DSE 2023: To ace history exam, pay attention to question words and make sure essays are well-structured

The star tutor said these topics were likely to appear on the exam this year:

• Paper 1: modernisation of the Nanjing government, Japan’s post-war development, World War I (Treaty of Versailles) and European economic integration

• Paper 2: China’s reform and opening, Hong Kong politics and the end of the Cold War

“Factors comparison on World War II is also a common topic, but students already know about this,” Tsang added.

On Paper 1, which features data-based questions, Tsang said students needed to pay attention to specific question words.

“Sometimes the question words would be switched up a bit, and students would look past it,” he explained.

For example, questions about Hong Kong history often use the words “improve” and “better”, but when answering, students forget to explain the comparison, causing them to lose points.

In Part C of the data-based questions, a common issue is forgetting to separate information from the sources and one’s own knowledge. Tsang said this mistake would make it hard for markers to attribute students’ scores.

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For the two essays in Paper 2, structure is a key component that markers look at when scoring the paper. Each essay should be about nine paragraphs long, which includes the introduction and conclusion.

Tsang recommended following this simple four-part structure for writing paragraphs: topic sentence, example, explanation and conclusion. “It will be easier for the markers to track your arguments,” he said.

Strong topic sentences are crucial. They must be concise and precise, telling the markers exactly what your argument will be. The tutor warned against writing paragraphs that are too long.

“When [students] write a lengthy paragraph, it doesn’t relay a strong main point,” he stressed.

Throughout the essay, use sequence words and phrases to make sure your arguments are well-structured and easy to follow.

Tsang also reminded students to do analysis based on specific question words in the prompt, or their response would get off track, risking a major downgrade in marks.

Also, when the question specifies a time period, make sure to include the whole time frame in your writing.

“For example, if the question asks for 1970 to 1999, but the student only writes about events up to 1980, then they would lose points,” he said.

On Paper 1, which carries 60 per cent of the total marks, you only need to answer three of the four data-based questions in one hour and 45 minutes.

Tsang suggested finishing each data-based question in 35 minutes, which could be split into 15 minutes for both Part A and B with 20 minutes left for Part C.

Paper 2, which carries the remaining 40 per cent of the marks, requires you to attempt two essay questions in one hour and 30 minutes.

Tsang advised evenly dividing the time with 45 minutes for each question, but he reminded students to leave three minutes to outline the structure before delving into writing.

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The day before the exam, the tutor said it was best to revise the overall timelines of the topics.

“I know [students] would be very nervous the day before the exam. I suggest they revise timelines of history to refresh their memory on the chronological order of events,” Tsang said.

“In history, the facts and event details don’t matter as much. Rather, they want to see your analysis of them.”