History is not a list of dates. It is an argument, and evidence is how you win it.The GOAT Notes™
Grade 10 History is one paper of 150 marks in 3 hours. Six questions are set, 300 marks in all; you answer three, at least one source-based and one essay, the third either. Each is worth 50 marks: plan about an hour each. No data sheet is supplied.
Each source-based question has four sources, A to D, printed in one separate addendum of 10 to 14 pages: usually three written (100 to 250 words each) and one visual. Of the twelve questions we studied, about nine had a photograph, one a cartoon and one a map. Two sub-questions are set on the visual.
| Item | Printed as | Level | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote, name, define | (n × 1), (2) | 1 | about 20 |
| Explain, comment, why, messages of the visual | (1 × 2), (2 × 2) | 2 | about 20 |
| Usefulness or reliability | (1 × 2) | 3 | 2 |
| Supports or contrasts | (1 × 2) | 3 | 2 |
| The paragraph, about six lines | (6) | 3 | 6 |
Questions 4 to 6 are essays of 50 marks, each on one statement or question, “about three pages” long: Do you agree?, To what extent or Critically discuss. Content and presentation are each judged, and the mark sits where the levels meet on the seven-level matrix (Reference Sheet). Paragraphs are read as PEEL.
Four recent November papers set 24 questions, 12 source-based and 12 essays, each drawing on two or three topic strands.
| Topic | Source-based | Essay | Set | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 · War and Union | 7 | 6 | 13 | 54% |
| 5 · Colonial expansion | 4 | 3 | 7 | 29% |
| 4 · Transformations | 1 | 3 | 4 | 17% |
| 1–3 · World 1600, Expansion, Revolution | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
CAPS sets 40% Level 1, 40% Level 2 and 20% Level 3: about 20, 20 and 10 marks of a 50-mark question. One recent memo tagged about 43%, 41% and 16%. Level 1 extracts and defines; Level 2 explains and interprets; Level 3 judges: usefulness, reliability, bias, the cross-source item and the paragraph.
A source-based question gives four sources, A to D, in an addendum: usually three written and one visual, most often a photograph, sometimes a cartoon or a map. Two sub-questions are set on the visual. A map item is extraction: read the title, key and scale. The memo ticks what you can see plus what it means.
Each ✓ is one mark; → leads to the memo answer.
The memo ticks points, not sentences. (1 × 1) is one fact, (2 × 1) two facts, (1 × 2) one point plus its explanation, (2 × 2) two such pairs. Stop at the maximum: extra points earn nothing. “Any other relevant response” means a different valid answer is credited.
| Wording | Write |
|---|---|
| Quote, name, list, state, identify; what, according to the source | The exact words or fact from the source, in inverted commas if quoting |
| Define the term … in your own words | A short meaning, not copied from the source |
| Explain what is implied; comment on; why do you think | A point from the source, then what it suggests |
| Using the source and your own knowledge | A source point, then a fact from outside it |
Source A: letter from the chairman of the relief committee to the Mooi Bend Herald, February 1893. “Sir, the river has taken the homes of more than two hundred families. The Relief Committee has worked day and night and has fed every household that has asked. We now appeal to every resident to give what he can, for we must raise a further £500. The town’s honour is at stake, and any delay would be a disgrace.”
These are Level 3 items, usually (1 × 2): “Explain the usefulness of Source D to a historian researching …”, or “Comment on the reliability of Source C.” The memo credits what the source shows about THAT topic, with its origin or a limit behind it. If your paper prints (2 × 2), give two of each.
| Week | Households served |
|---|---|
| 1 | 60 |
| 2 | 140 |
| 3 | 210 |
| 4 | 180 |
| 5 | 120 |
| 6 | 70 |
Explain the usefulness of Source D to a historian researching how much help the committee gave. (1 × 2)
The cross-source item is Level 3, usually (1 × 2): “Explain how Source C contrasts with Source A.” Name BOTH sources, give a detail from each, and say how they differ. Naming one source, or summarising each in turn, loses the mark.
Some papers set this as (2 × 2): give two separate comparisons, each naming both sources.
Levels are set 40 / 40 / 20, so a 50-mark source-based question holds about 20 marks at Level 1, 20 at Level 2 and 10 at Level 3. Bank Level 1 fast, think hardest at Level 2, and never skip Level 3.
