How do you answer the describe, explain and comparison questions that test knowledge?
How to answer the 'describe two features' question, the 'explain why' question and the thematic-study comparison question, matching the length and structure to the marks and the assessment objective.
A focused guide to the knowledge-based questions in Eduqas GCSE History, covering the 'describe two features', 'explain why' and comparison questions, and how to match the structure to the marks and the assessment objective.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is exam technique for the knowledge-based questions (AO1 and AO2) in Eduqas GCSE History. You need to know how to answer the "describe two features" question, the "explain why" question, and the thematic-study comparison question, matching the length and structure to the marks and the assessment objective. These questions appear across the depth studies, period study and thematic study, and reward precise knowledge used in the right way.
The "describe two features" question
The "explain why" question
The comparison question
Try this
Q1. How long should a "describe two features" answer be? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Short: two distinct features, each developed with one supporting detail, about a sentence or two per feature, not an essay.
Q2. Explain how the comparison question differs from describing two periods. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It needs explicit, linked comparisons between the two periods ("in medieval times... whereas by the nineteenth century..."), with clear similarities or differences supported from each, rather than two separate descriptions where the comparison is only implied.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20204 marksDescribe two features of a topic you have studied.Show worked answer →
The "describe two features" question (4 marks, AO1, two features at 2 marks each). Reward two distinct, developed features. Do not write an essay.
Feature one. Identify a clear feature and add one supporting detail; the identification earns 1 mark, the development earns the second.
Feature two. Give a distinct second feature, again with one supporting detail.
Top marks. Two separate, precise features, each developed. Keep it to a sentence or two per feature.
Eduqas C100 20218 marksExplain why an event or development happened.Show worked answer →
The "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each supported with precise knowledge, not a description.
Reason one. State a clear reason and develop it with precise supporting detail, explaining how it caused the event.
Reason two. Give a distinct second reason, again developed and explicitly linked to the outcome.
Reason three (optional). Add a third reason for range, then judge which mattered most.
Top band. Two or three developed, supported reasons, each explicitly linked to "why", finishing with the most important.
Related dot points
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- What an interpretation is and how it differs from a source, how to explain why interpretations of the past differ, and how to evaluate how far you agree with an interpretation in the 16-mark depth-study essay that carries SPaG.
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- How to plan and write the extended 'how far do you agree' essays in the depth study and the thematic study, how to build a balanced, supported argument with a clear judgement, and how to secure the SPaG and specialist-terminology marks.
A focused guide to the extended essays in Eduqas GCSE History, covering how to plan and write the 'how far do you agree' essays, build a balanced argument with a clear judgement, and secure the SPaG and specialist-terminology marks.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)