Modern History 2025 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they do not miss important components of the question
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question and consider the intent of the question and its requirements
• engage with what the question is asking, rather than presenting a pre-prepared response
• relate to the question throughout the response, rather than just at the beginning
• sustain their judgements, where appropriate, throughout the response with clear connection to the question
• use relevant evidence and interpretation to support their response where appropriate
• demonstrate historical knowledge beyond that provided in sources
• communicate ideas and information using relevant historical terms and concepts appropriately
• present a sustained, logical and cohesive response.

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify a form of opposition to the Nazi regime and support their response with the ways that the group opposed the Nazis.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific detail to support the response
• providing forms of opposition that occur within the given time period.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the perspective of the source
• give reasons why the author would have held these views, such as his historical context and the nature of a secret diary.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a clear understanding of what shapes people’s perspectives, including context, intended audience, and motive.

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• assess both the value and limitations of the source
• explain how the perspective, nature and purpose of the source affect its value
• use evidence from the source to support their assessment.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a clear understanding of what makes a source valuable
• demonstrating a clear understanding of Japan’s ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region in this time period
• engaging with the key word ‘assess’.

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a clear judgement about the impact the Nazis had on cultural expression and sustain this throughout the response
• integrate relevant evidence of the impact of Nazi policies on cultural expressions, such as art, music, literature and film.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using a range of evidence to support the judgement, such as impacts on film, architecture, and literature
• providing detailed and accurate knowledge to support the judgement being made.

Question 6 – China 1927–1949

In better responses, students were able to:

• form a sustained evaluative judgement of the extent to which Chiang Kai-Shek’s leadership was the primary obstacle to political stability and national unity (a)
• demonstrate extensive knowledge of Chiang Kai-Shek’s leadership and its impact on political instability and national disunity in relation to factors such as regionalism, warlordism, the civil war, and Japanese invasions (a)
• make a clear and sustained judgement of the extent to which the Long March was the main factor in the rise of Maoism (b)
• demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding of the ideology of Maoism and evaluate how key consequences of the Long March including Mao’s growing leadership, the spread of Maoism through rural China, and the creation of a founding narrative of the CCP, contributed to its rise (b)
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of other contributing factors to the rise of Maoism, including the significance of the Yan’an period, the role of the Red Army, the weakness of the GMD, and the Japanese invasions of China (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging directly with the question rather than providing a comparative response on Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong (a) or the rise of Mao Zedong (b)
• using accurate historical knowledge to support judgements rather than describing events
• evaluating obstacles to political stability and national unity and the role played by Chiang Kai-Shek in relation to them, rather than describing Chiang Kai-Shek’s leadership (a)
• demonstrating a clear understanding of the ideology of Maoism as distinct from the role and leadership of Mao (b)
• evaluating the focus of the question before addressing additional issues, such as other obstacles to political stability and national unification (a), or other factors in the rise of Maoism (b).

Question 9 – Japan 1904–1937

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a sustained judgement about the role of militarism in the failure of democracy by the early 1930s (a)
• engage with the role of militarism up to the 1930s, supporting the argument with relevant examples and details that ensure clear links to the failure of the democratic system (a)
• demonstrate an extensive understanding of the question by evaluating the accuracy of the statement in terms of the role of militarism in addition to other contributing factors. For example, the instability and weakness of party politics, role of the zaibatsu and the impact of the Great Depression which led to an ultranationalist state dominated by the military (a)
• sustain a judgement as to the extent to which traditional power was challenged by the zaibatsu during the 1920s (b)
• address and engage with the concept of traditional power explicitly, demonstrating an extensive understanding throughout the response (b)
• demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the question by providing a counterargument of other factors that challenged traditional power. For example, the introduction of limited liberal democracy, impact of political parties and challenges of the genrō, bureaucracy and army to party politics (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making explicit links to the question and addressing other factors which contributed to the failure of democracy, rather than describing militarism without these (a)
• ensuring the response moves beyond a narrative description of the zaibatsu and makes explicit links to the question, in addition to developing an argument that provides evidence as to other contributing factors (b)
• making explicit links to the question and addressing other contributing factors that challenged traditional power, rather than describing the role of the zaibatsu without these (b)
• providing a sustained judgement that is supported by relevant and explicit historical knowledge, rather than recounting events/key issues
• ensuring that the evidence used is relevant to the question and does not address content from outside the time period of the question.

