WRITING FOR THE VCE HISTORY
REVOLUTIONS EXAMINATION
Luke Cashman
VCE History Teacher
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School
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What will be covered today?
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Structure of the exam – new format in 2011
Time allocation
Which Revolution for which Section?
How to address particular questions
Sample student responses
Preparation and study advice
Study resources
General hints and tips
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Structure of the examination
• Wednesday, 16 November 3.00 - 5.15pm
• The exam is worth 50% of your overall result for
this subject
• Total of 80 marks
• 15 minutes reading time
• Two hours writing time
• Two Sections (A & B) which contain two
Outcomes each:
– Outcome 1: Movements, Ideas, Leaders and
Events
– Outcome 2: Creating a new society
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Section A & Section B
• Each Section is worth 40 marks; each Outcome is
worth 20 marks
• Therefore 60 minutes per Section; 30 minutes per
Outcome
• You must nominate which Revolution you will
address on the front page for both Sections in the
Answer book
• You can only write on ONE revolution in each
Section. Eg:
– Section A: America (both Outcomes)
– Section B: China (both Outcomes)
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New exam format for 2011
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Separate Question and Answer book
In the past, these were combined
Facilitate computer scanning for assessment
Hopefully prevent problems over which Revolution to
write on in each Section
• Each Outcome immediately follows on from the
previous one in each Section
• You MUST write your responses in the appropriate
place in the Answer book
• Use extra space provided appropriately – clearly
label your responses
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Which Revolution to write on for Sections
A and B:
• Which Revolution can you write on in both Sections?
• Which Revolution should you write on?
• Two options:
– Decide on the day after you have read the questions
– Decide prior to the exam, regardless of the questions
• If you take the former option:
– Decide early so that you reduce your preparation time
– Think about the SACs you sat during the year
– For example - France: SAC 1 Document Analysis; SAC 2
Argumentative essay… corresponds to Section B
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SECTION A
REVOLUTION ONE
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Section A, Outcome 1
• Indicate which Revolution you are addressing in the Answer
book
• Movements, ideas, leaders and events that contributed to the
Revolution
• Long-term, structural factors such as: social, economic and
political causes
• Short-term precipitants: wars, financial crises, signs of
weakness at the top etc.
• Question format: Short Answer
• Two questions; BOTH must be answered
• 10 marks each; 15 minutes per question
• This includes >1 minute planning each
• Approximately 250 words per question
• Address these questions in the appropriate section of the
Answer book
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Section A, Outcome 1 (cont’d)
• Read the question carefully and underline/highlight key
terms
• Stay within the timeframe given in the question (eg:
“between February and October 1917”)
• The first sentence must answer the question directly
• Three or four main points
• Use signposting to connect or differentiate between your
points (eg: firstly; secondly; thirdly; finally)
• Include specific detail: groups & movements; individuals;
key events (dates); the impact of ideas and ideologies;
policies and documents/speeches
• Historians’ views NOT required (Assessor’s Report on the
2010 Revolutions exam)
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Section A, Outcome 1 (cont’d)
• Focus: explain “how” a movement, leader, idea or event
“ contributed to the development of a revolutionary
situation”, or “explain their importance/significance”
• Use words that highlight causal role of an event, person
etc: ‘catalyst’, ‘highlighted’, ‘intensified dissatisfaction’,
‘polarised’, ‘popularised’, ‘articulated’, ‘stimulated; ‘led to’,
‘contributed to’, ‘crucial factor in.’
