How to Write A Level History Essays: Answering Various Question Types in the New Cambridge 9489 Syllabus and Why Paper 4 Requires Establishing Criteria for Evaluation

A-Level History consists almost entirely of long-answer questions: explaining causes, comparing sources, evaluating views, and analyzing historians' interpretations. For students in China, the biggest challenge is shifting from "storytelling" to "argumentation": no matter how much historical knowledge you have, your score won't improve if you just narrate events chronologically. Cambridge 9489 will adopt a new syllabus from 2027. The new syllabus provides very specific command words and answering requirements for each question type, along with sample questions. This article is based on the 2027–2029 syllabus and explains how to write various long-answer questions. Note: We could not directly access the Edexcel IAL History syllabus from the official website, so this article only covers Cambridge 9489; for Edexcel IAL History units and options, see How to Choose Edexcel IAL History. For the overall structure and options, see How A-Level History is Assessed.

1. Long-Answer Questions Across the Four Papers

This article focuses on the essays in Paper 2 and Paper 4, while the long-answer questions for Paper 1 and Paper 3 will be briefly covered later.

Note on versions: Students taking the exam in 2026 will use the 2026 syllabus. The question structure and grading details differ from the 2027 version, so please refer to the syllabus for the corresponding year. The change notes for the 2027 syllabus mention that the marking grids have been updated to help teachers better understand what examiners are looking for in the scripts.

2. How the Syllabus Defines "Explanation, Analysis, and Judgment"

The syllabus requirements for AO2 (Historical Explanation, Analysis, and Judgment) are:

• Identify, explain, and analyze the past using historical concepts: cause and consequence, change and continuity, significance;
• Explain and analyze the connections between different aspects of the past;
• Make judgments.

AO1 (Historical Knowledge) involves recalling, selecting, and using appropriate historical knowledge. In Paper 2 and Paper 4, both account for half the marks: knowledge provides the material for the argument, but the judgment is the answer itself.

3. Paper 2 (a): "Explain why", 10 marks

Sample question from the syllabus: Explain why the League of Nations was involved in a dispute over the Aaland Islands in 1921.

Official requirement: Provide a causal explanation of the event, action, or outcome in the question. You need to identify several factors and explain how each factor led to this outcome, supported by specific and relevant historical evidence.

Writing approach (practical advice):

• Write two to three causes, one paragraph for each: Factor → Evidence → How this factor led to the outcome;
• The last step is most often omitted: students just write "because of a certain factor" without explaining how it led to the event in the question;
• If you can explain the connections between causes (e.g., how long-term causes created conditions for a short-term trigger), it better demonstrates the "connections" required by AO2.

4. Paper 2 (b): 20-mark essay

Sample question from the syllabus: To what extent were government policies responsible for the Great Depression?

Official requirement: Present an argument that considers both the view given in the question and other views, and analyzes why one side is more convincing than the other. The syllabus specifies the requirements for each type of question as follows:

The commonality in this table is clear: first address the view in the question, then address other views, and finally answer the "extent". Writing only one side, or writing both sides without comparing them, does not meet the requirements.

Structure (practical advice):

1. Introduction: State your judgment in one or two sentences, e.g., "Government policies were an important factor, but not the main reason, because...";
2. View in the question: One or two paragraphs, supported by specific historical evidence;
3. Other views: One or two paragraphs, also supported by evidence;
4. Comparison and judgment: Explain why one side is more convincing, e.g., broader impact, more direct effect, or earlier in time;
5. Conclusion: Return to the question and clearly answer "to what extent".

5. Paper 4: 30-mark depth essay

Sample question from the syllabus: Evaluate the view that Hitler’s consolidation of power in the years 1933 and 1934 was a ‘legal revolution’.

Official requirements:

• Provide a balanced analysis of the question by considering a range of causes, arguments, or points;
• Establish effective criteria and support the argument with appropriately selected and accurate historical evidence;
• Some questions require considering different views, while others require analyzing a range of causes to reach a conclusion;
• The answer must consider the extent or importance of the issue in the question;
• The command words are Assess (make a reasoned judgment) and Evaluate (judge the quality, importance, extent, or value of something).

"Establishing criteria" is the biggest difference between Paper 4 and Paper 2. Taking the sample question as an example (practical advice): to judge whether it was a "legal revolution," first clarify the criteria for judgment, such as "whether it followed constitutional procedures," "whether it relied on violence and intimidation," and "whether the outcome fundamentally changed the political system"; then analyze the historical evidence against each of these criteria; finally, synthesize to give a judgment. This kind of argument is more in-depth than simply having "one paragraph for, one paragraph against."