Question 10 – Russia and the Soviet Union 1917–1941

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a clear understanding of Bolshevik ideology and provide an explicit evaluation as to how successfully Marxist-Leninist principles were implemented within different economic policies (a)
• evaluate how key policies, including War Communism, the NEP and the Five-Year Plans reflected and fulfilled Bolshevik aims (a)
• assess the success of the implementation of Bolshevik ideology within a range of economic policies and support this with explicit evidence (a)
• address the full time period from 1917 to 1941, constructing links between ideology and practice from early consolidation of the Soviet State under Lenin to Stalin’s later authoritarian control
• relate ideology to economic policy, including instances where pragmatic decisions diverged from Marxist Leninist principles (a)
• articulate and evaluate how the growth of the Communist Party contributed to political transformation in the Soviet State (b)
• evaluate the extent to which other contributing factors, such as repression, terror, propaganda, and censorship, shaped Stalin’s political transformation, integrating these into a balanced analysis and substantiated counterargument (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• strengthening links between economic policies and Bolshevik ideology, extending beyond narrative description or assessment of how successful the economic policies were (a)
• analysing the extent to which Bolshevik ideology was implemented, rather than providing a narrative account of the economic policies, to show deeper understanding (a)
• addressing the entire period from 1917 to 1941, examining a range of economic policies and demonstrating clear connection between Bolshevik ideology and practice (a)
• making explicit connections between ideology and practice, highlighting where pragmatic decisions diverged from Bolshevik principles (a)
• engaging with the specific focus of the question, such as the growth of the Communist Party, before discussing additional factors (b)
• providing critical evaluation and reasoned analysis, rather than a narrative account of Stalin's rise to power, or the power struggle (b)
• developing clear, balanced judgements about the impact of other contributing factors, including repression, terror, propaganda, and censorship, demonstrating how they shaped political transformation (b).

Question 11 – USA 1919–1941

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate the extent to which Hoover’s efforts attempted to address the challenges of the Great Depression, while engaging with other factors such as the actions of Roosevelt or WW2 mobilisation to formulate a comprehensive counterargument (a)
• use comprehensive knowledge of the topic and support it with explicit detail, for example, providing statistics as to Ford’s production numbers or examples of specific Hoover programs such as the Federal Farm Board
• make a sophisticated judgement demonstrating explicit knowledge of the shifts in US society within the interwar period due to the onset of US mega-industrialisation, for example, how the acceleration of the industrial north resulted in Southern migration (a)
• provide a clear interpretation of evidence, such as noting that Hoover’s investment in infrastructure suggests that a direct effort was made to inject money into the economy while boosting employment, despite adherence to laissez faire policies (b)
• identify succinctly and interpret the impact of industrialisation on US society, for example, extrapolating sub-industries from the mass-production of cars as driven by Fordism (a).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of overarching government intervention, engaging with explicit detail around Hoover’s efforts, rather than only exploring the New Deal or other Roosevelt initiatives (b)
• using complete and historically appropriate terminology in at least the first instance before reverting to acronyms, for example, Civilian Conservation Corp as opposed to CCC (b)
• avoiding the use of pre-prepared responses, for example, the impact of the Great Depression on groups responses being re-structured to fit the question
• interpreting evidence with a clear understanding of cause and consequence, and its place in history.

Question 12 – Iran 1945–1989

In better responses, students were able to:

• evaluate clearly the extent to which Cold War tensions primarily influenced political developments between 1953 and 1989, sustaining this focus for a significant part of the response before evaluating other contributing factors to form a coherent counterargument (a)
• use examples from across the entire time period of the question, from 1953–1989 (a), or from 1979–1989 (b)
• articulate a strong understanding of the different phases of political development and the differing degrees to which Cold War tensions shaped them (a)
• demonstrate an understanding of Iran’s political evolution within the context of the Cold War, from the 1953 CIA-backed coup against Mossadegh and the Shah’s pro-Western alignment, to the anti-imperialist and non-aligned stance of the Islamic Republic after 1979 (a)
• articulate a strong understanding of Iran’s political development within the Cold War, analysing the different phases of political change and the extent to which Cold War tensions shaped them, from the 1953 CIA-backed coup and the Shah’s pro-Western alignment to the anti-imperialist, non-aligned stance of the Islamic Republic after 1979 (a)
• provide an evaluation of the extent to which Cold War tensions shaped political change, for example, while superpower rivalry defined early developments such as the 1953 coup, internal religious and social factors became more significant after 1979 (a)
• address the directive key words (evaluate, assess) by developing a sustained argument that makes consistent reference to the question and presents a clear, substantiated overall judgement
• articulate a detailed understanding of the Islamic Republic’s reforms and their specific impacts on different sectors of society, including women, education, and cultural life (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific examples, rather than generalised discussion, of the Islamic Republic’s reforms and discussing their effects on different sectors of society, such as women, education, and cultural life (b)
• applying historical evidence analytically to support interpretation, thereby demonstrating depth of historical understanding, rather than simply describing events
• ensuring analysis is centred on the specific time period of the Islamic Republic’s reforms during Khomeini’s rule, rather than using preprepared or generic responses focused on reforms under the Shah (b)
• linking reforms to their social impacts explicitly, demonstrating clear understanding of cause, effect, and historical significance, rather than providing a narrative description of Khomeini's rule (b)
• maintaining a sustained, analytical line of argument, using succinct topic sentences that link directly to the question and reflect consistent evaluative judgement.

