Get some general revision advice to begin with. I wrote this 'top 10 tips' for IB students a few years ago and much of what I say applies to you. Similarly the great John D Clare wrote these detailed guidelines for his English GCSE historians. Finally, this article from the New Scientist provides the latest research on effective revision.

There was a new syllabus for 2014 so before that the past papers are not identical themes to those you can expect this year. However, the skills are the same and markschemes are still particularly relevant.

In Year 6 the exam is three periods long. The exam is divided into two sections. In the first section you will be expected to analyse 5 sources, in the second section you will write an essay.

The sources

In Year 6 Summer 2016 the topic for the source analysis is How did the Nazi Party stay in power?
The paper will be four questions just as you have been taught to prepare.

The first question checks your comprehension of key terms and your ability to understand and interpret the sources.

In the second question you will be expected to compare and contrast two of the sources. This means you should identify similarities and differences between the sources, where they agree and disagree.

The third question asks you to evaluate the usefulness of two sources. You do not need to compare the sources but rather consider how useful the sources are in helping us to find out about the past. You need to identify strengths and weaknesses of both sources. For example, the source may be very relevant to question we are considering but it might not be very reliable. The three Rs model should remind you of the sort of things you need to consider.

Finally, you will asked to use all the sources and your own knowledge to answer an essay style question. The question will be contentious, something that will invite discussion. It is likely to be only partly true. Your job is to use the sources - making sure to refer to them in your answer - and use your own knowledge to support your answer. This is an opportunity to show what you know, in addition to the information contained in the five sources.

The essays

You will write one essay from a choice of three
The topics are:

1. Modernism and Modernity. Question will focus on how and why society and culture was transformed in the period 1900-30. How important were changes in the economy? What was the influence of technological development? What was the impact of the Great War? Did everything change? Was everyone's life transformed? etc.

2. The causes of World War II. Question will focus on the historiographical debate surrounding the causes of the war. Was the war inevitable? Did Hitler plan the war? Could the democracies have prevented war? etc.

3. The nature of World War II. Question will focus on the nature of the war. What is total war? To what extent was the Second World war a 'total war'? To what extent was the Second World War different to previous wars? etc.

My top 5 tips on how to write an essay.