This document provides guidance on how to structure an answer to an "explain why" question for a GCSE Modern World History exam. It advises students to cite multiple reasons for the result and explain how each reason produced the result. An example is given of explaining why the Bolsheviks grew in popularity between March and November 1917. Students are told to suggest at least two reasons, back each with a fact, and thoroughly explain how each reason increased the Bolsheviks' popularity using causal links. Finally, students are instructed to write two more paragraphs following this structure and then peer-assess each other's essays.

1. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Answering the
‘Explain …’ question
Hodder Education Revision Lessons
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2. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Principles
Your teacher asks the pupil: ‘Explain why you failed
to finish your homework.’
He answers: ‘My mum was ill.’
That’s not an explanation – it’s a reason.
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3. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Principles
An explanation is a series of ideas, joined by the
word ‘so’, which link the reason to the result, thus:
‘My mum was ill so I had to go to hospital with her
so I got home late so I didn’t have time to work so
I failed to finish my homework.’
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4. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
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5. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
You are going to get a question which asks you to
explain something, for example:
‘Explain why the Bolsheviks grew in
popularity between March and November
1917.’
Note that the ‘result’ it is asking you to explain
is the Bolsheviks’ popularity.
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6. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
The mark scheme says that this is how you are
going to earn the 6 marks:
• Cite a number of reasons for the stated result.
TIP
• Explain (with relevant facts) how the reason
‘Why’ needs ‘reasons’ –
produced the result.
‘How’ needs ‘ways’
Note that you must make sure that you know what result you
are trying to explain;
many pupils explain the wrong thing!
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7. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
You are advised to spend
10 minutes maximum
on this question.
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8. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
So, let’s begin …
Can you think of any reasons?
Explain why the Bolsheviks grew in popularity
between March and November 1917.
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9. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
I can think of LOADS!!!
An efficient
They had a They helped
defeat Kornilov
party published
private army –
Lenin
Russia was
organisation Theses Red Guards
the
the April
losing the war
They took People in the
control
They set up Pravda
Lenin returned to
of the
towns were Russia from exile
– a propaganda
Petrograd Soviet
starving
newspaper
in Switzerland
Explain why the Bolsheviks grew in popularity
between March and November 1917.
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10. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
I can think of LOADS!!!
But you only need to think of TWO!
An efficient
They had a They helped
defeat Kornilov
party published
private army –
Lenin
Russia was
organisation Theses Red Guards
the
the April
losing the war
They took People in the
control
They set up Pravda
Lenin returned to
of the
towns were Russia from exile
– a propaganda
Petrograd Soviet
starving
newspaper
in Switzerland
Explain why the Bolsheviks grew in popularity
between March and November 1917.
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continue

11. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Let’s take just one of them …
• Can you think of a fact
to go with it?
Smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917
– Provided the ideas
– The April Theses
were very popular
– Figurehead
– Accepted leader
…
te
• And how did Lenin help to
ri
make the Bolsheviks popular? o w
t
dy
ea
They set up Pravdar
Lenin returned to
– a propaganda
Russia from exile
’re
newspaper
in Switzerland
ou
y
d the Bolsheviks grew in popularity
Explain why
An
between March and November 1917.
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12. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Start off …
The first reason the Bolsheviks
grew in popularity was because …
Smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917
– Provided the ideas
– The April Theses
were very popular
– Figurehead
– Accepted leader
Lenin returned to
Russia from exile
in Switzerland
Explain why the Bolsheviks grew in popularity
between March and November 1917.
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continue

13. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Add the reason …
The first reason the Bolsheviks
grew in popularity was because …
Lenin returned to Russia from exile
in Switzerland.
Smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917
– Provided the ideas
– The April Theses
were very popular
– Figurehead
– Accepted leader
Lenin returned to
Russia from exile
in Switzerland
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14. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Add the fact …
The first reason the Bolsheviks
grew in popularity was because
Lenin returned to Russia from exile
in Switzerland.(smuggled by the
Switzerland
Germans, April 1917).
Smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917
– Provided the ideas
– The April Theses
were very popular
– Figurehead
– Accepted leader
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15. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Finally, add the explanation …
The first reason the Bolsheviks
grew in popularity was because
Lenin returned to Russia from exile
in Switzerland (smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917). This helped
their popularity because Lenin
provided the ideas, especially the
April Theses which were very
popular. He was a prominent
figurehead and the accepted leader,
so that helped their image.
– Provided the ideas
– The April Theses
were very popular
– Figurehead
– Accepted leader
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16. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
(Yournowsecond reason.
… is teacher you advise you to add a third reason.)
And the all mightneed …
A third reason the Bolsheviks grew
The first reason thethe Bolsheviks
second reason Bolsheviks
in popularity was was because …
grew in popularitybecause …
Lenin returned to Russia from exile
in Switzerland (smuggled by the
Germans, April 1917). This helped
their popularity because Lenin
provided the ideas, especially the
April Theses which were very
popular. He was a prominent
figurehead and the accepted leader,
so that helped their image.
They set had a
They up Pravda
private army –
– a propaganda
the Red Guards
newspaper
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continue

17. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
So …
Write two more paragraphs for your essay,
remembering for each paragraph to:
• suggest a reason for the Bolsheviks’
growing popularity
and:
• provide a fact to go with it.
Then explain how it made the Bolsheviks
more popular, using the word ‘so’.
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18. AQA (B) GCSE Modern World History
Unit 2 Depth Study 1 Lesson 2
Peer-assess each other’s essays. Did they:
• suggest at least two reasons for the Bolsheviks’
growing popularity?
• provide facts to go with the suggestion?
• for each reason, give a thorough explanation of
how it led the Bolsheviks to become more popular?