Time Separation for Attempting Paper 1

Section A

The questions in Paper 1 Section A are split into four parts: (a), (b) (c) and (d). You must answer all parts of the question in Section A.

Part (a)	Part (b)	Part (c)	Part (d)
worth 3 marks asks you to find answers from the sources.	worth 5 marks asks you to make suggestions about the events, using the sources.	worth 7 marks asks you to explain why a specific event or factor happened or why it was important.	worth 10 marks asks you to provide a balanced argument and conclusion about historical events or factors.
5 Minutes	5 Minutes	10 Minutes	15 Minutes
Don’t be tempted to re-write the source, or to tell the examiner everything you know about the events.		Explain why, don’t just describe. For example, if you were asked: ‘Why were the British able to take control of India by 1850?’ You would need to show some detailed knowledge of several factors, linking these together into a chain of causation.	Explain your judgements by comparing the factor in the question against other factors from your own knowledge to give a balanced explanation. These questions typically ask for your judgements using questions like: “Was the work of the Christian missionaries the most important reason why the Indians opposed British attempts to westernise them between 1750 and 1850? Explain your answer.”

Section B

All the questions in Paper 1 Section B are in the form of structured essays and are split into three parts: (a), (b) and (c). You need to choose 2 questions to answer and should spend a total of 25 minutes on each question in this section. A suggested breakdown of how long to spend on each part of the questions is included below.

Part (a)	Part (b)	Part (c)
worth 4 marks ask you to describe historical events, themes or aspects of history using details and knowledge.	worth 7 marks ask you to explain why a specific event or factor happened or why it was important.	worth 14 marks ask you to provide a balanced argument and conclusion about historical events or factors.
5 Minutes	7 – 8 Minutes	12 – 13 Minutes
Give precise and accurate details from your own knowledge. Give examples. Avoid generalised statements.	Explain why, don’t just describe. For example, if you were asked: ‘Why was Urdu chosen as the national language in Pakistan in 1947?’ you would need to explain why Urdu was important to ALL Pakistanis.	Explain your judgements by comparing the factor in the question against other factors from your own knowledge to give a balanced explanation. These questions typically ask for your judgements using questions like: ‘Was the attempt to achieve a better understanding with the British the most important contribution that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan made to the Muslim cause during the nineteenth century? Explain your answer.”