's
defeat leading to the creation of East and West Germany. Although Germany has now
reformed as a single democratic state the effects of the Depression today through neo-Nazis
and the fear of another war.

Comment
The conclusion sums up main points well with a clear summary of the significance of the
Depression.

Word count 1924

Summative comments
This is a very good answer. There is a clear focus on significance all the way through.

The candidate has shown good knowledge and understanding which they have deployed
effectively to assess significance. The candidate has clearly has a good understanding of the
concept of significance.

The candidate has been able to include short and long term effects of the Depression as well as
considering a turning point in the German economic recovery.

A range of criteria has been used to assess the significance of the Depression, e.g. economic,
social and political. The answer is consistently analytical and a clear argument runs through the
whole answer and the conclusion is consistent with this.

The candidate has shown a good understanding of the causes, consequences, change over time
and interrelationships involved in the Depression. The candidate could have spent more time
assessing significance rather than just explaining it. One approach would have been to explore
whether some of the developments in Germany in the 1930s would have happened without the
Depression.

Level 5, 37 marks

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Candidate 6

How significant was propaganda in Germany from 1933 to 1945?

Propaganda is a form of advertising used to promote a political cause or point of view to a

large group of people in order to persuade them to believe your opinion. It was a crucial

instrument to the Nazi party in the years leading up to and during Hitler's leadership of

Germany as it allowed their ideologies to be implemented into the minds of Germany's people

and thus secure their support towards the regime. There were many forms of propaganda

delivered; from films and art to newspapers and the radio. With complete support, the Nazis

would be more likely to be successful in acquiring unabridged control and maintenance of

power. However, there is contradiction in apropos to how significant the methods used were

in developing and maintaining attitudes amongst different groups of people.

Comment
In the introduction the candidate has defined the role of propaganda and started to suggest
whether or not this was significant.

Hitler used a form of propaganda to turn the young people of Germany into loyal Nazis. They

did this by controlling all the influences on a young person: their school, social experiences and

families. The minds and bodies of young people were to be shaped to the Nazi cause and thus

came the formation of the 'Nazi curriculum.' Certain subjects were an opportunity to

indoctrinate young people; Biology explained Nazi ideas on race and population control,

German taught pupils to be conscious of their national identity whilst History focused on the

rise of the Nazi Party, the injustice of the Treaty of Versailles and the corruptness of

Communism and the Jews.

This strict highly controlled regime made sure that a young person's first loyalty would be to

Adolf Hitler by encouraging a Nazi-influenced environment and emphasising its normality. It

was expected for this sense of Hitler loyalty to be carried through to Adulthood, as a

consequence, when Adults, they would support, be loyal to and agree with Hitler and his Nazi

policies. Arguably, this was a much better technique in securing the support of German people

as youngsters would grow up thinking Nazi beliefs were conventional in contrast to their

elders. It was common for a child to feel lightly estranged from their parents as even though

they were bombarded with propaganda from newspapers and films to literature and even

architecture many adults were not as keen on Nazi ideology. An example of this would be in

1.937 when Hitler's approved German Art exhibition was not as popular as the 'Degenerate

Art’ exhibition which attracted five times as many visitors.

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To control younger people's social activities, Nazis formed the Hitler Youth in the 1920s and

by 1936 it become almost impossible to not join. Even though Hitler's personal support

remained high throughout the 1920-30s, in the early 1940s, teenagers of Hitler Youth who

were fed up with being policed by people who were hardly any older than they were. This

lessened the attraction towards the organisation, thus many became actively interested in

opposition groups such as the 'Swing Youth.' Youths listened to black jazz, met in nightclubs

and Jews were accepted. This caused huge outrage and some were harshly punished. This

suggests that even though the Nazis did a good job in developing their ideas into the minds of

young people, they weren't as good as maintaining their popularity as many were willing to

rebel despite knowing the risks.

Comment
In these sections the candidate has focused on young people and explained how propaganda was
used to indoctrinate them and why this was important. The use of the Hitler Youth as propaganda
is marginal but just about valid. Youth opposition groups are used to question the effectiveness of
Nazi attempts to indoctrinate the young. The answer was assessing success rather than assessing
significance. The word 'significant' has not yet been used in the answer.

