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The big idea: Paper 1 is a source paper: you get a small booklet of sources on one narrow topic and answer questions about them. You are not marked on how much history you know, but on how well you can read, judge and use the sources.
Think of yourself as a detective, not a storyteller. Each source is a clue, and your job is to work out what it shows, how far you can trust it, and how the clues fit together.
Because the skills are always the same, you can practise them once and reuse them in every exam. That is why this one micro is worth so many marks across your whole course.
Spot it: four question types: Paper 1 always has four questions worth comprehension, OPVL [4], compare/contrast [6] and judgement [9] marks. Learn the type and you know exactly what to do.
Two core skills unlock the whole paper: OPVL (judging a single source) and cross-referencing (comparing two sources). Every question uses one or both of these.
Once you can do these two things, the four question types are just different ways of asking for them.
How to run OPVL on any source
Origin
Ask who made it, what it is, and when. A private diary from 1938 and a public newspaper from 1938 are used very differently.
Purpose
Ask why it was made and for whom. Was it meant to inform, to persuade, to record privately, or to sell newspapers?
Value
Say what the source is good for, and link that to its origin or purpose. A minister's private letter is valuable because it may reveal honest, behind-the-scenes thinking.
Limitation
Say what the source cannot tell you, again linked to origin or purpose. A propaganda poster is limited because its job is to persuade, not to give the full truth.
Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitation — O-P-V-L.
Cross-referencing: agree, then disagree: To cross-reference, quote a point from Source A, then show how Source B either supports it or challenges it.
Always use both directions where you can. Top answers explain why the sources differ, often using their origins or purposes.
OPVL skill (judging one source)
- Used most in the OPVL [4] question, where you give value and limitation
- Grounds every point in origin, purpose or content, never just says 'it is biased'
- Feeds the judgement [9] answer, where you weigh how reliable your evidence is
Cross-referencing skill (comparing sources)
- Used in the compare/contrast [6] question, where you match points across two sources
- Needs both similarities and differences, not a separate summary of each source
- Also strengthens the judgement [9] answer when sources back each other up
| Question type | Marks | What it wants |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehension | 3 (or 2+3) | Pull out points a source makes, plus a message from a cartoon or map |
| OPVL / value | 4 | Value and limitation of one source, tied to its origin and purpose |
| Compare and contrast | 6 | Cross-reference two sources: how they agree and disagree |
| Judgement | 9 | Use all sources and your own knowledge to reach a supported verdict |
Split your time by the marks: Spend roughly a minute per mark. The 9-mark question is worth almost as much as the other three together, so plan it and leave enough time to write it properly.
Practice with real exam questions
Answer exam-style questions and get AI feedback that shows you exactly what examiners want to see in a full-marks response.
How this is tested (Paper 1): The 4-mark OPVL question gives you one source and asks for its value and limitation for a historian. Marks come from tying each point to the source's origin, purpose or content, not from retelling what it says.
Source A is a private letter written in 1936 by a government finance official to a colleague, complaining that army spending is 'draining the treasury and cannot go on'. With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitation of Source A for a historian studying government policy in this period. [4 marks]
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Common mistakes: Do not just write 'this source is biased' with no reason. And do not simply describe what the source says. Every value and limitation must be explained and tied to origin, purpose or content.