Timing (practical advice): Write two essays in 1 hour 45 minutes, about 50 minutes each. Spend a few minutes outlining first: judgment, criteria, and the argument and evidence for each paragraph.

6. Paper 1 (b): Argumentation using sources

Sample question from the syllabus: Read all the sources. How far do these sources agree that economic problems were responsible for the growth of discontent before the Revolution?

• Consider how the sources support and how they challenge the statement in the question, providing evidence for both sides;
• Answer "to what extent";
• Explain how your answer and arguments relate back to the statement in the question;
• Do not just summarize the content of the sources; instead, build an argument that considers both the view in the question and other views.

Part (a) (15 marks) compares two sources: you need to write about both similarities and differences, using background knowledge and/or source evaluation to explain why these similarities and differences exist. The sample question from the syllabus is: Compare these two sources as evidence about the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

7. Paper 3: Analyzing historians' interpretations

The prompt provides an extract of up to 600 words from an unnamed historian and asks: What can you learn from this extract about the interpretation and approach of the historian who wrote it?

• Interpretation: The nature of the historian's arguments and conclusions that can be inferred from the extract;
• Approach: What the historian brings to the research, including what they focus on, what questions they ask, and how these reflect their ideology and beliefs;
• The two are closely related and do not need to be distinguished;
• Consider the interpretation as a whole, rather than analyzing secondary information sentence by sentence;
• Support your analysis with accurate, detailed, and relevant historical knowledge.

8. Common Reasons for Losing Marks

Here is an empirical summary:

• Storytelling: Narrating events chronologically without an argument;
• Only listing reasons for "Explain why": Failing to explain how the causes led to the outcomes;
• Writing only one side: Failing to consider other perspectives in essay questions;
• Writing both sides without comparing: Failing to answer "to what extent" in the end;
• Lack of specific historical facts: Missing dates, figures, and data, leaving arguments unsupported;
• Paraphrasing sources: Simply copying the content of the sources in Paper 1 without using them to build an argument;
• Sentence-by-sentence analysis in Paper 3: Failing to grasp the historian's interpretation as a whole.

9. How to Practice

1. Get the mark schemes: The syllabus states that all questions are graded using the mark schemes in the specimen paper mark schemes published with the syllabus, and should be reviewed in conjunction with the reference content for each question. Ask your school teachers for these materials and use them for self-assessment after completing practice questions;
2. Practice outlines first, then full essays: Prepare a few practice questions for each topic. Start by writing only the outline (judgment, arguments, historical facts, comparisons). Once you are familiar with the process, practice writing full essays under timed conditions;
3. Practice by question type: Refer to the question type table above and practice a few questions for each type;
4. Create historical fact cards: Organize key dates, figures, events, and data for each topic to ensure your arguments are specifically supported;
5. Practice "criteria for judgment" for Paper 4: For each question, write down two or three criteria for judgment before you start writing.

Conclusion

The core of A-Level History essays is argumentation rather than narration: "Explain why" questions require you to explain causal mechanisms; 20-mark and 30-mark essays require you to address the views in the question as well as other views, and answer "to what extent"; Paper 4 also requires you to establish criteria for judgment. The 2027 syllabus clearly outlines the requirements for various question types. By practicing accordingly, you can transition from "storytelling" to "making judgments". If you need marking and tutoring for A-Level History essays, feel free to chat with our teachers.

Verification note: This article was verified in September 2026: details regarding the duration, marks, question structure, and assessment objective weightings for each paper; the definitions of AO1 and AO2; the answering requirements, command words, and explanations for various question types in Paper 1 (a)(b), Paper 2 (a)(b), Paper 3, and Paper 4; the sample questions provided in the syllabus; as well as the updated mark schemes and instructions for grading according to the specimen paper mark schemes, are all sourced from Cambridge International's History 9489 syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029. The structure of the 2026 syllabus differs and is sourced from History 9489 syllabus for 2026. No public link for the specimen paper mark schemes was found on the Cambridge International course page, so they are not cited here. The syllabus for Edexcel IAL History could not be directly obtained from the official website (see Article 175 on this site). The essay structure, examples of criteria for judgment, time allocation, common reasons for losing marks, and practice methods are our empirical recommendations.

References:

• Cambridge International: AS & A Level History (9489)