How to Answer Source-Based Questions in History

History is a subject that rewards students who can think critically and express their arguments clearly — but you can only do that if you understand what each question type is actually asking. Source-based questions make up a significant portion of both Papers 1 and 2, and students who treat them as comprehension exercises miss the point entirely.

Understanding the Structure of the Source-Based Section

In NSC History, the source-based section typically includes a mix of primary and secondary sources: written extracts, cartoons, photographs, tables, and maps. Questions will ask you to:

• Extract relevant information from a source
• Explain the context of a source
• Compare sources for similarities and differences
• Evaluate the reliability or bias of a source
• Use sources plus your own knowledge to construct an argument

Each of these requires a different approach, and confusing them is one of the most common ways students lose marks.

Extracting Information From Sources

This is the most straightforward question type, but students still lose marks by paraphrasing inaccurately or lifting quotes without explaining them. When a question says "use the source to explain..." or "according to Source A...", you must refer directly to the source.

Quote selectively and briefly, then explain what the quote means in context. Do not just copy a paragraph — markers are looking for evidence that you understood what you read.

Context Questions

These questions ask you to place a source in its historical context. They usually carry 2–4 marks. Your answer must show:

1. Who produced the source, when, and in what circumstances
2. What was happening historically at that time that explains the source's content

Context answers are short but require precise historical knowledge. Generic answers ("this was during apartheid") without specific events, dates, or details will earn partial marks at best.

Comparing Sources

Comparison questions often say "to what extent do Sources B and C agree?" or "how does Source C differ from Source D?"

Your answer must:

• Quote from both sources to support each point
• Make direct comparisons (not two separate analyses)
• Reach a conclusion about the degree of agreement or difference

Use connective language: "While Source B argues that..., Source C contends that..." This makes the comparison explicit and earns the structure marks.

Bias and Reliability

This question type trips up many students. Bias does not mean a source is useless or wrong — it means it reflects a particular perspective. Every source has a perspective, including "neutral" ones.

To evaluate bias or reliability, consider:

• Who wrote or produced it? (Government? Opposition? A journalist? An eyewitness?)
• When was it produced? (At the time of events or looking back with hindsight?)
• What was their purpose? (To inform, persuade, justify, accuse?)
• What might they have left out?

Always give reasons. "Source A is biased because it was written by the government" without explanation earns minimal marks. "Source A is biased because it was produced by the apartheid government in 1966, which had a clear motivation to justify forced removals to a domestic and international audience" earns full marks.

The Extended Writing Question

This is usually worth 8–10 marks in the source section. It requires you to construct an argument using information from the sources AND your own knowledge.

Structure matters here: introduction with a clear argument, body paragraphs that each make one point with source evidence and contextual knowledge, and a conclusion. Do not let this question become a summary — it is an argument.

The marker wants to see you weighing evidence and reaching a reasoned conclusion, not just listing everything the sources say.

Practise this skill regularly using past papers. History rewards students who develop their analytical writing over time, and past papers are the most efficient way to build that skill with real exam-style sources.