Primary Sources (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
Primary sources
Finding primary sources
For your NEA, you must include at least three primary sources, with two of them being different types. Each source will typically illustrate a specific event or theme that supports your overall answer to the NEA question. The primary sources will be distributed throughout your response rather than grouped together, as they will likely address different events or themes. You only need three sources for AO2, though you may use more to support your argument throughout the essay.
Clarifying your purpose
Before searching for sources, you need absolute clarity about what you hope to achieve. You must already have decided on your answer to the NEA question and identified the key points you intend to prove. Your task when finding sources is not to locate the most unusual or obscure material, nor to collect large numbers of sources that you simply describe.
Instead, you should find sources with a clear purpose in mind: to support your overall answer to the question. This purposeful approach ensures that every source you select contributes meaningfully to your argument and helps prove your key points.
Starting your research
Begin with a simple Google search to assess whether you can find sufficient primary sources of different types for your chosen topic. For example, if investigating the Tudors, type "primary sources, the Tudors" into your search box. This initial search will help you gauge the availability and variety of sources before committing to your title.
Also consider asking your school library staff about access to online resources and subscription-only websites that may be available through your institution. These can provide higher-quality material than general internet searches.
Key questions to consider
When evaluating potential sources during your research, ask yourself:
Questions to Guide Your Source Selection:
- Does this source clearly support a specific point in my argument?
- Can I use this source to make and evidence a judgement, not just describe it?
- Is there enough content in the source to debate its value meaningfully?
- Is there sufficient detail to comment on the provenance or tone of the source?
- Have I chosen at least two different types of primary source (e.g. diaries, newspapers, speeches, cartoons, photographs, chronicles)?
Checking accessibility
Before finalising your choice of sources, verify that they are publicly accessible and do not require passwords or subscriptions to access. This ensures your examiner can review the sources if needed.
Understanding search results
When using search engines, remember that the ranking of results reflects popularity and links rather than quality or reliability. The first sites listed are not necessarily the best for your research purposes. The most visited or frequently amended sites appear at the top, but these may not be the most academically suitable for your investigation.
Evaluate each source on its merits rather than its search ranking position.
Using primary sources to reinforce your answer
The fundamental purpose of using primary sources in your NEA is to support the answer you are advancing to your question. Primary sources provide the evidence that underpins your judgement, in the same way that interpretations support your knowledge. You need to think carefully about what each source says and how you will use that information in your overall judgement.
Integrating sources into your argument
Your primary sources should help you prove the specific points you are making in your essay. Each source will probably illustrate a particular event or theme rather than all sources referring to the same aspect of your investigation. There is no need to compare the primary sources directly; instead, use a good number of sources to support your argument throughout the NEA, remembering that you only need three for AO2.
Working with evidence from sources
When you have identified a key argument in your NEA, you should then identify specific evidence from your primary sources that supports that view. The task is not merely to describe what the source says, but to actively use it to prove your points. This means selecting relevant information from the source and explaining how it reinforces your argument
Evaluating the value of primary sources using provenance
You will be assessed on evaluating the provenance of a source from Component Two of your A-level course. Your evaluation in the NEA is very similar, and you should use the same skills that you have already learned to access the higher levels in AO2 of the NEA mark scheme.
Understanding 'value'
Your key objective is to reach an opinion about the value of the source. The value of a source is determined by how much it assists you in arriving at an overall answer to your NEA question.
This is not simply about whether a source is accurate or reliable – value is more nuanced than that.
Factors affecting value
When considering provenance, you should examine the full range of factors, though you will not need to discuss every factor for every source. Select the factors that help you arrive at a judgement about value. These factors may include the author, the date it was written, the type of source, the intended audience, and the purpose of the source. There is little point in referring to a factor if you cannot explain how it affects value.
The author
Consider whether the author is an important individual whose views provide valuable insight into a key aspect of your period. Was the author a member of an important group or movement, providing evidence of the aims and beliefs of a wider range of people? An author's significance can add considerable value to a source if their perspective illuminates an important historical question.
