Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · History
Course version: 1HI0 · Version from Sept 2016
The historic environment - 2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for…
Full specification wording
Option 10: The historic environment - 2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries: Recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of source for specific enquiries.
Historians must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various source types for specific enquiries.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 5
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Historians must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various source types for specific enquiries. Official records, like census returns or police logs, offer strong factual data regarding population or arrests, but may lack personal perspectives or be incomplete. Personal accounts provide rich insights into individual experiences, yet are often subjective and rely on flawed memory. Newspapers capture immediate public reactions and chronological details, but their weakness lies in sensationalism and bias aimed at selling copies. By recognising these traits, students can determine how useful a source is for a specific question, such as investigating housing conditions versus public fear of crime.
What earns the marks
- Identify the inherent strengths of official records, such as their factual nature and purpose of accurate record-keeping.
- Recognise the weaknesses of official records, including missing data or the exclusion of personal experiences.
- Evaluate the strengths of newspapers in capturing public mood and providing immediate reports of events.
- Assess the weaknesses of newspapers, particularly sensationalism, exaggeration, and political bias.
- Apply the evaluation of strengths and weaknesses to a specific historical enquiry, ensuring the critique is relevant to the question asked.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Stating a source is biased and therefore completely useless.
Put it right: Explain that even a biased source is useful for showing the opinions, motives, or attitudes of the creator.
Providing generic strengths and weaknesses without linking them to the specific enquiry.
Put it right: Connect the source's traits directly to the specific question being asked, explaining how it helps or hinders that exact investigation.
Assuming official records are entirely objective and free from error.
Put it right: Recognise that official records can contain mistakes, omissions, or reflect the institutional biases of the time.
Exam tips
- Always use the specific details of the source's provenance (nature, origin, purpose) to explain its strengths and weaknesses.
- Avoid generic statements like 'it is a primary source so it is reliable'; instead, explain exactly why its primary nature makes it useful for the specific enquiry.
- Balance your evaluation by discussing both how the source helps the enquiry and what limitations it has.
Try the lesson
The start of the Option 10: The historic environment - 2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries: Recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of source for specific enquiries. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What is a common weakness of using a single photograph as a source for an historical enquiry into living conditions?
Listen
Historians must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various source types for specific enquiries. Official records, like census returns or police logs, offer strong factual data regarding population or arrests, but may lack personal perspectives or be incomplete. Personal accounts provide rich insights into individual experiences, yet are often subjective and rely on flawed memory. Newspapers capture immediate public reactions and chronological details, but their weakness lies in sensationalism and bias aimed at selling copies. By recognising these traits, students can determine how useful a source is for a specific question, such as investigating housing conditions versus public fear of crime. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify the inherent strengths of official records, such as their factual nature and purpose of accurate record-keeping. Recognise the weaknesses of official records, including missing data or the exclusion of personal experiences. Evaluate the strengths of newspapers in capturing public mood and providing immediate reports of events. Assess the weaknesses of newspapers, particularly sensationalism, exaggeration, and political bias. A common slip: Stating a source is biased and therefore completely useless. Instead, Explain that even a biased source is useful for showing the opinions, motives, or attitudes of the creator. Exam tip: Always use the specific details of the source's provenance (nature, origin, purpose) to explain its strengths and weaknesses.
See it
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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