O Level History: Depth Study A, The First World War — Practice Questions (Cambridge 2147)

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions. The wording below is invented for practice purposes, but the structure follows the syllabus’s own: Depth Studies are examined only on Paper 1, Section B, which sets two questions on each Depth Study (candidates answer one), each a three-part structured essay split (a), (b), (c). Depth Studies are not set on Paper 2, so this page contains no source questions. Cambridge International holds copyright in its own papers; use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or Cambridge directly.

Related: Depth Study A revision notes | Depth Study A study guide

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Depth Study questions are set in Paper 1, Section B of Cambridge O Level History 2147, in the same three-part form as Core Content questions: two questions per Depth Study, of which you answer one, each worth 20 marks – (a) 4, (b) 6, (c) 10. The three questions below together cover all four key questions of Depth Study A. Allow about 40 minutes per question.

Question 1: The Western Front (key question 1)

(a) Describe the conditions faced by soldiers in the trenches. [4]

(b) Explain why the Schlieffen Plan failed. [6]

(c) “New weapons did little to break the stalemate on the Western Front.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [10]

Worked answer

(a) One mark per relevant point, up to four: waterlogged trenches and mud; rats and lice; trench foot from standing in water; constant shelling and snipers; cold in winter; boredom between attacks; shell shock; the stench of unburied bodies; going over the top into machine-gun fire.

(b) Top-level answers explain at least two reasons. Belgium resisted, especially at Liège, slowing the German timetable; Britain entered the war and the BEF delayed the Germans at Mons; Russia mobilised more quickly than planned, forcing Moltke to move troops east; and the change of route east of Paris exposed the German flank to the counter-attack at the Marne in September 1914, ending the hope of a quick victory.

(c) Agree: the machine gun strengthened defence, not attack; gas, first used at Ypres in April 1915, caused panic but was countered by masks and blew back in changing winds; early tanks at the Somme (September 1916) broke down and were too few; aircraft were mainly for reconnaissance. Disagree: by 1917-18 tanks were used in mass (Cambrai, Amiens); artillery tactics such as the creeping barrage and accurate targeting helped infantry advance; aircraft spotted for artillery. Judgement: single weapons did little on their own; combined with new tactics and the exhaustion of Germany by 1918, they helped end the stalemate.

Question 2: A world war (key question 2)

(a) What part did Japan play in the war in Asia? [4]

(b) Explain why the war in German East Africa lasted until after the Armistice. [6]

(c) “The Arab Revolt was more important to the Allied war effort than the contribution of troops from the British Empire on the Western Front.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [10]

Worked answer

(a) Japan declared war on Germany in August 1914; with British help it besieged and captured Tsingtao (November 1914); it occupied German islands in the Pacific; its navy escorted convoys carrying Australian and New Zealand troops; it later sent destroyers to the Mediterranean; this secured Allied sea lanes.

(b) Lettow-Vorbeck used guerrilla tactics, avoiding major battles; he relied on African soldiers (askari) and lived off the land; the size of the territory, disease and difficult terrain hampered the British, Indian and South African forces; the early British failure at Tanga (1914) boosted German confidence; even Smuts’s 1916 campaign could not trap him, so he surrendered only after hearing of the Armistice.

(c) Arab Revolt: from 1916 Arab forces under Sharif Hussein’s sons, advised by T. E. Lawrence, attacked the Hejaz railway, captured Aqaba (1917) and helped the British take Damascus (1918), tying down Ottoman troops. Empire troops: Indian Corps soldiers held the line in 1914-15 when the BEF was exhausted; Canadians held at Second Ypres and took Vimy Ridge (1917); Empire troops fought in nearly every major battle on the main front where the war was decided. Judgement: the Arab Revolt mattered in the Middle East, but Empire troops contributed far more to the decisive front, so most answers will disagree.

Question 3: Other fronts and the end of the war (key questions 3 and 4)

(a) Describe what happened at the Battle of Jutland. [4]

(b) Explain why the USA entered the war in April 1917. [6]

(c) “Revolution in Germany was the main reason why Germany asked for an armistice in 1918.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [10]

Worked answer

(a) The main British and German fleets met in the North Sea on 31 May-1 June 1916; Jellicoe commanded the Grand Fleet and Scheer the High Seas Fleet; Britain lost more ships and men; the German fleet escaped back to port; it did not seriously challenge British control again, so the blockade continued.

(b) Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917, sinking American ships; memories of the Lusitania (1915), in which American passengers died, still angered opinion; the Zimmermann Telegram, revealed in March 1917, showed Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico against the USA; American loans and trade were tied to the Allies; and Russia’s March 1917 revolution made it easier to present the war as one for democracy.

(c) Revolution: the Kiel Mutiny spread to other cities; workers’ and soldiers’ councils formed; the Kaiser abdicated on 9 November and the new government signed the Armistice two days later. Other factors: the failure of the Spring Offensive and the loss of Germany’s best troops; the Allied advance from Amiens; American troops; Germany’s allies collapsing in September-November; the blockade. Judgement: revolution explains the timing, but the military defeat came first – Ludendorff had already called for an armistice at the end of September, before the revolution began. So revolution was a consequence of defeat as much as a cause of the armistice.

Where marks are usually lost

• (a): explaining instead of describing, or giving only one point.
• (b): listing reasons without linking them to the outcome in the question.
• (c): no judgement, or a judgement that does not compare factors.
• Writing about the causes of the war, which are not part of this Depth Study.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a (c) answer be? Long enough to develop both sides with specific evidence and a reasoned conclusion – usually three paragraphs.

Can Section B use sources? Depth Study questions on Paper 1 are structured essays; source questions are on Paper 2, which is set on Core Content prescribed topics.

Official syllabus

Cambridge O Level History (2147) syllabus for examination in 2024, 2025 and 2026 – cambridgeinternational.org (Depth study A; Details of the assessment, Paper 1).