2 replies to this topic

[Juana La Loca]

I've just had my last session with Year 11 on how to approach the British Depth Study (we do 1939-75)

About half my lot are having another go at it after being disappointed with their marks on the January sitting. Previously my students have been really quite successful on this paper. Having gone through the Jan 12 markscheme and Examiners' Report with a toothcomb of fineness I've refined my previous advice. I've emphasised to not get so bogged down with their source evaluation that they actually forget to answer the question set. I've encouraged them to back up their answers with details from the source/Contextual Knowledge/Cross referencing, but when a little voice says 'I just didn't really understand any of the sources Miss.' I'm just a bit flummoxed.

As I've muttered before on here, this is the one that they really are tested themselves and they are SO spoonfed elsewhere like in Sciencethat there is such an expectation that I will somehow come up with the magic formula that they learn and Hey Presto! A*s fall to their feet.

Is anyone facing the British Depth Study with confidence? I really do think that the mark scheme is much more procriptive than its ever been before.

a downbeat Catherine

[j hewson]

I think that the best advice that you have given them is the most glaring one, and also one which many pupils fail to do: answer the question. They have a tendency to get so bogged down in a deep analysis of the source, the provenance etc that they only really deal with the question at the end. I always tell my students that if they are struggling to fully grasp the source, to try and work out the purpose and take it from there. You can't spoon feed them this paper, you are right, but the questions are becoming more open-ended, which should allow the more able to express themselves more fully.

[Juana La Loca]

I think that the best advice that you have given them is the most glaring one, and also one which many pupils fail to do: answer the question. They have a tendency to get so bogged down in a deep analysis of the source, the provenance etc that they only really deal with the question at the end. I always tell my students that if they are struggling to fully grasp the source, to try and work out the purpose and take it from there. You can't spoon feed them this paper, you are right, but the questions are becoming more open-ended, which should allow the more able to express themselves more fully.

Thanks for the words of comfort. I'm less worried about 'the more able' and more concerned about the other end who are the ones who crave the 'formulaic approach'.