• How and why key social groups (including the armed
forces) withdrew their support from the regime
• What mistakes or errors were made by the old regime (eg
poor decisions; failed attempts at reform; increased
political repression; weak leadership)
• How and why particular political groups or parties (eg the
Bolsheviks or the CCP) were able to muster and maintain
sufficient support
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Sample short answer response I
How did the actions and ideas of colonial organisations contribute to a revolutionary situation in
America by 1776? (2009 HTAV sample exam)
Colonial organisations played a major role in causing tension between the colonies and Britain, by
promoting a sense of nationalism that led to an inevitable separation of the thirteen colonies from
Britain. The colonial assemblies in particular were the tangible result of 150 years of neglect by the
British due to their preoccupation with war and political stability back home, so that by the 1763
the colonies were very much self-governed and used to the idea of ‘actual representation’. The
elected colonial assemblies had much greater credibility and power than the British-appointed
royal governors and when the British began implementing a series of taxation policies such as the
sugar, stamp and Townshed Acts, the colonials were outraged, echoing James Otis’ cry of ‘no
taxation without representation’. The British parliament believed that the colonies’ interests were
virtually represented, but the colonies, who had been used to being actually represented in the
colonial assemblies, demanded colonial representation in parliament. When this was not
forthcoming, colonial organisations such as the Stamp Act Congress and Committees of
Correspondence were formed to organise a boycott of British goods, leading to the withdrawal of
the Stamp and Townshed Acts. However, more radical organisations such as the Sons of Liberty
inflamed the already tense relationship between the colonies and Britain, with the Boston Tea
Party leading of the harsh Coercive Acts. These acts, called ‘Intolerable’, saw the colonies band
together to form the Continental Congress in support of Boston, and with King George III believing
that ‘blows must decide’, the colonies’ demand for easing in British legislation or risk separation, a
revolutionary war became inevitable. (271 words)
Source: Student response
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Sample short answer response II
Using three or four points, explain how Lenin’s ‘April Theses’ contributed to the development
of the October Revolution of 1917. Provide evidence to support your answer. (VCAA 2009
Examination)
The publication of Lenin’s ‘April Theses’ was a pivotal moment in the fortunes of the Bolshevik
Party because it highlighted the weaknesses and flaws of the Provisional Government and drew
proletariat support away from rival socialist revolutionary parties. Firstly, Lenin’s assertion that the
February Revolution had been bourgeois in character and that, consequently, a second proletariat
revolution was required, gained the support of those who felt neglected or betrayed by the
Provisional Government. By staying in the war and enacting only political, not material, reforms,
the PG was vulnerable to Lenin’s popular “Bread, Peace and Land” slogan. Lenin’s call for a
second, proletariat revolution also drew support away from those parties competing for broadbased support, namely the Mensheviks and the SRs, who were content to work with the new
liberal government. Secondly, Lenin astutely made a demand for “All power to the soviets!”
Potentially masking his desire for all power to be passed to the Bolshevik party, this slogan gained
widespread support amongst the soldiers, factory workers and peasants whom the soviets
represented. Thirdly, Lenin’s call for all land to be confiscated and given over to the control of local
soviets appealed to the peasants who deeply resented working the land of the nobility with little or
no gain for themselves. Therefore, Lenin’s ‘April Theses’, as a statement of the Bolshevik Party’s
policies, appealed directly to the mass of aggrieved soldiers, peasants and factory workers. When
Lenin launched his coup in October 1917, these key groups joined the Bolsheviks, or acquiesced,
and brought them to ultimate power. (257 words)
Source: LCA
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Section A, Outcome 2
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Creating a new society
The same Revolution that you wrote on in Outcome 1
Follows on directly from Outcome 1 - easy to find
Key areas to focus on:
– What were the aims and goals of the revolutionaries?
– Did the Revolution fall short of its goals? If so, why?
– Challenges/obstacles/crises: military, political, social and
economic
– Responses: disproportionate and/or brutal?
– Change and continuity: was the new regime markedly
different to the one it replaced?
• Task format: Document Analysis
• 1 document; 30 minutes (including planning)
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
• “ The part of the paper that has proven most
challenging… ” (Chief Assessor, The Age, 9
September 2009)
• Can be any of: document, commentary, visual
representation or interpretation
• Primary or secondary; visual or written
• Four questions (a, b, c & d)
• Questions a and b: short comprehension / knowledge
questions:
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2 marks each
Your ability to interpret the extract
Be succinct but answer the question
Read the questions carefully and get them right!
