Edexcel IGCSE History: South Africa, From Union to the End of Apartheid, 1948–94 — 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: South Africa revision notes | South Africa study guide

These questions practise the three Depth Study question types of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1 across the five key topics of “South Africa: from union to the end of apartheid, 1948–94”. Answer guidance follows the questions.

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Question 1 — building apartheid, 1948–59

Extract A (invented for this exercise).

“Before 1948 segregation had been a habit; after 1948 it became a machine. Every law fed the next, until there was no part of life — birth, school, marriage, home — that the state did not sort by colour.”

1(a) What impression does the author give about the apartheid laws? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6]

1(b) Explain two effects of the Bantu Education Act (1953). [8]

1(c) “Fear of black urbanisation was the main reason for the National Party’s victory in 1948.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• Afrikaner nationalism
• the electoral system

You must also use information of your own.

Question 2 — resistance, 1955–78

Extract B (invented for this exercise).

“Sharpeville ended an argument inside the ANC. Peaceful protest had been met with bullets; a movement that had spent half a century asking now began to plan.”

2(a) What impression does the author give about the effect of Sharpeville on the ANC? You must use Extract B to explain your answer. [6]

2(b) Explain two effects of the Soweto uprising (1976). [8]

2(c) “The ANC was the most effective opponent of apartheid in the years 1955–78.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Freedom Charter
• Black Consciousness

You must also use information of your own.

Question 3 — Botha and de Klerk, 1978–94

3(b) Explain two effects of P.W. Botha’s reforms on South Africa. [8]

3(c) “International pressure was the main reason apartheid ended.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• sanctions and boycotts
• the role of F.W. de Klerk

You must also use information of your own.

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

The author presents apartheid as a systematic, all-embracing system. Contrasting “habit” with “machine” suggests a shift from informal to deliberate, organised segregation; “every law fed the next” implies the laws were connected; the list “birth, school, marriage, home” shows how completely it reached into private life (linking to the Population Registration, Bantu Education, Mixed Marriages and Group Areas Acts).

1(b) [8]

• Inferior education: black schools were overcrowded and under-funded, with a curriculum aimed at manual work, limiting black opportunities for a generation.
• Resistance: many mission schools closed rather than accept state control, and anger at Bantu Education fed later student protest, culminating in Soweto (1976).

1(c) [16]

Agree: white fears of black workers moving to the cities in the war years; the National Party’s promise of strict segregation; the language of swart gevaar (“black danger”).

Other factors: Afrikaner nationalism and resentment of British influence; the over-weighting of rural constituencies, which let the Nationalists win more seats with fewer votes; the United Party’s weaknesses under Smuts; economic worries among Afrikaner workers and farmers.

Judgement: racial fear provided the appeal, but Afrikaner nationalism and the electoral system explain how it turned into victory.

2(a) [6]

The author suggests Sharpeville was a turning point that pushed the ANC from peaceful protest to armed struggle. “Ended an argument” implies a debate settled by events; “met with bullets” stresses the violence; contrasting “asking” with “plan” hints at the move to sabotage through Umkhonto we Sizwe (1961).

2(b) [8]

• Spread of resistance: protest spread to other townships, many young people fled to join the ANC in exile, and Black Consciousness gained support.
• International condemnation: pictures of the shootings increased pressure on South Africa, contributing to the mandatory UN arms embargo of 1977.

2(c) [16]

Agree: the Defiance Campaign (1952) and the Freedom Charter (1955) set out a non-racial vision; Mandela’s leadership; Umkhonto we Sizwe kept resistance alive after 1961; the Rivonia Trial made Mandela a world symbol.

Other opponents: the PAC and Sharpeville; the women’s march (1956); Biko and Black Consciousness, which inspired the Soweto students; international opposition (Olympic exclusion, arms embargo).

Limits of the ANC: banned in 1960, leaders imprisoned by 1964; little activity inside South Africa for much of the 1960s.

Judgement: the ANC set the goals, but in 1960–76 other groups led resistance inside the country.

3(b) [8]

• Split in white politics: hardliners left to form the Conservative Party (1982), and the AWB threatened violence, weakening the National Party.
• New black resistance: the Tricameral Parliament excluded black South Africans, prompting the UDF (1983) and the township unrest of 1984–86, which led to the State of Emergency.

3(c) [16]

Agree: sanctions (the US Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, 1986), banks refusing loans after the “Rubicon” speech (1985), sports and cultural boycotts and economic decline.

Other factors: township unrest, the UDF and the churches made the country ungovernable; Mandela’s leadership and willingness to negotiate; de Klerk’s decisions in 1990; the end of the Cold War.

Judgement: international pressure raised the cost of apartheid, but internal resistance and the choices of de Klerk and Mandela turned that pressure into a negotiated end.

Where marks are usually lost

• Confusing Sharpeville (1960) and Soweto (1976).
• Listing apartheid laws without explaining their effects.
• Ignoring the bullet points or failing to add own knowledge.

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.

Which two events are most often confused? Sharpeville (21 March 1960) and the Soweto uprising (1976).

What do the essays ask you to judge? For example whether international pressure was the main reason apartheid ended, weighed against internal resistance, the economy and the decisions of de Klerk.

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.