May 2025 Edexcel:
AS Level History
8HI0/2E Paper 2 –
Depth Study, Option
2E: Mao's China,
1949–76; The
German Democratic
Republic, 1949–90 –
Merged Question
Paper & Mark
Scheme
, May 2025 Edexcel: AS Level History 8HI0/2E Paper 2 – Depth Study, Option 2E: Mao's China,
1949–76; The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90 – Merged Question Paper & Mark Scheme
Exam Resource Summary
The May 2025 Edexcel AS Level History 8HI0/2E document merges the official question paper and
mark scheme for Paper 2 – Depth Study, covering Option 2E: Mao’s China, 1949–76; The German
Democratic Republic, 1949–90. This paper assesses students' understanding of the political, social, and
economic transformations in China and East Germany during these periods, including the causes and
consequences of key events such as the establishment of communist rule in both countries, the
implementation of socialist policies, and the challenges faced by their respective regimes. The merged
format provides students with full visibility of examiner expectations, mark allocation, and question
structure. Each question is paired with the official mark scheme, supporting targeted revision, self-
assessment, and the development of coherent, analytical historical arguments. An essential resource for
thorough preparation for the 2025 Edexcel AS Level History examination.
Turn over
, SECTION A
Choose EITHER Option 2E.1 (Question 1) OR Option 2E.2 (Question 2), for which
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
you have been prepared.
Option 2E.1: Mao’s China, 1949–76
Answer Question 1, parts (a) and (b).
You should start the answer to part (a) on page 4.
You should start the answer to part (b) on page 7.
1 (a) Study Source 1 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
Why is Source 1 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the impact of the
Korean War on China?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(8)
AND
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
(b) Study Source 2 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
How much weight do you give to the evidence of Source 2 for an enquiry into the
nature of the reunification campaign in Tibet in the 1950s?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(12)
(Total for Question 1 = 20 marks)
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
, Choose EITHER Option 2E.1 (Question 1) OR Option 2E.2 (Question 2), for which
you have been prepared.
Option 2E.2: The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90
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Answer Question 2, parts (a) and (b).
You should start the answer to part (a) on page 4.
You should start the answer to part (b) on page 7.
2 (a) Study Source 3 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
Why is Source 3 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the growing
international prestige of the GDR in the 1970s?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(8)
AND
(b) Study Source 4 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
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How much weight do you give to the evidence of Source 4 for an enquiry into the
effectiveness of the economic planning of the GDR in the years 1965–70?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(12)
(Total for Question 2 = 20 marks)
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
AS Level History
8HI0/2E Paper 2 –
Depth Study, Option
2E: Mao's China,
1949–76; The
German Democratic
Republic, 1949–90 –
Merged Question
Paper & Mark
Scheme
, May 2025 Edexcel: AS Level History 8HI0/2E Paper 2 – Depth Study, Option 2E: Mao's China,
1949–76; The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90 – Merged Question Paper & Mark Scheme
Exam Resource Summary
The May 2025 Edexcel AS Level History 8HI0/2E document merges the official question paper and
mark scheme for Paper 2 – Depth Study, covering Option 2E: Mao’s China, 1949–76; The German
Democratic Republic, 1949–90. This paper assesses students' understanding of the political, social, and
economic transformations in China and East Germany during these periods, including the causes and
consequences of key events such as the establishment of communist rule in both countries, the
implementation of socialist policies, and the challenges faced by their respective regimes. The merged
format provides students with full visibility of examiner expectations, mark allocation, and question
structure. Each question is paired with the official mark scheme, supporting targeted revision, self-
assessment, and the development of coherent, analytical historical arguments. An essential resource for
thorough preparation for the 2025 Edexcel AS Level History examination.
Turn over
, SECTION A
Choose EITHER Option 2E.1 (Question 1) OR Option 2E.2 (Question 2), for which
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
you have been prepared.
Option 2E.1: Mao’s China, 1949–76
Answer Question 1, parts (a) and (b).
You should start the answer to part (a) on page 4.
You should start the answer to part (b) on page 7.
1 (a) Study Source 1 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
Why is Source 1 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the impact of the
Korean War on China?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(8)
AND
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
(b) Study Source 2 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
How much weight do you give to the evidence of Source 2 for an enquiry into the
nature of the reunification campaign in Tibet in the 1950s?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(12)
(Total for Question 1 = 20 marks)
AREA
D O NOT WRITE IN THIS
, Choose EITHER Option 2E.1 (Question 1) OR Option 2E.2 (Question 2), for which
you have been prepared.
Option 2E.2: The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Answer Question 2, parts (a) and (b).
You should start the answer to part (a) on page 4.
You should start the answer to part (b) on page 7.
2 (a) Study Source 3 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
Why is Source 3 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the growing
international prestige of the GDR in the 1970s?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(8)
AND
(b) Study Source 4 in the Sources Booklet before you answer this question.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
How much weight do you give to the evidence of Source 4 for an enquiry into the
effectiveness of the economic planning of the GDR in the years 1965–70?
Explain your answer using the source, the information given about it and your
own knowledge of the historical context.
(12)
(Total for Question 2 = 20 marks)
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
