Exam Skills: Explaining Consequences in the American West
Explaining consequences is an exam skill tested on Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2 (1HI0), where the American West period study includes an 8-mark question in the format 'Explain two consequences of...'. This question tests whether a student can identify two genuinely separate effects of a named event or development and explain, with specific supporting detail, how each effect followed from it. It is marked using a levels-based mark scheme, generally out of 8 marks across three levels, and rewards depth and precision over the number of points made: two well-developed consequences, each supported by accurate factual detail specific to the American West, will always outscore four vague or generic statements.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the question and underline the named event or development (e.g. the Homestead Act of 1862, the Battle of the Little Bighorn) so the answer stays anchored to it and does not drift into general description.
- Plan two consequences before writing, and check they are genuinely different from each other, for example one immediate/short-term effect and one longer-term or wider effect, rather than the same point rephrased twice.
- Write each consequence as its own mini-paragraph: state the consequence in one clear sentence, then explain HOW it followed from the named event, using specific factual detail (a date, a name, a place, a figure).
- Push each paragraph towards the top level by adding a further linked consequence rather than stopping at the first effect, e.g. not just 'more settlers came' but 'more settlers came, which increased pressure on Plains Indian land and buffalo herds'.
- Do not include a judgement or overall conclusion; this question type rewards explained consequences, not an evaluative argument, so save judgement language for essay-style questions.
- Keep both consequences specific to the American West unit: use named acts, treaties, individuals or events (e.g. the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, Joseph Glidden's barbed wire) rather than generic statements that could apply to any historical period.
Worked example
Explain two consequences of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
- Underline the named event: the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
- Plan two clearly different consequences: (1) faster, cheaper transport of settlers and goods, and (2) increased pressure on Plains Indian land and the buffalo.
- Write consequence one as a mini-paragraph: the railroad let settlers, supplies and mail reach the West far faster and more cheaply than wagon trains, so it directly encouraged more homesteaders to take up land under the Homestead Act of 1862 and let cattle ranchers ship Texas cattle to eastern markets from railhead towns.
- Write consequence two as a mini-paragraph: railroad construction and increased rail traffic disturbed and reduced buffalo herds, while the railroad also carried in more settlers competing for land, so the Plains Indians' traditional way of life came under still greater pressure, adding to the causes of later conflicts such as the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Practice questions
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Q1How many marks is the 'Explain two consequences of...' question usually worth on Edexcel Paper 2?Show answer
Answer: 8 marks.
Q2Should the two consequences in this question type be similar or clearly different from each other?Show answer
Answer: Clearly different from each other, not the same point made twice.
Q3What should a student underline first when answering this question type?Show answer
Answer: The named event or development the question asks about, so the answer stays focused on it.
Q4What kind of detail should be used to develop each consequence?Show answer
Answer: Specific factual detail, such as a date, name, place or figure, rather than vague or generic statements.
Q5Does this question type require an overall judgement or conclusion?Show answer
Answer: No, it rewards explained consequences, not an evaluative argument or conclusion.
Q6Give one example of a way to push a consequence from a basic level to the top level.Show answer
Answer: Add a further, linked consequence rather than stopping at the first effect, e.g. showing how one effect led on to a second effect.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two consequences of the Homestead Act of 1862 for settlement of the Great Plains.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Explain two consequences of the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in the 1870s.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
See real GCSE History past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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