1. What do examiners want ? Answering questions about usefulness
Source C- Home Front exam paper January 2010
Question: How useful is this source as evidence about government action during the First World War?

2. How useful is this source...............?
Level 1: (1 mark)
General assertion e.g. It shows that people got fined.
Level 2: (2-3 marks)
Selects extracts with no explanation OR stock evaluation OR general comments from knowledge on rationing e.g. A shopkeeper got fined £20; It is useful because it is a government leaflet produced at the time; Rationing was introduced on a voluntary basis in 1917 bit it became compulsory in 1918.
Level 3: (4-5 marks)
Valid comment on usefulness of source based on content of source. Likely comments might be: Useful as it shows how people were punished for breaking the rationing laws; that the rationing laws were really strict.
Level 4: (6-7 marks)
Develops Level 3 answers by commenting on the tone/language or purpose of the source, with supporting detail OR develops Level 3 answers by evaluation on basis of contextual knowledge and or cross reference.
You could also cross reference to sources A, E (showing levels of governmental control) or G (showing the continuing food shortages and inability of government action to crack the problem).
Level 5: (8-9 marks)
Evaluates source by explaining its purpose.

3. How useful is this source.....?
Mark this answer:
“The source is useful because it shows me there was rationing in 1918.”

4. How useful is this source.....?
Mark this answer:
This source is useful as it shows how some people tried to get round the rationing laws. For example one man got 3 months in prison and there was heavy fines like £50 for selling to an unregistered customer.

5. How useful is this source...........?
This is a level 3 – how can we add to it to make it a level 4 answer?
Remember what you have to do for a level 4:
Evaluates the source by commenting on the tone/language or purpose of the source, with supporting detail.

6. How useful is this source......?
Now add even more to this answer to make it level 5:
Remember what you have to do for a level 5:
Evaluate the source by explaining its purpose.
Puts the sources in its historical context.
Answers will have supporting detail.

7. How useful is this source......?
Level 5 answer:
Source C is useful because it shows how much the government wanted to make people obey the rationing rules. It is a bit like a propaganda poster. Its aim is to scare people into following the rationing rules. The language and tone is quite strict and threatening, it says ‘these convictions have already need obtained by the authorities.’ Fines like £50 or £72 for the shopkeeper would have been a lot of money in those days. Source C is useful because it shows that the government had to get tough to make sure there was enough food. We know that German submarines were attacking British ships. By April 1917 Britain only had 6 weeks food supply left. The government brought in voluntary rationing in 1917 and even the royal family followed it but it did not stop shortages.

8. Mark scheme checklist for a question on usefulness:
Level 1(1)- general comment.
Level 2 (2-3)- quote but no evaluation/ evaluation but no back up.
Level 3 (4-5)- valid comment on usefulness backed with quote/ content from the source.
Level 4 (6-7)- valid comment on usefulness backed with quote/ content from the source.
- comment upon tone/ language.
- comment upon the purpose of the source.
- evaluates usefulness by commenting upon historical context of source.
- cross-references to other sources.
Level 5(8-9)- same as level 4 but evaluates source by explaining its purpose (usefulness).

9. Your Task now: Page 92 in the textbook. Question 3.
Write your answer using the mark scheme- your aim to get Level 5.

10. Key things to remember:
1. Remember sources can never be useful or useless in their own right- it all depends upon what they are being used for, so read the whole question. ‘Useful for …….What? E.g. a propaganda poster about WW1 will be fairly useless for telling us what actually happened but very useful for telling us about how the government tried to persuade people to sources the war.
remember that you don’t have to choose between two sources when comparing usefulness.
2. You might think both are equally useful, or that they are most useful taken together. If you think that say so, but always make sure that you support your answer with details from the sources.