Edexcel IGCSE History: The French Revolution, c1780–99 — 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. The extracts below are entirely invented for this exercise — none is a real historian’s work, and none should be treated or cited as one.

Related: French Revolution revision notes | French Revolution study guide

These questions practise the three-part pattern used for each Depth Study on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1: a 6-mark question on the impression an extract gives, an 8-mark “explain two effects” question, and a 16-mark “how far do you agree” essay. Between them they cover all five key topics of the French Revolution, c1780–99 depth study. Answers follow the questions.

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Question 1 — the origins of the Revolution, c1780–89

Extract A (invented for this exercise, written in the style of a modern textbook).

“By 1788 the monarchy was trapped. It could not pay its debts without new taxes, it could not raise new taxes without the consent of the privileged, and the privileged had no intention of giving it.”

1(a) What impression does the author give about the position of the French monarchy in 1788? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6]

1(b) Explain two effects of France’s involvement in the American War of Independence. [8]

1(c) “Financial problems were the main cause of the French Revolution in 1789.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the policies of Necker and Calonne
• the Enlightenment

You must also use information of your own.

Question 2 — developments, 1789–92

Extract B (invented for this exercise).

“After Varennes the constitution of 1791 was a house built on sand: it rested on a king whom almost no one in Paris now believed.”

2(a) What impression does the author give about the constitutional monarchy after the flight to Varennes? You must use Extract B to explain your answer. [6]

2(b) Explain two effects of the declaration of war on Austria in April 1792. [8]

2(c) “The actions of Louis XVI were the main reason for the fall of the monarchy in August 1792.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the flight to Varennes
• the role of the sans-culottes

You must also use information of your own.

Question 3 — the Terror and the Directory, 1793–99

3(b) Explain two effects of the work of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793–94. [8]

3(c) “The weaknesses of the Directory were the main reason Napoleon became First Consul in 1799.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the coup of 18 Fructidor
• Napoleon’s military reputation

You must also use information of your own.

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) — impression [6]

The author gives the impression that the monarchy was helpless and cornered — “trapped” by a cycle it could not break. The repeated “could not” stresses that every route was blocked, and the final phrase suggests the privileged orders were deliberately obstructive (“no intention”). A top answer identifies the overall impression, supports it with precise reference to the author’s word choices and explains how those choices create it. Own knowledge is not required for this question, but a brief link (for example, the Notables’ refusal in 1787) can show understanding.

1(b) — two effects [8]

• Debt. The war was paid for mainly by borrowing under Necker, so interest payments rose sharply; by the late 1780s the Crown could not meet its obligations, which led directly to Calonne’s reform plan in 1786–87.
• Ideas. French soldiers, including Lafayette, returned having fought for a revolution based on natural rights and representation, which spread criticism of absolute monarchy and of taxation without consent.

Credit other valid effects (for example, the prestige of victory encouraging confidence in reform). Each effect needs supporting detail and a clear link to the war: roughly 4 marks each.

1(c) — essay [16]

Agree: the Crown’s debt, Necker’s loans and misleading Compte rendu, Calonne’s land tax and its rejection by the Notables, Brienne’s failure with the Parlement and the near-bankruptcy of August 1788 forced Louis to call the Estates General — without which 1789 would not have taken the form it did.

Disagree / other factors: the privileged system of the Three Estates (the real reason reform failed); Enlightenment ideas that gave the Third Estate a language of rights and sovereignty; the 1788 harvest failure and bread prices that brought crowds onto the streets; Louis XVI’s indecision (accepting the National Assembly, then massing troops and dismissing Necker).

Judgement: a strong answer might argue finance was the trigger that opened the crisis, but privilege explains why it could not be solved, and hunger plus royal mistakes turned a political crisis into a revolution. The top level requires sustained analysis, accurate knowledge beyond the bullet points and a supported conclusion on “main cause”.

2(a) — impression [6]

The author suggests the constitutional monarchy was fatally unstable after Varennes. The metaphor “house built on sand” implies collapse was only a matter of time, and “almost no one… believed” stresses the king’s loss of trust. Explain how the metaphor and wording create the impression.

2(b) — two effects [8]

• Military defeats and fear of invasion, which, together with the Brunswick Manifesto, radicalised Paris and led to the attack on the Tuileries on 10 August 1792.
• Suspicion of the king, whose vetoes of emergency decrees in June 1792 made him look like an ally of the enemy, helping the republican case.

Other valid effects include the rise of the sans-culottes as armed defenders of the nation, and the longer-term pressures that later fed the Terror.

2(c) — essay [16]

Agree: Varennes (June 1791) and the declaration left behind criticising the Revolution; Louis’s vetoes of decrees against refractory priests and for a camp of volunteers in 1792; the dismissal of Girondin ministers.

Other factors: the war and early defeats; the Brunswick Manifesto’s threat to Paris; the growing power of the sans-culottes and the Paris sections; Jacobin and Girondin agitation; religious division caused by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

Judgement: the king’s actions destroyed trust, but war turned distrust into the belief that he was a traitor, and the sans-culottes provided the force. Reward answers that show how factors interacted.

3(b) — two effects [8]

• Defeat of internal and external enemies: the levée en masse and centralised control helped turn the war; by mid-1794 French armies were winning (Fleurus, June 1794) and the Vendée rising had been crushed.
• Fear and repression: the Law of Suspects and revolutionary tribunals led to around 17,000 official executions and many more deaths, including the Girondin leaders and, in 1794, Danton.

3(c) — essay [16]

Agree: the Directory’s narrow support, financial weakness and corruption; its reliance on the army in the coup of 18 Fructidor (1797) and further manipulation of elections; renewed war and defeats in 1799.

Other factors: Napoleon’s reputation from the Italian campaign (1796–97) and Egypt; the plotting of Sieyès, who wanted a stronger executive; war weariness and the desire for order after a decade of upheaval.

Judgement: a strong answer may conclude that the Directory’s weakness created the opportunity, but Sieyès’s plot and Napoleon’s prestige decided who took it.

Where marks are usually lost

• In (a), summarising the extract rather than explaining the impression its language creates.
• In (b), writing two causes instead of two effects, or two effects with no supporting detail.
• In (c), ignoring the two bullet points or never using information beyond them; the top levels require both, and a reasoned conclusion.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1.

Frequently asked questions

How is each Paper 1 depth study question structured? Each 4HI1 Paper 1 question has three parts: (a) what impression an extract gives (6 marks), (b) explain two effects (8 marks) and (c) a ‘how far do you agree’ essay (16 marks), with bullet prompts and your own knowledge.

What does the impression question reward? Explaining the impression created by the extract’s language, for example a monarchy ‘trapped’ by debt, not just summarising the extract.

What is a common part (b) mistake? Writing two causes instead of two effects, or two effects of the wrong event.

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.