1. SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS:
RELIABILITY

2. Lesson Focus… Breaking down complex sources of information
Discussing how to determine the reliability of sources.
Writing exam style answers to Reliability questions

3. Reliability Questions
In this type of question you are asked to determine the reliability of three different sources of information individually and then make a decision as to which of the three sources is the MOST reliable overall.
There will always be three sources (A, B, C)
Always worth 8 marks
The actual question will always be the same
The sources will all discuss the same topic – which could be any Modern Studies topic.

4. Reliability Questions BASIC ANSWER STRUCTURE
Evaluate Source A individually (worth 2 marks)
Evaluate Source B individually (worth 2 marks)
Evaluate Source C individually (worth 2 marks)
Overall conclusion on most reliable source (worth 2 marks)

5. How to evaluate RELIABILITY
HEADING – what is the source?
CONTENT – read the actual source. What are your initial thoughts?
Give pupils thinking time.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: key information such as dates, source background, author etc

6. For each source consider… How C.R.A.P.P is this source?
C – Current?
R – Reasonable?
A – Authorship?
P – Purpose?
P – Point of View?
Reasonable – ie is the source fair? So for example – Newspapers are inherently unfair as they are biased. The reasonability of polls is dependent on if it is taken from a representative sample. The orgainsation behind websites will have an impact on fairness ie Channel 4 vs Wikipedia.

7. A – Shebab Khan, The Independent P – to inform or persuade
Most sources will contain enough information for you to complete at least 3 out of 5 of the CRAPP points.
You do not need to comment on every aspect however you will need to compare sources at the end so gather as much evidence as you can.
SOURCE A IS…
C – Jan 2016
R – newspaper -biased
A – Shebab Khan, The Independent
P – to inform or persuade
P – one sided – terrorist only

8. “Source A is not reliable.”
0 marks - No evidence and no explanation!
“Source A is not reliable as it is an interview with a terrorist and only gives one person’s perspective of the issue.”
1 mark – straightforward explanation with evidence drawn from the source.

9. “Source A can be considered reliable to a small extent
“Source A can be considered reliable to a small extent. It has been published in a UK based newspaper – The Independent – so can assumed to be biased however, the actual author (Shebab Khan) should have followed journalistic ethics and standards when researching and writing the piece.
2 marks – detailed explanation with evidence drawn from the source

10. R – poll of sample quota of UK adults P – neutral polling data
SOURCE B IS…
C – Jan 2016
R – poll of sample quota of UK adults
A – Ipsos MORI
P – informative
P – neutral polling data
In pairs evaluate Source B using the CRAPP mnemonic.

11. 2 marks – detailed explanation with evidence drawn from the source
“Source B can be considered reliable as the data was collected in January of 2016, meaning the poll is still relevant and up-to-date.”
1 mark – straightforward explanation with evidence drawn from the source.
“Source B is trustworthy as it is published by Ipsos Mori, a highly respected and professional polling organisation used by many media outlets. The sample of people questioned is representative, meaning it reflects the diversity of the UK population”
2 marks – detailed explanation with evidence drawn from the source

12. R – Channel 4 website – publicly funded organisation
SOURCE C IS…
C – July 2009
R – Channel 4 website – publicly funded organisation
A – Jon Snow, Channel 4
P – informative?
P – ?
In pairs evaluate Source C using the CRAPP mnemonic.

13. “Source C is not reliable as it was published in July of 2009
“Source C is not reliable as it was published in July of Events regarding the War in Afghanistan will have greatly changed since then.
1 mark – straightforward explanation with evidence drawn from the source.
“Although Source C is from a respected news organization, Channel 4, which has high trust ratings amongst UK sources of news, this was published in July 2009 which reduces the article’s reliability as events will have changed since then and it will not contain the most up-to-date information. Therefore, Source C’s reliability is questionable. 2 marks – detailed explanation with evidence drawn from the source

14. Compare C.R.A.P.Ps! For the overall conclusion…
Which source is the MOST reliable?
Compare C.R.A.P.Ps!
Compare CRAPP comments across the sources.
Is one source more CURRENT than the others?
Which source has the most REASONABLE background?
Who AUTHORED each source?
What is the PURPOSE of each source?
Do any have a neutral POINT OF VIEW?

15. Source B is the most reliable source as the survey was carried out in January 2016 and is more up-to-date than Source C which was published in Moreover, Source B is also likely to be more objective than Source A which is from a newspaper and likely to be biased in nature.
2 marks – overall conclusion, supported by detailed evidence from all 3 sources.
CLEAR OVERALL CONCLUSION STATING THE MOST RELIABLE SOURCE.
COMPARISON BETWEEN FIRST TWO SOURCES, USING EVIDENCE
COMPARISON BETWEEN SECOND TWO SOURCES, USING EVIDENCE

16. Reliability of Sources General Hints and Tips
Looking for:
Where does the info come from?
- Charity, Government, Business, Newspapers…could they have an agenda or are they legally bound to produce accurate information?
Has it been adapted or is it representative?
- Adapting suggests that information has been changed/removed/tampered with, therefore, is it reliable?
When was the information published?
- Is the information up-to-date? Does it accurately reflect the current situation?