Question 13 – Conflict in Indochina 1954–1979

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a sophisticated and sustained judgement of the extent the strategies and tactics employed by the USA contributed to the spread of the Second Indochina War to Cambodia and Laos (a)
• demonstrate an extensive understanding of the question by linking the geopolitical implications of the US strategy to the spread of the war to Cambodia and Laos. For example, students could choose to analyse how US tactics transformed Cambodia and Laos from neutral states into war zones through extensive bombing campaigns (Operation Menu/Linebacker), or how US support for local anti-communist forces destabilised both states, spreading the conflict (a)
• provide a sophisticated and sustained argument of the impact of the Second Indochina War on civilians, demonstrating an extensive understanding through making a clear assessment of these impacts on civilians in both North and South Vietnam, for example, effects of extensive bombing, impacts on agriculture, the economy, society, health (chemical warfare) (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating clearly the causal relationship between US strategies and tactics and the spread of the war into Cambodia and Laos, rather than providing general historical descriptions of US actions in the Second Indochina War (a)
• using accurate and relevant evidence to support their argument, ensuring examples directly support the assessment of the impact of the war on civilians in both North and South Vietnam (b)
• directly and consistently linking each point back to the question, reinforcing the overall judgement established.

Question 14 – Conflict in the Pacific 1937−1951

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a sophisticated and sustained argument on the extent to which the Japanese advance (between 1941 and 1942) affected the course of the war, demonstrating an extensive understanding of how this early advance had an impact on the subsequent stages of the war. For example, the initial success during the ‘six months of glory’ after Pearl Harbor bred ‘victory disease’, leading to overconfidence, overextension, and ultimately an inability to sustain the initial advance, particularly in the face of the industrial superiority of the Allies (a)
• provide a sophisticated and sustained assessment of the effects of Japanese occupation on civilians in Southeast Asia, considering multiple different impacts, such as social, economic, or political, across a range of occupied territories (b)
• support their argument or assessment with extensive, accurate and relevant historical knowledge and understanding, including the demonstration of clear links to the course of the war (a), and to the effects of Japanese occupation on the life of civilians across a range of territories in the South-East Asian region (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making clear links between the Japanese advance from 1941–1942 and the course of the war, focusing on the period of Japanese advance in 1941–1942, rather than the growth of tensions period prior to 1941 (a)
• making a clear judgement of the effects on civilian life under Japanese occupation, rather than simply describing the Japanese movement into South-East Asia (b)
• supporting their argument with extensive and accurate evidence that clearly links to the judgement
• avoiding simplistic narrations of the conflict, and supporting their response with accurate and relevant evidence.

Question 15 – Conflict in Europe 1935–1945

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a sophisticated and sustained argument on the impact of the fall of Poland, the Low Countries and France on the course of the European War, demonstrating an extensive understanding of how these early Nazi successes impacted later stages of the conflict. For example, effectiveness of Blitzkrieg strategy in these conflicts led to greater morale and overconfidence of the Nazis in Barbarossa, impacting their initial success and ultimate failure (a)
• provide a sophisticated and sustained judgement regarding the extent to which ‘D’ Day and the liberation of France was a turning point in the conflict in Europe, considering how this campaign was interrelated with earlier turning points such as Stalingrad and North Africa, as well as the simultaneous role of Russian Counteroffensives in supporting its success (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making a clear judgement about how the earlier conflicts impacted the course of the war, rather than providing a narration of the fall of Poland, the Low Countries and France (a)
• making a clear judgement about the extent to which ‘D’ Day and the Liberation were turning points in the conflict in Europe, engaging deeply with the question, rather than narrating the events of ‘D’ Day or overlooking it completely in favour of other turning points such as Stalingrad, the Air War and/or the North African campaign (b).

