VCE Vault

VCE History: Revolutions past exams 2023–2025

Every question from the last three VCE History: Revolutions exams, matched to the lesson that teaches it, with class averages from the examiners' reports and worked solutions. VCE History: Revolutions (Year 12) lessons.

2025 Exam

  • A1a (4 marks, class average 75%): Outline the Massachusetts Assembly members' view of Natural Rights in a 1765 letter. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A1b (10 marks, class average 43%): Evaluate how much the Coercive Acts contributed to the outbreak of revolution by 1776. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature
  • A1c (6 marks, class average 47%): Analyse the difficulties Loyalists faced during the War of Independence and after it. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy
  • A1d (5 marks, class average 50%): Explain George Washington's influence on American society from 1776 to 1789. Lesson: Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington, The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy
  • A2a (4 marks, class average 80%): Outline the ideas about the Third Estate in Sieyès's pamphlet of early 1789. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A2b (10 marks, class average 47%): Evaluate how far the events at the Estates-General caused the outbreak of revolution. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes
  • A2c (6 marks, class average 48%): Analyse how economic problems affected the new regime's efforts to consolidate power. Lesson: The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror
  • A2d (5 marks, class average 48%): The problems the radical Paris crowd caused for France in 1792 and 1793. Lesson: The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror
  • A3a (4 marks, class average 80%): Outline how the 1906 Fundamental Laws were designed to keep the Tsar's power and authority. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A3b (10 marks, class average 44%): Evaluate Alexander Kerensky's part in the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in October 1917. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington
  • A3c (6 marks, class average 52%): Analyse why the Bolsheviks introduced War Communism in 1918. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes
  • A3d (5 marks, class average 52%): Explain how Bolshevik changes to education changed Russian society. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes
  • A4a (4 marks, class average 73%): Outline the reasons a 2009 historian gives for the New Life Movement's limited success. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A4b (10 marks, class average 42%): How far the CCP turned the war against Japan to its advantage over the Nationalists. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Writing Revolutionary History — Historiography
  • A4c (6 marks, class average 47%): Analyse why China took a new economic direction with the Great Leap Forward in 1958. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • A4d (5 marks, class average 48%): Explain how Jiang Qing helped shape the Cultural Revolution. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • B1 (20 marks): Essay on whether political change from 1776 to 1789 meant America's revolutionary ideals were badly compromised. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B2 (20 marks): Essay on whether the French new regime held on to power through changes true to the ideals of 1789. Lesson: The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror, The French Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B3 (20 marks): Essay on whether the Bolsheviks always met challenges after October 1917 with ruthless violence. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B4 (20 marks): Essay on whether Mao's policies from 1949 to 1976 were only about keeping himself in power. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills

2024 Exam

  • A1a (2 marks, class average 90%): Two visual features of Paul Revere's 1774 engraving that present Samuel Adams as important. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A1b (2 marks, class average 90%): Two written features of the same engraving that point to the idea of liberty. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A1c (5 marks, class average 56%): Explain how Thomas Paine's ideas challenged British rule and the existing order. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature
  • A1d (6 marks, class average 50%): Analyse how the revolution changed the position of Native Americans up to 1789. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, The American Revolution — Causes and Nature
  • A1e (10 marks, class average 40%): Evaluate how far the Bill of Rights let the revolution's leaders achieve their ideals. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Writing Revolutionary History — Historiography
  • A2a (2 marks, class average 95%): Two visual features of a 1789 cartoon that show inequality between the Three Estates. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A2b (2 marks, class average 95%): Two written features of the same cartoon that show the Third Estate's hardships. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A2c (5 marks, class average 64%): Explain how Marie Antoinette's behaviour undermined support for the monarchy before 1789. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes
  • A2d (6 marks, class average 57%): Analyse how the monarchy's power changed between 1789 and 1791. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror
  • A2e (10 marks, class average 43%): Evaluate how far the Federalist and counter-revolutionary revolts threatened the new regime's survival. Lesson: The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror, The French Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy
  • A3a (2 marks, class average 95%): Two visual features of a 1906 cartoon that show Nicholas II afraid of opposition. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A3b (2 marks, class average 100%): Two written features of the same cartoon that criticise Nicholas II's government. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A3c (5 marks, class average 66%): Explain how Tsarina Alexandra helped bring about the February Revolution. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes
  • A3d (6 marks, class average 58%): Analyse how women's lives were changed by the October Revolution, up to 1927. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes
  • A3e (10 marks, class average 52%): Evaluate how far Lenin's leadership allowed the new Soviet regime to survive until January 1924. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington
  • A4a (2 marks, class average 90%): Two written features of a Red Army poster showing how soldiers were told to treat the people. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A4b (2 marks, class average 90%): Two visual features of the poster showing soldiers building ties with the people. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A4c (5 marks, class average 60%): Explain why the Guomindang lost the Civil War. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • A4d (6 marks, class average 50%): Analyse how the revolution changed the lives of peasants, up to 1957. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • A4e (10 marks, class average 46%): Evaluate the effects of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese society. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • B1 (20 marks): Essay on whether popular movements made the American Revolution inevitable. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B2 (20 marks): Essay on whether the spread of Enlightenment ideas made the French Revolution inevitable. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B3 (20 marks): Essay on whether liberal ideas and reforms in Tsarist Russia made revolution inevitable. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B4 (20 marks): Essay on whether Mao Zedong Thought made the Chinese Revolution inevitable. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills

