This means that you are able to write some sentences to answer the question, but you are not able to develop any of them into a paragraph. If you do write paragraphs, you do not really add anything more to what you have said in the first sentence. You may make generalisations, for example you suggest that everyone was treated the same, without explaining how or why. You may also write something that could be true of other periods of history.

To improve to Level 2, you need some detailed information to help you back up or explain your answer.

This means that you are able to back up your answer with knowledge and understanding in paragraph form. You are now showing that you know and understand more about the topic. But, what you put in the paragraph must be relevant to the topic. You cannot just write anything. For example you could back up your answer by providing more detail about an event, a person or a date.

Level 2 answers will usually look like a series of paragraphs which are not linked together in any way. They are often quite long answers because you write everything that you know about the topic, rather than choosing the information which is most important.

To improve to Level 3, you will need to take time to plan your answer and get the paragraphs in the correct order.

This means that you have taken the trouble to write a sequence of paragraphs with detailed knowledge and understanding and also to organise the paragraphs in a way that makes sense. For example, you can do this by making links between events and putting forward an explanation of why something happened.

The most important feature of a Level 3 answer is that it reads much more fluently and it is obvious that you have planned the answer, rather than just writing it straight away. This is because you have taken the trouble to plan and think about your answer before you start.

To improve to Level 4, you will need to organise your answer so that you write an introduction, an argument and a conclusion.

This means that you have read the question very carefully and are then able to organise your answer properly. Your answer should have an introduction, which sets the scene by explaining any names, dates and events mentioned in the question. You should then write a series of linked paragraphs which support the argument that you put forward. Finally, you should write a conclusion which makes the main points over again.