Edexcel IGCSE History: China, Conflict, Crisis and Change, 1900–89 — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: B4 revision notes | B4 study guide

These questions practise the three Breadth Study question types of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 2, Section B — two differences (6), two causes (8) and a 16-mark change-over-time essay — across the five key topics and themes of “China: conflict, crisis and change, 1900–89”.

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Set 1

1(a) Explain two ways in which the government of China in 1910 was different from the government of China in 1920. [6]

1(b) Explain two causes of the CCP’s victory in the Civil War (1946–49). [8]

1(c) “External influences were the main cause of conflict in China in the years 1900–49.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Boxer Uprising
• the war with Japan (1937–45)

You must also use information of your own.

Set 2

2(a) Explain two ways in which education in China in 1965 was different from education in 1968. [6]

2(b) Explain two causes of the Great Leap Forward’s failure. [8]

2(c) “The lives of Chinese peasants changed more in the years 1949–63 than in the years 1976–89.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Agrarian Reform Law (1950)
• Deng’s reforms in agriculture

You must also use information of your own.

Set 3 — extra practice

3(a) Explain two ways in which China’s relationship with the Soviet Union in 1953 was different from its relationship in 1969. [6]

3(b) Explain two causes of the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. [8]

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

• Who ruled: in 1910 the Qing emperor (the child Puyi, with regents) ruled; by 1920 the dynasty had gone and a republic existed in name.
• Unity: in 1910 there was a single imperial government, however weak; in 1920 real power lay with rival warlords controlling different regions.

1(b) [8]

• GMD weakness: Japan’s invasion had cost the GMD its best troops and coastal cities; hyperinflation and corruption destroyed middle-class and peasant support.
• CCP strengths: land reform won peasant loyalty; disciplined, experienced forces under Mao and Lin Biao won decisive battles such as Huai-Hai (1948–49), capturing weapons and absorbing defectors.

1(c) [16]

External influences: the Boxer Uprising against foreign influence and its suppression by foreign troops; Versailles and the May Fourth Movement; Soviet backing for the United Front; Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931) and war from 1937, which weakened the GMD and helped the CCP. Internal factors: Qing weakness and the 1911 Revolution; warlordism; the GMD–CCP rivalry, the Shanghai Massacre and Extermination Campaigns; peasant poverty and landlord power; leadership of Chiang and Mao. Judgement: external pressures repeatedly triggered and intensified conflict, but the struggle for power inside China was its core. Range across the full period.

2(a) [6]

• Schools open v closed: in 1965 schools and universities ran normally with exams; by 1968 many had closed as Red Guards attacked teachers.
• Content: in 1965 teaching mixed academic subjects with politics; in 1968 study of Mao’s thought dominated and young people were being sent to the countryside to learn from peasants.

2(b) [8]

• Unrealistic planning: targets for steel and grain were impossible; officials reported false figures, so the state requisitioned grain that did not exist.
• Neglect of farming and poor methods: peasants were taken from fields for backyard furnaces producing useless steel, and pseudo-scientific methods reduced harvests; the famine followed, worsened by the withdrawal of Soviet advisers in 1960.

2(c) [16]

1949–63: landlords overthrown and land redistributed (1950); then cooperatives, collectives and communes; the Great Leap and famine; the Marriage Law for women. 1976–89: household responsibility system let families farm and sell surpluses; rising rural incomes; one-child policy; rural industry; migration to cities and SEZs. Judgement: 1949–63 brought more dramatic and violent change — two revolutions in landholding and a catastrophic famine — while 1976–89 brought a steadier rise in living standards. Reward clear criteria for “more change”.

3(a) [6]

• In 1953 the USSR was China’s main ally, providing loans and experts for the first Five-year Plan; by 1969 relations had broken down.
• In 1953 Mao accepted Soviet leadership of world communism; in 1969 the two states fought border clashes.

3(b) [8]

• Demands for political reform: economic change had not been matched by democracy; students influenced by the Democracy Wall and the 1986 protests wanted freedom of speech.
• Corruption and inflation, and Hu Yaobang’s death: rising prices and officials’ corruption angered people, and the death of the reformer Hu in April 1989 sparked mourning that became protest.

Where marks are usually lost

• In (a), confusing the dates of the Great Leap and Cultural Revolution.
• In (b), describing events without explaining why they caused failure or protest.
• In (c), giving no clear criteria for comparison.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 2, Section B.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Paper 2 breadth study question structured? Part (a) asks you to explain two ways something was different at two dates (6 marks), part (b) to explain two causes (8 marks) and part (c) is a 16-mark essay on change, continuity or significance across the period.

Who ruled China in 1910? The Qing dynasty, under the child emperor Puyi with regents; by 1920 the dynasty had fallen and China was a republic in name.

Which dates are most often confused? The Great Leap Forward (from 1958) and the Cultural Revolution (from 1966); check them before you write.

Are these real Edexcel past-paper questions? No. They are original questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1; use them alongside the official past papers and mark schemes.