The date written
Consider whether your source was written just before or after an event that is important in arriving at a judgement about your NEA. Avoid producing generic responses such as "this was written close to the events." Instead, use specific knowledge to place the source in its historical context and arrive at a judgement about its value. The timing of a source can significantly affect what it reveals and how it should be interpreted.
The type of source
Different types of sources offer different kinds of value. A diary might make a source more valuable because it provides insight into the personal thoughts of a significant individual. A political speech may be valuable in showing what a party hoped to achieve, or at least what they thought would win votes. However, remember that you need to keep your judgement focused on the specific source you are considering, not just write a generalized commentary that could apply to any source of a similar type.
The intended audience
Consider whether the source has been affected – either positively or negatively – by its intended audience. If the source was written for a wider audience, you might say its value lies in reflecting the mood of a large number of people. Alternatively, if the intended audience was an important individual or group, this may make the source valuable as it provides insight into their views.
The purpose of the source
Some sources, such as speeches and political manifestos, are designed to persuade the reader to do something, which might make them valuable. Other sources, such as letters or reports, might be designed simply to inform and can be very valuable for this reason. Consider how the purpose affects what information the source contains and how this relates to your NEA question.
How to determine value
Value is about how much the source helps you develop the answer to your NEA question. It is not enough to simply say that a source is accurate or reliable. Consider these scenarios:
Different Ways Sources Can Be Valuable:
- A source may be accurate and therefore valuable because it provides good information about the period
- A source may be inaccurate and therefore valuable because it gives insight into why the author wished to mislead the reader – for example, a piece of propaganda
- A source may be written by one person and therefore valuable because it gives insight into that key individual
- A source may be written at a key turning point and therefore valuable as it provides evidence of the emotions that the event evoked
- A source may be written at a key turning point and therefore not very valuable as it fails to provide objective evidence free from the emotion of the event
The key is to explain the connection between the provenance factors and the value for your specific historical investigation.
Distinguishing reliability from value
The most reliable or accurate source is not necessarily the most valuable. A source that contains inaccuracies or bias may be highly valuable because it reveals the author's intentions, the purpose behind the document, or the emotions of the period.
Conversely, an accurate and objective source may be valuable for providing factual information. Your evaluation must explain why the provenance factors you have identified make the source valuable for addressing your particular NEA question.
Evaluating the value of primary sources using content
There is an important difference between using the content to reinforce your overall answer to the NEA and using the content to make judgements about how valuable the source is. The marks for AO2 are mainly related to how convincingly you evaluate the source. Let us now consider how to assess the value using the content itself.
Factors to consider
The value of the content may be considered by looking at several factors:
- The main thrust or point being made by the source
- The quality and type of evidence used in support of this point
- The tone of the source
The main thrust or point being made
You must first show that you understand what the source is saying. There is little value in assessing a source before you have done this. Begin by summarising the main message or argument of the source in your own words. Avoid long quotations. Using excessive quotation only shows that you can select material, not that you understand it.
Once you have shown that you understand the source, you should explain how its main argument adds value. At a basic level, a source may support your own argument, which makes it useful. However, value is not limited to agreement. A source can also be valuable because it reveals a particular viewpoint, bias, or way of thinking, even if you challenge or question it.
The quality and type of evidence used in support of this point
The evidence contained in a source can be a strong indicator of its value. A source may be valuable because it provides detailed, precise, or reliable evidence that helps you understand an event or issue. In this case, the quality and accuracy of the evidence are what give the source its value.
Alternatively, a source may be valuable because of what is missing or distorted in its evidence. Gaps, omissions, or inaccuracies can reveal the purpose of the source and the intentions of its creator.
For example, a propaganda source may contain weak or misleading evidence. However, this does not make it useless. Instead, it is valuable because it shows what a government or organisation wanted people to believe, and how information may have been shaped or manipulated to influence public opinion.