The last item in every source-based question: “Using the sources and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about SIX lines” (60 words, 6 marks) or EIGHT (80 words, 8 marks). It is marked as a whole, at three levels.
| Level | 6 marks | 8 marks | What the marker sees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | Elementary use of evidence |
| 2 | 3–4 | 3–5 | Mostly relevant, basic paragraph |
| 3 | 5–6 | 6–8 | Relevant evidence, organised paragraph |
Using Sources A and D and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about six lines on to what extent the committee met the need after the flood. (6)
An essay is 50 marks and about three pages. The marker reads it twice: once for content (the row), once for presentation (the column), and takes the mark where they meet. The marker’s symbols: A✓ analysis, I✓ interpretation and LOA (line of argument) earn credit; R marks repetition, which earns none.
| Level | Content: the row | Presentation: the column |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Question fully answered; everything relevant | Original, balanced argument, sustained and defended |
| 5 | Answered to a great extent; well covered | Clear argument; conclusion drawn from evidence |
| 3 | Relates to the question without answering it | Some planning; argument not sustained |
| 1 | Barely addressed: 0 if irrelevant, 1–6 if basic, 7–13 if vague | Little or no structure |
“The relief committee did all it could for Mooi Bend.” Do you agree? (50)
Questions seldom name these ideas, so recognise their wording. They drive the “why”, “how did … change” and “how long after” items, and values such as dignity and justice.
Source B (drawn for this guide) is a photograph taken for the relief committee in February 1893. It shows officials at a table with sacks, and a long queue of people holding buckets.
Which answer earns both marks for the message that many people needed help? (1 × 2)
Source B (drawn for this guide): officials at a table with sacks, and a long queue of people holding buckets, February 1893.
Which answer earns both marks for the message that the committee was organised? (1 × 2)
Source C (drawn for this guide) is a cartoon from The Bend Mail, a rival newspaper, March 1893. A huge umbrella marked COMMITTEE covers one dry official, while a small crowd stands in the flood water.
Which answer earns both marks for the message that the committee looks after itself? (1 × 2)
Source C (drawn for this guide): a huge umbrella marked COMMITTEE covers one dry official, while a small crowd stands in the flood water holding an empty bucket marked RELIEF.
Which answer earns both marks for the message that the people get no help? (1 × 2)
Source C (drawn for this guide): the caption under the cartoon reads “Relief is on its way”. The picture shows a crowd standing in water with an empty bucket.
Which answer earns both marks for what the caption is doing? (1 × 2)
Source A (written for this guide), a letter from the chairman of the relief committee, February 1893: “… We now appeal to every resident to give what he can, for we must raise a further £500.”
Quote ONE phrase from Source A that shows the committee asked the public for money. (1 × 1) Which answer is in the form the instruction asks for?
Source A (written for this guide): “We now appeal to every resident to give what he can, for we must raise a further £500.”
Define the term appeal in your own words. (1 × 2) Which answer is in the form the instruction asks for?
Source A (written for this guide): “The Relief Committee has worked day and night and has fed every household that has asked.”
Explain what the chairman implies by “has fed every household that has asked”. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “The Relief Committee has worked day and night and has fed every household that has asked … we must raise a further £500.”
Name TWO things the committee has done or must do, according to Source A. (2 × 1) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… The town’s honour is at stake, and any delay would be a disgrace.”
Comment on the tone of Source A. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… we must raise a further £500.”
Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why the committee appealed to residents for money. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… the river has taken the homes of more than two hundred families.”
Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why a flood leaves families needing outside help. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… any delay would be a disgrace.”
Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why quick help mattered after the flood. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… the river has taken the homes of more than two hundred families.”
Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why many families lived close to the river. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): “… we must raise a further £500.”
Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why a relief committee might ask for money and not only for food. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source B (drawn for this guide): a photograph taken for the relief committee in February 1893, showing officials at a table with sacks and a long queue.
Explain the usefulness of Source B to a historian researching how the relief committee wished to be seen. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source C (drawn for this guide): a cartoon from The Bend Mail, a rival newspaper, March 1893, showing a huge umbrella over one dry official and a crowd in the water.
Explain the usefulness of Source C to a historian researching what critics thought of the committee. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide), the chairman’s letter, February 1893: “… We now appeal to every resident to give what he can, for we must raise a further £500. The town’s honour is at stake …”
Explain the usefulness of Source A to a historian researching how the committee asked the town for help. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source A (written for this guide): the committee “has fed every household that has asked”. Source B (drawn for this guide): officials at a table with sacks, and a long queue at the depot.
Explain how Source B supports Source A. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
Source C (drawn for this guide): the people stand in water with an empty bucket, which suggests they got no help. Source D (written for this guide), the depot ledger: households served in weeks 1 to 6 were 60, 140, 210, 180, 120 and 70.
Explain how Source D contrasts with Source C. (1 × 2) Which answer earns both marks?
A six-line paragraph answers: To what extent did the flood harm Mooi Bend? Which sentence is the Point?
A six-line paragraph answers: To what extent did the committee show donors that its relief was working? Which sentence is the Link?