The Hitler Myth was a carefully a heedfully cultivated image that portrayed Hitler to be a

'charismatic superman' and a 'man of the people.' Even people who didn't like Nazi policies

respected Hitler as they considered him to be a brillaint leader. This was a form of

propaganda as the Nazi party attempted to glamourise Hitler so that the people trusted him

to be wonderful man who would do them justice. As a result, they would be more likely to

support his party and his policies. The veritable propaganda slogan: ein Volk, ein Reich, ein

Fuhrer ('One People, One Nation, One Leader') supported this idea. It is believed that by the
late 1930s, an estimated ninety per cent of the population admired

Hitler. This is because he and his party satisfied the people's emotional need for a strong

government that had already successfully reinforced traditional values, an authoritative

leadership, introduced economic recovery and had made the people feel like a great power

again after the humiliation of World War One.

Comment
Here the candidate has focused on the Hitler Myth. The effectiveness of this is assessed but fails
to focus on its significance.

Although the Hitler myth was an effective way to gain support, the technique had its flaws.

Hitler soon became the victim of his own myth as he believed he was unerring hence, he

moved away from being an artful, opportunistic politician. Ergo, this resulted in major

military failures such as the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 led to declining

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credence in the myth. This decline prompted a decline in Hitler's supporters too. However,

this is arguable as Hitler was still widely respected even as Germany was losing the war in

1944. Another fault included the fact that only a small minority rejected the Myth as many

Germans were too terrified to voice their honest opinion about the Nazi party. This is owing

to the fact that Germany soon became a place were any criticism towards the government or

Nazi party made you unsafe and likely to be punished. Therefore, it is difficult to ever know

the true viewpoint of the German people as many were unlikely to be candid, however, the

myth did seem to be a principle that was widely believed.

The Nazis exploited a variety of anti-Semitic myths to produce propaganda that promoted

the idea of a 'master race' by marginating, belittling and thus humiliating the Jews. Mocking

signs that read phrases such as 'Jews strictly forbidden to enter this town', 'Don't buy from

the Jew' and ‘Jews enter this place at their own risk' were common across the country. They

encouraged the maltreatment of Jews. Films and newspapers in particular played an

important role in disseminating anti-Semitism. Nazi films portrayed Jews as 'subhuman'

creatures invading Aryan society. For example, The Eternal Jew (1940), depicted Jews as

wandering cultural parasites, consumed by sex and money. Newspapers such as Der Stürmer

(The Attacker), printed anti-Semitic caricatures cartoons to delineate Jews.

At the time of Hitler's rise to power, Germany was experiencing great economic hardship;

Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat, blaming them for the disintegration of German society.

For this reason, the party found many willing adherents as they wanted the Jews to suffer in

the same way they did. Gestapo reports claimed that anti-Semitic exhibits, films, theatre

shows etc. helped to promote a sharp rise in anti-Semitic feelings, and in some cases violence

against the Jewish community. Increased support towards Nazi policies resulted in increased

support towards the party itself- making this a very successful technique in gaining

popularity.

Comment
Here the candidate has assessed the effectiveness of Nazi anti-semitic propaganda. Again the
answer has failed to focus on the significance of this.

There were cases of resistance towards anti-Semitic policies. Many Germans and other non-

Jews helped Jews by hiding them and smuggling them out of German territory. For instance,

German industrialist Oskar Schindler protected and saved the lives of 1,200 Jews by

employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories. Patently, high-profile

individuals like Schindler were rare and the most successful resisters were successful because

the kept low-profiles and were consequently discovered by neither the Nazis then nor

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historians today. As a result, it is difficult to know how many were prepared to oppose the

Nazis, nevertheless, people did. For this reason, the use of propaganda may not as been

effective in this case as many people (even if they felt strongly about the mistreat of the

Jewish people), did not disclose their true feelings and were too scared to disobey the Nazis by

helping Jews in case they got into trouble themselves.

