Edexcel A level History · Paper 2 · Option 2E.1

Edexcel Mao's China Section B Essay Guide: How to Write a Level 5 Depth Essay

Section B is half of Paper 2, and it is the half you control most completely: no unseen sources, only content, stems and level descriptors you already know. What separates a Level 3 essay from a Level 5 essay is rarely how much you know. It is what you do with it.

What the question asks and how long you have

Paper 2 for Option 2E.1 (Mao's China, 1949–76) lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and is worth 40 marks. In Section B you answer one of two essays (Question 3 or Question 4), worth 20 marks and assessed on AO1. Allow about 45 minutes, including planning. The two usually come from different key topics, so revise all four.

These are depth questions. They usually span a few years to a decade, and depth means named campaigns, dates, figures, individuals and the mechanisms by which policies worked or failed. "The CCP used terror to control people" is breadth. "The Five Antis campaign of 1952 fined private businessmen for tax evasion and cheating on state contracts" is depth.

From 2017 to 2025 the Mao questions used four stems: "How far do you agree that ...?", a quoted statement followed by "How far do you agree with this statement?", "How accurate is it to say that ...?" and "To what extent ...?". Whatever the stem, identify the second-order concept (causation, consequence, change, success, motive or significance), because it decides the shape of the essay.

What Level 5 rewards

Level 5 (17 to 20 marks) is described in four bullets:

The fourth bullet asks for organisation that is logical, coherent and precise throughout.

Criteria are the secret of Level 5. A criterion is not an issue such as "land reform" or "terror"; it is the measuring stick that decides between them. For causation, try necessity or reach. For consequence, try scale or duration. For success, try the policy's own aims or human cost. For motive, try the timing of decisions or private versus public statements. You need all three verbs: establish criteria in the introduction, apply them by name in the paragraphs and rank them in the conclusion. Two clear criteria, one openly ranked above the other, are worth more than five listed and forgotten.

A step-by-step method

1. Choose and decode. Pick the question you can argue on both sides with precise evidence across the whole date range. Underline the loaded word ("mainly", "only", "both", "overwhelmingly") and treat the dates as hard edges.
2. Write a four-job introduction. Give context for the question's dates, define the key term with two criteria, state an argument that already leans one way, and name the factors your paragraphs will weigh. No "First I will..." and no promise to "consider both sides".
3. Paragraph 1: the claim or the given factor at its strongest, weighed against your criteria.
4. Paragraph 2: the counter-argument or strongest rival factor, weighed explicitly against Paragraph 1.
5. Paragraph 3: a further factor or decisive phase, so that all three are weighed and the whole date range is covered.
6. Test inside every paragraph. Add one piece of counter-evidence ("However, it is evident that...", "Despite this...") and explain why your judgement still stands.
7. Conclude with a degree. Begin "In conclusion," or "To conclude,", answer with a degree, concede the strongest counter-argument in one clause ("Although one could argue that..."), rank your criteria and add no new material.

The introduction, three paragraphs and conclusion form the GFN five-part structure. It is our recommended technique, not a Pearson requirement, since the mark scheme rewards qualities rather than paragraph counts, but it fits 45 minutes and guarantees balance.

Worked example: a Level 5 introduction

Question: "The CCP consolidated its control over China in the years 1949–53 mainly through the use of terror." How far do you agree with this statement?

Notice what it does: context selected for later use, a defined key term, two criteria that are tests rather than factors, and an argument that links terror and support as partners rather than rivals.

Common mistakes that cap the mark

• Ignoring date limits. The Great Famine (1958–62) never belongs in a question ending in 1957. Cover the middle of the span, not just its ends.
• Narrative instead of argument. Open every paragraph with a judgement, not a date.
• Listing factors. Explore the links between issues; not every question demands a factor and other factors approach.
• Criteria named and forgotten. Apply them by name in each paragraph and rank them at the end.
• Vague terminology. Write "bureaucratism", not "lazy officials"; "Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries", not "a crackdown".
• Overstated figures. Give disputed figures as ranges and treat official statistics with caution.
• Sitting on the fence. "Partly agree" is a degree only if you say which part and why.

Your Section B checklist

• Question chosen, dates checked, second-order concept named, key word defined.
• Two criteria established, one ranked above the other.
• A one-sentence argument containing "because", and the three areas your paragraphs will weigh.
• Paragraph 1 gives the claim its strongest case; one paragraph is the counter-argument; the third covers a further factor or phase.
• Every paragraph tested with one piece of counter-evidence.
• Conclusion gives a degree, concedes the strongest counter-argument, ranks criteria and uses precise evaluative verbs such as "underpinned" or "undermined".
• Five minutes at the end to check names, dates, the date limits and your conclusion.

Pair this with our Section A source question guide, or browse every free guide on the A level History hub. Teachers can see site licences and class sets on our schools page.

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