What this lesson teaches
I can explain how the government puts laws into action and makes sure people follow them.
Syllabus K230, Issue 1, Guiding Question 2, Functions of government. Implements and enforces laws
Make a guess
An eyewitness writes about an event they saw. Do you think their account is always reliable?
- No, check it against other sources and against the writer's purpose.
- Yes, because the writer was there and saw what happened.
- No, because eyewitnesses tend to exaggerate what they saw happen.
Show the answer
No, check it against other sources and against the writer's purpose.
Eyewitnesses can be mistaken or one-sided. Cross-reference and then explain why the author might make the claim.
Test a source's claim by cross-referencing other sources, then explain the author's purpose. Provenance alone is never enough.
Reliability questions come in several forms. "Is Source D reliable?" "Is Source E more reliable than Source F?" "Does Source D prove Source E wrong?" "Is Source D believable?" "How far does Source D prove that...?" They all ask the same thing: can we trust what the source claims?
The ladder climbs from provenance, to content, to cross-reference, to purpose. Saying "it is from the ministry, so it is biased" stays low. Checking the claim against the details inside the source is better. Checking it against another source is what most marks reward: "D says complaints halved, but E shows five residents still waiting for repayment."
At the top, explain why the author might make the claim, using CAP: "The ministry wanted the public to believe the law worked, so it treated fewer complaints as proof of success."
For "How far does Source D prove...?", show what the source does prove, then what it cannot prove, for example because the sample is small or the time is short. For "Does D prove E wrong?", test both sources before you decide.
- Ladder
- Provenance, then content, then cross-reference (CR), then purpose (CAP).
- How far does it prove
- Say what it proves, then what it cannot prove (sample, time, missing groups).
Worked example: The reliability ladder
Source D, a ministry statement promoting its law, says complaints fell from 80 to 40, so "the problem is solved". Source E, an independent association, found 5 of 20 residents still waiting for repayment.
- Level 1, provenance only: "D is from the ministry, so it is biased."
- Level 2, content: "D treats fewer complaints as proof the problem is solved, but fewer complaints may just mean fewer people complained."
- Level 3, cross-reference: "E shows five residents still waiting and three who could not use the complaint form, so D's claim is not supported."
- Top level, purpose: "D was written to promote the law, so the ministry had a reason to overstate success. D is unreliable on whether the problem is solved."
Watch out for this
A source written by an eyewitness is always reliable.
Eyewitnesses can see only part of an event or have their own reasons. Cross-check what they say with other sources.
Check your understanding
What lifts a reliability answer above provenance alone?
- Checking the claim against what another source shows.
- Saying the author has a strong reason to be biased.
- Saying the source is old, so it is less reliable.
Show the answer
Checking the claim against what another source shows.
Right. Cross-reference is what most mark schemes reward.