Women were also targets of propaganda. The Nazis had very strong views about the place of

women in society believing that they should maintain a traditional role of being a wife and

mother by observing the three Ks - Kinder, Kirche und Kuche. Employment opportunities for

women declined in the early 1930s; during the election campaign in 1932, Hitler promised

that if he gained power he would take 800,000 women out of employment within four years.

Doctors, Lawyers and teachers were sacked from their jobs and by 1939 very few women

were left in professional jobs.

However, he soon became alarmed by the shortage of workers (particularly in years of war)

and woman became pressured to work. With women working, birth rates began to decline.

As a result, women were actively persuaded to have children by avoiding contraception.

Tempting financial incentives of up to 1000 marks were offered to married Aryan couples

who had at least four children. A ‘Gold, Silver or Bronze Cross' was awarded for having eight,

six or four children (respectively) and every August, the prestigious Motherhood Cross was

given to the woman who had the most children that year - women were even given

privileged seats at Nazi meetings. These rewards encouraged women to have children as it

increased their respectability and obeying policies was a symbol of their commitment of

loyalty to the Nazi party. Posters, radio broadcast and newsreels further celebrated the ideas

of motherhood, homebuilding and emphasised family life, making propaganda a huge success.

The German Maidens' League reinforced Nazi ideas and the rate hence increased by thirty-

three percent from 1933 to 1939.

This is a successful outcome of the use of propaganda as many women were willing to heed

Hitler and agreed with his opinion of women, thus the party received support as many

believed that Hitler was acting in the best interest of them and the country. The rise in birth

rate is evidence of the Propaganda's success- showing that the Nazi party were triumphant in

developing the attitudes they wanted.

Although an increase in the birth rate was clear evidence for the effectiveness of propaganda

to bring about change, women were not scared to oppose the Nazis' due to Hitler's outspoken

anti-feminism ideas. Many did so by joining illegal opposition (usually left-wing) political

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parties and developing anti-fascist beliefs. For example, Sophie Scholl organised the resistance

group: 'White Rose'. In one illegally printed pamphlet, she wrote 'Every word that comes from

Hitler's mouth is a lie'. In consequence, the twenty-two year old was sentenced to death and

was beheaded by the guillotine. Forms of resistance were common and eventually so many

occurred that female-only concentration camps were opened in Moringen and Ravensburck.

This shows that propaganda such as promoting family life and being a Mother and Wife was

not appealing to all German women and they refused to be treated like second-class citizens

who could were being dictated.

Comment
The answer in these sections has focused on assessing the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda
towards women. Like other parts of this answer this has not been developed to assess the
significance of this. The importance of the success or failure of Nazi propaganda should have been
assessed

To conclude, propaganda was certainly a significant factor in promoting and spreading Nazi

messages. However, to what extent it worked and if it managed to secure popularity is

arguable. Terror was an incredibly successful technique used by the Nazi party that allowed

them to increase the chances of control and power. On the flipside, as historians today, with

regards to the extent it guaranteed/maintained support and popularity throughout the

period is debatable as many were too scared to announce their true opinions due to the harsh

punishments they would be likely to suffer; thus it is difficult to judge.

Word count 1925

Bibliography:

• Brooman, Josh. Hitler's Germany- Germany 1933-45.

Pages 8-9, 18-19

• Lacey, Greg & Shephard, Keith. Germany 1918-1945 a study in depth.

Pages 112-117, 120,134

• Walsh, Ben. Cambridge IGCSE Modern World History Option B: The 20th Century

Pages 256-260, 268

• Kelly, Nigel & Lacey, Greg. Core Modern World History for OCR spec 1937

Page 123

• Hite, John. Weimar and Nazi Germany.

Page 185

• www.bl.ukjlearning/histcitizen/voices/info/antisemitism/antisemitism

• www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/women

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• www.spartacus-educational.com/GERwomen

• www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schinldler

Summative comments
The candidate begins by mentioning that Nazi propaganda was significant because it promoted
and spread Nazi messages. They go on to say that terror was possibly more important in
increasing Nazi control and power. Terror has hardly been mentioned before. It could have been
used as a counter-argument to the significance of propaganda but this has not been attempted.

