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Henry VII: a source-based question and answer: Robert Hughes provides an Examiner's Commentary.

Article Excerpt
The essay below is an example of a candidate's response to a question set for the new Edexcel AS specification Unit 1, 'The Reign of Henry VII, 1485-1509', although the comments made here should be helpful to anyone sitting AS short essay questions. In this specification, candidates must write two essays in 80 minutes and are recommended to spend about 35 minutes per essay, thus allowing time for planning and preparation.

An examiner for this specification works to five levels of response with the highest level being within the range of 25 to 30 marks. The assessment objective is 'to present historical explanations and reach a judgement', and it is vital that candidates have this objective at the centre of their thinking. To achieve a high mark there needs to be an analytical answer offering focus on the question and 'explicit understanding' of the key issues. 'Explicit' is a word examiners are fond of; it means that the material is clearly relevant. The alternative is 'implicit', when the examiner has to pause to ponder the relevance of a statement made. Another word to bear in mind is 'developed'--meaning that the candidate is doing something with the material and not simply regurgitating it.

The essay below is not perfect, but there is sufficient explicit and developed material to warrant a high mark; it also has a clear focus on the assessment objective. Its material is limited for it has an imperfect notion of 'pretenders' and there might be more historical context, including more reference to the condition...

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