IB Docs (2) Team
3. Source work: Paper 1
Paper One is a source paper. You will have four sources to read and four questions to answer on these sources. The questions always follow the same structure so it is possible to learn and practice the skills that you need for this paper.
When you work with sources you are practising a key component of an historian's methodology. Paper 1 skills are the skills that historians apply when they are researching an historical question and attempting to reach a conclusion.
In Paper 1 you will
- demonstrate understanding of historical sources
- interpret and analyse information from a variety of sources,
- evaluate sources for their value and limitations
- compare and contrast information between sources,
- synthesize evidence from the sources with your own detailed knowledge of the topic.
You will study one of five prescribed in-depth studies for Paper 1. As this is a ‘prescribed’ topic you will need to ensure you have learnt each sub-topic from the bullet point list set down in the syllabus. In addition, you are expected to have some background knowledge in order to put the study into its historical context.
Paper 1 has a key advantage in that you know the question format in advance. You can predict the nature and style of the four questions on this paper. This means, that you can also learn and practice the correct approach for each of these questions and maximize the marks you attain technically. The majority of marks on this paper are awarded for skills.
There will be four sources on this paper and four questions. The sources will be a selection of both primary and secondary sources. The length of each source may vary – but generally the paper will be around 750 words long. One of the four sources will be a ‘visual’ rather than text based source, for example a photograph, cartoon, table of statistics, map or graph.
The questions will ask you to apply the various techniques of document analysis and evaluation to the given sources – which may well be documents that you have not have seen before.
Question One: 5 marks
This is in two parts: a 3 mark question and a 2 mark question.
Question 1 is assessing your historical comprehension of the sources; you do not need to give your own detailed knowledge in your answer.
This is the only question that asks you to explain the content and meaning of the documents.
Part a
This is a 3 mark question which asks you to comprehend, extract and possibly infer information. Here are some hints for answering this question:
- Write: firstly....secondly...thirdly to ensure that you make at least three separate points
- Do not repeat the same point you have already made
- Do not overly rely on quotes- make your point and then briefly quote two or three words of the source in support
Part b
- You should try to make two clear points for this question
- For each point, refer specifically to the content of the source to provide evidence for your answer
For parts a and b you should not need to bring in your own knowledge; however your contextual understanding of the topic and sources should enable you to understand more clearly the content and message of each source.
Question Two: 4 marks
As you know, historians need to use and evaluate sources as they research a historical era or event. For the second question, you need to evaluate one source in terms of its 'value' and 'limitations' by examining its origin, purpose and content.
To find the origin and purpose look carefully at the provenance of the source which will be given at the start of the source and consider the following questions:
For origin:
- Who wrote/said/drew the source?
- When was it written or published?
- Where did the person write it/say it/draw it?
- What type of source is it - e.g. a memoir, a diary or a cartoon?
For purpose:
- Why was the source created? (private/public purposes?)
- Who was the intended audience?
For content
- Is the language objective or does it sound exaggerated or one-sided?
- What is the tone of the source?
- What information and examples are used to support arguments?
From the information you have on the origins of the source, and what you can infer about the document's purpose, you must then explain the value and limitations the source has for historians researching a particular event or period in history.
Click on the eye for some points/questions that you could consider for different types of sources. Note that these are ‘generic’ points and you need to use your contextual knowledge of the author/date/place of the source you are evaluating to develop these further. Analysing the language used in each source will also give you clues as to how valuable it is.
Value Limitations
Diaries | Personal viewpoint – gives one individual’s perspective on what is going on. They can be a key player in the events | Only one point of view – can’t generalise from this one source. May be subjective/emotive May not know everything that is going on (again depends on who is writing) |
Historian/text book | Purpose is usually produce a well researched respectable text book, so this makes it of value Historians have the benefit of hindsight | Could be too general in content to give enough information. Look at the title – is it specific to topic in question? Need to look at date – what sources were available? Would the historian have been able to access the source? Who? (Nationality could have an impact – but do not assume that this is the case. Make sure you have evidence either from your contextual knowledge or from the language of the source before you say this) |
Cartoons | If it is published in a newspaper read by many people, it could represent the opinion of a wide section of the population | Has it been censored? Only one point of view – cartoons often exaggerate for effect |
Photographs | Can give historical details of people/events/environment – what these looked like | What is the purpose of the photographer? Is it giving the whole picture? Is there a possibility that it has been ‘staged’? (again, make sure you have evidence for this, if you argue this in your answer) |
Newspapers | Can reflect publicly held views of popular opinion | Is the paper censored or even a mouthpiece for the government? Does the newspaper reflect a particular section of society or political view? |
Government Statistics | Can give detail/numerical information about society | How accurate are the likely to be? (the purpose of the government in producing them is key here) They might relate to only one location or time period |
Speeches | If the person is a key player, can give an important perspective on an issue. | Is it propaganda? Is it exaggerated to win over or to convince people? Who is it addressed to? |
Memoirs | Who? Useful if from someone close to the events. Written with hindsight after the event | Purpose of memoirs is to make the writer look good (usually); therefore, likely to give a positive spin on their own role in events. There is chance that they will have revised their opinions with the benefit of hindsight |
Biographies | The author will have studied their subject in detail and used many documents/interviews etc They will have the benefit of hindsight | The author may have become attached to their subject and so lost objectivity They focus on the individual in question at the expense of other individuals or factors |
Examiner's hint: Note that for the purposes of evaluation, a source has no more or less intrinsic value to historians just because it is primary or secondary. Always focus on the specific origin and purpose of a source - not whether it is primary or secondary. You do not need to give this distinction in your answer.