The conclusion is as much about assessing success as assessing significance. This answer fails
to develop this focus and significance is implied but never directly assessed. For the candidate
success and significance seem to be the same thing. However, what needed to be assessed was
the significance of the successes and failures of Nazi propaganda - why did these matter?

The answer demonstrates a wide knowledge of different forms of propaganda and some
understanding of key features. There is some understanding of interrelationships and there are
well-supported arguments. However, all of this has not been used to focus on or assess
significance.

A good understanding of significance has not been demonstrated and in that regard the question
has not been directly answered. There are some aspects of a Level 4 performance but the failure
to focus on significance brings the answer into Level 3.

Level 3, 24 marks

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Appendix 2: Ideas for teaching ‘significance’

These activities do not necessarily have to be used exactly as they are. They do not all cover content relevant
to Cambridge IGCSE History. However, they can be adapted to be used with other content examples.

Activity A: Great people

Lists like the 100 ‘Greatest Britons’ list could be used. For example, the top ten on the list could be looked at
with candidates researching some of them online (where the rest of the list can also be found). Candidates
could use criteria to discuss how far they agree with the list. Other countries have produced similar lists
(several can be found online).

These could be compared with the ‘Great Britons’ list. There is also a 100 ‘Worst Britons’ list online.

Issues for discussion:

Are the individuals significant in different ways?

How far does the list reflect when the poll was taken? Would a different list have been produced e.g. 100
years ago?

What changes would the candidates make to the list?

How do lists from other countries differ – more women, different types of people?

If candidates could add events, ideas and sites to the list, which ones would they choose? Are individuals
more important than events, ideas or sites?

From 100 Greatest Britons published by the BBC in 2002

Sir Winston Churchill, (1874–1965), statesman and orator, Prime Minister during Second World War and
winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, (1806–1859), engineer, creator of Great Western Railway and other significant
works

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), first wife of HRH Charles, Prince of Wales (1981– 1996) and mother
of Princes William and Harry of Wales

Charles Darwin (1809–1882), naturalist, originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection and
author of On the Origin of Species

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and playwright, thought of by many as the greatest of all
writers in the English language

Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727), physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher and alchemist,
regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science

Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603), Monarch, (reigned 1558–1603)

John Lennon (1940–1980), musician with The Beatles, philanthropist, peace activist, artist Vice Admiral
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), naval commander
Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), Lord Protector

The Greatest American, 2005

Ronald Reagan – 24%
Abraham Lincoln – 23.5%
Martin Luther King, Jr. – 19.7%
George Washington – 17.7%
Benjamin Franklin – 14.9%
George W. Bush
Bill Clinton

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Elvis Presley
Oprah Winfrey
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Billy Graham
Thomas Jefferson
Walt Disney
Albert Einstein
Thomas Alva Edison
John F. Kennedy
Bob Hope
Bill Gates
Eleanor Roosevelt
Lance Armstrong
Muhammad Ali
Rosa Parks
The Wright Brothers
Henry Ford
Neil Armstrong

Activity B: Minor and great events?

To get your learners to understand the historical significance of events, ideas and actions, ask them to
compare seemingly minor and great events and consider if they are equally important to history. Here’s an
example.
(a) At Stalybridge in 1850, a seller of gingerbread was deliberately kicked to death as a result of some
petty dispute.
(b) At Sarajevo in 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by a Serbian
nationalist, Gavrilo Princip.

Two individuals were killed. Both had their lives cut short and were mourned by friends and family. Are they
equally important to history?

The Boston Tea Party (1773) and Peterloo (1819) massacres involved the deaths of very few people.

Why should they be considered relevant topics for study?

Activity C: Using past learning

Introductory exercises can be usefully based on textbooks. The indexes or contents of such books can be
examined. You might ask your learners the following:
• which individual, events or ideas are mentioned most often?
• does this vary from book to book?
• are there important people, events or ideas missing?
• how much attention is paid to (for example) scientific ideas?

Other tasks you might set your learners, to give them experience in justifying and defending their choices,
could take the form of the following questions.

(a) Reviewing a period you have studied, choose the four most significant events in the unit you have
just covered.

Or

(b) From the following list, choose the four events that you think were most significant and give reasons
for your choices.

