Exam Connection: OCR J411 History Around Us

Assessment: History Around Us (Component Group 2) is assessed differently from other OCR J411 units. You carry out a guided site study and are assessed on your ability to use historical skills to analyse your chosen site. The questions you encounter in assessments typically ask you to apply skills to evidence about a real site.

Typical question patterns:

• "Describe two features of [named site]" — 4 marks. Name two distinct, evidenced features with brief supporting detail. One feature per paragraph.
• "Describe three types of evidence used to study [site type]" — 6 marks. Three distinct source types, each with a specific example and explanation of what it reveals.
• "Explain why physical evidence at [site] can be misleading" — 8 marks. Use specific evidence about restorations, missing features, or later changes. Link to the problem of relying on one source type.
• "Explain why historians use multiple sources when studying a historical site" — 8 marks. Each source type has different strengths and limitations. The argument is about triangulation and compensating for the gaps of any single source.

Frequency: This component is compulsory for OCR J411 students. All site study questions appear in this unit — they do not appear in other components.

What the examiner rewards at higher levels: Specific evidence (named sites, specific source types, concrete examples), explanation of why sources have limitations (not just that they do), and analytical language that shows you are deploying evidence rather than listing it.