Question 16 – The Cold War 1945–1991

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the specific aspects of the arms race and the space race and evaluate their roles in contributing to superpower rivalry, including in relation to other factors which also contributed to that rivalry, such as ideological differences and competing geopolitical objectives (a)
• evaluate the role of Gorbachev’s policies in contributing to ending the Cold War, including other factors which were either caused by or the reason for Gorbachev’s policies, such as Reagan’s policies and economic stagnation caused by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (b)
• provide specific and broad ranging examples that support their judgement of the arms race and the space race, as well as other factors which contributed to superpower rivalry up to 1968 (a) and the factors which contributed to the end of the Cold War and their relation to Gorbachev’s policies (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring the evidence provided is used to support the argument or explanation, rather than providing stand-alone evidence that is not linked to an assertion
• ensuring that historical information is extensive and accurate with regards to both breadth and detail using accurate terminology
• ensuring the key issue raised in the question, that is, the arms race and the space race (a) and Gorbachev’s policies (b), is addressed comprehensively, even when broadening the discussion to consider other factors that contributed to rivalry (a) or the end of the Cold War (b).

Question 18 – The Arab-Israeli Conflict 1948–1996

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify superpower influence (as opposed to broader international involvement) and evaluate how it shaped the development of the conflict, including in relation to other factors which influenced the development of the conflict, such as the role of nationalism (a)
• demonstrate an extensive knowledge of superpower involvement, drawing on specific examples from the period 1948–1973 as stipulated in the question (a)
• demonstrate an extensive understanding of the Intifada in the context of the period, and its contribution to cultivating the conditions for the rise and fall of the peace process (b)
• demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the period from 1987–1994, including the specific impacts of the Intifada and increasing international pressure on domestic Israeli politics in the lead up to the peace process (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that historical knowledge is not confused, both in terms of key facts and significance
• ensuring that the argument is supported by specific, relevant examples from across the breadth of the scope of the question, that is, 1948–1973 (a) and 1987–1994 (b). 

The Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square 1966–1989

Question 20 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a range of specific historical detail about the role of the Gang of Four in the Cultural Revolution, for example, their official role as the Central Cultural Revolution Group, as a mouthpiece of Mao, both in terms of activating the Red Guards through rallies and travelling around the country, as instigators of the 4 Olds Campaign and their role in propaganda and re-education
• respond to key words and phrases in the question including ‘describe’, ‘role of’ and ‘the Cultural Revolution’
• focus on the role of the Gang of Four in the Cultural Revolution, rather than on the Cultural Revolution or the Gang of Four in general.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that the historical detail provided is relevant, specific, accurate and concise, rather than focusing on irrelevant information, such as what happened to the Gang of Four after the Cultural Revolution.

Question 20 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a clear explanation in response to the question and make a valid link between the death of Mao and what occurred within the Chinese Communist Party after his death in September 1976
• provide a range of relevant and specific historical information to support the explanation, for example, discuss the power struggle which emerged after Mao’s death between the moderate (Deng) and more radical (Gang of Four, especially Jiang Qing) elements of the party; the role of Hua Guofeng in the initial phases especially his arrest of the Gang of Four; the subsequent struggle with Deng Xiaoping, including his restoration to the party and eventual settling as paramount leader
• respond to key words and phrases in the question including ‘explain’, ‘immediate’ and ‘Chinese Communist Party’.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the ‘immediate consequences’, rather than Deng’s actions in the 1980s and the four modernisations.

Question 20 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide an insightful judgement in response to the question, for example, noting that the impact within China as minimal but much greater on its standing in the world, and make effective use of the source to support their judgment
• provide an organised and structured response with a range of relevant and specific historical information to support their judgement
• address all elements of the question, such as the internal impacts ‘on China’ and the external impacts on ‘its standing in the world’. For example, impacts on China could include details such as the government crackdown, the injuries, deaths and arrests, the hardline taken by the government, the cover up and censorship of information, the impact on the leadership of Deng and rise of Jiang Zemin. Impacts on ‘its standing in the world’ could include the initial strong negative reactions especially by Western countries and organisations, including sanctions and cutting diplomatic relations, and taking in asylum seekers, or the support from communist countries.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focussing on the question requirements rather than providing irrelevant information that does not address the question, such as what happened in Tiananmen Square.

Civil Rights in the USA 1945–1968

Question 21 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a range of specific historical details about the role of their chosen group, for example, the NAACP in the desegregation of Little Rock High
• provide a concise and logical response addressing the key terms and phrases in the question, focusing on the role of their chosen group in the desegregation of Little Rock.