• The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

• The First World War
• The Treaty of Versailles
• The Munich Putsch
• The World Depression
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact

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• The American entry into the Second World War

• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The uprising in Hungary in 1956
• The fall of the Berlin Wall

Activity D: Explanation cards

Another method of explaining why an event is historically significant is to use a list or set of cards for group
work from which learners have to choose the three best explanations of significance. This could include
some ‘dummies’ (or less likely explanations). Learners have to select the more likely explanations from the
list and be able to explain their choices.

Why was the Great Fire of London a significant event in history?

(a) More hygienic housing meant that London never suffered a Plague again. Lessons were learned for
other towns and cities.
(b) People learned how to make better use of their natural resources. The Fleet River was less polluted
and water was used more effectively for fire-fighting.
(c) It showed the need for a proper fire brigade and also for house insurance schemes.
(d) 51 new churches were built, many by the architect Christopher Wren, including a new St Paul’s built
between 1675 and 1710.
(e) The newly built London was better placed for its role as a commercial centre with the growth of
banking and trade.
(f) More permanent buildings were erected, showing the value of red brick and stone replacing the old
timber buildings. These had better fire-proofing.
(g) Wren had plans to create a planned city with wide streets and more elegant buildings, but these
were not to be as the need for rapid rehousing meant that the old street system was retained.
London missed a great opportunity to build a modern new city. Had they followed Wren’s plans,
there might have been fewer traffic problems today. Note the lack of vision and the effect of
individual self-interest which hampered progress.
(h) Through the primary evidence of the time, such as Pepys’ diary, we can learn about how people
organised themselves in a crisis.
(i) Catholics were accused of starting it. This showed how rumour and false information can be used by
propagandists for a particular cause. This tells us a lot about the society and politics at the time.

Why is the study of the slave trade important?

(a) It explains how black people came to live on the American Continent.
(b) It explains how cotton was produced cheaply for the new machines and factories
(c) It helps us make our own minds up about what we think of slavery.
(d) It helps us to understand why there was a civil war in the USA.
(e) It shows how money from the slave trade created most of Liverpool’s banks, which provided loans
for the development of railways, mines and factories.
(f) It helps us to understand what motivated people like the abolitionists worked to bring an end to the
slave trade and then slavery itself.
(g) It makes us think about how black people were treated and how the traders and slave owners tried
to justify what they did.
(h) It helps us to understand how public opinion can be used to bring about change – use of pamphlets,
poems, pottery, petitions, public meetings and speeches.
(i) It helps us to understand the role of the Evangelical movement, the Quakers and the humanitarian
movements of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
(j) It helps us to understand how people could make a lot of money by using a cheap labour force
bound by law not to run away (slaves and mill apprentices).
(k) It helps to explain the background to the Civil Rights movement in the USA and the underprivileged
position of black people in America and Europe.
(l) It helps us to understand further words such as freedom, liberty, profit, cheap labour,
humanitarianism. Why was the Black Death an important even in history?

Task 1: Study each of the eight explanations carefully and then place each one into the following
five categories.

Categories
(i) Explanation of other events in history.
(ii) Understanding historical vocabulary.
(iii) Helping us to decide what we think is right and wrong.

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(iv) Understanding how and why people did what they did.
(v) Understanding the meaning of evidence.

Explanations
(1) It helped to bring about the end of the Feudal System.
(2) It led to the decline of the monasteries – monks were particularly hard hit – easier to take away their
lands.
(3) It encouraged increased criticism of some people in the church (though not of its teachings) as it
was difficult to replace educated priests.
(4) It led to disputes of lands which increased the quarrels between the barons themselves and also the
King and reduced his control and respect in which he was held.
(5) It shows how people’s explanations of the causes of events are affected by the ideas, beliefs and the
knowledge of that time.
(6) It showed the extent of trade routes in the fourteenth century.
(7) It led to many deserted villages, the extent of which has only been discovered since the use of aerial
photography.
(8) It showed the contribution of economic factors to changes in history: e.g. wages rise if there are
fewer workers; prices rise if fewer goods are available.

Task 2: Which three of the above five categories do you think are the most important?

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