OxfordAQA IGCSE World History: Studies in Change — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — this is a new qualification (first teaching September 2026, first examined May/June 2028) with no live past papers yet to reproduce — and examination boards hold copyright in their own mark schemes regardless. Use these alongside OxfordAQA’s own specimen assessment materials as the primary guide to question style. Paper 2 offers a genuine choice of options — one Section A society (Germany 1919–49, Russia and the USSR 1914–53, or the USA 1920–68) and one Section B theme (Technology and change, or Medicine and change) — so these questions deliberately do not name a specific option. Apply each question to your own centre’s studied society and theme.

Related: Studies in Change study guide, Studies in Change revision notes

Paper 2 has two sections, each with four questions at 3, 6, 9 and 12 marks — the same tariff pattern on both sections. Section A tests your studied society-in-change option; Section B tests your studied thematic study. There is no third section.

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Section A (practise using your own studied society-in-change option)

1. Give three changes to political, social or economic life in your studied society during the earlier part of the period. [3]

2. Explain why one turning point (a change of regime, a war, or an economic crisis) led to change in your studied society. [6]

3. Explain two reasons why a significant change occurred in your studied society during the period. [9]

4. “[An area of change such as political change, social change, or economic change] was the most significant change in your studied society during the whole period.” How far do you agree? You must refer to your chosen area and at least one other area of change in your answer. [12]

Section B (practise using your own studied thematic study)

5. Give three developments in your studied theme from an early period of the c800–present timeframe. [3]

6. Explain why one specific factor (for example, war, or an individual) led to a change in your studied theme at a particular moment. [6]

7. Explain two reasons why the pace of change in your studied theme was faster in one period than in another. [9]

8. “[A factor such as war, science and technology, government, or the role of an individual] was the most significant cause of change in your studied theme.” How far do you agree? You must refer to your chosen factor and at least one other factor in your answer. [12]

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Answers (worked approach — marks depend on your studied options)

Both papers’ 3-mark items are point-marked — one mark for each relevant feature identified, up to the maximum. Every other question below is marked with levels of response, not a tally of separate points — each level described rewards the quality of answer, not a checklist to total up.

1. (3 marks) One mark for each of three genuine, distinct changes identified — political, social or economic, drawn from your studied society’s earlier period. No further development is required or rewarded beyond identifying each change accurately.

2. (6 marks) Level 1 (1–2): a general link asserted with no development. Level 2 (3–4): the turning point named and its effect briefly explained. Level 3 (5–6): a developed explanation using specific detail to trace why that moment, specifically, produced the change — not just that it happened at the same time.

3. (9 marks) Level 1 (1–3): one reason, stated generally. Level 2 (4–6): two reasons identified, each with some development. Level 3 (7–9): two reasons fully developed with specific supporting detail, each explaining a distinct mechanism by which the change came about.

4. (12 marks) Level 1 (1–3): a general assertion about change with little explanation, e.g. “a lot changed.” Level 2 (4–6): explains the chosen area of change with a specific example, but does not reach a second, separate area. Level 3 (7–9): explains the chosen area of change and at least one other area, with some linking between them and an emerging judgement. Level 4 (10–12): fully weighs the chosen area of change against at least one other, using specific dated evidence for both, and reaches a sustained judgement on which mattered more overall — the judgement, not the list of areas, is what the top level rewards.

5. (3 marks) One mark for each of three genuine, distinct developments identified in your studied theme from an early period of the timeframe. No further development is required or rewarded beyond identifying each one accurately.

6. (6 marks) Level 1 (1–2): a general link asserted with no development. Level 2 (3–4): the factor named and its effect briefly explained. Level 3 (5–6): a developed explanation connecting the named factor’s specific mechanism to the specific change it produced, using a dated example.

7. (9 marks) Level 1 (1–3): one reason, stated generally. Level 2 (4–6): two reasons identified, each with some development. Level 3 (7–9): two reasons fully developed with specific dated examples, explicitly comparing why change moved faster in one period than the other rather than just describing each period separately.

8. (12 marks) Level 1 (1–3): a general assertion with little explanation, e.g. “war caused a lot of change.” Level 2 (4–6): explains the named factor’s contribution with a specific example, but with limited or no weighing against an alternative. Level 3 (7–9): explains the named factor and weighs it against at least one other factor, with some judgement. Level 4 (10–12): fully weighs the named factor against at least one alternative, using specific dated evidence for both, and reaches a sustained judgement on how far the named factor explains the change overall — the judgement, not the list of factors, is what the top level rewards.

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Where marks are usually lost

• Naming a change, turning point or factor without developing it with specific, dated detail — this specification’s levels reward development, not just identification.
• Giving only one reason on the 9-mark questions, which both require two.
• Discussing only the named factor on the 12-mark “how far” question, without weighing it against an alternative.
• Treating a society-in-change answer as a list of separate events instead of a connected account of why change happened and how significant it was.
• Covering the whole c800–present timeframe evenly in Section B rather than selecting well-spread, well-evidenced examples relevant to the question asked.

Approaching Paper 2 regardless of your specific options

Because Paper 2 offers a genuine choice at both Section A and Section B, the transferable skills these questions test — developing a point with specific detail, explaining two reasons in full rather than naming several thinly, and structuring a weighed “how far” judgement — matter more to your revision than which specific society or theme your centre has taught. Practise applying this page’s question structures directly to your own studied content, and revisit the Studies in Change revision notes for the recommended turning-point and factor-weighing templates to prepare in advance.