How do I answer source evaluation questions?

Source evaluation seems to be the type of question that causes the most concern for students each year, particularly at GCSE. However, that doesn't make them anything to worry about. In fact, the great thing about this type of question is that the answer is, more or less, on the page in front of you. It's just a matter of extracting the relevant information, and presenting it in a way that answers the examiners' question.In general, you will have to comment on two parts of each source: the content and the origin. It is important to read through the content of the source carefully to work out what it is actually saying. You can then summarise this in a sentence or two, perhaps with reference to particularly illustrative phrases. Often this type of question is asking 'how useful is [source] for understanding [historical event]?' In answering this, it is best to begin with what the source says about this event. Then you can turn your attention to the origin i.e. the circumstances in which the source was written, by whom, etc. This will invite you either to support or to question what the source is saying. It is important to recognise the implications of the source's origin on its usefulness e.g. the possibility that the source is biased. You will be able to use your own knowledge to inform your treatment of both the content and the origin, but it should never take precedent over the source itself in your answer. This approach is necessarily general because it will equip you well for answering any source question, regardless of the topic.