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question c:
• Knowledge/understanding;
historical
context
surrounding the extract
• Key phrase: “By quoting from the extract and using
your own knowledge…” or “By referring to parts of
the graphic…”
• Meet this requirement by quoting directly from the
extract or describing an element of a visual
representation
• Useful phrases: “As stated in the extract…” or “As
Chairman Mao has written here…” or “As can be
seen in the visual…”
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question c:
• Read the question carefully & highlight key terms
• Do not simply write a narrative of events
• The first sentence should answer the question (a topic
sentence)
• Expand on this with three main ideas
• Use signposting to connect, or differentiate between,
ideas
• Use specific historical knowledge (dates, names etc)
• Stay within the time frame of the question
• About 10 minutes
• Approximately 180 words
• Address this in the appropriate section of the Answer book
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question c:
Question: By quoting from the extract and using your own knowledge, explain the
consequences of Lenin’s introduction of the New Economic Policy from 1921-24.
Lenin’s reference to the NEP being intended to ‘strengthen the foundations of socialism’
speaks to the intended effect of the NEP to consolidate the Communist Party’s rule. The
NEP did intend to reduce opposition to the Bolsheviks amongst Russia’s urban population
and peasants benefited as electricity production multiplied by 3 times between 1921 and
1924 and the average worker’s wage increased by 150%. However, an unfavourable result
was the advent of criticism within the Bolsheviks Party itself as members like Kamanev
labelled the NEP the ‘New Exploitation of the Proletariat’. Also, Lenin’s idea that there would
be a revival of the ‘pretty bourgeoisie’ was realised as NEP-men, people who bought and
sold manufactured goods at a profit, came to be rich. However, Lenin’s idea that
‘manufactured goods’ would become easily available was not instantly realised as the
Scissors Crisis (1923) resulted from the NEP. As the trade of grain was made free but
industry still kept under state control, manufactured goods came to be 3 times as expensive
as agricultural products and were incredibly difficult to obtain. (181 words)
Source: VCAA 2009 Assessment Report
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question d:
• Evaluate the usefulness or reliability of the document
• This means three things:
– Know what event or issue the document refers to
– Understand whose perspective is being presented
– Know what others have said about that event or issue (can
be contemporary views or historians)
• Read the question carefully and underline key terms
• Plan before you write; decide how reliable or useful
the document is in representing a specific episode of
the past and be prepared to explain your answer
• You MUST stay within the time frame of the question
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question d:
• Your first sentence must answer the question (ie: how
reliable or useful is the source: extremely; quite; somewhat;
limited etc)
• Discuss the strengths and/or limitations of the source; refer to
obvious bias or deliberate distortion if evident
• Omission – what aspect of the event or issue does the
document not discuss (ie other causes or consequences)
• Quote written documents or describe a particular element of
a visual source
• Discuss viewpoints that agree with the extract (if possible)
• Discuss viewpoints that disagree with the extract
• It is not enough to list schools (eg: Marxists; revisionists); you
need to know what particular historians have argued about
specific aspects of the revolution
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Question d:
• Top students are now starting to quote historians
(Assessor’s Report on the 2010 Revs exam)
• Use signposting throughout to indicate where
viewpoints differ or concur (Similarly; on the other
hand; in addition; however)
• Summarise your findings in the final sentence; link
back the question directly
• Eg: “Therefore, this extract is of limited use…”
• Approximately 250 words
• 15 minutes
• Address this in the appropriate place in the Answer
book
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Section A, Outcome 2 (cont’d) Question d:
Evaluate the reliability of this representation as an assessment of the American Constitution. In your
response you should refer to different assessments of the American Constitution. (HTAV Sample exam
2009)
The document’s view on the Constitution is a left-wing interpretation by notable left-wing historian Howard
Zinn and is therefore highly critical of the undemocratic nature of the Constitution. Zinn claims that the
‘language of freedom was new’ and its reality contested. Hence the Founding Fathers exploited the ‘fanfare
of patriotism and unity’ following the War of Independence to a firm ‘government of the rich and powerful’.
