Notes on technique for Edexcel History A-Level Paper 3 source essay

Question A (source)

The question will have two enquiries
eg. Assess the value of the source for revealing the attitude of Robert Peel
towards the Irish famine and his efforts to address it.


Consider the sources’:
- Nature
- Origin
- Purpose
- Audience
- Tone
- Inferences

Success Criteria:
1. Make reasoned inferences distinguishing between information, claim
and opinion
2. Deploy knowledge of the historical context to illuminate and/or discuss
the limitations of what can be gained from the content of the source
material
3. Comment on the nature, purpose and origin of the source, evaluating
the source material using valid criteria, commenting on the degree of
certainty of the claims made in the source and taking into account the
weight the evidence will bear when coming to a judgement

Comment on MEANINGFUL omissions only - if the source has omitted something
intentionally to modify meaning or distort the message of the source then talk about it
BUT comments on all the things the source might have contained is unlikely to lend
weight to argument

Use quotations MEANINGFULLY - select quotes should be used in making intelligent
inferences from the source but essay should not be decorated with unexplained
quotes

Phrases for evaluating the source:
- The source is valuable…
- The source offers a useful insight…
- It is a subjective commentary…
- The tone of the source suggests…
- The source is from one perspective…
- The source conveys…
- The source is limited…
- The source hints at…