Exam Skills: Writing Analytical Narrative Accounts of the American West
Writing an analytical narrative account is an exam skill tested on Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2 (1HI0), where the American West period study includes an 8-mark 'Write a narrative account analysing...' question. Unlike the consequences question, this asks a student to retell a sequence of events over time and show HOW one event led to, caused, or connected with the next, rather than simply listing what happened in order. The question usually names two pieces of information to use as a starting point, but the mark scheme rewards a student's own additional, accurate knowledge just as much. Top-level answers read as a connected chain of cause and effect across the whole period named in the question, not a list of separate facts about the same topic.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify the time period and the two given pieces of information in the question, and plan a chronological sequence of three or four events that connects them, adding at least one event of your own knowledge.
- Before writing, decide the LINK between each pair of events in your sequence: what changed, or what did the first event cause, that made the next event happen.
- Open with a sentence that sets the scene at the start of the period, then move through events in order, using linking phrases (e.g. 'this led to', 'as a result', 'this meant that') to make each connection explicit rather than implied.
- Use specific factual detail at every stage, not just at the start: named individuals, places, dates and outcomes should appear throughout the account, not only in the opening sentence.
- Finish with a sentence that states the overall outcome of the sequence, showing the examiner that the narrative has gone somewhere rather than simply stopping.
- Do not include a personal judgement about whether events were good or bad; this question type is marked on analysis of connection and causation, not evaluation.
Worked example
Write a narrative account analysing the growth of the cattle industry and the reasons for the end of the open range system, in the period c1865-1887. You may use the following in your account: Joseph McCoy and the winter of 1886-87. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the sequence: (1) demand for beef in the east and cheap Texas cattle create an opportunity, (2) Goodnight and Loving and Joseph McCoy build the trails and cow towns that let ranchers profit, (3) the open range system grows rapidly as a result, (4) overstocking and the harsh winter of 1886-87 destroy huge numbers of cattle and end the open range system.
- Write the opening: after the Civil War, cattle bred cheaply on the open ranges of Texas were worth far more in eastern cities, so ranchers looked for a way to get them to market.
- Link step two: Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving opened a long-distance trail driving cattle north from Texas, and from 1867 Joseph McCoy built stockyards at Abilene, Kansas, giving ranchers a practical cow town where cattle could be loaded onto the expanding railroad for shipment east; this made cattle ranching highly profitable.
- Link step three and close: the profits encouraged ranchers to graze ever larger herds on the unfenced open range, but this overstocking left the range overgrazed and vulnerable, so when the exceptionally harsh winter of 1886-87 struck, huge numbers of cattle starved or froze, and the financial losses persuaded most ranchers to switch to smaller, fenced herds, bringing the open range system to an end.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What is the key difference between the 'explain two consequences' question and the 'narrative account' question?Show answer
Answer: The consequences question explains two separate effects of one event; the narrative account traces a connected sequence of events over time, analysing how one led to the next.
Q2How many pieces of information does the narrative account question usually give the student to use?Show answer
Answer: Two, though the student must also add information of their own.
Q3What kind of linking language should a strong narrative account use?Show answer
Answer: Explicit cause-and-effect language, e.g. 'this led to', 'as a result', 'this meant that', showing how one event connects to the next.
Q4Should a narrative account end with a personal judgement about whether events were good or bad?Show answer
Answer: No, this question type is marked on analysis of connection and causation, not on evaluation or judgement.
Q5Where in the answer should specific factual detail (names, dates, places) appear?Show answer
Answer: Throughout the account, at every stage of the sequence, not only in the opening sentence.
Q6What should the closing sentence of a strong narrative account do?Show answer
Answer: State the overall outcome of the sequence, showing that the narrative has reached a clear conclusion rather than simply stopping.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Write a narrative account analysing why the US government's policy towards the Plains Indians changed between 1851 and 1887. You may use the following in your account: the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 and the Dawes Act of 1887. You must also use information of your own.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Write a narrative account analysing the impact of the transcontinental railroad on the American West in the period c1862-1876. You may use the following in your account: the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. You must also use information of your own.
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
Want more practice on paper? Download the exam skills: writing analytical narrative accounts of the american west worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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