Francis Jennings, another left-wing historian, shares Zinn’s view that the Constitution was simply ‘selfinterest disguised by high moral principle’ as the Bill of Rights, which on the surface guaranteed the rights
and liberty of all people, hid the fact that it was men like Washington, Jefferson and Adams who benefited
most from the Constitution, becoming Presidents with unprecedented power. Zinn and Jennings would also
point to the three/fifths clause in the Constitution, as well as the fact that Washington and Jefferson also
owned slaves, to support their claim that freedom and equality were not extended to slaves. Women, the
poor and Native Americans were also betrayed and only the elite benefited the most from the revolution. It
was simply a shift in from the British elite to the colonial gentry and the establishment of a ‘supremacy of
the rich and powerful’. However, this negative view of the Constitution is not shared by liberal historians
such as Wood who saw the Founding Fathers as ‘virtuous and enlightened men’ who created ‘a new social
and rural order’ which Bancroft describes as the ‘apotheosis of the revolution’. Brogan believes the
Constitution was the ‘constitutional and ideological fulfilment’ of the revolutionary ideals of natural rights,
meritocracy and equality. It restored the political equilibrium and ‘saved citizens from the states and states
from themselves’ after the failure of the Articles of Confederation which had left Congress with little coercive
power to tax and regulate the economy. The separation of powers also prevented the executive, legislation
or judicial bodies from having too much power and the Bill of Rights protected individual liberties from
government interference, leading to Brogan describing the Constitution as the ‘crowning act of the
revolution’. (349 words)
Source: Student sample
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SECTION B
REVOLUTION TWO
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Section B, Outcome 1
• Remember that you must write on a different
revolution from the one you referred to in Section A
• Mark this in the appropriate place in the Answer book
• AOS 1 - Movements, Ideas, Leaders and Events
• The task in Section B, Outcome 1 is essentially the
same as Section A, Outcome 2
• Document analysis: Any of a document, commentary,
visual representation or interpretation
• Format: a, b, c & d
• 20 marks; 30 minutes including planning
• Address this in the appropriate place in the Answer
book
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Section B, Outcome 1 (cont’d)
Question c:
Question: By direct reference to the representation, and using your own knowledge,
explain the impact of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931 and the
subsequent Sino-Japanese War 1937 – 1945.
The Japanese occupation of China was a sore point for much of the Chinese
population as Chiang Kaishek refused to fight the Japanese invasion, having said
later that ‘Japanese are a disease of the skin – communists are a disease of the
heart’ – clearly indicating his preoccupation with the CCP and their soviets as a threat
to his position as leader of the government. Employing a ‘tactic’ of ‘trade land time’
(insinuating that the Japanese would overreach themselves) failed to win popular
support for the Guomindang who were failing spectacularly at the ‘nationalism’
outlined in their founding ‘principles’. The Japanese occupation of China was indeed
the catalyst for the abduction of Chiang Kaishek by the ‘Young Marshall’, Zhang
Xueliang after his land was overrun with Japanese- this action culminating in a
‘propaganda win’ for the CCP who released Chiang and formed the Second United
Front, continued their “March north to fight Japanese’, furthering their popularity in
time for the Sino-Japanese War. (160 words)
Source: VCAA 2009 Assessment Report
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Section B, Outcome 1 (cont’d)
Question d:
Sample Question d response:
Evaluate to what extent this representation presents reliable evidence of the range of tensions and
grievances that contributed to a revolutionary situation in France. Refer to other views in your
response.
This document provides a useful insight into the views of the Clergy of Troyes but says little else of
the grievances of the vast majority of the population of France. The grievances in this cahier are
quite conservative and probably reflect the views of the upper clergy of Troyes. While they call for
equality in taxation, they also argue that voting at the Estate-General should be by head only in
fiscal matters. This declaration would confirm the views of a Marxist historian such as Soboul who
argues that the First and Second estates attempted to hold on to their privileges. In his “What is
the Third Estate?” (January 1789), the Abbé Sieyès outlined the grievances of the bourgeoisie
(ignored in this cahier) who wanted an end to the society of birth over merit and the excessive
fiscal and legal privileges of the first two estates. As the most socially useful group, they believed
they should have a greater say in the running of their country. McPhee notes that the grievances of
the vast majority are not recorded in any of the cahier. Rudé would concur; he notes that the urban
workers were suffering under high unemployment and rapidly rising bread prices while Lefebvre
has illuminated the plight of the peasantry who laboured under crippling taxes and feudal dues.
