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 11: The historic environment - 2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries: Knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue, e.g. army records, national newspapers, government reports, medical articles.
Historical enquiries into the Western Front require knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 1 of 5
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Historical enquiries into the Western Front require knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue. Army records, such as war diaries, provide detailed, official accounts of troop movements and medical deployments. National newspapers offer insight into public perception and government propaganda, though they were heavily censored. Government reports deliver statistical data and official policy decisions regarding the war effort. Medical articles, published in journals like The Lancet, are vital for understanding clinical observations and the dissemination of new treatments among professionals. Evaluating these sources involves assessing their provenance, purpose, and utility for specific historical questions.
What earns the marks
- Identify different types of national sources, including army records, newspapers, government reports, and medical articles.
- Explain the strengths and limitations of army records for researching medical treatments on the Western Front.
- Assess the impact of censorship on the reliability of national newspapers during the First World War.
- Evaluate the utility of medical articles for understanding the development of surgical techniques.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating national newspapers as entirely factual accounts of the war.
Put it right: Newspapers were subject to strict government censorship and often published propaganda to maintain morale, limiting their objective reliability.
Assuming army records contain personal feelings or detailed patient experiences.
Put it right: Army records and war diaries are typically formal and factual, focusing on logistics and operations rather than personal emotions.
Dismissing a source entirely because it is biased.
Put it right: A biased source can still be highly useful for an enquiry into attitudes, propaganda, or the specific viewpoint of the author.
Exam tips
- Always consider the author, audience, and purpose (provenance) when evaluating the utility of a national source.
- Cross-reference different types of sources, such as comparing a medical article with an army record, to build a more comprehensive historical enquiry.
- When asked about the utility of a source, explicitly link its contents and provenance to the specific enquiry in the question.
Try the lesson
The start of the Option 11: The historic environment - 2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries: Knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue, e.g. army records, national newspapers, government reports, medical articles. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which type of national source would typically provide the most accurate statistical data on the number of casualties treated at a specific Casualty Clearing Station on the Western Front?
Listen
Historical enquiries into the Western Front require knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue. Army records, such as war diaries, provide detailed, official accounts of troop movements and medical deployments. National newspapers offer insight into public perception and government propaganda, though they were heavily censored. Government reports deliver statistical data and official policy decisions regarding the war effort. Medical articles, published in journals like The Lancet, are vital for understanding clinical observations and the dissemination of new treatments among professionals. Evaluating these sources involves assessing their provenance, purpose, and utility for specific historical questions. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify different types of national sources, including army records, newspapers, government reports, and medical articles. Explain the strengths and limitations of army records for researching medical treatments on the Western Front. Assess the impact of censorship on the reliability of national newspapers during the First World War. Evaluate the utility of medical articles for understanding the development of surgical techniques. A common slip: Treating national newspapers as entirely factual accounts of the war. Instead, Newspapers were subject to strict government censorship and often published propaganda to maintain morale, limiting their objective reliability. Exam tip: Always consider the author, audience, and purpose (provenance) when evaluating the utility of a national source.
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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