2023 Exam

  • A1a (4 marks, class average 80%): Two features of an engraving of the 1765 Stamp Act riots that show how colonists objected to the tax. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A1b (6 marks, class average 45%): How the fighting and Britain's response in 1775 and early 1776 led to the Declaration of Independence. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature
  • A1c (2 marks, class average 95%): Two criticisms of the Articles of Confederation in a 1787 letter by James Madison. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A1d (5 marks, class average 54%): Explain the main issues dividing Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the proposed Constitution. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy
  • A1e (8 marks, class average 39%): Evaluate how significant liberty was as a revolutionary idea in America from 1754 to 1789. Lesson: The American Revolution — Causes and Nature, The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Writing Revolutionary History — Historiography
  • A2a (4 marks, class average 88%): Two features of the 1789 engraving Awakening of the Third Estate that show it challenging the old order. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A2b (6 marks, class average 48%): Analyse the causes of the Great Fear in the French countryside in July and August 1789. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes
  • A2c (2 marks, class average 100%): Two ways the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen aimed to make French citizens equal. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A2d (5 marks, class average 54%): Explain how the revolutionary government strengthened its hold on power during the Terror. Lesson: The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror
  • A2e (8 marks, class average 44%): Evaluate the main continuities and changes in the Church's power in France from 1774 to 1795. Lesson: The French Revolution — Causes, The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror, The French Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy
  • A3a (4 marks, class average 85%): What a 1917 American cartoon shows about the results of the February Revolution. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A3b (6 marks, class average 52%): Analyse Lenin's contribution to the Bolsheviks taking power between April and October 1917. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington
  • A3c (2 marks, class average 95%): Two criticisms of the new Bolshevik regime in a peasant's letter of January 1918. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A3d (5 marks, class average 58%): The ways the Bolsheviks used terror between their seizure of power and mid-1921. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes
  • A3e (8 marks, class average 44%): Evaluate the main continuities and changes for Russian peasants from 1896 to 1927. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Overview and Causes, The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes
  • A4a (4 marks, class average 80%): Two features of a painting of 4 May 1919 that show the protesters challenging the existing order. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A4b (6 marks, class average 55%): How Jiang Jieshi turned the Northern Expedition to his own goals. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • A4c (2 marks, class average 90%): Two criticisms made of the new regime during the Hundred Flowers Campaign. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Historical Source Analysis Skills
  • A4d (5 marks, class average 60%): What the Great Leap Forward led to: famine, waste and political fallout. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes
  • A4e (8 marks, class average 43%): Evaluate the most significant political changes Mao made in China between 1912 and 1976. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Causes (1912–1949), The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington
  • B1 (20 marks): Essay on whether the war ruined the American economy and endangered the new republic. Lesson: The American Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B2 (20 marks): Essay: did the revolution change how France was governed while workers' and peasants' lives stayed the same?. Lesson: The French Revolution — Outcomes and Legacy, The French Revolution — The Radical Phase and Terror, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B3 (20 marks): Essay: did the Bolshevik leaders fail to achieve any of their ideals between 1917 and 1927?. Lesson: The Russian Revolution — Bolshevik Consolidation and Outcomes, Revolutionary Leadership — Robespierre, Lenin, Washington, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills
  • B4 (20 marks): Essay on whether the Communist Party alone gained from the revolution, 1949 to 1976. Lesson: The Chinese Revolution — Consequences (1949–1976), The Chinese Revolution — Causes, Course and Outcomes, Revolutions Extended Essay — Advanced Writing Skills