GCSE (9–1) History B - J411/12 The People’s Health - The Elizabethans 1580–1603 - Sample Question Paper Version 3.3

Sep 5, 2026

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Sample question paper for GCSE (9–1) History B, focusing on two sections: The People’s Health from c.1250 to the present and The Elizabethans from 1580–1603. Section A tasks learners with short factual answers and extended analysis of public health, including responses to the Black Death, town water supply, plague control measures, and twentieth-century public health change. Section B includes interpretation-based questions assessing how Elizabethan power is presented and asks learners to judge historians’ views on religious threats and English trade expansion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Section A: The People’s Health, c.1250 to present

Answer questions 1 (a–c), 2, 3 and either question 4 or question 5

Section B: The Elizabethans, 1580–1603

Answer questions 6 (a–b), 7 and either question 8 or question 9

GCSE (9–1) History B (Schools History Project) J411/12 The People’s Health, c.1250 to present with The Elizabethans, 1580–1603 Sample Question Paper Version 3.3 Date – Morning/Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes OCR supplied materials: • the OCR12-page Answer Booklet Other materials required: • None INSTRUCTIONS • Use black ink. • Section A – The People’s Health, c.1250 to present: Answer questions 1 (a–c), 2, 3 and either question 4 or question 5. • Section B – The Elizabethans, 1580–1603: Answer questions 6 (a–b) and 7, and either question 8 or question 9. • Do not write in the bar codes. INFORMATION • The total mark for this paper is 80. • The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ] . • Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*) . • This document consists of 8 pages. Section A The People’s Health, c.1250 to present Answer questions 1 (a–c) , 2 and 3. 1. (a) Give one example of the way in which medieval people reacted to the Black Death. [1] (b) Name one way in which people in towns obtained their water during the period 1500–1750. [1] (c) Name one of the ‘big killer’ diseases in the period 1750–1900. [1] 2. Write a clear and organised summary that analyses people’s living conditions in the Middle Ages. Support your summary with examples. [9] 3. Why did people’s attempts to stop the spread of plague in the period 1500–1750 have limited impact? Support your answer with examples. [10] Answer either question 4 or question 5. 4.* How far do you agree that the most important changes in public health in Britain took place in the twentieth century? Give reasons for your answer. [18] 5.* ‘New technology has been the most important factor in improvements to public health in Britain’. How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. [18] Section B The Elizabethans, 1580–1603 Answer questions 6 (a–b) and 7. 6. (a) In Interpretation A the illustrator portrays the wealth and comfort of an Elizabethan gentleman’s house. Identify and explain one way in which the illustrator does this. [3] Interpretation A is an illustration from Tudor Gallery by James Mason, a history book aimed at young children published in 1997. Item removed due to third party copyright restrictions. The image can be accessed from S. Purkis and J. Mason, Tudor Gallery (A Sense of History, Primary), p. 21, Addison Wesley Longman Ltd. , London, 1997. For other examples of this type of question, please see our past papers, available through our website and Interchange. Alternatively, see our ExamBuilder platform for the full list of relevant mock questions. (b) If you were asked to do further research on one aspect of Interpretation A, what would you choose to investigate? Explain how this would help us to analyse and understand daily life in Elizabethan England. [5] 7. Interpretations B and C both focus on the power of Elizabeth I. How far do they differ and what might explain any differences? [12] Interpretation B – An extract from The Making of the United Kingdom, 1500–1750, a secondary school textbook written by J F Aylett in 1992. Elizabeth I was England’s only unmarried queen. Perhaps she knew that, if she married an English nobleman, she would offend others. If she had married a foreigner she would not have been able to follow her own policies. And those policies were successful. When she died in 1603, England was one of the world’s leading trading nations. It had also become a major power in Europe. Above all, she handed over a country that was more peaceful and united than ever before. Many people thought that she was wonderful. No wonder they looked back on her reign as a Golden Age. Interpretation C – An extract from A Brief History of Britain, 1485–1660, written by the historian Ronald Hutton in 2010. During her last years, her government was starting to show sign

FAQs

What does Question 1 (a–c) require students to do?

Students give one example or one named item for each part, covering medieval responses to the Black Death, town water sources, and a major disease between 1750 and 1900.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Quinn