Areas for students to improve include:

• answering the question, rather than focusing on the lead up to the event, such as the Brown vs Board of Education case.

Question 21 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a clear explanation in response to the question and make a valid link between direct action and political agitation and the struggle for Civil Rights between 1945 and 1968
• provide a range of relevant and specific historical information to support the explanation. For example, direct action such as sit-ins and boycotts, with specific examples, such as Greensboro or the Montgomery boycott, and political agitation, such as protests and speeches with specific examples, such as the March on Washington and the formation of the SNCC
• respond to key words and phrases in the question including ‘explain’, ‘direct action’ and ‘political agitation’.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing direct action and political agitation and using historical concepts from the syllabus.

Question 21 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• make explicit reference to Source J and use this to enhance their judgement
• integrate specific historical information such as the Civil Rights Act (1964) and The Voting Rights Act (1965) as part of the detailed explanation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• supporting their judgement with accurate and relevant historical information, rather than making references to litigation not relevant to the question, such as Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board, and protests such as Montgomery Bus Boycott
• selectively integrating the source throughout the response, rather than simply restating information within the source.

The Nuclear Age 1945–2011

Question 23 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• address key words in the question by including details of Greenpeace’s active and organised opposition to French nuclear testing
• refer to actions taken by Greenpeace, including the voyages of the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace’s role in documenting and disrupting atmospheric and underground tests in French Polynesia, its effort to relocate affected Polynesians, its lobbying of bodies such as the United Nations and its pursuit of other legal avenues
• explain how the 1985 bombing of the Rainbow Warrior drew global attention to Greenpeace’s anti-nuclear stance
• link Greenpeace’s protests to wider international condemnation of France’s testing program, and the growing momentum of the global environmental movement and international political pressure on the French government.

Areas for students to improve include:

• directly connecting nuclear testing in the Pacific to environmental activism, rather than providing general statements
• focusing on Greenpeace’s responses, rather than describing French testing and narrating the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior.

Question 23 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• form arguments that include specific details, knowledge and examples, such as the end of the USA’s nuclear monopoly in 1949 and the expansion of the ‘nuclear club’
• use factual details to support the response, such as the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
• address the concept of ‘challenges’, for example, there were periods of difficulties with the verification of nuclear weapon programs and mutual distrust.

Areas for students to improve include:

• making specific links to ‘challenges’, rather than generalisations about concepts of MAD
• explaining how proliferation hinders disarmament, rather than giving descriptive lists of countries with nuclear weapons
• understanding the idea of ‘proliferation’ as the spread of weapons and ‘arms race’ as existing between two powers.

Question 23 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a clear and insightful judgement about the benefits and risks of nuclear energy, using examples drawn from the entire period as specified by the question
• make at least one specific and relevant use of the source
• provide insights and elaborate on ideas using the source and provide alternative views and perspectives, using specific examples.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing sustained analysis or evidence, rather than making simplistic arguments, for and against, or providing descriptive recounts of disasters, rather than considering their broader implications
• understanding the difference between ‘nuclear energy’ and ‘nuclear weapons’.

Apartheid in South Africa 1960–1994

Question 24 (a)

In better responses students were able to:

• describe the role of South African security forces in carrying out government repression and the roles of a range of specific groups within the South African security forces
• demonstrate understanding of how South African security forces were implementing the will of the apartheid government during the time period identified, by enforcing legislation through violence and repression.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific historical information relevant to the question. For example, using broad terms such as ‘South African Security forces’ when referring to the enforcement of government repression is accurate, but terms like ‘South African Police (SAP)’ or ‘South African Defence Force (SADF)’ provide evidence of greater depth of knowledge.

Question 24 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a well-developed understanding of the importance of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment in the national resistance to apartheid over time
• support the response with accurate historical information, for example, specific key resistance groups and figures, timeframes and reasons for the rise of resistance groups and uprisings in the years after Mandela’s imprisonment.

Areas for students to improve include:

• answering the specific question, rather than explaining how Mandela was arrested or his role in ending apartheid.

Question 24 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate how various economic and social factors were significant to the collapse of apartheid in South Africa using specific historical information, such as disinvestment, economic sanctions, Soweto Uprising, opposition groups and the role of Nelson Mandela
• provide balanced, sustained and logical judgements with explicit reference to Source J.

Areas for students to improve include:

• presenting a clear and sustained judgement, supported with accurate and relevant historical detail
• integrating the source selectively throughout the response, rather than simply restating information from the source.