1. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Answering the ‘Evaluation
of an interpretation’
question
Hodder Education Revision Lessons
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2. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Principles
The class joker rushes in and tells you a spaceship
has landed on the playground.
Do you rush out to see it?
Why not?
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3. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Principles
Of course you didn’t go out, because of:
1. The message’s content
Spaceships? It’s impossible.
2. The message’s provenance
He’s the class joker – it’s a wind-up.
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4. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
You answer the ‘Interpretation’ question
in much the same way!
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5. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
The ‘Evaluation of an interpretation’ question will
give you a quotation – like this:
Source B
From a speech made by a German Deputy in the
Reichstag in 1919
The criminal madness of this peace … is
inflicting the deepest wounds on us Germans
as our world lies in wreckage about us.
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6. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Then it will ask you to evaluate the interpretation,
for example:
‘Source B claims that the Treaty of Versailles
inflicted “the deepest wounds” on Germany.
Do you agree that the Treaty ruined
Germany?’
Note that – unlike other questions – this question is as
much about evaluating the source, as about answering the
specific question in the second sentence.
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7. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
The mark scheme requires you to address two
issues to earn the 6 marks for this question:
• How true is the content?
• How reliable is the provenance?
Note that the number of marks you get depends on how
fully you explain your ideas, and prove them with facts!
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8. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
You are advised to spend
10 minutes maximum
on this question.
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9. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
So, let’s begin with the CONTENT …
Did the Treaty inflict ‘the deepest wounds’ on Germany?
What kinds of ideas and facts
might you mention here?
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10. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
So, let’s begin with the CONTENT …
Did the Treaty inflict ‘the deepest wounds’ on Germany?
LOTS of stuff to suggest that the Treaty WAS
really harsh:
Territorial losses; Anschluss forbidden; military
restrictions; Article 231; reparations; diktat .
YET some things suggest that it wasn’t quite
so bad – not the deepEST wounds:
The French didn’t think it was harsh enough;
reparations were less than British war debt.
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11. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
So, let’s begin with the CONTENT …
Did the Treaty inflict ‘the deepest wounds’ on Germany?
Write your first paragraph, remembering
that the number of marks you get depends
on how fully you explain your ideas, and
prove them with facts.
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12. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
And now let’s go on to the PROVENANCE …
How reliable might a German Deputy speaking in 1919 be?
What kinds of ideas and facts
might you mention here?
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13. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
And now let’s go on to the PROVENANCE …
How reliable might a German Deputy speaking in 1919 be?
LOTS of stuff to suggest that he would be really
UNreliable:
Probably biased – all Germans HATED the Treaty and
saw it as unfair/trying to destroy Germany;
Dolchstosslegende .
YET some things suggest he can be trusted:
He was speaking at the time (1919), and reflecting the
opinion of all Germans. British politicians Harold
Nicholson and J.M. Keynes also agreed that the Treaty
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14. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
And now let’s go on to the PROVENANCE …
How reliable might a German Deputy speaking in 1919 be?
Write your second paragraph, remembering
that the number of marks you get depends
on how fully you explain your ideas, and
prove them with facts.
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15. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Conclusion
Finally, write a brief paragraph summarising
whether, overall, you agree with the
interpretation or not.
What is the ‘telling point’ – explain why.
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16. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 1 Part 2 Lesson 1
Peer-assess each other’s essays. Have they:
• written a section explaining (including facts)
whether the source’s content seems reliable?
• written a section explaining (including facts)
whether the source’s provenance is reliable?
• finished with a conclusion, giving and explaining a
‘telling point’?
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