Overall, this cahier provides a very limited view of the full range of tensions and grievances that
contributed to the development of the French Revolution. (247 words)
Source: LCA
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Section B, Outcome 2
• Refer to the same revolution as you did in Section B,
Outcome 1
• AOS 2: Creating a new society
• Format: Essay question
• ONE essay question per revolution - no choice given
as in past exams
• Questions are specific to one of the four revolutions
• Accompanied by a quote from a participant or
historian, or a general statement
• This could help you engage with the broader debates
on the Revolution
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Section B, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
• Read the question carefully
• Highlight/underline the key words
• Write a brief plan to structure and organise your
response
• If a change and continuity question, only minimal
reference to AOS 1; otherwise, none at all
• 20 marks; 30 minutes
• Argue a clear, strong contention that refers directly to
the question
• Develop a complex contention; avoid simply agreeing
or disagreeing with the question (eg. some goals met;
not all)
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Section B, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
• Use paragraphing with clear topic sentences
• Expand on topic sentences with relevant and specific
evidence:
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policies or speeches
key documents
key events
statistics and quotes
important individuals, institutions & groups
accurate dates
• Historians’ views are not necessary
• If you do use them, they should be used to support
evidence or arguments rather than in the place of
them
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Section B, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
• Approximately 500 words
• Brief intro and conclusion (about 50 words
each)
• Three body paragraphs of about 150 words
each
• Types of questions:
– Aims and goals
– Crisis and response
– Change and continuity
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Section B, Outcome 2 (cont’d)
Suggested essay structures:
1. Social; economic; political
– Aims and goals style questions
– Change and continuity style questions
2. Moderate; radical; moderate
– Aims and goals style questions
– Change and continuity style questions
3. Military; political; social; economic
– Crisis and response style questions
4. By social group (eg: nobility; bourgeoisie; urban workers; peasants; the
very poor)
– Social aims and goals or change and continuity style questions
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Section B, Part 2 (cont’d)
Sample Intro:
Russia [November 1917 – 1924 death of Lenin]
‘The New Economic Policy was an absolute compromise of Bolshevik
ideals and illustrated Lenin’s desire to maintain power for power’s
sake.’
Do you agree with this view of the Bolshevik revolutionaries? Use
evidence to support your answer. [HTAV Sample exam 2009]
By the time of Lenin’s death in 1924, the Bolsheviks had compromised
most of their revolutionary goals. This was undoubtedly due in part to
the Bolsheviks’ desire to establish a dictatorship and destroy their
political opponents. Socially and economically, however, the Bolsheviks
were forced (by circumstances largely beyond their control) to
implement policies that betrayed their most deeply cherished aims.
(60 words)
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General hints and tips I
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Neat hand-writing!!!
Write within the designated space on the page
Answer the question
Use signposting
Use reading time well (also thinking time)
Respond to long written documents first OR
the revolution you feel most confident with
• Be time-disciplined in the examination
• Genuine practice examinations completed under
examination conditions (e.g. time)
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General hints and tips II
• Get accustomed to the layout and format of the exam
(VCAA samples and past exams; HTAV; Insight)
• Responding to the right question in the right part of
the Answer book
• Use specific facts and information
• Avoid vague remarks like: “met the needs of the
people” or “made the French happy”
• Spell and use the terms “bias” and “biased” properly
• Something is not biased or unreliable because it is a
primary source
• Something is not useful or reliable because it is a
secondary source
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General hints and tips III
• If you use the extra space in the Answer book, use the
correct area and clearly label your continued response
• If you use a second Answer book, indicate this CLEARLY
• Know the chronology of key events and dates
• Understand the chain of cause and effect
• Be able to work backwards chronologically from an event
so you can discuss causes
• Read the recommended word limit; it’s a matter of words,
not how many lines
• Speak to your teacher as often as possible
• Read, read, read
• Write, write, write
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Preparation resources I
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Past and sample VCAA exams on the VCAA website
Assessor’s report
Both available at the VCAA website
2010 exam is the best
Prior to 2005 are NOT useful at all
HTAV and Insight practice exams
Erikson & Kerr, VCE Revolutions Teacher Pack
(HTAV, 2010)
• Chief Examiner’s advice in “The Age”
(eg. 4 October 2010)
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Preparation resources II
For historiography:
• Textbooks
o Cambridge series: “Analysing…” (not America)
o HTAV series (eg. “Liberating France”)
o Access to History series
• Cambridge Checkpoints 2010
• Past examinations
• Borrow one or two key works by noted
historians
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