Exam Skills: The 16-Mark 'Explain Two of the Following' Importance Question
The 16-mark 'explain two of the following' importance question is an exam skill on Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2, in which a student is given three named events, individuals or developments and must explain the importance of two of them for a given outcome.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read all three named options before choosing, and pick the two for which you can recall the most specific factual detail, not simply the two mentioned first.
- Treat the two chosen options as two entirely separate mini-answers, each aiming for the full 8 marks, rather than one combined answer split across both.
- For each option, begin by stating directly why it was important for the outcome named in the question, then support this with specific factual detail (a date, a name, a place, a figure).
- Push each mini-answer towards the top level by explaining a further consequence of the importance you have identified, in the same way as an 'explain two consequences' answer.
- Manage your time evenly across the two options: since they are marked identically out of 8 each, spending far longer on one than the other risks losing marks on the shorter one.
- Do not write about the third, unchosen option at all; time spent on it earns no credit and takes time away from the two that do.
Worked example
Explain two of the following: the importance of EACH of these for the development of the cattle industry on the Great Plains. (i) Joseph McCoy (ii) The Homestead Act, 1862 (iii) The winter of 1886-87
- Choose the two options with the strongest recall, here (i) Joseph McCoy and (iii) the winter of 1886-87.
- For Joseph McCoy: state the importance directly, e.g. McCoy built stockyards at Abilene, Kansas, from 1867, turning it into a 'cow town' where ranchers driving cattle up from Texas could load them onto the railroad.
- Develop this with a further consequence: this gave the whole cattle industry a practical, profitable route to eastern markets, encouraging ranchers to expand herds and drive them along trails such as the Goodnight-Loving Trail, fuelling rapid growth of open range ranching in the following two decades.
- For the winter of 1886-87: state the importance directly, e.g. an exceptionally harsh winter struck the overstocked open range, and because cattle had no shelter or extra feed, huge numbers starved or froze to death, causing devastating financial losses for ranchers who had expanded their herds during the boom years.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1How many options are usually given in this question type, and how many must a student choose?Show answer
Answer: Three options are given, and the student must choose two.
Q2How many marks is each chosen option worth, and what is the total for the question?Show answer
Answer: 8 marks each, for a total of 16 marks.
Q3Is there any credit for writing about all three given options?Show answer
Answer: No, only the two chosen options are marked; writing about the third wastes time without earning credit.
Q4How should time be divided between the two chosen options?Show answer
Answer: As evenly as possible, since both are marked out of the same 8 marks.
Q5What should guide the choice of which two options to write about?Show answer
Answer: Choosing the two options the student can support with the most specific factual detail, not simply the first two listed.
Q6What kind of detail should support the stated importance of each chosen option?Show answer
Answer: Specific factual detail, such as a date, name, place or figure, plus a further, linked consequence to reach the top level.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two of the following: the importance of EACH of these for changes to the Plains Indians' way of life. (i) The Indian Appropriations Act, 1851 (ii) The Fort Laramie Treaty, 1868 (iii) The Dawes Act, 1887
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 16 available
Explain two of the following: the importance of EACH of these for the development of the Great Plains. (i) The Homestead Act, 1862 (ii) The Pacific Railroad Act, 1862 (iii) Barbed wire
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 16 available
See real GCSE History past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the exam skills: the 16-mark 'explain two of the following' importance question worksheet pack - 8 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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