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At the heart of a response should be a focus on change or continuity for the Political Nation which should involve an understanding of ‘before’ and ‘after’.
To achieve Level 4 students should then consider how significant this event or moment was using relevant Significance criteria.
This question does not require balance for and against. It is very unlikely the exam question will however pick an event that is totally insignificant!
practice Questions (14 Marks) 18 Minutes
practice Questions (14 Marks) 18 Minutes
How significant was the death of Edward the Confessor?
How significant was the Norman Conquest
How significant was the Magna Carta?
How significant was the emergence of Parliament in the 1260s?
How significant was the deposition of Richard II?
How significant were the Wars of the Roses?
How significant was Parliament under Tudor Monarchs?
How significant was the Act of Supremacy? (do after teaching Paper 3B)
How significant was the Civil War?
How significant was execution of Charles I?
How significant was the Glorious Revolution?
How significant were the Reform Acts of the 19th century?
How significant was the Representation of the People Act 1918?
How significant were protest movements in the 19th and early 20th centuries?
How significant was state power for British people between 1914-80?
How significant was WWII for power in Britain?
How significant were challenges to Parliamentary power after 1980?
Example : Explain the significance of the 1832 Reform Act (14 Marks)
Example : Explain the significance of the 1832 Reform Act (14 Marks)
Lots of students wrote details they'd revised about the 1832 Reform Act without explaining what it changed or didn't change! This prevented them from getting above Level 2 (6/14). For instance some students wrote about it removing Rotten Boroughs but didn't explain what these were or who were given constituencies instead (industrial cities).
Level 3 requires students to consider the changes and/or continuities of the event. This requires discussing the electoral system 'before' and 'after' the 1832 Reform Act
For Level 4, you need to consider the signfiicance of these changes. Ways of doing this include:
explain how the act represented a turning point / had long term consequences for the political nation.
or explain how the act was not significant due to its limited spread for the population - using details of later parliamentary reforms which demonstrated their relative importance.
Typical extract from Level 2 (4-6) Response
The 1832 Reform Act removed rotten boroughs.
Typical extract from Level 3 (7-10) Response
The 1832 Reform Act removed rotten boroughs, and redistributed these seats in Parliament to industrial cities like Manchester.
Typical extract from Level 4 (11-14) Response
The 1832 Reform Act removed rotten boroughs, and redistributed these seats in Parliament to industrial cities like Manchester. This was a turning point in the Political Nation as in the long term the industrialists and middle classes gained influence at the expense of the old aristocracy who had controlled the 'rotten boroughs'.
Example Answer : Explain the significance of the 1832 Reform Act (14 Marks)
Example Answer : Explain the significance of the 1832 Reform Act (14 Marks)
Examiner Report : The second paragraph of this candidate’s response is a helpful one, as the candidate constructs an explanation based around the significance of the Act as a precedent for further reform. It shows an awareness of longer-term change that occurred as a result of the 1832 Act, and so of its significance. This is reflective of a Level 4 response
Criteria for significance - What does that mean?
Criteria for significance - What does that mean?
This can vary depending on the event in question. However some of the questions below could be worth considering when looking for criteria of significance to push yourself into Level 4!
What impact(s) did it have for the Political Nation? Did it introduce new people into the PN or change the distribution of power within it?
Did it change the way people thought about the Political Nation / Legitimacy?
How many people were affected and how?
Did it affect everyone in the same way?
Were the effects local, national, international?
Were the effects short term or long lasting for the Political Nation?
Did it lead to other important events or changes in the Political Nation?
Is it still significant today for the Political Nation?
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