How to get a band 6 in QCE/QCAA Modern History IA2 Investigation
By now, you’ve probably received your IA1 results and may be feeling a range of emotions. But the truth is we can’t change the past, so just learn from your past assessment and do the best you can on your IA2s. Don't know where to start? Let me tell you.
- What is QCE Modern History IA2 Investigation?
- What is required in each section?
- FAQs
What is QCE Modern History IA2 Investigation?
This task is an independent source investigation. It involves selecting and analysing a range of historical sources and considering different perspectives. Each school selects and contextualises one topic from Unit 3, which will underpin this task. There are unique sections to this task that require different skill sets to be successful.
The length of this assignment is 1500 to 2000 words.
What is in Each Section?
1. Identify, location and organise...
The first part involves continuous research through historical readings, whether it's journal articles or books in your school library. This will require patience and time for you to find the best sources for your investigation.
Need some help with your research, or to guide you through your IA2? KIS Academics has excellent tutors who can help you:
2. Devise Questions
Your Key Inquiry Question (KIQ) should follow this specific format:
Include a period stamp for when your topic is concerned. For example, for WW2 it would be 1939 to 1945. Aim for your KIQ to be clear, specific and concise. The marker should know what events and/or individuals are involved and will be discussed in your investigation from KIQ.
The sub-questions follow a unique format. Here, it is important to address primary and secondary sources in your 3 to 5 questions. Seek to ask how primary and/or secondary sources illustrate/differ certain events/individuals from your KIQ and make sure to include both sides of the OR. This type of question will make up most of your sub-questions.
Lastly, a specific question that markers love to see is surrounding issues of the availability of primary evidence surrounding views that were not popular at the time. For example, when looking at the Holocaust, this question could be asked: “Are there issues with the availability of primary evidence surrounding the involvement of members from Group X in the Holocaust?”
3. Rationale
In this section, expand on background research, discuss implicitly how your sub-questions were created and provide a provisional hypothesis for your KIQ. Your first 2 paragraphs here will discuss the two individuals/events/groups mentioned in your KIQ and their influence. The final paragraph can be used to discuss some sub-questions and then end by providing your provisional hypothesis. This section should be around 250 words.
It provides the reader with insider knowledge of what is occurring at the time your KIQ is taking place, ensuring you and the marker are on the same page before diving into the rest of your assignment.
4a. Analysis
In this section, analyse your selected sources one by one. For the ISMG, you must:
- Identify features of evidence from primary and secondary sources
- Examine features of evidence from primary and secondary sources
- Explain how evidence from sources contributes to the development of the KIQ
The features of evidence come from your sources. This includes the origin, perspectives, motives, implicit meaning and explicit meaning. The origin relates to who created the text, it could be primary, secondary and/or from an academic, historian or journalist. Implicit and explicit meaning can be conveyed using key “trigger” words such as implies, suggests, demonstrates, highlights and displays. Ensure to deep dive into what your text is demonstrating. Stay with just the specific source and its content. No need to bring it back to the KIQ just yet.
4b. Evaluation
In this section, evaluate your selected sources one by one. For the ISMG, you must:
- Make judgements about usefulness and reliability
- These judgements use evidence from primary and secondary sources and refer to different perspectives included in the source analysis
- These judgements are well-reasoned and corroborated
When making judgements, usefulness is a simple “yes” or “no”, whereas reliability is provided as a measure (to a great/certain/limited extent). However, it’s important to use evidence from the source or corroboration with other sources. Why is this source useful/reliable?
Also, to get that top-tier mark in evaluation, it’s important to embed your analysis with your evaluation. These two sections go hand in hand; being able to mix them for a concise and effective paragraph will help you achieve the top mark in these sections.
5. Critical Summary
This is a collation of your ideas, almost like a mini-essay. Here, you directly answer your KIQ and sub-questions using the selected sources:
- The first paragraph is like a small introduction, summarising what this investigation has done (kind of like paraphrasing a bit of your rationale).
- Then the main body of the critical summary presents the key evidence from each source with ties to analysing and evaluating each source to put together the puzzle pieces that form your answer to the KIQ. Through this, you are also implicitly answering most of your sub-questions.
- It is also important to have a separate paragraph where you address the sub-question relating to the availability of specific primary evidence and perspectives in your investigation and how what occurred and the time, affect it.
- Lastly, finish off your critical summary with a paragraph of your preliminary answer to the KIQ. This is a preliminary answer, as so many perspectives and sources cannot be included in your assignment, and your answer is a tentative response with the limited resources available. That can be addressed in the final sentence of the critical summary.
Need help with writing the essay? Check out this guide by KIS Academics:
1. Identify, locate and organise sources that have not been studied or supplied in class (combination of 4 to 6 primary and secondary sources).
2. Devise a student-driven key inquiry question and 3 to 5 sub-questions.
3. Create a rationale that explains the thinking behind the topic (topic choice, origins of their questions, possible hypothesis, choice of sources)
4. Analysis (a) of sources through investigating their origin, purpose and context. Evaluating (b) sources to show understanding of perspectives and interpretations.
5. Creating a critical summary of evidence reflecting on decisions, judgements and/or conclusions
Conclusion
And there you have it, my tips on how to score top marks in IA2! The work and research you do in IA2 will pay off when you start IA3, so it is important to choose the right source! If you need some additional support, a private tutor from KIS Academics can help you achieve your academic goals.
FAQs
How much does the QCE Modern History IA2 Investigation contribute to my final grade for Modern History?
- 25% of Modern History grades.
- More information can be found on the QCAA website.
Where do I find my sources from for QCE Modern History?
- Utilise whatever resources your school provides, from websites to books in the library.
- https://scholar.google.com.au/ https://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/about.cfm
- https://archive.org/
What structure should I use for my QCE Modern History paragraphs?
- Paragraph structures can be useful.
- Focus on developing your analysis and evaluation. Make sure your paragraphs end up achieving your goals.
Written by KIS Academics Tutor for QCE Specialist Mathematics and Mathematical Methods, Ragulan Gnanavel. He is also available to assist with your English, Modern History and Physics assignments. Ragulan is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and Commerce at UNSW. He has outstanding credentials as a tutor, and you can view Ragulan’s profile here and request him as a tutor.
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