Paper 1 source skills — Climate and innovation
Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersWhat are the three static questions on every Paper 1?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All 12 Flashcards — Paper 1 source skills — Climate and innovation
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
What are the three static questions on every Paper 1?
Answer
Q1 [6] content — how source content answers the inquiry question. Q2 [6] context — how a source's origin/purpose/time/place shapes its use. Q3 [12] perspectives — how viewpoints across all sources compare.
Question
What does 'context' mean for a Paper 1 source?
Answer
Its {{provenance|where a source comes from: who made it, when, why}} — who created it, when, where, and why (its purpose).
Question
Why does Q1 ask for content from TWO sources, not one?
Answer
Because it tests whether you can connect and combine evidence — using only one source caps the mark at 3 out of 6.
Question
Give a worked example of using content for Q1 (Norse).
Answer
A saga extract describing Leif Erikson's voyage gives direct content evidence for the inquiry question 'What innovations took place?' — e.g. it names sea routes and landing sites used to settle Vinland.
Question
Give a worked example of context shaping use (Aztec).
Answer
A Spanish friar's account of Tenochtitlán, written decades after the conquest for a European audience, is useful for showing outsider perception — but its distance in time and colonial purpose limit its reliability on daily Aztec life.
Question
What is the process for answering Q1 [content, 6 marks]?
Answer
1) Identify a specific detail in Source A's content. 2) Identify a specific detail in Source B's content. 3) Explain how EACH detail helps answer the inquiry question, linking the two.
Question
What is the process for answering Q2 [context, 6 marks]?
Answer
1) State who made the source, when, and why (its purpose). 2) Explain how that origin/purpose helps its use. 3) Explain a limitation the same context creates.
Question
What is the process for answering Q3 [perspectives, 12 marks]?
Answer
1) State each source's perspective (who they represent, what view they give). 2) Compare: do perspectives agree (corroborate) or differ (contradict)? 3) Link each comparison back to the inquiry question. 4) Cover ALL sources for top marks.
Question
Compare a Norse saga source and a Spanish colonial account as sources.
Answer
A saga is written from inside the culture, often generations after events, blending fact and legend. A colonial account is written by an outsider, closer in time to events described, but shaped by conquest-era bias.
Question
What does 'perspectives can be contradictory' mean for Q3?
Answer
Two sources on the same event can disagree because their authors had different positions, purposes, or access to information — both can still be useful once you explain why they differ.
Question
Why must Q3 cover ALL the sources, not just two?
Answer
The markbands cap the mark (max 6/12 for one source, max 9/12 for two) — only examining every source's perspective can reach the top band (10–12).
Question
What is {{corroborate|when sources support/agree with each other}} in source work?
Answer
When two or more sources support or agree with each other's account of an event, strengthening the evidence for that account.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Paper 1 source skills — Climate and innovation
Topic 1.3 hub
Paper 1 source skills
More from Topic 1.3
All flashcards in this topic
History (2028+) exam skills
Paper structures & tips
Track your progress with spaced repetition
Sign up free — Aimnova tells you exactly which cards to review and when, so you remember everything before your IB exam.
Start Free