Edexcel – Unit 1 - Access to History 2

Access to History Online Edexcel Unit 1 – A6 The Wars of the Roses in England, 1455–85wanted to end the wars in France which made himunpopular. He had a mental breakdown and wasunable to rule which meant other people like Yorkand Margaret of Anjou argued about who shouldrule for him. Henry also could not control hisnobility. He could easily be manipulated by thosearound him and gave away too much land andmoney which made him poor. He also preferrednot to resolve disputes amongst the nobles. All ofthis made him unsuitable as a king and causedwar (4).Margaret of Anjou manipulated her husbandHenry and was determined that her son Edwardshould be the next king. She also fought York forthe Protectorate and banished him and hissupporters (5).In conclusion, York was definitely very importantin causing the Wars of the Roses as he was a verypowerful member of the nobility with a grudge.Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou were alsoimportant because he was weak as king and shewas too ambitious (6).(4) This paragraph is better inthat it is more focused on thepart of the question that dealswith causes. However, it needsmore precise supporting detailrather than generalisedassertion.(5) All of this is true, but is notmade relevant to the question.(6) The candidate attempts aconclusion, but does not reach ajudgement on the actualquestion. The focus is more onthe causes of the war ratherthan the continuation to 1460.Examiner’s AssessmentThis response would achieve a Level 3 mark. Thecandidate has understood some of the demands ofthe question and has attempted to look at thereasons for the outbreak of civil war. However,the answer lacks balance in that it does not reallyconsider why the wars continued. Although theinformation is generally accurate, it is not alwaysfocused on the question and is not sufficientlydetailed for Level 4.Examiner’s Exemplar Answer 2When explaining the outbreak and continuation ofthe Wars of the Roses, 1455–60, York’s role isundoubtedly very important (7).Without hisactions in the early 1450s, tensions between rivalfactions may not have arisen. Similarly, hisambition and determination not to compromiseled to the continuation of the dispute until hisdeath in 1460. However, the conflict did not endwith York’s death. This suggests that other factorsmay have played an equally important part in(7) Here, the student is usingthe key words in the question toshow that they understand whatit is asking them to do.© Hodder Education, 2010