History of Henry VIIII and his Ministers, 1509-1540
Coloma Convent Girls’ School
GCSE Edexcel History Essay Plan
Step-by-step guide and Exam practice
16 marker (+ 4 marks SPaG)
Essay Title:
The ‘main changes to Henry VIII’s system of government and finance in the years 1534-40
was a greater role for parliament’. How far do you agree?
How to answer this question:
STEP 1: Introduction (Agree or Disagree with the statement, then lay out your point)
I largely agree that the main changes to Henry VIII’s system of government and finance in the years
1534-40 was a greater role for parliament. However, other factors such as changes to the Royal
Council and the King’s Chamber must also be considered in coming to a final judgement.
STEP 2: use (PEEJ)- Point/ Evidence/ Explain/ Judgement
It can be argued that Cromwell’s changes to the Royal Council was the main change
to Henry’s system of government in this period. The Royal Council was the main
body that advised the king and was made up of nearly 100 members from both the
clergy and nobility. However, very few of the members regularly attended, they
lacked sufficient skills to carry out their role, there were no rules as to how meetings
should be organised and decisions weren’t even recorded officially. To resolve these
problems, Cromwell reduced the number of members to just 20 trained lawyers and
administrators and a clerk was appointed to record all decisions. The name of the
council was also changed to the Privy Council. Therefore, this can be seen as one of
the most important changes to Henry’s government as the Privy Council had become
a more focused and professional body, the members had completely changed and
the system was no more balanced and not dominated by one person.
Coloma Convent Girls’ School
GCSE Edexcel History Essay Plan
Step-by-step guide and Exam practice
16 marker (+ 4 marks SPaG)
Essay Title:
The ‘main changes to Henry VIII’s system of government and finance in the years 1534-40
was a greater role for parliament’. How far do you agree?
How to answer this question:
STEP 1: Introduction (Agree or Disagree with the statement, then lay out your point)
I largely agree that the main changes to Henry VIII’s system of government and finance in the years
1534-40 was a greater role for parliament. However, other factors such as changes to the Royal
Council and the King’s Chamber must also be considered in coming to a final judgement.
STEP 2: use (PEEJ)- Point/ Evidence/ Explain/ Judgement
It can be argued that Cromwell’s changes to the Royal Council was the main change
to Henry’s system of government in this period. The Royal Council was the main
body that advised the king and was made up of nearly 100 members from both the
clergy and nobility. However, very few of the members regularly attended, they
lacked sufficient skills to carry out their role, there were no rules as to how meetings
should be organised and decisions weren’t even recorded officially. To resolve these
problems, Cromwell reduced the number of members to just 20 trained lawyers and
administrators and a clerk was appointed to record all decisions. The name of the
council was also changed to the Privy Council. Therefore, this can be seen as one of
the most important changes to Henry’s government as the Privy Council had become
a more focused and professional body, the members had completely changed and
the system was no more balanced and not dominated by one person.
