Peebles High School

Peebles High School Higher History Assignment Guidelines

Your Assignment is worth 30 marks out of the overall 90 marks of your Higher (33%) and is part of your final assessment.

You, in consultation with your teacher, choose the topic and the question.

You have two weeks of class time to do some extra reading and research, prepare your plan and do your final write-up.

Of those two weeks, you will be given 1 ½ hours under exam conditions to write your Assignment, which will be in the form of an essay on your findings.

You are allowed to have an A4 resource sheet with you when you write your essay.

The date that you will be doing your essay is: Step 1 – Choose Your Topic

The topic that you choose does not have to be one that we have studied for Higher History. You could also choose a topic that is not part of the Higher course, in consultation with your teacher.

Higher History Topics

Scottish

 Scottish volunteer soldiers. Their experience on the Western Front and contribution to the war effort.  The Home Front experience: recruitment, conscription, conscientious objectors, women’s role during war, the effects of loss of Scottish soldiers.  Impact of war on the Scottish economy, everyday life and emigration from Scotland.  Political impact of the war, growth of radicalism, Red Clydeside.

British

 Growth of democracy, 1867-1928.  The women's suffrage movement up to 1928.  The Liberal governments 1906-1914 and the problem of poverty.  The Labour government and the establishment of the welfare state, 1945-1951.

European and World

 The growth of nationalism and its failure, 1815-1860.  Bismarck and German unification, 1862-71.  The victory of Nazism - the rise to power of the Nazis, 1918-1933.  The Nazis in power, 1933-1939. Step 2 – Think of a Question

Your question should be a question and not just a statement. Your question should allow you to construct an ARGUMENT rather than just write a STORY.

The best types of question start with phrases such as:

To what extent did … ? HowTo whatimportant extent was did … … ? ? HowHow significant important was was … … ? ? HowHow far significant can it be wasargued … ? that … ? HowHow effective far can itwere/was be argued …? that … ? How effective were/was …?

Your question should be about either WHY an event or development HAPPENED or WHAT IMPACT an event or development had.

Questions about WHY events/developments happened could be along the lines of ….

 How far can it be argued that the campaign of the Suffragettes helped to win women the right to vote in 1918?  To what extent was unemployment the most significant reason for large-scale Scottish recruitment at the outbreak of the First World War?  To what extent was the Great Depression the crucial factor in the achievement of power by the Nazis in 1933?  How important were the surveys of Booth and Rowntree as a reason for the introduction of the Liberal Reforms of 1906 - 1914?

Questions about WHAT IMPACT events/developments had could be along the lines of ….

 How successful were the Liberal Reforms of 1906 – 1914 in meeting the needs of the British people?  How far can it be argued that the post-war Labour reforms of 1945 – 1951 effectively tackled the ‘Five Giants’?  To what extent did the First World War significantly change the position of women in Scottish society?

YOU MUST SHECK WITH YOUR TEACHER THAT YOUR QUESTION IS ACCEPTABLE. Step 3 – Think of a Basic Structure

Once you have chosen your topic and question you need to think about how your essay is going to be structured. In other words, what are the factors or key ideas? Remember that structures can be thematic or chronological, but they must be logical and coherent.

Identify the different factors

If you have asked about the causes of an event or development, you will need to identify the different REASONS FOR THAT EVENT HAPPENING.

If you have asked about the impact of an event, you will need to identify the DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH THINGS DID OR DID NOT CHANGE.

Try to put them into a logical order. This may be short, medium and long term impact; most important to least important factor etc.

For example on German unification you would have something like:

1. Intro 2. The continued growth of nationalism 3. The decline of Austria 4. The Prussian military 5. The Prussian economy 6. Bismarck and the Wars of Unification 7. Conclusion

Your teacher will be able to help you with this, but only after you have come up with a basic idea for structure yourself.

Once you have a structure you can begin your research. You may find that you want to tweak your structure as you do your research. That’s fine. Step 4 – Organise Your Research

It’s a good idea to have one piece of paper for each of the main sections of your structure and make notes from your research on the relevant page.

