EXAMPLE ‘HOW USEFUL’ QUESTION
Example ‘How useful’ question
Source A: An extract from the Treaty of Birgham
We [Edward I] promise…that the kingdom of Scotland shall remain separate
and divided from the kingdom of England by its rightful boundaries and
borders as has been observed up to now and that it shall be free in itself and
independent, reserving always the right of our lord or whoever which has
belonged to him or to anyone in the borders elsewhere.
Question: How useful is Source A as evidence of the Guardians’ desire to
protect the independence of Scotland?
Use the following marking scheme and suggested answers to give a mark out
of 5.
Feature of marking
Mark allocation
Provenance – For both marks you need to explain
why both the origin and the purpose of the source are
useful.
Up to 2 marks
Content – In order to get the marks you need to do
more than just select information from the source,
you need to explain why that information is useful in
terms of the question.
Up to 2 marks
Recall – Use your own knowledge to determine the
strengths or weaknesses of the source.
Up to 2 marks
Sample answer
Provenance: Source A is a primary source written at Birgham, on the
Scottish side of the border, in 1290, and was a follow up to the Treaty of
Salisbury. Since it was written at the time it is partially useful in explaining
why the Guardians wanted to protect the independence of Scotland.
It was written by representatives of Scotland and England, both of whom
would have been well aware of the necessities of the time. The fact that the
Guardians had a hand in writing the document clearly indicates their desire
for the retention of the independence of Scotland.
The purpose of the document would therefore seem to be as a guarantee to
Scotland that its independence would be assured aft er the marriage. This
makes the source very useful as evidence of what the Guardians hoped to get
out of the treaty negotiations. However, it was written with the help of
WARS OF INDEPENDENCE (H, HISTORY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2009
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EXAMPLE ‘HOW USEFUL’ QUESTION
English clerks and thus some of the promises may have caveats or loop holes
that were not necessarily convincing or convenient to the Guardians. (2)
Content: Up 2 marks, one for each of the following, if it is explained in
detail.
The source promises that the king of England, Edward, says that the kingdom
shall remain separate and divided. This is useful as it suggests that the
Guardians were worried about this possibility and therefore included it in the
treaty to make sure that it would not happen. The English king goes on to
promise to respect the Scots boundaries and borders, and that Scotland shall
be free in itself. This is also useful because Scotland had been an independent
kingdom prior to the death of Alexander III and from these points it is clear
that the Guardians wish it to remain so.
Recall: Up to 2 marks for relevant recall that demonstrates this extract’s
limitations in showing the Guardians’ desire for Scotland’s independence.
However, the source has its limits. The extract fails to mention that the treaty
included other important safeguards for Scottish independence su ch as the
promise that no Scottish parliament shall be held outside of Scotland or that
the kings of England and Scotland should rule only their own kingdoms.
The source also fails to mention the fact that Margaret, Maid of Norway
would be sent to live in England with Edward for several years. They were
therefore eager to make sure that the treaty was clear as to what the legal
position of the kingdom would be before she was handed over to the king of
England to raise.
Overall the source is quite useful in showing why the Guardians were looking
to ensure the independence of Scotland, but more than this one extract is
needed to understand the full reasons.
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© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2009