Unit 1 (Cold War) exam advice put simply
This exam looks at many Cold War events through the period 1943-1991, but it will not look at them in
chronological order. You must answer all six questions, though you have some choice in Question 4
and Question 5. The questions towards the back are worth many more marks so you should start
your exam from Question 6 and work backwards. The paper will be 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Q
1
2
3
4
(a)
or
(b)
5
6
Marks Type of question
2
Giving two basic reasons e.g. Study Source A. Give two reasons from
Source A which show that ‘the Soviet Union completely
miscalculated the impact that its actions would have on the West’
4
Explaining two things that happened e.g. Outline two steps that
President Carter took to encourage the Soviet Union to withdraw
from Afghanistan.
10
Judging two sources’ usefulness e.g. Study Sources B and C. How
useful are Sources B and C as evidence of the reasons for the USA’s
blockade of Cuba in October 1962? Explain your answer, using
Sources B and C and your own knowledge.
6
Describing an issue or event’s key features e.g. (a) Describe the key
features of the ‘refugee problem’ in Berlin in the years 1958–61. OR
(b) Describe the key features of the Intermediate-range Nuclear
Forces (INF) Treaty signed in December 1987.
15
Explaining the importance of three events e.g. Explain the
importance of three of the following in international relations.
• The Teheran Conference, 1943
• The formation of NATO, 1949
• The Prague Spring, 1968
• The fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989
13 + 3 Explaining why something happened e.g. Explain why relations
SPaG between the USA and the Soviet Union grew worse in the period
1945–48.
You may use the following in your answer:
• Capitalism and communism
• The Berlin Blockade
You must also include information of your own.
Time
3 mins
5 mins
14 mins
8 mins
22 mins
23 mins
Question 1 will ask you to write two basic reasons. You only need to write two very short sentences
using the source.
Question 2 requires you to explain two things that happened using your knowledge. You need to
make a developed statement (a point, then a little more detail). Do this twice. For instance, in
answer to the question above, one developed statement would be: ‘Carter ordered a boycott by the
USA of the Moscow Olympics. He did this to publicly embarrass the Soviet Union and make them look
bad.’ You would need to make two developed statements to get full marks.
Question 3 asks you to explain the usefulness of two sources. You must also use your own
knowledge to help you judge the sources. You should write one paragraph about Source B and one
paragraph about Source C. In each paragraph, you must explain how useful the information in the
source is (e.g. is the text helpful in giving us information, and why?) and whether the nature, origin
or purpose of the source affect how useful it is (e.g. can we trust the author and why?).
Question 4 provides you with a choice of two questions – (a) and (b). It requires you to write two
developed statements in answer to the question you choose – like Question 2 but in more detail.
You need to write two short paragraphs: each should include a brief point, backed up with your own
knowledge. For instance, in answer to Question 4(a) above, one developed statement is: ‘One
feature of the refugee problem was that it led to the loss of skilled workers from Communist East
Germany. This was because in capitalist West Germany skilled workers could earn much higher salaries
than in the East and this encouraged them to move to West Germany as refugees, usually through Berlin
where it was easy to cross.’
Question 5 asks you to explain the importance of three issues ‘in international relations’. This means
explaining how important the issues are, why they are important and proving it with some factual
detail. You will have a choice of four issues – choose to write about the three that you know most
about. You should write a paragraph about each issue. You must also use detailed facts such as
names and dates. Don’t just say it is important; explain why it is important. For instance, in answer
to the question above, if you write about the fall of the Berlin Wall, you could explain it is so
important because it was a very memorable symbol of how communism was collapsing through
Europe and because it helped lead to the end of the Warsaw Pact and the break-up of the USSR.
Question 6 asks you to explain why something happened. You should write three paragraphs and a
conclusion. Each paragraph should focus on a different reason why the event in the question took
place and explain clearly how this cause led to the outcome. Use the bullet points to help you but
one of the paragraphs should be about something not mentioned in the bullet points: for instance
in answer to Question 6 on the other side of this sheet, you could write a paragraph about how the
Soviet Union increased its influence in eastern Europe. In your conclusion, you should compare the
importance of all the different causes and make a judgement about which was the most important
cause, e.g. ‘I think the fact that the USA and USSR had different systems and beliefs was the most
important reason why relations worsened, because it meant the superpowers distrusted each other.
Although the Berlin Blockade and Stalin’s takeover of many eastern European countries reinforced the
mistrust, relations were bound to worsen almost regardless of what happened because of the
differences between capitalism and communism.’ 3 extra marks are given depending on the quality of
your use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.