1. Immigration and opinion polls in postwar Britain Exam focus: Edexcel Elizabeth Francis Philip Allan Publishers © 2016

2. Planning your essay This resource provides an essay plan for a sample Edexcel-style question for 1H: Britain transformed, 1918–97. The first step is to look at the question carefully. ‘There was limited change in government policy towards immigration in the years 1945–79.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Philip Allan Publishers © 2016

3. Introduction and conclusion Philip Allan Publishers © 2016 Introduction: Demonstrate your contextual knowledge of the period Show that you know there are two sides to this debate State what your judgement is — to what extent did government policy change? In an essay question of this sort it is important to give a balanced argument with both sides of the argument shown You will need to explore the factor in the question as well as others factors You must reach a judgement Conclusion: Summarise the factors discussed Make your judgement clear and make clear reference to the question ‘There was limited change in government policy towards immigration in the years 1945–79.’ How far do you agree with this statement?

4. Arguments which agree Philip Allan Publishers © 2016 Arguments which agree that government policy on immigration showed limited change (continuity) Britain continued to support immigration throughout the period because of a need for workers and the effects of outward migration Changes in legislation barely affected ‘white’ immigration, e.g. Irish people were exempt from the 1962 Act Britain still had to acknowledge ties to the former colonies, e.g. the lifting of the 1971 Act to allow over 25,000 Ugandan Asians to flee Idi Amin Start by giving arguments which agree with the factor stated in the question

5. Arguments which disagree Philip Allan Publishers © 2016 Arguments which suggest government policy towards immigration did change Change in government policies from active encouragement of immigration in the 1950s to increasingly restrictive policies in the 1960s and 1970s, e.g. the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 Changes were made to UK citizenship regulations based on ancestry rather than place of birth By 1979, would-be immigrants required guaranteed jobs in the UK before applications were granted New Commonwealth immigration in particular was increasingly restricted, e.g. the British Nationality Act 1948 gave full British citizenship to all inhabitants of the Commonwealth, but the 1962 Act ended free immigration for former colonial subjects Then move onto arguments which are against the factor given in the question. Each of these points can be explored in detail