writtenSort the causes into a table
Create a table with three columns: long-term conditions, short-term decisions, and the trigger. Place alliances, the assassination, and the July Crisis decisions in the correct column.
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Example lesson history · Why did the First World War begin in 1914?
Separate cause from consequence · 26 Aug Use evidence inside an explanation · 19 Aug Reach a supported judgement · 12 Aug2 September 2026
Why did the First World War begin in 1914? ✓ Teacher approved
You worked on the question: why did the First World War begin in 1914? The main challenge was to move from naming causes to explaining how they connected. You used a causal chain to show how the Sarajevo assassination led into the July Crisis, and you practised judging whether the trigger or the longer-term conditions mattered more.
Work from this lesson
Your next steps
writtenWrite one explanatory paragraph
Explain how the alliance system helped widen the crisis, but do not say it automatically caused war or made war inevitable. Make sure each sentence links one event to the next.
writtenFinish with a judgement
Write two sentences deciding whether the assassination was the most important cause of war. Use ‘important because’ and compare it with one underlying factor.
The lesson focused on building a strong causation answer rather than just listing causes. You looked at long-term conditions such as alliances, a short-term trigger in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the decisions made during the July Crisis. The key skill was showing how one event led to another, and reaching a supported judgement about which cause mattered most.
Long-term conditions are not the same as the trigger
A strong causation answer separates background factors from the immediate event that sets the crisis in motion. Alliances were a long-term condition because they made it more likely that a dispute would spread. The assassination at Sarajevo was the trigger because it created the immediate crisis.
Example The assassination began the crisis, but alliances helped explain why it widened beyond Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
Common misconception Alliances automatically caused war.
Check yourself Can you name one long-term condition and one trigger, then explain the difference?
Chronology needs explanation, not just sequence
A list of events is not enough unless each step shows why the next one became more likely. The chain mattered because the assassination led to Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum, which helped lead to Russian mobilisation, German declarations of war, and then wider conflict.
Example Assassination → ultimatum to Serbia → Russian mobilisation → German declarations of war → wider war.
Common misconception Writing events in order is the same as explaining causation.
Check yourself Does each step in your chain explain the next step, or just name it?
Judgements need comparison
A supported judgement weighs one cause against another, rather than only saying something was important. You compared the trigger with an underlying factor and used ‘important because’ to link your explanation back to the question.
Example The assassination was important because it created the immediate crisis, but alliances were also important because they increased the chance that the crisis spread.
Common misconception A judgement is just the final sentence of an answer.
Check yourself Have you compared at least two causes and said which was more important?
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