1 USA 1919 – 41 Exam Technique © OG Scott Question 3(a) Was the main reason for Roosevelt’s election the failures of Herbert Hoover? You may use the following in your answer: The effects of the Depression, Hoover’s attempts to overcome the Depression, Roosevelt’s election campaign, The treatment of the Bonus Army. 16 marks Example Answer Level One (1-4 marks) Simple statements of causation. (The student makes statements which lack any supporting contextual knowledge or makes unsupported generalisations) Roosevelt was elected because people were unemployed and h e promised to help them. Low Level 1 (1-2 marks) Repetition of the provided stimulus material, or agrees / disagrees with no development. Despite Hoover’s attempts, voters were looking for more help, which is what Roosevelt ‘s New Deal offered them. High Level 1 (3-4 marks) For unfocussed description. In this question the examiner will be assessing: Recall of knowledge (can you the remember relevant facts?) Analysis of causation (can you write an essay that compares the importance of each cause?) Top Tip See how each of the level 1 answers gives a reason why Roosevelt was elected, but does not explain them. This lack of explanation means that they will be marked as a level 1 answer. To get level 2 marks, you have to explain the reasons.

2 USA 1919 – 41 Exam Technique © OG Scott Question 3(a) Was the main reason for Roosevelt’s election the failures of Herbert Hoover? You may use the following in your answer: The effects of the Depression, Hoover’s attempts to overcome the Depression, Roosevelt’s election campaign, The treatment of the Bonus Army. 16 marks Example Answer Level Two (5-8 marks) Developed statements of causation. (Developed statements which agree and / or disagree using the stimulus material and /or additional material. Mostly relevant and accurate but with an implicit focus on the question). Roosevelt was elected because people were unemployed and he promised to help them. Many people had lost everything and were reduced to living in Hoovervilles and scrounging for food. Low Level 2 (5-6 marks) Mainly narrative or of one stimuli only. Hoover’s treatment of the Hooverville that had been built on Anacostia Field by the Bonus Army may also have stopped people voting for him. When thousands of unemployed veterans who were campaigning for an early payment of their bonus were forcibly removed on Hoover’s orders people were outraged at his lack of sympathy for the unemployed High Level 2 (7-8 marks) Develops two or more of stimuli or other relevant information. In this question the examiner will be assessing: Recall of knowledge (can you the remember relevant facts?) Analysis of causation (can you write an essay that compares the importance of each cause?) Top Tip Read the level 2 answers and notice how they cover the same reasons as in level 1, but that now the reasons are explained and some extra information has been included. However, the answer is only implicit, which means that the ideas are not directly used to say how they led to Roosevelt’s election and do not discuss the main reason. You will be give four pieces of stimulus material, so use all four of them in your answer.

3 USA 1919 – 41 Exam Technique © OG Scott Question 3(a) Was the main reason for Roosevelt’s election the failures of Herbert Hoover? You may use the following in your answer: The effects of the Depression, Hoover’s attempts to overcome the Depression, Roosevelt’s election campaign, The treatment of the Bonus Army. 16 marks Level Three (9-12 marks) Developed explanation of causation. (Developed explanation of more than one reason agreeing / or disagreeing from stimulus material and / or additional material. The answer mainly focuses on the question). The effects of the Depression was the most important reason for Roosevelt’s election in This was because Hoover had failed to provide any real help for the unemployed, saying “prosperity is just around the corner”. Low Level 3 (9-10 marks) Considers a variety of reasons, but judgement implicit. Despite Hoover’s real attempts to deal with the causes and results of the Depression, he had not succeeded in overcoming the problems of the financial system, he had not managed to bring about industrial recovery and he failed to deal with the very real misery of the unemployed and destitute. He was so unpopular that the shanty towns erected by the unemployed were called Hoovervilles and his image was booed in cinemas across America. High Level 3 (11-12 marks) Considers a variety of reasons and explains why one more important than others. In this question the examiner will be assessing: Recall of knowledge (can you the remember relevant facts?) Analysis of causation (can you write an essay that compares each one’s importance?) Top Tip Notice how this level 3 answer explains how a reason caused Roosevelt to be elected. You would need to produce similar sections on each of the four points in the question’s stimulus material. See how the higher level marks are for showing how one reason is more important than the others.

4 USA 1919 – 41 Exam Technique © OG Scott Question 3(a) Was the main reason for Roosevelt’s election the failures of Herbert Hoover? You may use the following in your answer: The effects of the Depression, Hoover’s attempts to overcome the Depression, Roosevelt’s election campaign, The treatment of the Bonus Army. 16 marks Level Four (13-16 marks) Sustained argument. (This considers the inter-relationship between a range of reasons from the stimulus and / or additional material. Mostly relevant and accurate but with an implicit focus on the question) Roosevelt was elected in 1932 because of a combination of causes. These can all be traced back to the problems caused by the Depression. Hoover’s growing unpopularity was due to his inability to deal with the financial collapse and desperation that resulted from the Depression. Because people were desperate they were prepared to vote for Roosevelt and his offer of a New Deal. Roosevelt’s personality was also an important factor in his election. He projected confidence and affability, compared with the rather dour and reclusive Hoover. Low Level 4 (13-14 marks) Mainly a judgement on the relative importance of more than two reasons. It is possible that Hoover’s treatment of the Bonus Army may have lost him votes, but more important was the failure of his Republican policies. These had been responsible for the lack of financial control that caused the Depression in the first place. Thus Roosevelt was elected because of a combination linked causes, none of which were more important than the others. High Level 4 (15-16 marks) Illustrates that one “most important” reason on its own could not provide a satisfactory conclusion. Top Tip This level 4 answer shows how the causes were linked together (doing this chronologically is the best way) and then how Roosevelt was elected because of all of the reasons working together. In this way it actually answers the question and shows an excellent understanding of causation. See how the top level addresses the concept of their relative importance.