How do you answer the 16-mark two-source comparison in Advanced Higher History?
The 16-mark two-source comparison: establishing the overall view of each source, comparing detailed points of agreement and disagreement, developing them with context, and relating the views to the historiography.
How to answer the SQA Advanced Higher History 16-mark two-source comparison. Covers establishing each source's overall view, comparing detailed points of agreement and disagreement, developing them with contextual knowledge, and relating the sources to historians' interpretations.
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What this key area is asking
The third and largest source question is the 16-mark two-source comparison: you compare the views of two sources on an issue. You establish the overall view of each source, then make detailed points of comparison (where they agree, where they differ, and how), develop each with your own knowledge, and relate the views to the historiography. It is the biggest single source question, so it deserves the most planning.
What earns the marks
- Overall views. State the broad position of each source on the issue.
- Detailed comparison. Three or four specific claims compared precisely: where they agree, where they differ, and how.
- Contextual development. Own knowledge of which view the evidence supports.
- Historiography. The disagreement set within the wider debate, linking sources to named interpretations.
Overall first, then detailed
The structure that scores is: establish each source's overall view, then run a sequence of paired points. For each point, name the claim in Source A, name the corresponding claim in Source B, state whether they agree or differ and exactly how, then develop with your knowledge and the historiography. Summarising Source A in full and then Source B in full, with the comparison left implicit, is the commonest way to lose marks.
A reliable structure
- Establish overall views. State each source's broad position on the issue.
- Compare point one. Name the matching claims, state agreement or difference, develop with knowledge.
- Compare further points. Repeat for three or four substantive points.
- Relate to historiography. Set the disagreement within the wider debate and named interpretations.
- Conclude. State the overall relationship between the two views.
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. What is the difference between an overall and a detailed comparison? [2 marks]
- Cue. An overall comparison states whether the sources broadly agree or disagree; a detailed comparison explains precisely how specific claims match or conflict.
Q2. Why does summarising the two sources in turn lose marks? [2 marks]
- Cue. The marks come from direct, paired comparison of claims, not from describing each source separately.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA AH 201916 marksCompare the views of Sources A and B about the issue in the chosen field.Show worked answer →
The 16-mark comparison is the largest source question. Marks come from establishing the overall view of each source, making detailed points of comparison (agreement and disagreement), developing them with contextual knowledge, and relating the views to historians' interpretations.
Plan: state the overall viewpoint of each source, then take three or four specific points and compare them precisely (where they agree, where they differ, and how). Develop each comparison with your own knowledge of what is correct or contested, and relate the views to the historiography. Avoid summarising the two sources in turn with no comparison; the marks come from the precise points of agreement and difference, developed.
SQA AH 202316 marksCompare the views of Sources B and C on the causes of the development in the chosen field.Show worked answer →
Marked out of 16 on overall views, detailed comparison, contextual development and historiography.
Establish each source's overall position on the causes, then compare specific claims: identify where the two agree, where they conflict, and the nature of the difference, quoting or paraphrasing precisely. Develop each point with own knowledge of which view the evidence supports, and set the disagreement within the wider historiographical debate on the causes. The strongest answers link the two sources to named historical interpretations, not just to each other. Conclude on the overall relationship between the two views.
Related dot points
- The 12-mark source evaluation: judging a single source through its provenance (origin and purpose), its content, and developed contextual and historiographical knowledge, and how the marks are split.
How to answer the SQA Advanced Higher History 12-mark source evaluation. Covers provenance (origin and purpose), interpretation of the content, the contextual development that earns most of the marks, and how reference to historians' views lifts the answer.
- The 12-mark how fully question: establishing and interpreting the view of a source, then developing it with contextual knowledge and historiography to judge how fully it explains an issue.
How to answer the SQA Advanced Higher History 12-mark how fully question. Covers establishing the source's view, interpreting its points, the wider contextual development that earns most marks, the use of historians' interpretations, and reaching a how fully judgement.
- The historiographical skill: identifying the schools of interpretation in a field, setting out and evaluating historians' views, and using them to develop source answers, essays and the dissertation rather than name-dropping.
How to use historiography across SQA Advanced Higher History. Explains what historiography is, the schools of interpretation in a field, how to set out and evaluate historians' views, and how to weave them into source answers, essays and the dissertation rather than name-drop.
- The 90-mark, three-hour question paper: Part A (two 25-mark essays) and Part B (the three-part source exercise worth 12, 12 and 16 marks), how to split your time, and what each part rewards.
How the SQA Advanced Higher History question paper is structured and marked. Covers Part A (two 25-mark essays), Part B (the source exercise worth 12, 12 and 16 marks), the three-hour timing, and what each part rewards so you can plan the exam.
- The 25-mark essay: an introduction that takes a position and previews the factors, analytical paragraphs that argue rather than narrate, and a conclusion that weighs the factors and reaches a judgement matching the line of argument.
How to structure a 25-mark SQA Advanced Higher History essay around a sustained line of argument. Covers the introduction that takes a position, analytical paragraphs that argue not narrate, and a conclusion that weighs factors and reaches a judgement.
Sources & how we know this
- Advanced Higher History Course Specification — SQA (2019)
- 2019 Advanced Higher History Finalised Marking Instructions — SQA (2019)