BEWARE THE ‘EASY’ MAIN MESSAGE Q! Mastering analysis, evaluation & nuance with IGCSE HISTORY SOURCES

This resource is designed to give students a crash course in the importance of dissecting sources carefully, rather than taking them at face value. Using one of the more complex League of Nations sources (which many students every year misinterpret), this lesson demonstrates to students how the overlooking or omission of the more subtle details of the source can COMPLETELY change the meaning and that consequently, with the clearest structure, the most sophisticated and ambitious features of written communication and the accurate analysis of numerous sub messages, their mark risks being capped at 50% if the main message is overlooked.

I have also used it as cautionary tale to reinforce the danger of underestimating the challenge in a ‘what is the main message?’ question but ultimately the principles learned in this lesson apply to every source on every paper. In short, the highest marks are reserved for the most observant students, who include nuance in the exam answers and most importantly, that only with the most careful and comprehensive studying of the source can you hope to accurately piece together the main message and arrive at the most accurate conclusion.

All materials are designed in preparation for the 2025 CIE IGCSE exam on KQ2 - The League of Nations (0470) to help students master their source analysis skills and hit every mark on that mark scheme!

This lesson has been produced following the completion of the New 2024 onwards IGCSE specification training course delivered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

My last exam cohort of 90 students gained an average A grade overall at IGCSE, with 91% achieving an A-A*. Paper 2 was their strongest paper! The type of coaching in this lesson is what got them there.

Contents of this lesson:
A 9 slide lesson presentation
1 Source worksheet for student analysis
2 exam/model answers for evaluation
1 mark scheme to support student assessment of the models

Specific presentation content
Slide 1 - Title
Slide 2 - Golden rules for Paper 2
Slide 3 - Student source analysis task
Slide 4 - Writing challenge with structure template / scaffold
Slide 5 - Exam answer 1 and student evaluation/ marking task
Slide 6 - Exam answer 2 and student evaluation / marking task
Slide 7 - Exam answer 1 analysis and reveal of mark
Slide 8 - Exam answer 2 analysis and reveal of mark
Slide 9 - The fallacy of the ‘easy’ main message question and exam top tips and advice for avoiding pitfalls and ensuring Paper 2 success

All resources are created in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and are fully editable and adaptable for the needs of your class.

Associated resources
NEW 2025 Paper 2 Masterclass
Paper 2 Model answers bundle