A supported explanation answers a “why” or “how far” question with a claim, specific evidence for it and a sentence linking the evidence back to the question. In a Russia depth study it is the core of most written answers.
It follows interpreting a source and draws on causation and supported explanation.
What does a supported explanation look like?
Build each paragraph in four moves.
- Claim. One sentence that answers the question directly.
- Evidence. A specific, dated fact or a short reference to a source. Not “the war went badly” but what happened and when.
- Link. Explain how the evidence supports the claim. This is where the mark is usually earned.
- Limit. Where it fits, say what the evidence does not show, or what else mattered.
Three kinds of material can supply evidence: established facts (documented events), source viewpoints (what a writer at the time claimed) and interpretations (later arguments). Label which you use.
Worked example
Question: Why did the Provisional Government lose support in 1917?
Plan. Choose one reason, here the decision to stay in the war. Choose a documented fact. Link it. Add a limit.
Claim. One reason the Provisional Government lost support was that it kept Russia fighting in the First World War.
Evidence. The Provisional Government that replaced the Tsar in March 1917 did not take Russia out of the war. Russia stayed in the conflict until the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, which was signed by the Bolshevik government after it came to power.
Link. This mattered because the war was a source of hardship and fatigue for soldiers and civilians. A government that promised change but continued the fighting gave its critics an obvious complaint, and political groups that offered an end to the war could draw support.
Limit. The war was not the only issue. Food shortages and the question of land were also major concerns, so this explanation needs other paragraphs to be complete.
Notice what the paragraph avoids. It does not narrate 1917 week by week, and it does not state whether the government was morally right to stay in the war. It stays with the question: why support fell.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is evidence without a link.
Mistaken paragraph: “The Provisional Government lost support. It stayed in the war. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in March 1918. Lenin returned in April 1917.”
Four true facts, but none is connected to the question, and one (Brest-Litovsk) happened after the period in the question.
Correction: pick one fact, check that its date fits, then add a sentence that begins “This mattered because…”. If you cannot finish that sentence, the fact is not yet evidence for your claim.
Check yourself
1. Which of these is a claim, and which is evidence? (a) “The government stayed in the war.” (b) “Food supply was a major reason people turned against the government.”
Show answer
(a) is a fact that could serve as evidence. (b) is a claim, because it makes a judgement about why something happened and needs support.
2. Write a link sentence that connects the fact “Russia stayed in the war after March 1917” to the claim “the government lost support”.
Show answer
One example: “This mattered because continued fighting prolonged hardship, and critics who proposed ending the war could appeal to a tired population.” Any link that explains the connection is acceptable.
3. A student includes the 1921 New Economic Policy in an answer about 1917. What is wrong?
Show answer
The date falls outside the period in the question, so it cannot explain why support fell in 1917. Relevant evidence must be inside the dates and connected to the claim.
Where this leads next
Next, see what to do when your evidence does not agree in Identify uncertainty where sources disagree. The integrated practice set tests all four skills.
Our online one-to-one History tuition lets a teacher respond to your own paragraphs rather than to model answers.