Paper 1 source skills (Move to global war)
Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersHow many sources and questions are in Paper 1, and how many marks?
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 (Move to global war)
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
How many sources and questions are in Paper 1, and how many marks?
Answer
Four sources on one prescribed subject, four questions, worth 3 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 9 = 24 marks (the last question has two parts). About 60 minutes plus 5 minutes' reading.
Question
What does the '3-2-4-6-9' hook stand for?
Answer
The mark values running down the paper: comprehension (3), message (2), OPVL value and limitations (4), compare and contrast (6), and the judgement (9).
Question
Which is the only Paper 1 question that rewards your own knowledge?
Answer
Only the 9-mark judgement (Q4). Q1–Q3 are won purely on how you handle the sources in front of you.
Question
What does OPVL stand for?
Answer
Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitations — a four-step method to judge a source as evidence, used for the 4-mark question.
Question
What is 'provenance' on a Paper 1 source?
Answer
The small attribution line under a source giving its author, date and type. It is free information that does half the OPVL work for you.
Question
What wins the marks on the 3-mark comprehension question?
Answer
Three separate, distinct points that the source actually makes — no outside knowledge. Each clear point earns 1 mark.
Question
What must a 6-mark compare-and-contrast answer include?
Answer
Both similarities AND differences, linked source to source. Never two separate one-source paragraphs that never meet.
Question
Why is the Kwantung Army's 1931 Mukden statement biased but still valuable?
Answer
It hides that Japan staged the incident, so it is weak on the facts — but it is valuable evidence of how Japan wanted the seizure of Manchuria seen by the world.
Question
For OPVL, how do you frame a value and a limitation from purpose?
Answer
'BECAUSE it was made by… FOR… (purpose), it is useful for… (value) but limited because… (limitation)', always linked to the exact topic named.
Question
Give an example of turning a fact into Q4 evidence on appeasement.
Answer
A source quotes Hitler calling Munich his 'last demand'; your own knowledge adds the Rhineland (1936), the Anschluss (1938), and his breaking of the promise by seizing all of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
Question
What is the recipe for the top band on the 9-mark judgement?
Answer
Both sides argued from the sources by letter, own facts woven in, the reliability of some sources judged, and an explicit verdict — never sitting on the fence.
Question
Compare a Japanese army statement and a League report on Manchuria as sources.
Answer
They may agree on the basic facts of the seizure but clash on blame: the army calls it self-defence, while a League-style report blames Japanese aggression. Same event, different message.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Paper 1 source skills (Move to global war)
Topic 3.3 hub
Paper 1 source skills (Move to global war)
More from Topic 3.3
All flashcards in this topic
History 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