Answers
Section A (SBQ)
Study Source A
What can you infer about the life of the Europeans living in
Singapore during the early 20th century? Explain your answer. (4m)
Level
Band descriptor
Answers based on provenance/ Description
Marks
1m
L1
e.g.
The source shows a picture of a European styled house
e.g
The source shows the picture of a well built house
Inference, unsupported
2m
L2
e.g. I can infer that the life of the Europeans was pleasant/
comfortable / wealthy
L3
Inference, well supported and explained
Point
 I can infer that the life of the Europeans was pleasant/
comfortable / wealthy
Evidence
 The house is huge and well-built
 The house is built elegantly with two story and large front
porch
Explanation
 This suggest that during the 20th century, the Europeans in
Singapore were likely wealthy as they have the means to build
such an elegant house. This is evidence of a comfortable/
pleasant lifestyle
Award 3 marks for inference not well supported or explained
Award 4 marks for inference, well supported and explained.
3-4m
Study Source B.
What can you learn from this source about the mindset of
early Singapore settlers? Explain your answer.
(5m)
Level
Band descriptor
L1
Answers based on provenance or description of source, no
explanation
Marks
1m
e.g.
The source is an account by an Indian immigrant
e.g
The source talks about how people live in Singapore in the early 20 th
century
L2
Inference, unsupported.
2-3 m
e.g. I can learn from Source B that the early settlers had a self- reliant
/ self-dependent mindset
Or
e.g. I can learn from Source B that the early settlers in Singapore had
a resilient / problem solving mindset
Award 2 marks for one inference, unsupported
Award 3 marks for two inferences, unsupported.
L3
Inference, well supported and explained
Point
 I can learn from Source B that the mindset of early settlers
was one of self-reliance / self-dependent
Evidence
 From Source B, “People would also sew their own clothes
using their own sewing machine, instead of giving them to the
tailor. And when children grew up, they also learnt to sew
their own clothes
Explanation
 This shows that early settlers depended on themselves to
4m-5m
Level
Band descriptor
Marks
meet some of their basic needs, such as clothing. This
suggests that early settlers saw that if their needs can be met
without depending on others, they would choose not to
depend on others
OR
Point
 I can learn from Source B that the early settlers in Singapore
had a resilient / problem solving mindset
Evidence
 From Source B, “Houses here did not have any electricity or
gas at all. People also rarely burnt or cooked using Kerosene
oil, because it was expensive for us. People used wood
instead”
Explain
 This suggest that despite not having access to basic facilities,
early settlers were able to find alternative, such as wood, to
meet their needs, highlighting their resilience/
resourcefulness
Award 4 marks for one inference, well supported and explained.
Award 5 marks for two inferences, supported and explained.
Study Source C and D
How different are sources C and D in telling you about the
immigrants in Singapore? Explain your answer.
(6m)
Level Band descriptor
Different in source type or invalid and unclear matching
Marks
1m
L1
e.g The sources are different in that one source talks about the
Chinese immigrants while the other source talks about the Malay
immigrants
L2
Answer based on provenance OR similarity/differences based on the
sources being an account about immigrants
2m
Level Band descriptor
Marks
e.g. Both sources are different as they talk about the different race of
the early immigrants
e.g. Both sources are similar as they are accounts about migrants that
came to Singapore in the late 19th century, early 20th century
L3
Similar/Different in content or tone, but no support.
3m-4m
e.g.
Sources C and D are similar in showing that in both sources the
immigrants were attracted to Singapore because of better job
prospects
AND/OR
e.g.
Sources C and D are different in their perspective on how the
immigrants view Singapore and their homeland. In Source C, most of
the immigrants saw Singapore as a temporary stopover while in
Source D, most of the immigrants were more willing to settle in
Singapore permanently
Award 3 marks for either similarity OR difference.
Award 4 marks for both similarity AND difference
L4
Similar OR/AND different in content, well explained with support
from source.
e.g
Sources C and D are similar in showing that in both sources the
immigrants were attracted to Singapore because of better job
prospects

This can be supported in Source C, which states that; “larger
numbers of Chinese coolies flocked to Singapore looking for
work.” and “They aspired to make their fortune in Southeast
Asia and return home to China” This suggest that many
Chinese immigrants came to Singapore because the believed it
had a better job prospect than back in their homeland.

Similarly, Source D states that, “Many would be pilgrims came
5m- 6m
Level Band descriptor
to work in Singapore in order to accumulate enough money for
their pilgrimage. Others stopped off to work in Singapore on
their returned journey in order to pay off debts incurred on the
pilgrimage.” This suggests that many of the Malay Muslim
immigrants were attracted to Singapore because of its job
prospects. They believed that the many jobs available would
help fund or pay off their pilgrimage.
OR/AND
e.g
Sources C and D are different in their willingness to accept Singapore
as a permanent residence. In Source C, most of the immigrants saw
Singapore as a temporary stopover while in Source D, most of the
immigrants were more willing to settle in Singapore permanently

From Source C, “They aspired to make their fortune in
Southeast Asia and return home to China.” This implies that
they saw Singapore merely as a place to better their economic
prospect before returning to their homeland and had no
intention to settle permanently in Singapore

However, Source D states that, “Many of the Malay and
Indonesian immigrants assimilated quietly and unobtrusively.”
And “they kept the fewest links with original homeland.” This
suggests that they were more willing to make Singapore their
permanent residence.
Award 5 marks for either similarity OR difference well-explained.
Award 6 marks for both similarity AND difference well-explained.
Marks