The tone of the source
It is important to consider the tone of the source, especially if it is a written source. However, remember that this is not an exercise in literature appreciation. Comments about tone are likely to support arguments about the historical value of the content or of the provenance.
You need to do more than simply state that the tone is emotive, for example. Instead, you must prove how this links to your argument about value. You may have identified that the tone is emotive and would need to quote a couple of key words or phrases to prove this is the case. However, you must then go further to indicate how an emotive tone affects the value of the source.
It may be that the emotive tone detracts from the value as you hope that the source can provide you with good objective information about an event. On the other hand, you might argue that an emotive tone is in fact really of high value because it gives an excellent indication of how the key individual who wrote the piece was so immersed in the events. The crucial point is explaining the connection between tone and value in relation to your specific investigation.
Using the skills you have developed to produce a clear argument
Having considered how the content of primary sources might be linked to the set question and how these sources might be evaluated for value, the next skill to develop is linking these together. You need to ensure that the three sources are both evaluated and also linked to the set question in a convincing and united manner.
Three essential abilities
Key Skills Being Assessed:
- The ability to read the source carefully and to use it to help advance your overall judgement about the NEA question
- The ability to evaluate the content of the source and to come to a judgement about value in relation to the question
- The ability to evaluate the provenance of the source and to come to a judgement about value in relation to the question
Integrating evaluation into your essay
While the evaluation of the value of the sources is very similar to that required in Component Two, the NEA is a lengthy essay and not simply a commentary on a given set of sources. You need to ensure that your evaluation is integrated into a much longer piece of writing. You are effectively integrating the critical treatment of evidence into an essay format.
Applying the skills
When working with a primary source, start by understanding what the source reveals. Consider how its content relates to your argument. For example, if investigating religious causes of rebellion, you might analyze a source like the Pontefract Articles (1536) which discusses the supremacy of the Church in matters of care of souls.
You would then consider three aspects:
Worked Example: Analyzing the Pontefract Articles (1536)
When examining this source about religious causes of rebellion, you would systematically apply three levels of analysis:
1. Reason for inclusion
Explain how the source helps prove your argument. Show how the information in the source demonstrates the importance of your chosen factor.
For instance, the source might show how important religion was because rebels demanded a return of Papal supremacy, with religious grievances given prominence. This links to your overall judgement about the main motive in rebellion.
2. Provenance/value
Consider factors such as who created the source and why.
The Pontefract Articles were intended to rally many people to the cause of rebellion and might have emphasized religious causes to get maximum support, especially as religious change had been rapid. The framers needed to reflect a range of grievances but stressed religion as a linking factor.
This may affect the value as it is a statement of intention from a small number, not what was perhaps felt by all. The purpose was to rally support, which may make it valuable in showing what the framers thought were the major grievances.
3. Content/value
Analyse what the source reveals and what it omits.
Changes to monasteries might have been a major concern in many parts of the country, and this was widespread resentment that had been pushed through by a clique at court. However, if there were other causes of discontent, such as concern about the King's control of Parliament, this extract does not give the whole picture.
Its value may be limited due to lack of breadth in comparing one factor to another, taking a narrow view of the type of religious grievance.
By systematically applying these skills, you demonstrate sophisticated historical thinking and produce a well-argued, evidence-based essay.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- You need at least three primary sources in your NEA, with two being different types (such as diaries, speeches, newspapers, or official documents)
- Primary sources serve two purposes: to provide evidence supporting your argument and to be evaluated for their historical value
- Evaluate provenance by considering the author, date, type of source, intended audience, and purpose – explaining how each factor affects the source's value for your specific investigation
- When evaluating content, analyze the main point being made, the quality of evidence provided, and the tone used – all in relation to how they contribute to answering your NEA question
- Value is not the same as reliability – even inaccurate or biased sources can be highly valuable if they reveal important insights about purpose, perspective, or the emotions of the period