This document provides a guide for answering questions on a GCSE History exam about medicine. It outlines: 1) Different types of questions and the historical thinking skills they aim to assess such as making inferences, identifying factors and changes, explaining causes and consequences. 2) Key phrases in the questions that indicate what is being asked and what students should include in their responses such as staying focused on the specific question and providing accurate details and explanations. 3) Examples of what a high-scoring response might look like by comparing sources to make an inference about changes in diagnosis over time.

1. GCSE History – question technique guide Unit 1 (medicine)
Question Ability being tested Key question phrases What pupils need to do Example from Edexcel for A grade
number
1 Being able to infer “What can you tell from this • Make an inference about the Sources A and B show that doctors have
become more scientific and thorough in the
from sources. source/these sources subject and explain how the details way they diagnose a person’s health. Source A
about…?” of the source helped them make shows that in the 20th century, doctors would
that inference perform a range of tests (urine sample, blood
sample, heart monitoring and x-ray) and check
• The two sources will require the the results against official levels. Source B
student to infer about change and shows that medieval doctors performed just one
test – the colour of a patient’s urine – which
continuity. was open to interpretation and likely to lead to
inaccurate conclusions. So the sources show
that diagnosis has become a lot more thorough
and scientific.
2/3/4 Picking out key “What factors…” • Answer the question clearly and One reason why Galen’s ideas were still being
used in the treatments of disease in medieval
features, explaining “Explain why…” stay focused on exactly what has times was that medical training was controlled
causes, explaining “Explain how…” been asked by the Church. The Church approved of Galen
consequences, “How far…” because his ideas fit in with their religious
• Give accurate details about the ideas about a single creator God. Since the
judging change, topic Church controlled education, they could ensure
judging continuity. • Give explanations and that doctors only studied Galen and only used
his treatments. Another reason would be that
commentaries of their ideas the Church limited dissections in medical
training which meant people were unable to
challenge Galen’s conclusions by proving him
wrong…
6a Describe, explain “What factors…” • Answer the question clearly and One key advance that had been made in
medieval public health was in the area of
on public health “What developments…” stay focused on exactly what has sewage disposal. Towns organised open
1350-2000 “Describe…” been asked sewers that took people’s waste to the rivers
and dug cess pits and latrines. Streets had
• Give accurate details about the gutters for waste and rakers were organised to
topic pick up dirt from the streets. In London, laws
• Give explanations and existed to enable local authorities to fine people
for dropping litter. In these ways, medieval
commentaries of their ideas people were beginning to think harder about
keeping their environments clean.

2. 6b Analysis of a “Why…” • Structure answer appropriately Edwin Chadwick wrote a report about the
living conditions of the poor in the industrial
statement and “How far…” • Clearly answer question by towns in 1842. He said that crowded housing
judgement about it “How important…” weighing up or assessing relative with poor sewage arrangements and no access
on public health “How significant…” to clean water meant that disease spread
merit, as question requires quickly. This shows that Chadwick was very
1350-2000 etc. • Use the bullet points to get you important in raising the issue and saying what
going, but go further than them needed to be done. However, since these
reforms did not go very far and the Board of
• Bring lots of accurate own Health was closed down in 1854, this suggests
knowledge into their answer that Chadwick was not so important in getting
things done. Snow’s work on the Broad Street
Pump forced local councils to make
improvements later in the century and so Snow
could be seen as more important than
Chadwick in this respect…