How should I analyse a primary source?

Primary source questions in exam papers are asking you to give your own interpretation on history itself, rather than just reciting knowledge from a textbook. Contextual knowledge is always very important, but remember that for this question, you can trust your instincts! A good way of approaching a primary source question is the 'PTC' method:Provenance - this is all about the origins of the source, and how this might impact its usefulness/reliability. You should consider the date, author and audience of a source so that you can understand it better in context. For example, you might note that an article was published in a politically biased newspaper, making it less reliable for factual information. You might notice that its date coincides with an important event, and so could shed more light on views of the event at that moment.Tone - when you consider the text of the source, it is useful to figure out whether the tone is persuasive, emotive, or neutral. This can help you to understand the purpose of the source; if it is trying to persuade the reader, it may be less reliable. An emotive source could also be less reliable, but might also give you a good idea of the emotions and feelings of people in history, which facts in a textbook can't tell us.Content - this is what the source actually says. You can match the information provided in the source with the facts you know to figure out its usefulness. You can also use the information in the source to further what you already know about an event, and use this information to make an argument.Linking all three of these points together allows you to form a coherent analysis of your source, which takes into account not just what the source is saying, but how it says it.