A six-line paragraph answers: To what extent did the rival paper’s cartoon give a fair picture of the committee? Which sentence is the Example?
A six-line paragraph answers: To what extent did the committee rely on the public? Which sentence is the Explanation?
A six-line paragraph answers: To what extent did Sources B and C give the same picture of the committee? Which sentence works as the Point?
A marker gives an essay content Level 6 and presentation Level 5. In which band does the mark fall?
An essay is Level 5 for content and Level 3 for presentation. Which band applies?
An essay’s content is Level 3 and its presentation is Level 2. What is the band?
A marker awards an essay 43–46. Which pair of levels could give this band?
What is the highest band an essay can reach if its content is only Level 3?
Source D (written for this guide): the relief depot’s ledger, Mooi Bend, 1893. Households served each week: week 1, 60; week 2, 140; week 3, 210; week 4, 180; week 5, 120; week 6, 70.
(a) In which week did the depot serve the most households, according to Source D? (1 × 1)
(b) Explain what the rise in households served over the first weeks suggests. (1 × 2)
(c) Using Source D and your own knowledge, explain why fewer households were served by week 6. (1 × 2) (5)
(a) Week 3, when the depot served 210 households. (b) The rise suggests that more and more families asked for help, which shows that the effects of the flood lasted for weeks, not days. (c) Source D shows that only 70 households were served in week 6, far below the peak. From my own knowledge, by then the flood water had gone down and many families had begun to rebuild their homes.
Source A (written for this guide): letter from the chairman of the relief committee to the Mooi Bend Herald, February 1893, asking residents for a further £500. Source B (drawn for this guide): a photograph taken for the relief committee, February 1893, showing officials at a table with sacks and a long queue of people with buckets.
(a) Explain the usefulness of Source B to a historian researching how many families needed help. (1 × 2)
(b) Comment on the reliability of Source A. (1 × 2) (4)
(a) Source B is useful because the long queue with buckets shows that many families needed help. It is limited, because it shows the queue at one moment and does not show whether everyone was fed. (b) Source A is only partly reliable. It was written by the chairman in February 1893, close to the events, but he wrote to raise money, so he praises his own committee and may exaggerate.
Plan, do not write, an answer to this essay question: “The relief committee was too slow to help Mooi Bend.” To what extent do you agree? (50)
Evidence bank (the Mooi Bend case file): Source A, more than two hundred families lost their homes, and the committee “has fed every household that has asked”. Source C, a rival paper’s cartoon, shows the committee sheltering while people stand in the flood water. Source D, the depot ledger: households served in weeks 1 to 6 were 60, 140, 210, 180, 120 and 70.
In your plan: (i) name the command word and the focus of the question, (ii) state your line of argument, (iii) give one point and its evidence for each of three paragraphs, and (iv) say what your conclusion will do. (6)
Command word: to what extent, so I must give a degree and weigh both sides. Focus: how quickly the committee helped. Line of argument: to a large extent, the committee was too slow at first, but it improved. Paragraph 1: it was slow to start, because in week 1 the depot served only 60 households although more than two hundred families had lost their homes (Sources A and D). Paragraph 2: it then built up, because it fed every household that asked and served 210 households in week 3 (Sources A and D). Paragraph 3: Source C, the rival paper’s cartoon, says no help had come, but it is one-sided, so I weigh it against the depot ledger. Conclusion: sum up the three paragraphs, repeat my stance and add no new facts.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner what a historian means when she says a source is “biased but still useful”, using the cartoon in the Mooi Bend case file.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner how a marker turns an essay into a mark out of 50 using the content row and the presentation column, and why a long essay can still score low.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner how to answer a question that asks you to use a source and your own knowledge, and why copying the source twice gets only one mark.
This is a free preview of Topic 1. The full guide has every topic, the self-marking quizzes, mock exams, planner, journal and wellbeing tools.
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Exam stress is completely normal. Here are a few things that actually work. None of this replaces a doctor or a trusted adult.
Box breathing: 4 counts in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold. Do it four times.
Look at the worked example below first, then make your own. Tick off each topic as you finish it.
Example (already filled in)
| Date | Subject | Topic | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 8 Jul | Life Sciences | Your weakest topic, notes + summary | ✓ |
| Tue 9 Jul | Life Sciences | Next topic + 10 practice questions | ✓ |
| Wed 10 Jul | Life Sciences | A full past paper under time | – |
| Thu 11 Jul | Life Sciences | Mark the paper, revise weak spots | – |
Your plan
| Date | Subject | Topic | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
Your plan is saved only on this device. Use "Export plan" to keep a copy.
Every source you can interrogate and every essay you can plan is a mark you have already banked. Go and collect them.