Question Three: 6 marks
This question will ask your to compare and contrast two sources. Your aim is to identify similar themes and ideas in two sources, and to also identify differences between them.
Some tips for answering this question:
- Make sure you discuss the sources together throughout your answer i.e. avoid talking about one source without relating it to the other.
- You should have one paragraph focusing on similarities and one paragraph focusing on the differences.
- There is no need for an introduction or conclusion.
- Use highlighter pens; highlight similarities in one colour and the differences in another colour
- Always be clear about which source you are discussing
- Deal with similarities in your first paragraph and differences in your second
- Ensure that each point you make is clearly stated. If you quote from the sources, make this brief - quote only two or three words to support your point
- Do not discuss why the sources are similar or different
Question Four: 9 marks
This is worth the most marks, 9 of the total of 24. It requires you to write a mini-essay. The key to this question is that an essay is required - not a list of material from each source. However, you are required to synthesize material from the sources with your own knowledge in your essay.
Tips for answering this question:
- Plan your answer as you would with any essay question
- First make a brief plan based on the sources and group them into either those which support the point in the essay title and those which suggest an alternative argument, or group them under themes if the question is more open (e.g. Examine the reasons for...)
- Then add your own knowledge. This should be detailed knowledge such as dates, events, statistics
- When you start writing, you will need only a brief introduction
- When using the sources, refer to them directly as Source A, Source E and so on
- You can quote briefly from the sources throughout the essay but quoting two or three words is sufficient
- Include own detailed knowledge
- Write a brief conclusion which should answer the question and be in line with the evidence you have given.
Timing is a key issue for students in Paper 1 as you can run out of time before finishing the last question. This is significant as the final question carries the most marks: 9/24.
You will have one hour to complete the paper. At the beginning of the examination you have five minutes of reading time when you are not allowed to write anything.
Use your 5 minutes reading time to note and understand how the sources are related to the theme of the paper. Read through the questions first and then begin to read through the first sources. Reading the questions during this time will help you to understand what to focus on when you read the sources thoroughly. Do not ignore the italicized introduction for each source as this often contains important contextual information.
Examiner hint
It is a good idea to bring different coloured highlighter pens into this examination – they are particularly useful when attempting to identify the significant themes and points made in each document.
You should be an active reader, highlighting, circling and underlining information, adding brief comments.
One suggestion for how you might break down your time is:
5 minutes Read through / highlight documents
10 minutes Answer Question 1 a] & b]
10 minutes Answer Question 2
15 minutes Answer Question 3
25 minutes Answer Question 4
Here is a summary of what each question is looking for and some hints on the kind of language that you should use in each question.
Question 1, part a
This question is testing your understanding of a source.
You need to come up with 3 points to get your marks. Useful sentence starters are:
- This source says that….
- Firstly
- Secondly…
- It also says that…
Part b
This question is also testing your understanding of a source. You need two clear points to get your two marks.
Always get straight to the point; do not waste time describing the source!
- One message of this source is that….
- This is supported by….(here, refer to specific details in the source)
- Another message of the source is…(make sure you give a separate point)
Question 2
This question is testing your ability to analyse a source by looking at its origin, its purpose and its content. You are assessing how valuable the source is for a historian studying a particular topic/issue
Use the words ‘origin’, ‘purpose’ or ‘content’ in each of your sentences to ensure that you are focused on what the question needs, e.g.
- A value of the source is that its author…
- The purpose makes it valuable because
- The content is focused on….and the language suggests that…..
- On the other hand there are also limitations to using this source for finding out about…This is because..
- A limitation of the origin is..
- A limitation of the purpose is…
- The content of this source makes it less valuable because..
Question 3
This question is assessing your ability to compare and contrast two sources.
It is important that you cross-reference the sources throughout, so start by talking about both sources in your opening sentence to make it clear that this is what you intend to do:
- Sources A and B both agree that…….as Source A says…. And Source B says…
- Moreover, the two sources are also similar in that…This is supported by …..in Source A and …………………….in Source B.
For a contrasting paragraph these could be useful:
- Source A differs from Source B in that Source A says……while Source B argues that….
- Another difference between the two sources is that while Source A argues…., Source B only….
- Moreover, Source B goes further than Source A when it suggests/says that…..
Question 4
This question is assessing your ability to synthesize documents with your own knowledge as well as your ability to give supported arguments or points that address the specific essay question. Use the essay writing skills that you use for questions on Paper 2. (see 4. Essay writing: Papers 2 and 3).
These sentences openers might be useful for linking the information in the sources with your own knowledge:
- As it says in Source C………..
- This is supported by the information given in Sources ….
- Source A suggests that…………..and this is supported by the fact that in the Soviet Union at this time………
- Historians have argued that ………………….. This viewpoint is supported by the information in Source D concerning…
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