Collect information You should collect evidence from at least four distinct sources. These may be either primary or secondary sources such as:

websites newspapers/magazines/bookswebsites (print or electronic) visitsnewspapers/magazines/books or fieldtrips (print or electronic) television/videovisits or fieldtrips radio/podcaststelevision/video librariesradio/podcasts textbookslibraries historytextbooks books interviewshistory books letters,interviews photographs, diaries etc otherletters, sources photographs, of information diaries etc other sources of information

Do not cut and paste information that you find on the internet. Your teachers and the SQA will be familiar with them. This is plagiarism.

Taking a note of the source In presenting evidence from sources, you should say where the information comes from IN YOUR ESSAY. Doing this properly will allow the marker to award you up to four marks.

If you use a quote from a source, you may simply put the author, the type of source or title of the book, and the date if you know it. For example:

‘Churchill was the greatest prime minister that Britain ever had’. (J. Bloggs, Britain in World ‘ChurchillWar Two, was 2011) the greatest prime minister that Britain ever had’. (J. Bloggs, Britain in World AccordingWar Two,to the 2011) Times newspaper in June 1915, … YouAccording could also to thesummarise Times newspaper a viewpoint in from June a 1915, longer … source by saying: J. Bloggs suggests that YouChurchill could also was summarise the best Prime a viewpoint Minister from Britain a longer has ever source had. by saying: J. Bloggs suggests that Churchill was the best Prime Minister Britain has ever had.

If you are vague in the way you refer to sources you will limit the number of marks you can earn. For example Historians think… PeopleHistorians at the think… time believed… NewspapersPeople at theat the time time believed… said… Newspapers at the time said… Step 5 – Complete your resource sheet

You will be given an official SQA resource sheet, a copy of which is on the next page. You can write this, or type it.

You are able to have the History Resource Sheet with you when you produce the essay of your findings. This is a single-sided sheet of A4 containing evidence you have collected during your research and where you found this evidence. You should make a note of your four source references on this sheet, as well as other suitable information to help you to write your essay.

There is no word limit for the Resource Sheet and there is no restriction on the types of evidence you put on it. It is there for you to refer to while you are writing up your essay. However, you should not copy large chunks from this evidence. You must not use the resource sheet to pre-write your assignment.

You will have the History Resource Sheet which you should refer to as you write your essay. YouYou will may have use the only History one side Resource of this Sheetsingle whichsheet. you should refer to as you write your essay. You may use only one side of this single sheet. The History Resource Sheet should be submitted with your essay. The History Resource Sheet should be submitted with your essay. History Higher Resource Sheet

Candidate Name Scottish Candidate Number

Step 6 – Write Your Essay

You have one and a half hours to write your essay, using your resource sheet.

This will be done in class under exam conditions, as it is a part of your final exam.

There is no minimum or maximum word limit.

You must pace yourself.

No extra time can be given (unless you have been allocated it officially).

When your report is finished your teacher does not mark it. It goes straight to the SQA. You only get one chance to do this, there are no re-sits.

There is a check-list on the next page of what must be in your essay and how many marks each bit is worth. Check-List:

This is how your essay will be marked. Make sure that it has all of these things in it!

A. Introduction – 3 Marks

You must provide two points of background, identify at least three relevant factors and connect this to your line of argument to get your three marks.

B. Using knowledge– 8 Marks

You must include at least eight points of relevant and accurate knowledge, used to support your factors.

C. Using information from sources– 4 Marks

You must clearly reference at least 4 sources used in order to support your factors.

D. Analysing factors – 8 Marks

You must analyse your factors. Up to 5 marks are available for analysis (A) and 3 for developed analysis (A*).

E. Evaluating Factors – 4 Marks

You must build evaluative comments on different factors into a line of argument which makes a judgement on the issue.

F. Conclusion – 3 Marks

You must come to a conclusion in which you make an overall JUDGEMENT between different factors in relation to the issue, based on the evidence presented in the rest of your essay.

Total – 30 marks