Quite frankly, this issue is very badly addressed on the internet, and I'm not surprised you're a bit at sea with it.
There is much more help and structure for English GCSE students with sourcework (which is the same thing) than there is for Scottish students with 'Enquiry Skills'.
On the syllabus, it defines 'Enquiry SKills' as follows:
QUOTE
• evaluating sources with reference to their historical significance, the points of view
conveyed in them and to the relevant historical context
• selecting and organising
and it says this about what you have to know how to do to get the diffent levels:
QUOTE
6 8 Enquiry Skills – Extended Grade Related Criteria
Foundation Level (Grades 6 and 5)
Given a source or sources the candidate can:
• support a given evaluation by reference to features such as accuracy, authorship, purpose, contemporaneity, bias, exaggeration or consistency
• identify points of similarity and difference in simple sources
• identify and/or give a simple explanation of the points of view and/or actions conveyed in sources
• select and record from sources information appropriate to a given topic
• use information from sources to present findings in relation to a given topic.
General Level (Grades 4 and 3)
Given a source or sources, the candidate can:
• make an evaluation of the source(s) and support this by reference to features such as accuracy, authorship, purpose, contemporaneity, bias, exaggeration or consistency
• compare points of view conveyed in the source(s)
• identify and/or explain the points of view and/or actions conveyed in the source(s)
• set the source(s) in a wider historical context by reference to features such as purpose, timing and the significance of its (their) content
• select and organise information from sources appropriate to a given issue
• use sources together with recalled knowledge to suggest a conclusion to an issue.
Credit Level (Grades 2 and 1)
Given a source or source(s), the candidate can:
• make a balanced evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the source(s) and support this by reference to features such as accuracy, authorship, purpose, contemporaneity, bias, exaggeration or consistency
• compare points of view conveyed in the source(s)
• give a balanced explanation of the points of view and/or actions conveyed in the source(s)
• set the source(s) in a wider historical context with extended reference to features such as purpose, timing and the significance of its (their) content
• select and organise information from complex sources appropriate to a given issue
• use sources together with recalled knowledge to draw a well-supported and balanced conclusion to a given issue.
There is a webpage here, giving you a summary of the
types of Enquiry SKills question you will meet at SG.
And
this article seems particularly clear.
As far as I can glean, however, you are correct in thinking that the same kind of questions are asked every year, but that the exact style of question may change - you may need to look at the question and tell yourself: 'Ah yes - this is one of
those questions'.
By far the best advice on these has been given on this forum by our own wonderful A Finemess, on this thread:
Enquiry Skills questions You can also get some (rather shallow) further advice if you go to
this BBC Bitesize page and do a search (<CTRL-F>)for 'Enquiry skills', and then a second search for 'source'.
One more thing you MUST do is to see your teacher, and to get him to let you
look at some past papers - then you will be able to see the different kinds of question you might be asked.
Finally, at the risk of confusing you, I found
this booklet while I was browsing the net. It appears to be for Modern Studies, but it has some good ideas.
.. but any ideas?