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Question technique: 4-mark, 8-mark, 12-mark and 16+4-mark questions

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Answer on paper first, then reveal the mark scheme one mark at a time.

4 marks · 5 minutes

4-mark 'Describe two' – problems faced by the Weimar Republic, 1919–1920

Practice question (Germany, 1890–1945).

Describe two threats to the Weimar Republic from political violence in the years 1919–1920. [4 marks]

What is being assessed
  • AO1: show knowledge and understanding of key features – here, specific threats and accurate detail about them
What examiners reward
  • Two DIFFERENT, correctly identified threats
  • Accurate supporting detail for each (who, when, what happened)
  • A brief phrase showing WHY each was a threat – this understanding is what lifts an answer into Level 2
  • No extended analysis of causes or consequences is needed
LevelMarksWhat it looks like
Level 23–4Shows knowledge AND understanding: two relevant threats described with accurate detail, showing why each was a threat.
Level 11–2Shows basic knowledge: relevant threat(s) identified or described in general terms, with little detail or understanding.
No marks0Nothing relevant to the question.
How to plan it
  1. Write two short paragraphs, one per threat
  2. Sentence 1: name the threat
  3. Sentence 2: one or two specific facts (date, leader, what happened) and why it endangered the government
  4. Stop. Move on – time is better spent on the 8- and 12-mark questions
Show the top-band model answer

One threat was from the left, in the Spartacist Uprising1 of January 1919. Communists of the Spartacist League, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht2, tried to seize power in Berlin, but the government used the Freikorps, ex-soldiers, to crush the revolt, and both leaders were killed. It was a threat because3 it showed the new government could only survive by relying on armed volunteers who were themselves hostile to democracy.

A second threat came from the right in the Kapp Putsch4 of March 1920. Wolfgang Kapp and Freikorps units marched into Berlin and the government fled the capital, because the army refused to fire on them5. The putsch collapsed after a few days when workers in Berlin went on a general strike, but it showed the government could not rely on its own army.

1. A relevant threat clearly identified.
2. Accurate supporting detail (leaders, date, place, outcome) – knowledge.
3. One short phrase of understanding – this is what moves the answer from Level 1 to Level 2.
4. A different threat clearly identified.
5. Specific detail that also explains why the putsch endangered the Republic – secures the top of Level 2.
Where marks are usually lost
  • Describing the same threat twice, or two features of one event
  • Choosing something outside the date range (e.g. the Munich Putsch was 1923)
  • Listing threats with no detail or sense of why they mattered – stays in Level 1 (max 2 marks)
  • Writing a page of explanation – the 4-mark questions earn no extra credit for analysis
12 marks · 15 minutes

12-mark 'Which was more important' – why did Hitler become Chancellor in 1933?

Practice question (Germany, 1890–1945).

Which of the following was the more important reason why Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933:

  • the effects of the Depression
  • the actions of von Papen and Hindenburg?

Explain your answer with reference to both reasons. [12 marks]

What is being assessed
  • AO1: accurate, relevant knowledge of both bullet points
  • AO2: explain how each caused the outcome and make a supported judgement on which mattered more
What examiners reward
  • Explanation of BOTH bullets, each linked to the outcome (Hitler becoming Chancellor)
  • Precise evidence: dates, election results, unemployment figures, named people
  • A judgement that compares the two directly – ideally showing how they are linked
  • Reaching the judgement through the answer, not only in the last line
LevelMarksWhat it looks like
Level 410–12Complex: explains both reasons in depth and reaches a sustained, supported judgement on which was more important, often by linking them.
Level 37–9Developed: explains both reasons with accurate, relevant knowledge.
Level 24–6Simple: explains one reason, or both with limited support.
Level 11–3Basic: general points or description about one or both reasons with little explanation.
How to plan it
  1. Intro: one-line judgement
  2. Bullet 1 (Depression): unemployment → support for extremes → Nazi seats 12 (1928) → 230 (July 1932)
  3. Bullet 2 (Papen and Hindenburg): rule by decree, falling Nazi vote in Nov 1932, the backstairs deal of January 1933
  4. Comparison: Depression made Hitler a contender; the elites actually handed him the job
  5. Conclusion: weigh and link
Show the top-band model answer

The actions of von Papen and Hindenburg were the more important reason1, because although the Depression made Hitler powerful, it was the decision of a small group of politicians that actually made him Chancellor.

The Depression was vital in turning the Nazis into a mass party. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, American loans were recalled and German businesses collapsed, so unemployment rose to around six million by 19322. The coalition government could not agree how to respond and collapsed in 1930, after which Chancellor Brüning governed using presidential decrees under Article 48. Many desperate Germans turned to extreme parties, and the Nazis promised 'work and bread'. As a result, the Nazis rose from 12 seats in the Reichstag in 1928 to 107 in 1930 and 230 in July 19323, making them the largest party. Without the Depression, Hitler would never have been in a position to demand the chancellorship.

However, the Depression did not make Hitler Chancellor by itself. Hindenburg refused to appoint him after the July 1932 election, and in the November 1932 election the Nazis fell to 196 seats4, which suggested their support had peaked. Hitler only gained power because of a political deal. Von Papen, who had lost the chancellorship to Kurt von Schleicher in December 1932, wanted revenge and persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor with Papen as Vice-Chancellor. They believed they could control him, since there would be only three Nazis in the cabinet5. Hindenburg appointed Hitler on 30 January 1933.

Overall, the actions of von Papen and Hindenburg were more important. The Depression gave Hitler mass support, but at the moment the Nazi vote was falling, it was the elites' decision that turned that support into power. The two reasons were linked6, because Papen and Hindenburg only needed Hitler as the leader of the largest party, which the Depression had created, but the final, decisive step was theirs.

1. States a judgement immediately so the whole answer argues towards it.
2. Precise statistic supports the first bullet.
3. Accurate election data links the Depression to Nazi growth – explanation, not just description.
4. Uses evidence to show the limits of the first factor – key to comparison.
5. Specific knowledge explains why the elites thought the deal was safe.
6. Linking the bullets in the judgement is what lifts an answer to Level 4.
Where marks are usually lost
  • Writing about other reasons (e.g. propaganda, the SA) at length – stick to the two bullets
  • Explaining one bullet well and the other in a single sentence
  • Not saying which was MORE important, or giving a judgement with no reason
  • Confusing Papen and Schleicher, or wrong dates (Hitler became Chancellor on 30 January 1933)

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